<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} span.klink {mso-style-name:klink;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->

Matrimony is an important step towards uniting two individuals for an entire life who then promise to always love and care for each other. It marks the bonding of two souls, two families, their culture and their communities. This beautiful beginning of the lives of the bride and the groom has to be wrapped with blessings from Almighty as well as from other well-wishers. Indian weddings are generally elaborate and are celebrated with extravagance and splendor. They are mostly celebrated over a span of a week with around a month or two spent in preparation.

Due to the diversity and vastness of India’s culture, Indian marriage customs are also diverse. Every region of the country, east, west, north and south have their own unique way of celebrating marriages and their own wedding customs and rituals.

The perfect example of a typical Indian wedding celebrated with pomp and grandeur is North Indian Weddings. They are the most popular kind of Indian weddings that elaborately glorify the marriage of two people. The North Indian Weddings mainly include pre-wedding ceremonies like Sagan, Engagement, Mehndi, Sangeet, etc and wedding day ceremonies like Baraat, Varmala, Phere and Vidaai.
North Indian Weddings have become a favorite with many foreigners who now wish to get married in India in Indian style. Wedding tourism in India has, in fact, gained huge popularity due to the same. Besides the magnificence, another exceptional feature of these weddings is their complete loyalty to traditional customs and rituals.

South Indian wedding is another kind of Indian wedding that follows a number of customs and rituals, each symbolic of beautiful sentiments that form a marriage. The ceremonies of a typical South Indian wedding are unique yet interestingly embedded with spiritual meanings; they are popular for flowers and fragrance. The custom of Nadaswaram is followed by Kolam and Sowbhayam to welcome the guests at the wedding. Other ceremonies are Ganesh/ Gauri Puja, Navagraha, Vratham, Kasi yatra, Vaara puja, Jaya mala, Kanya danam, Sapta padhi, Graha pravesh, Nalangu, etc. All these add fun and solemnity to the whole wedding affair.

The culture of Western states of India like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, etc can be distinctly seen in West Indian weddings. The marriage is arranged by parents and other relatives of bride and groom by matching horoscopes later followed by selection of the Shubh Muhurat. After the wedding, Laxmi Narayan puja and Kanya Daan is conducted in which the father gives his daughter’s hand to the groom seeking a promise that he will always take good care of her. A reception party is generally organized in the evening to congratulate the bride and groom.

The East Indian states strictly follow the Vedic rules and regulations instructed in their weddings. The states like West Bengal, Bihar Orissa, Assam, etc exhibit the predominant rituals of an Indian marriage. According to Hindu

Dharma, marriage is the communion of two souls; it is a commitment of lifetime by a man and woman to each other. In East Indian weddings, traditions are believed to be the core component of a marriage. For east Indians, matrimony is meant for overall spiritual and emotional growth of an individual and not to defy any human weakness. Man and woman are considered soul mates who direct the energy and zeal connected with their entity into the development of their souls through the foundation of marriage.

Indian Weddings are known worldwide for their extravagance and are synonymous with fun and celebration. They have occupied a place no less than that of a festival in India. As the day of the wedding holds maximum value in a person’s life, all the events, traditions, customs, dance, music and food are aimed at making it memorable and exotic.

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->

Author Bio

Deepika Bansal writes on behalf of Jeevansathi.com, which is India’s fastest growing matrimonial website, provides online Indian matrimonial classified services. Jeevansathi.com enables users to create a matrimony profile on the website and allow prospective grooms and brides to contact each other. Users can search for profiles through advanced search options on the website. Users can avail free registration and make initial contact with each other through services available on Jeevansathi.com via Chat, SMS, and e-mail.