TYPES OF INDIAN ENGAGEMENT CEREMONIES

The rituals for the ceremony are essentially just the same but there are different ways of its manifestations. The engagement ceremony can be held at a banquet hall or at the bride’s residence. Usually, it’s the bride’s family who takes up the expense of the ceremony.

1. North Indian Engagement is performed soon after the marriage is finalized. There are few rituals like applying Tilak i.e. greeting the groom with auspicious vermillion paste and rice is performed by the brides’ brother, followed by the exchange of rings by the bride and groom. The two families exchange trays filled with fruits, sweets, etc to bless their new relationship. Jewelleries, dresses, sweets are also gifted for brides by groom’s family.
   
2. South Indian Hindu Engagement is so colorful with many rituals performed according to their religion worships. In some ceremonies, a priest is invited to recite holy mantras. The bride and groom need not be present for the function in some families. They meet and formally commit themselves for the forthcoming marriage. An engagement tray containing flowers, leaves, nuts, turmeric and coconut is exchanged. Both the bride and groom is blessed.
   
   
   
3. Muslim Engagement ceremony take place once the couple has accepted each other for marriage. It provides an opportunity for the two families to come together and for the couple to exchange rings, if they so wish. The outfit of the bride-to-be is traditionally provided by the groom’s family. Gold jewelry is acceptable for women only, although silver rings may be worn by men or women.
   
4. Christian Engagement is a small formal party where the couples exchange rings and cut cake. Customs vary depending on places. To bless the couple, the priest of church is invited for the function or it takes place in the church. The Holy Cross, the Holy Gospel, a tray containing two rings, two crowns, a cup containing wine are few symbols that play a major role in the ceremony. A confirmed date and venue for the wedding is announced to all the guests. I have seen the bride-to-be, in white beautiful gowns. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Gujarati Engagement is called as “sagai” or in some parts as the ‘gol dhana’which literally means jaggery and coriander seeds referring to the practice of distributing a small amount of jaggery mixed with coriander seeds during the ceremony. The bride’s family presents the grooms family with a steel container filled with sweets and gifts and is called as the ‘matli’.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. In Punjabi Engagement, the kurmai is a ceremony for the groom done by the bride`s family and the chunni is a ceremony for the bride done by the groom`s family as a part of engagement. The groom is presented with gifts brought by the bride’s family. The gifts often include a gold kara (Sikh bracelet) or a wrist watch. The gifts for bride include a salvar kameez or sari, make-up, nail polish, jewellery, bangles, bindis, hair clip or ribbon and sindoor. The most important gift is the chunni (a long scarf). It is always in a shade of the traditional wedding colour, red, and is presented to the bride-to-be. The significance of the chunni ceremony is to begin the process of welcoming the bride in to the family.
   
   
   
   
   
   

10 UNIQUE IDEAS AND THEMES FOR SAVE THE DATE CARDS

Yes,,,,check out the below trendy styles of save the date cards that are popular these days.:

1)Calender Stickers:

This is popular one these days. Use Instagram to make stickers of a photo of you together. Then create an account with the amazing Printstagram and order the sticker books below, only $10 for 250 stickers!!! It takes between two and three weeks to get the stickers in the mail. 

                                                               somethingturquoise.com

Or else printout if you have all the stationary requirements. Print out your pics in label papers so that it can be sticked onto anything.

Yeah!!!! Super cute stickers!!! You can use these for all kinds of wedding fun! Cut the little stickers into strips of two, I think two is better than one because your friends might have multiple calendars!

Print a card with a small invitation matter. Next, using glue dots {or any other double sided type craft tape} stick your little sticker strips to the printed card… at an angle if you choose!

Now, take a template of calender with your wedding date month and print it. And then highlight your wedding month and date with some highlighter or paint. Stick these stickers onto it.

Now your guests can mark their calendars with these darling stickers and Save Your Date!

Get the complete direction on step by step procedure of making it at here.

2) The Movie Parody

This is also a super-cool idea. I have seen many Hollywood posters turned out to save the date cards. 

                                                                          funnyordie.com

                                                                     artofweddingspdx.com

But I would love to experiment it on Bollywood Movie posters too. yes...we should bring such an ideas into practice. I would love to do this type of save the cards with the below movie pics...Really !!!

3) Paper Airplane Maps

Tell wedding guests where and when you’ll be getting married. Plus, the cuteness factor is off the charts.

                                                                       weddingchicks.com
Try making this...Its too easy frns...Just follow the instructions here.

4) Confetti Explosion 

A fun idea that you could customize with your own paper pattern.

Bang! These adorable DIY save-the-date invitations are the perfect first impression for your guests and your festive wedding celebrations.

                                                                      onehitchedlane.com

This is so easy to make if you can afford a party popper, make a string confetti with all your wedding details..Fill in and send to ur guests.

See step by step instructions to make  here.

5) Scratch off paint cards

This is extra awesome creativity that is super cool.

You won the lottery when you found each other, so send this cheeky save-the-date card to let guests share in your luck. After scraping off the paint with a penny, they'll hit the jackpot: your wedding date!

                                                                    bridalmusings.com

You could also use the scratch-off to expose the wedding location, if you’re doing a destination wedding.

Check out here on how to DIY this...

6) The 3-D Secret Decoder Message

This save the date pretty much requires no introduction because the cleverness speaks for itself. Guests will love the retro 3D glasses and secret, spy-like message.

                                                                  emmalinebride.com

7) The Finger Print Cards

Nothing puts a personal touch on a Save the Date quite like a fingerprint.  I spotted this adorable fingerprint save the date card via emmalinebride.com.

                                                                       emmalinebride.com

8) The Newspaper Save the Dates

I love this idea when it comes to save the date cards as the guests see that as the "Top Story"  to describe the events.

                                                                    emmalinebride.com

9) The Printed Balloon Save the Dates

This is awesome !!! Print or write on the balloons the names and dates.

10) The Video Save the Dates  

This is trendy nowadays...There are animated videos as well real life videos. I love these types too.

Check out this animated video below !!!

And check the below real life videos too :)

SAVE THE DATE CARDS

If the question was popped and now the wedding day is finally locked, let everyone know with save the date cards. It's the most stylish and memorable way to notify your guests about your big day.

Because they are the precursor to your formal wedding invitations, it's okay to have fun and be creative. Go ahead and take a whimsical photo together or use an unexpected card design. By being a little different with your save the dates, it's not likely that your friends and family will forget. 

It's a good idea to send your save the dates as soon as you solidify your wedding date and reserve a venue. This ensures that your guests can check their calendars for anything that might be conflicting. They're especially important if you're having a destination wedding. By sending your cards well in advance, you allow your guests time to book a hotel and a flight before the prices go up. 

As save the date invitations become more popular, there are a growing number of options available. Magnets, scratch off cards, announcement postcards and inserts into your Christmas cards are all being used today. With the many styles and options now available and the few firm etiquette rules surrounding them, you will have an easy time finding save the date cards that match your own unique tastes.

Formal vs. Informal? Don't worry about it. It's YOUR choice. If you don't want to put your last names on the save-the-date then don't. Let the save-the-date show your personality. Get creative !!!

Rules of save the date cards:

1) Add your wedding or engagement date and venue.

2) Send them out 6 months before the ceremony.

3) Post them on your social accounts like fb, twitter, instagram, etc.

4) If you have money to spend, send them to out-of-town guests and people you know will need to plan far in advance.

5) If you’re going with a quirky photo or motif, be cautious about who you’re sending them to. Especially if you have any relatives on the conservative side.

6) Remember to add “Invitation to Follow.”

7) Don’t forget to include your wedding website URL if you have one.

Pre Wedding Indian Ceremonies

Indian marriages are known for their many rituals. In fact, the beauty of Indian weddings comes forth in the numerous traditions that are associated with the special celebration. Indian weddings are incomplete without dance, music and lots of laughter. Furthermore, Indian weddings are not a one day ceremony. Pre-wedding ceremonies begin before the wedding and can sometimes be a week long celebration.

• Engagement:

Months before wedding an engagement ceremony, known as Mangni (in North India) or Nischitartham (in South India), is held.  The two families meet to perform rituals to make the engagement official. A muhurat (muhoortham), the auspicious date and time for the wedding is decided based on horoscopes or beliefs associated with respective religions.

• Haldi :

Haldi is a ritual holy bath during which Turmeric (haldi) powder is mixed with milk or with oil along with sandal wood powder and applied to bride and bridegroom during this ceremony. The objective behind this ceremony is to make the person look beautiful and protect him or her from evil spirits.

• Mehndi :

This is the most colorful event of your wedding. This is the day when mehndi design is applied on the hands and feet of the bride by her relatives or professional henna artist. These intricate designs symbolize joy, beauty, spiritual awakening and offering. Guests create a festive atmosphere by dressing in bright colors, singing traditional wedding songs, and dancing to popular music. Every female member of family gets mehndi done on her hands and feet. The entire mood of a mehndi ceremony is extremely festive. 

• Sangeet and Tilak

Sangeet means music. As the name suggests, this function is an evening of musical entertainment and merriment hosted by the bride’s family. The main significance of this ceremony is that the bride is introduced to all the members of her new family. 


As a part of the Tilak ceremony, vermillion or kumkum is placed on the forehead of the groom by all the male members of the bride’s family. Kumkum is a sign of auspiciousness. Presents are given to the groom and his family, requesting them to take care of the bride.

 

• Janavasam :

It is a predominantly south Indian tradition, where the groom is paraded around the town on a chariot (or nowadays a open car!), the evening before the wedding. In small towns and villages this event serves to show the groom to the people, so that if they knew anything about the groom that had to be brought to the notice of the bride’s family, they could do so. This is similar to the Christian tradition of the priest asking those present, if anyone had any objection to the wedding.

• Mehndi Night :

The Mehndi night event is a colorful celebration held the night before the wedding. It is a ritual in Asian weddings to bless the bride and groom with a very blissful, gratifying and prosperous beginning of the most beautiful companionship in the world. While the bride has a very elaborate pattern done on her hands and feet on the day before(mehndi function) , the families just put a shape or letter or any design on the betel (Vethila in Malayalam). Even some families apply to the groom as well.