Hindu weddings?

Question

Does anyone know the traditions of a Hindu wedding? Such as:
Is it an arranged marriage?
Who pays for the wedding?
Living arrangements following?
What they wear?

anything along those lines. Thanks

Answer 1

. The dowry was designed as a form of financial security for the bride, in the case of her marriage failing. It is usually made up of a certain number of outfits, jewellery and items for the home. However this changed into more of a 'market value' pricing system, and as a result of many 'bride-burnings' in the Subcontinent, the traditional dowry has officially been banned in India.

2. Henna painting of the bride's hands often includes the initials of her betrothed. The couple then search for the initials on the wedding night. This is a game that is played to make the bride and groom more relaxed and at ease with each other.

3. A few days before the wedding, a traditional 'mehndi evening' is held at the bride's home. This is when the female relatives gather to sing songs to celebrate the impending marriage and to paint the bride's hands and feet. It is also the time the bride is 'cleansed' with a special turmeric based paste. Once her whole body has been rubbed with the paste, the bride is supposed to only wear her oldest clothes and not leave the house until the day of the wedding.

4. The turmeric-based paste is believed to have beautifying and skin-lightening properties and even the groom is not exempt. In a separate ceremony, the groom will also be "cleansed" with it by female members of his own family.

5. During the wedding ceremony it is traditional for the bride's sisters and cousins to steal the groom's shoes. These are only returned to him in exchange for a fee - usually gold-rings for sisters and silver rings for cousins or more commonly, money!

6. Any cash gifts for the bride and groom should never be round figures. It is considered auspicious to give Rs (£) 1001, Rs (£) 501, Rs (£)101 or even Rs (£) 51.

7. In a traditional Hindu ceremony the bride and groom must take seven circles around the holy fire. The groom chants mantras (holy verses) with each step. Through these mantras he seeks his bride's support and makes a particular request with each step.

8. The groom's family arrives amidst a blaze of singing and dancing (in Hindu weddings he is usually on a white horse) called a 'baraat'. Each of the elder members of the family greets their equivalent, with a traditional garlanding and gift presentation ceremony.

9. At the end of the wedding ceremony the groom will sprinkle red powder (kumkum) in a parting in the brides hair. This, and a red bindi, signifies a married woman.

10. Hindu weddings can only take place on auspicious days, hence the need to consult with a priest to determine the best date for a wedding.

Answer 2

Traditional weddings were far different from modern weddings... but some Hindu weddings are still arranged, some are not (most are not these days)... Majority of the time the bride's family pays for the ceremony... Living arrangements, the bride traditionally moves into the groom's home but modern days, the bride & groom usually gets their own home together. Brides wear a sari or lengha (a decorated floor lenght skirt and top with matching shawl) and grooms wear kirtas (traditional Hindu men's top and pants). Most brides wear any shade red or yellow.. very rarely are other colors worn, white is rarely worn...

Answer 3

In previous generations its been a form of arranged marriage; however, nowadays, it's become more common for love marriages. Usually the females side pays for the wedding. The males side pays for the males family to come to the wedding site. The wedding usually takes place in the location that the female finds most preferable. After the marriage, the female leaves with the male. They tend to wear saris of bright colors but predominantly red, gold, white, and green.