The Hindu Wedding is a sacred step in the spiritual union of the bride and groom. It binds them in holy matrimony in front of Agni, the God of Fire. Agni personifies the power and light of the great God and is the witness of the union. The wedding ceremony is conducted on the basis of Hindu traditional marriages with the bridegroom taking the form of Sri “Vishnu”, and the bride taking the form of Sri “Mahalakshmi”.  The ceremony is performed in the presence of the families, friends, relatives and well-wishers of the bride and groom. Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu scriptures, is used during the ceremony.   The Purohit (Priest) facilitates the steps of the wedding.

Arrival of the Bridegroom – Barat

The festivities begin with the groom arriving on a beautifully decorated horse, a joyous celebration of singing and dancing to welcome the groom accompanied by members of his family and friends.   He meets his bride’s family at the entrance of the venue.  The bride’s parents welcome the groom and the families with floral garlands.  Then the groom is escorted to the mandap (alter) to await his bride.

Mala Parivarthana

The bride makes a grand entrance at the setting being escorted by her close relatives and friends.  The bride and the groom are separated by an antarpat (curtain) and at the appropriate moment both of them exchange flower garlands.  The bride and the groom are then invited to sit together in the Mantap flanked by their respective parents.

 Anugna, and Lord Ganesh Puja

The events begin in the Mantap seeking the blessings of God and elders in the family and welcome the assemblage to the marriage ceremony.  Offerings of flowers, rice and water are made to Lord Ganesh, the God of Wisdom, remover of obstacles. Prayers are offered to the Lord to ward off any obstacles and for a successful ceremony.

 Punyahavachanam:

The priest recites Vedic mantras for the sanctification of the ceremony and makes offerings to Lord Varuna.  The pooja materials used for the ceremony and the altar are sprinkled with the holy water.

 Pratisara Bandham, Lakshmi Pooja

A sacred thread is tied around the wrist of the bride and the groom to offer protection and invoke positive thoughts.  The bride performs Sri Mahalakshmi pooja, the Goddess of prosperity and virtues.  She seeks Sri Mahalaksmi’s blessings for a successful long term relationship and happiness for the new life she is about to enter.

Shubha Muhurtam  ***Auspicious Marriage Ceremony Time***

 Kanyadanam:

The bride is the symbol of Sri Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of virtues, wealth  prosperity.  In this important part of the ceremony, the bride’s parents jointly entrust the care of their cherished daughter in the hands of the groom.  The bride, groom and the bride’s father hold their hands while the bride’s mother pours holy water over their hands. The step denotes giving of the bride to the groom and acceptance of the bride by the groom as his life partner.

Mangalya Pooja and Dharanam,

The sacred Mangalsutra, the pendant is worshipped first.   The groom ties the sacred pendant around the neck of the bride as a symbol of love and eternal union.

 Pani Grahanam

The bride and the groom hold hands, welcome each other into their lives and pledge eternal faithfulness to each other.   A knot is tied with the scarves worn by the couple signifying the unification of their souls and eternal relationship.

 Agni Prathishta and Agni Pradakshina (circling of the fire)

Agni, the God of Fire, is invoked as a witness to the ceremony by lighting up the sacred fire.  The bride and the groom walk together 4 times around the Agni, the fire God with their upper garments tied together.  With each round they seek four basic goals of human life:

Dharma : Doctrines of spiritual paths for way of life

Artha: Prosperity to make life comfortable

Kama: Passion in their fulfillment of the desires of life

Moksha: Attainment of salvation

Sapthapadi

The bride and the groom take seven symbolic steps, each representing a marital vow and leading them to their new life. The couples hold hands and express their vows as they take each step.

The first step signifies mutual respect and love

The second step is for supporting each other and sharing

The third step is to lead life as one soul

The fourth step signifies attainment of knowledge

The fifth step is for commitment to family and children

The sixth step is for companionship

The seventh step is for eternal love

 Vivaha Havan (Homam)

The groom pours ghee (melted butter) as an offering into Agni, the God of Fire, and witness of the holy union of the marriage.  The couple offers prayers to the great Lord for their eternal happiness.

 Laja Homam

The bride’s brother or close relative joins the couple at the Mantap representing bride’s family.  He hands over fistfuls of puffed rice to the bride and the groom to make the offerings to the fire.  The groom extends his love and friendship to the bride’s family member and offers a gift to him.

 Neela Lohita Pooja (Ring Game)

A ring game is played by the bride and the groom to amuse the families and guests.   A ring is placed in a vessel filled with water and the bride and the groom compete to pick the ring.   It is believed that whoever grabs the ring, majority of the times will have upper hand in the marriage.

 Arundhati Darsan, Asheervadam and Acharya Sanmanam

The bride and the groom witness the twin stars Arundhati and Dhruva signifying the steadfast eternal link.  The priest invokes and chants the Vedic Asheervada mantras to signify God’s blessings and for wishing the couple a very bright future and happiness.  The newlywed couple bows to the priest, and honor the priest.   The bride and the groom bow to the parents and elders for their blessings and extend their respect and gratitude. Friends, relatives and family shower the couple with rice and offer their blessings to the newly married couple.

 Aarathi

The wedding ceremony concludes with prayers to God and offering good wishes for a bright future and happiness for the bride and the groom.