Indian Hindu weddings are pretty elaborate affair. In good old days they were a week long affair. Today, they have toned down quite a bit (except the very rich, who have a week long bash in exotic locations), but some core functions still remain. Though the core wedding ceremony remains same for all Hidus, there are regional variations. Some back ground.
We come from the East, from what is now Bangladesh. There were few roads and all transportation was by river. So the groom would arrive in the evening, wedding at night. The groom's party would stay the night;; as not only it was unwise to travel by boat at night, the dacoits would be around to loot the unwary; and depart the next day. Then there would be a party at grooms house the day after the wedding.
In north, there was constant menace of invaders and dacoits. So the groom's party arrived on horse back in the morning and departed in the evening.
In this wedding the bride is from Bengal and the Groom from North. So the wedding takes place in the evening, but the groom arrives on horse back. The bride goes to her in-laws immidiately after the marriage.
I will try to highlight various aspects of the marriage
. Venue
. Food served
. Dancing by relatives
. Barat - the grooms party
. Mandap - the location of ceremony
1. Venue.
There were around 1200 guests and the weather sultry with high humidity. So a venue for accommodating all the guests and their vehicle is required. Even though Delhi has numerous venues, locating a venue requires quite an effort, as Hindu marriages are conducted on ospicious days, which are few, hence a lot of marriages take place on any given day. This results in massive traffic jams, hence the venue not only has to have space, but be within a driving distance and preferably on major highways to avoid major traffic jams. This venue is on Delhi Jaipur highway and can easily accommodate 1500 people in an air conditioned hall, and a few more hundred in the lawns.
![DSC_9201.jpg DSC_9201.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86867-5213ba051c250e6e54b0921e06d62d80.jpg)
Fountain at the entrance
![DSC_9202.jpg DSC_9202.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86868-7657e3a1ab0a351d90a0f7c356153ef1.jpg)
Longer exposure time to smooth the flow
![DSC_9203.jpg DSC_9203.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86869-462b233ba4e7b6afb7c0e4b723ea3b8c.jpg)
Walkway to the hall
![DSC_9204.jpg DSC_9204.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86870-8d67e002d6d82329c51c146d6a7b4714.jpg)
Walkway to the hall
![DSC_9205.jpg DSC_9205.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86871-9d0383665839764f055be705c4f22914.jpg)
Walkway to the hall
![DSC_9200.jpg DSC_9200.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86866-f98326a3b2ded27d25f36bdc568f698a.jpg)
Guest arriving
![DSC_9172.jpg DSC_9172.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86872-497d1749b3817661e3fe80ad1edbf439.jpg)
The hall
We come from the East, from what is now Bangladesh. There were few roads and all transportation was by river. So the groom would arrive in the evening, wedding at night. The groom's party would stay the night;; as not only it was unwise to travel by boat at night, the dacoits would be around to loot the unwary; and depart the next day. Then there would be a party at grooms house the day after the wedding.
In north, there was constant menace of invaders and dacoits. So the groom's party arrived on horse back in the morning and departed in the evening.
In this wedding the bride is from Bengal and the Groom from North. So the wedding takes place in the evening, but the groom arrives on horse back. The bride goes to her in-laws immidiately after the marriage.
I will try to highlight various aspects of the marriage
. Venue
. Food served
. Dancing by relatives
. Barat - the grooms party
. Mandap - the location of ceremony
1. Venue.
There were around 1200 guests and the weather sultry with high humidity. So a venue for accommodating all the guests and their vehicle is required. Even though Delhi has numerous venues, locating a venue requires quite an effort, as Hindu marriages are conducted on ospicious days, which are few, hence a lot of marriages take place on any given day. This results in massive traffic jams, hence the venue not only has to have space, but be within a driving distance and preferably on major highways to avoid major traffic jams. This venue is on Delhi Jaipur highway and can easily accommodate 1500 people in an air conditioned hall, and a few more hundred in the lawns.
![DSC_9201.jpg DSC_9201.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86867-5213ba051c250e6e54b0921e06d62d80.jpg)
Fountain at the entrance
![DSC_9202.jpg DSC_9202.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86868-7657e3a1ab0a351d90a0f7c356153ef1.jpg)
Longer exposure time to smooth the flow
![DSC_9203.jpg DSC_9203.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86869-462b233ba4e7b6afb7c0e4b723ea3b8c.jpg)
Walkway to the hall
![DSC_9204.jpg DSC_9204.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86870-8d67e002d6d82329c51c146d6a7b4714.jpg)
Walkway to the hall
![DSC_9205.jpg DSC_9205.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86871-9d0383665839764f055be705c4f22914.jpg)
Walkway to the hall
![DSC_9200.jpg DSC_9200.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86866-f98326a3b2ded27d25f36bdc568f698a.jpg)
Guest arriving
![DSC_9172.jpg DSC_9172.jpg](https://nikonites.com/forum/data/attachments/86/86872-497d1749b3817661e3fe80ad1edbf439.jpg)
The hall
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