Thanks girls for all your input!
DebsNY, my family is christian and hails from a part of india where there is a large christian contingency, so our cultural traditions are very different from Hindu or Sikh weddings. In the states, our ceremony looks very much like a traditional american wedding: the ceremony takes place in a church, the bride wears a traditional white wedding gown, or sari and a reception follows. However, we do have some cultural traditions incorporated into our weddings.
One of the most important parts of the ceremony is the Tying of the Thali, which is an ancient Indian custom. The Thali is a golden leaf, ( in the modern church it is engraved with a cross), which is tied around the bride’s neck by the groom symbolizing the eternal and inseparable bond between husband and wife. It is always tied with seven strands taken from the Manthrakodi (the bridal sari, usually red/gold, but nowadays many brides are using different colors). In the olden days, the woman was expected to always wear her Thali, but nowadays that tradition is not strictly adhered to. To my FH, wearing the thali is very important to him so I will probably wear it all the time (you guys dont understand how big of a deal this is to me because i detest gold jewelry...but if it makes FH happy, I'm willing to do it).
During the service the bride, is “veiled,” in the Eastern fashion, with the manthrakodi sari held over her white headpiece by the groom. This part of the service, called the Veiling of the Manthrakodi, signifies the woman’s devotion to the man and his commitment to protect and care for her. The positioning of a female family member standing behind the bride and holding the Manthrakodi, illustrates the bride’s entrance into the groom’s family.
After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom, along with immediate family, go directly to the groom's house so that the bride can make her first entrance into her new family's house (i think she usually steps in with her right foot first). Some other cultural traditions are performed, and then everyone heads over to the reception.
At the reception, the bride usually changes into the manthrakodi sari (although not always). I've decided to have my first dance with FH in my white wedding gown, then change into the sari. At the reception, both the bride and groom will drink sweet milk, which symbolizes blessings given by both mothers.
I know i've left some details out, but I tried to get the important ones out there. Before planning this wedding, I had no idea about the cultural traditions in our weddings, but slowly I'm starting to learn them.
Im sorry if this was way more information than you wanted to read, but I figured there might be some curious minds out there.
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