Destination Weddings
Marriages are made in heaven formalities are done on earth : choose bride or groom of your choice. Come and Enjoy historical venues of your choice.
In India we do have tradition for typical Indian style & Rajasthani traditional weddings.
We welcome you for once in a life time wedding of Rajasthani style we arrange all inclusive wedding for your.
Traditional Hindu Weddings:
The wedding day usually commences with a fast for both the bride and groom. The groom will leave his house accompanied by his best man and one of his younger female relatives whose job it is to keep the groom awake by shaking a metal pot filled with a few coins and a betel nut over his head. The history behind this curious custom is that weddings in India were traditionally held in the evening at which time many a groom might succumb to slumber!
On leaving his house, the groom’s car may be impeded by the younger female members of his family who demand a “gift” in exchange for allowing him to leave for his wedding ceremony.
The majority of the wedding ceremony will take place in a Mandap (the four-pole canopy at centre stage). The sacred fire in the Mandap symbolises not only the illumination of the mind, knowledge and happiness but is also a clean and pure witness to the ceremony as it progresses.
The ceremony itself is a collection of rituals performed by the bride, bridegroom and their respective parents and close relatives. The priest chants “mantras” from the Vedas that were originally written in Sanskrit. He will also use the following in his ceremonies:
- Fresh flowers – to signify beauty;
- Coconut – to signify fertility;
- Rice, jaggery and other grains – to signify the food necessary for sustenance of human life;
- Ghee (purified butter) – to feed the sacred fire;
- Kumkum (vermilion) – red powder used for marking the forehead to signify good luck and to say that your soul (husband) is with you.
The major stages of the Hindu Ceremony:
The priest sets up a small fire in a kund (cooper bowl). Agni (fire) is the mouth of Vishnu and symbolises the illumination of mind, knowledge and happiness. The remainder of the ceremony is conducted around the fire.
The bride places her right foot on a stone. The bridegroom tells her to be as firm as the stone in his house so that the can face their enemies and the difficulties of life together.
Three obligations are offered to the sacred fire. The brother of the bride puts into the bride’s hand parched rice, half of which slips into the bridegroom’s hand. Mantras are chanted. The bride prays to Yama, the God of Death, that he grant long life, health, happiness and prosperity to the bridegroom.
The couple walk around the sacred fire four times. Each time they stop to touch with their toe a stone in their path. This symbolises obstacles in life that they will overcome together. These four rounds stand for the four basic human goals:
- Dharma – ighteousness
- Artha – monetary accomplishment
- Kama – energy and passion in life
- Moksha – liberation from everything in life.
The groom, signifying his contribution in helping the union to attain dharma, artha and kama, leads the first three rounds. The bride signifying their continual journey spiritual liberation leads the last round.
The bride and groom take seven steps together around the fire. It is said in Hindu philosophy that if two people walk seven steps together then they will remain lifelong friends. They exchange sacred vows at the beginning of each encircling walk. At the end of each walk, the open palms of the bride are filled with puffed rice by her brother signifying wealth and prosperity. The seven steps and their promises are:
- Let us take the first step to provide for our household, keeping a pure diet and avoiding those things that might harm us.
- Let us take the second step to develop our physical, mental and spiritual powers.
- Let us take our third step to increase our wealth by righteous and proper means.
- Let us take out fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love, respect and trust.
- Let us take the fifth step so that we may be blessed with strong, virtuous and heroic children.
- Let us take the sixth step for self-restraint and longevity.
- Let us take the seventh step to be true companions and remain life-long partners by this wedlock.
The bride and bridegroom touch each other’s heart reciting promises to each other.
The bride and groom feed each other four times for nourishment of the bone, muscle, skin and soul.
The priest blesses the bride and groom. Flower petals and rice are given to the guests to shower them on the bride and groom with blessings. The wedding guests can then give their individuals blessings to the bride and groom and once completed, the marriage ceremony ends. Guests are invited to enjoy a sumptuous meal with the newlyweds.
The farewell to the bride by her family and friends is a very emotional episode. The bride is leaving her parents home to build a life with her husband and his family. She leaves with tears of joy and sorrow.
