TRADITIONAL INDIAN BRIDE'S & GROOM'S SPECIAL
Bindi
The bindi - literally means the point, the centre, the base, the beginning of everything - of time, of space, it signifies infinite potential.
Bangles
Red, green, yellow, and the auspicious colours of the suhaag. The adornment of wrist and hands probably dates back to the pre-historic period.
Bridal attire
The attire the bride-to-be chooses calls for careful planning, combined with intricate and exquisite detailing befitting the occasion.
Ghungat
Whatever is concealed arouses more curiosity and expectancy vis-à-vis what is revealed! The ghunghat forms a beautiful illusion and lends a romantic effect to the bride.
Mangalsutra
The tying of the thali or marriage necklace, is integral to the Hindu marriage ceremony. Its essentials were the talisman cases containing Sanskrit texts, and the central phallic emblem.
Nose ring
Wearing the nath at weddings continues as a tradition, whether as an ornament of beauty or as a symbol of a woman's married status.
Ring
The ring is doubtless the most universal wedding symbol- always setting the seal of officialdom to the ceremony; and worn long after the ceremonies are over.
Sindoor
Sindoordana, where the bride's parted hair is painted with vermillion is one of the principal ceremonies prescribed by the grihyasutras, to be conducted at a Hindu wedding.
Sari
Wrapped in six flowing yards of red and gold, the wedding sari is the hallmark of the Indian bride.
The Symbols of Suhaag
Marriage and jewellery are inseparably interlinked. In India, jewellery is sacred, and has both aesthetic and ritualistic connotations.
Cereals
Traditionally, some kind of grain is an essential ingredient at weddings, as a symbol of fertility.
Colours
Yellow, orange, red that have religious and represent connotations are reflected in all the elements during a wedding ceremony.
The Foot Ornament
The tinkle of bells and the occasional flash of silver on a delicate ankle peeping out shyly from under the saree, herald the arrival of the bride.
The Groom's attire
The Indian groom, on his wedding day, presents as splendid a picture as a king of yore. This splendour is regal in some cases, and elegantly simple in others.
Head and Hair Ornaments
Since the epic period, down to this date, head ornaments of various kinds worn by brides all over the country, have bedazzled many a groom on their wedding day.
The Groom's Headgear
The honour of the family and even the clan has customarily been lodged in the symbolic value of the 'pagri' or 'safa'.
The Wedding Procession
The regal parade, the groom in all his his finery atop a horse, women in shimmering splendour, all dancing to the tune of wedding strains.
The Tilak for the Groom
The third eye of the mind is an external expression of the awakening of that supreme wisdom and opening up of the mind to higher levels of existence.
The Motifs and Symbols
In a country where every aspsct of life is ritualised, a wedding has special significance, which is translated into symbolic expression in clothing and other forms of personal adornment.
Mehendi
The slender palms and soles of the bride's feet, dyed to an intricate pattern of copper-coloured tracings,has been an inextricable age-old ritual, followed at most Hindu and Muslim weddings.
