We know we've been pretty bad about this, but there were a TON of pictures to go through and remove. In the end we just bit the bullet and drilled through. Apologies for all those who waited so patiently (and eventually just picked the pictures off from our folks!) ...

Finally! The invite cards all ready and the folks have been making their rounds slowly. I should be handing them out in the next week.
Photographer check, halls and temple check, the list is slowly being double checked. Its mostly Chandni and her herculean efforts while I have a 100 million things running around at the same time. I am trying to keep up :-).

Here are some definitions and phrases that are commonly used in Indian Hindu weddings.
*we'll be adding more terms as and when we can remember :-)



Muhurtham
An auspicious moment set by the astrologer for the actual wedding ceremony to take place.

Thaali

Ashirbaad

The elders of the groom's side go to bless the bride and vice versa, by sprinkling husked rice and trefoil on their heads and giving them gold ornaments. It is a kind of acceptance of the boy and the girl on both sides.

Bor Jatri

The members of the groom's house as well as his friends dress in their best attire and journey to the bride's house where the wedding takes place.

Bor Boron

When the bor jatri reaches the bride's place, usually the mother of the bride along with other members come out to welcome the groom and his family by showing the holy earthen lamp, sprinkling trefoil, and husked rice placed on a bamboo winnow (kula). Then they are served sweets and drinks.

Potto Bastra

After the groom is seated at the chadnatolla (wedding altar and canopy) - the sanctum sanctorum where only the groom, bride and the priest takes their place, the groom is offered new clothes by the person who is to do the sampradaan - a kind of gift to the boy from the girl's side.

Saat Paak

The bride, usually seated on a low wooden stool called pidi is lifted by her brothers and is taken round the groom in seven complete circles. The significance is they are winded up securely to each other.

Mala Badal

After the circles are completed, still sitting high on the piri, the bride and the groom exchange garlands of fragrant flowers thrice. This is the first step in which they accept each other.

Subho Dristi

After garlanding one another the bride and the groom are made to look at each other in front of all the assembled invitees. This exchange of loving glance is to initiate them to be together officially by the society.

Sampradan

The bride then takes her place at the chadnatolla where an elderly male member of the bride's family hands her over to the groom and the couple's hands are bound by the sacred thread amidst recital of Vedic chants and are placed on the mangal ghot - a brass pitcher filled with water that is covered with mango leaves attached to one twig and a green coconut placed on it.

Yagna

The bride and groom sit in front of the sacred fire and chant mantras after the priest. Agni, the fire god is made the divine witness to the marriage.

Saat Paak

Seven circular rounds are taken by the couple around the fire thereby solemnizing the occasion.

Anjali

An offering to the fire is made. The bride's brother puts puffed rice (khoi) in the hands of the bride, and the groom standing close to her holds her hands from the back and extends their arms forward. They then pour the offering into the fire together.

Sindoor Daan and Ghomta

Once again seated at their respective places in chadnatolla the groom applies sindoor or vermilion (a symbol of marriage worn by Hindu women thereafter) on the bride's hair-parting. The bride then covers her head with a new sari offered by the groom as ghomta or veil.

With pressures on multiple fronts, we've been struggling to get things up online the last few weeks. Just finished the RSVP app. I'll be using a google docs form generator to build a simple rsvp app. All data will be collected into a spreadsheet and the soft data can be rearranged accordingly.