Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve never been to an Indian wedding before. What should I expect?

Traditionally, Indian weddings tend to span over a couple of days. In our case, it will be May 11th & 12th.  Although each region of India has its own specific customs, the general concept is the same – it’ll be filled with vibrant colors, music, and plenty of food and dancing. 

What kind of food will there be?

There will be a wide variety of dishes with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options at the events. In our case, only the lunch after the ceremony will be vegetarian.  The food will be served buffet style, so that you will have the option to choose what you’d like to eat.

What is the Sangeet?

The word “Sangeet “ means music, related to the wedding, it is an event that loosely translates to “Music Night.”  This musical night is a celebration of the union of not only the couple but the bonding of both families with music & colors. The major elements of a sangeet is the food, drinks, Henna, dance performances, and an open dance floor.  Think of this as a “Welcome Party” !

What's a Baraat?

A Baraat is a procession in which the groom enters the wedding place. The groom comes with a Dholi (drummer), riding on usually a horse or animal of some sorts along with the guests from his side. So if you're from the groom's side (or even the bride's side), be sure to come to be a part of the dancing procession as Bhavik enters the wedding venue.

What should I wear to each event?

You can wear Indian dress or Western dress.  Either is appropriate! You can reach out to either of us to get recommendations on where to buy Indian clothes if you need help. 

For the Sangeet: Think of something on the dressy-casual/semi-formal end of the scale. For guys, an example could be a dress shirt/khakis/slacks.  For women, a nice dress can work.  For Indian clothes,  you can opt for a lehehga, sari, sharara or salwar kameez.  As the sangeet is a musical night, it is typically very colorful so don't be afraid to be as colorful as you want to go.

For the wedding ceremony & reception: You can wear clothing like a typical Western wedding.  For guys, this can be a suit/tux.  For women, a formal dress would be good.  If you do want to wear Indian clothing – for guys, the typical wedding attire is a Sherwani or a Kurta-Pajama.  For women, typical indian clothing would be a lengha, sari, sharara or salwar kameez.

Are there any colors to avoid? 

For the wedding ceremony & reception, the main color to try and avoid is Red or something in the red family.  Just as “White” is the typical color for the bride in Western weddings, “Red-like” shades are the most common for the bride to wear in Indian Weddings.  

Do I need to change my outfit between the Ceremony & Reception?

In Indian weddings, many guests do prefer to change between the Ceremony & Reception.  That being said, it is fully acceptable to wear the same outfit to both the Ceremony & reception.  If you do want to change, you will have plenty of time as the schedule has a large gap between the conclusion of lunch & the cocktail hour start time.

What do I gift at an Indian Wedding?

Your presence at our wedding celebrations is all the gift we desire, along with some dancing.  However, if you would still like to give us a gift please note that we prefer “No Box Gifts”—Which is a familiar Indian wedding custom.