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Miss Dew Drop, San Francisco Age and Occupation: 31, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Managerial Type at an Internet Company Engagement Date: December 12, 2008 Wedding Date: September 2009 Venue: Ralston Hall Mansion About Me: I'm a food-and-baking-obsessed, occasionally sword wielding Bay Area native who is quickly becoming overwhelmed with planning a wedding and opening a law practice at the same time. (Brilliant move, that one.) I love reading, online shopping, ice cream, my Macbook, Bollywood movies, hoodies, the UCLA Bruins, and of course, Mr. Dew Drop.
About Mrs. Dew Drop

The Thing About Indian Weddings

August 19th, 2009 @ 11:29 am by Mrs. Dew Drop

Contrary to what some might believe, not all Indian weddings are the same.

When people ask about the wedding, I get questions about wearing red and walking around a fire. And this is in the Bay Area, where the Indian population just keeps growing.

For one thing, our wedding day won’t be very Indian. For another, I’m an Ismaili Muslim—Ismaili brides wear white on their wedding days, and only Hindus walk around fires.

And, also, even if you have two Indian families with the exact same background, the odds are they won’t do things in quite the same way.

Long ago, one of my cousins theorized that this was because Indians have too many obscure wedding traditions and no one could remember them all. I picture one auntie asking another, “What do we do now?” And the other auntie saying, “I don’t really know, but how about we just do it this way?”

That’s why I really liked something I read on a photography blog:

“It’s one of the most wonderful and baffling things about Indian weddings. No matter how much you think you know, and how many times you have seen things done one way, there is always the chance that you will be thrown a curve ball, and see something totally different and totally new.”

–Lauren from Rob & Lauren Photographers

Not convinced? Take a look at these pictures from Indian weddings. Even if you’re an Indian wedding veteran, I guarantee you’ll find something new to see. (And, honestly, can anyone actually resist wedding eye candy??)

The Thing About Indian Weddings :  wedding cultural traditions Bengali

Traditional Bengali wedding makeup application, photo by Sephi Bergerson

The Thing About Indian Weddings :  wedding cultural traditions Picture01

The application of the bride’s sindoor under cover at a Fijian Indian wedding, photo by Andrena Photography


The Thing About Indian Weddings :  wedding cultural traditions Aliyah1

An Ismaili wedding ceremony, photo by Rob & Lauren Photographers

The Thing About Indian Weddings :  wedding cultural traditions Shamako

A Malayalam Christian wedding ceremony, photo by Stephanie Williams Photography

The Thing About Indian Weddings :  wedding cultural traditions Charmi

Miss Margarita following Sri Lankan tradition by wearing a white sari with a veil, photo by Andrena Photography

The Thing About Indian Weddings :  wedding cultural traditions Robynsu

A Sikh wedding ceremony, photo by Rob & Lauren Photographers

The Thing About Indian Weddings :  wedding cultural traditions 2009013

An Ismaili groom at his pithi ceremony, photo by Elementz of Photographie

Does your wedding have traditions that other people might not expect?

Tags: cultural, traditions |
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36 Responses to “The Thing About Indian Weddings”

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1.
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Miss Bruschetta (message)  5,565 posts, Bee Keeper

That’s so awesome that you have so many traditions from which to pick! You can really personalize your wedding and make it very memorable for everyone involved :-)

 
2.
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Mrs. Margarita (message)  369 posts, Helper bee

I totally feel you! Mr. Margarita’s traditions were very different than my sis in law’s (who is also Indian) and Sri Lankan tradition is all over the place too.

Its kinda of fun to learn about all the different varieties but can be very frustrating when you’re trying to incorporate all you can into your day. I’m excited to see how you incorporate your Ismaili traditions with Mr. DDs :)

 
3.
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Curlysue (message)  1,703 posts, Bumble bee

Those are great photos! Can’t wait to see what you do for your own. As for my own wedding, nope, nadda, we got nothing! We are going to include guest vows (which I love the thought of them taking vows to support us throughout our marriage, etc), but no unity candle, pouring of sand or hand tying–that’s just not us. We have no idea what to include in our ceremony!

 
4.
kara
Member
kara (message)  625 posts, Busy bee

That’s really neat! Thanks for opening our eyes to the diversity in Indian weddings! Great that you can pick the traditions that mean the most to you!

 
5.
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nybride09 (message)  890 posts, Busy bee

i love the pix. we’re having a tea ceremony which will be common for my family, but not for his. we’re also having the bride’s family go first, which is not conventional, since the groom’s family’s never seen one.

 
6.
Miss Poodle
Bee
Miss Poodle (message)  3,387 posts, Sugar bee

Those pics are so cool :) I’m so glad you can incorporate all you want

 
7.
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slicey19 (message)  2,844 posts, Sugar bee

Thanks for teaching me something today.

 
8.
Jenniphyr
Member
Jenniphyr (message)  2,602 posts, Sugar bee

Thanks for sharing your culture with us! =) It’s fascinating to see how different each subgroup is.

 
9.
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Miss Moonbeam (message)  1,732 posts, Bumble bee

Wow, so many different ways to celebrate love.

 
10.
thefuturemrsjewell
Member
thefuturemrsjewell (message)  1,829 posts, Buzzing bee

wow, so many different traditions! i love it! which are your favorites?

 
11.
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Miss Cloud (message)  802 posts, Busy bee

I am fascinated by Indian weddings! They are always so big, beautiful, and full of color! And the traditions, although so different from each other like you said, are also so different then the catholic traditions that I have grown up with, I always want to learn more. Thanks for all the eye candy too!

 
12.
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phruphru (message)  184 posts, Blushing bee

This is so true! Among Hindus, the traditions can be so different down to not just the region where you live, but also your caste/subcaste and even your own family.

 
13.
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Mrs. Swan (message)  1,046 posts, Bumble bee

I think South Asian weddings and their traditions are beautiful. Thanks for letting us know the depth and breadth of all of these traditions.

 
14.
GwenMarieDC
Member
GwenMarieDC (message)  111 posts, Blushing bee

Ohhhhhhh Miss Dew Drop! I have been excitedly following your posts already (I am IN LOVE with your dress!) but now I am even more excited - I am marrying an Ismaili Muslim! And I have recently seen lots of these pictures in my own search to find out more about the wedding traditions before we talk to his parents, which like you’ve said, I’ve learned vary greatly! So fun!

 
15.
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Mrs. Peep Toe (message)  1,804 posts, Buzzing bee

I heart Indian weddings. Mr. Peep wanted to model our ceremony after an Indian wedding we went to. I had not idea that they could be so different. Cool post and great pics.

 
16.
ScotIrishGirl
Member
ScotIrishGirl (message)  307 posts, Helper bee

I love the gold makeup in the first picture! Gorgeous!

 
17.
Sage
Member
Sage (message)  728 posts, Busy bee

This is such an enlightening post - it is so beautiful to see other traditions and cultures celebrating marriage!

 
18.
Miss Labrador
Bee
Miss Labrador (message)  1,805 posts, Buzzing bee

How did I ever miss that AMAZING veil from Miss Margarita?!? Loved this post!

 
19.
ejs4y8
Member
ejs4y8 (message)  14,581 posts, Bee Keeper

How cool!!!! We had a Korean Wine Ceremony and it was really unexpected since most people don’t know right off the bat i’m part Korean

 
20.
Jessie516
Hostess
Jessie516 (message)  5,480 posts, Bee Keeper

These photos are amazing. I think it’s so cool how diverse weddings can be.

 
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Mrs. Dew Drop
Mrs. Dew Drop

Miss Dew Drop, San Francisco Age and Occupation: 31, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Managerial Type at an Internet Company Engagement Date: December 12, 2008 Wedding Date: September 2009 Venue: Ralston Hall Mansion About Me: I'm a food-and-baking-obsessed, occasionally sword wielding Bay Area native who is quickly becoming overwhelmed with planning a wedding and opening a law practice at the same time. (Brilliant move, that one.) I love reading, online shopping, ice cream, my Macbook, Bollywood movies, hoodies, the UCLA Bruins, and of course, Mr. Dew Drop.

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