WeddingIndian wedding rituals explained
India has many ways of getting married, and a guest at one may be a stranger at another. These pages set out the ceremonies of eight traditions in the order they happen, in plain words.
| Tradition | The central moment | Usual time |
|---|---|---|
| Hindu wedding (North India) | Pheras around the sacred fire | Evening or night |
| Sikh wedding (Anand Karaj) | Four laavan around the Guru Granth Sahib | Morning |
| Muslim wedding (Nikah) | Nikah: consent before witnesses | Day or evening |
| Christian wedding | Vows and rings in church | Day or evening |
| South Indian Hindu wedding | Tying of the thali at the muhurtham | Morning |
| Bengali wedding | Saat paak, shubho drishti and sindoor daan | Evening |
| Marathi wedding | Antarpat and mangalashtaka | Morning |
| Gujarati wedding | Four mangal phera | Day or evening |
How to read these pages
Each page lists the ceremonies of one tradition in a table, in the order they usually happen, with a line on when each takes place and what is done. Below the table are notes for guests, so that a first-time visitor knows what to wear, when to arrive and how to behave, and planning notes for the two families: what must be booked, bought and timed for that kind of wedding. The names of rituals are given as families commonly say them, and spellings vary.
No two families do everything alike. A ritual may be dropped, shortened, moved to another day or known by another name in your home. Where your elders or your priest say something different from these pages, follow them. These guides are meant for the guest who wants to understand what they are watching, for the couple marrying into a tradition that is new to them, and for the cousin who has been asked to help and does not want to ask what a milni is.
What most Indian weddings share
- A promise before the wedding: roka, sagai, kurmai, mangni, nischayathartham or betrothal.
- Turmeric and henna: haldi, maiyan, pithi, gaye holud, manjha and mehndi, in almost every community.
- The arrival of the groom with his family, and a welcome by the bride's family.
- One central act that makes the marriage: steps around the fire, the laavan, the nikah, the vows or the thali.
- A farewell to the bride's home and a welcome in the new one.
- A feast.
For couples from two traditions
Many couples today hold two ceremonies, or blend rituals from both families. Sit with both sets of parents early, list the rituals each side holds dear, and build the plan around those. A marriage between people of different religions can also be solemnised or registered under the Special Marriage Act: see marriage registration.
Customs differ between families and regions. These pages are general guides, reviewed on 11 November 2026.
More wedding help
- Planning checklistEvery task from a year before to the week after, with dates.
- Budget plannerPlan and track spending head by head. Your figures stay on your phone.
- Guest listCount families and people for each side and track who is coming.
- Questions for vendorsWhat to ask the venue, caterer, photographer and others before paying.
- Wedding day timelineSample hour-by-hour plans for evening and morning weddings.
- Wedding day bagThe emergency kit and papers to carry on the day.
- Marriage registrationHow registration and court marriage work in India.
- Wedding wordingSave-the-date, announcement and thank-you messages to copy.
- Haldi, mehndi, sangeetPlanning the functions before the wedding day.
- Small weddingA simple wedding with fewer guests, planned well.
- Who does whatSharing the work between two families and the cousins.
- Outstation guestsRooms, pick-ups, welcome notes and a help desk.
- Menu planningBuilding the menu and briefing the caterer, without waste.
- Family photo listThe group photographs to plan, and how to get them quickly.
- After the weddingThank-yous, payments, returns, photographs and paperwork.