West Indian Weddings

The importance of traditional rituals is valued in all Indian weddings and the West Indian weddings are no different. The West Indian weddings include Maharashtrian Weddings, Gujrati Weddings, and Marwari Weddings. Many rituals are involved in these types of weddings and the celebrations start much before the actual wedding. Some weddings can be lavish while others are simple and it all depends on the families. The West Indian weddings generally take place at the rented halls, mandaps, or other homely venues.

In the Maharashtrian wedding, the wedding is scheduled in the morning or late evening, which is called as the 'Goraj Muhurt'. At the wedding, the maternal uncle of the bride accompanies her to the dais. A partition called 'antarpat', which is a piece of cloth, is held between the bride and the groom, and religious hymns are chanted. Then the garlands are exchanged. In the West Indian weddings, the common thing is the farewell to the bride, which is known as 'bidai'. There is also the post wedding ceremony called Laxmi Narayan puja in Maharashtrian Wedding.

The Gujrati type of West Indian wedding has the 'Madhuparka' ceremony in which there is the washing of groom's feet. He is welcomed with a mixture of honey and milk. 'Kanya Daan' and 'Hasta Milap' are the two important ceremonies in this type of Indian Wedding Types. Pheras and Saptapadi are another two important rituals in the wedding ceremony.

The West Indian weddings and their emphasis on traditional rituals make it really special. However, the modern trend is more towards love marriage and there is more freedom of choice both the bride and the groom. The other special features of the weddings are the celebrations that continue for more than a day and all the family members come together to enjoy the moment.