Schedule

Ramayana Path - Prayer

10:00 am - 10:00 am

Casual attire, optional traditional attire is encouraged

Please note, this event is held for 24 hours, but that doesn't mean you won't sleep! Akhand Ramayan Paath is the process of reciting one of the holy ancient sanskrit book of Hindu Religion “Ramayana”. The expression “Akhand” implies ‘with no break’ or ‘unbroken’. Thus, Akhand Ramayan Paath is the recitation of the epic Shri Ramcharitmanas without any interruptions and narrates the life of Rama, the legendary prince of the Kosala Kingdom. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal father, the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal husband and the ideal king. It is considered very auspicious to be performed before any ceremonial occasion. The whole book takes about 24 hours to be recited and is followed by singing and dancing with a feast of prasadam around noon (food offered to God is then served to guests).

Bangle Ceremony, Jaggo & Dinner

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Casual attire, traditional Punjabi suit highly encouraged!

Bangle Ceremony: A time where all family and loved ones come to adorn the bride with bangles and give their well wishes. Jaggo: In this ceremony, the family dances and sings in the beautifully decorated wedding home as well as walking and dancing throughout the neighborhood to alert the people that celebrations have began for the local wedding. It is customary to have a decorative copper or brass vessel called a khadaa, with diya (lit candles). The bride or bridegroom's maternal aunt (mami) carries the clay vase on her head, while other women carry long stick with bells, to shake them and make noise. A man playing the dhol (Punjabi drum) follows along while singing traditional songs in where they tease the bride and groom and the gooms family. Please don’t leave soon after as dinner will also be served.

Iranian Wedding Ceremony

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Black-Tie: Wear floor-length gowns or formal cocktail dresses, tuxes with black neckties or bowties.

The Iranian Wedding Ceremony reflects a different aspect of the ancient Zoroastrian religion, from the mirror and candelabras, which represent light and fire, to the kaleh ghand (sugar cones), which are rubbed together by married female family members over the heads of the bride and groom to bring sweetness into their life and marriage. The word “Sofreh” means spread, and “aghd” is Persian for ceremony. This is the traditional wedding ceremony spread around which Persian weddings are performed.

Bridal Mehendi

5:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Casual attire, anything you want to be comfortable in

The use of mehendi has its origins in the ancient Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. Mehendi, otherwise known as henna, is a paste associated with positive spirits and good luck. It is a way of wishing the bride good health and prosperity as she makes her journey on to marriage. A mehendi “party” is the pre-wedding celebration when the bride has the mehendi “stain” applied to her palms, back of hands, and feet. Many claim mehendi is the way to make the sacred visible to the naked eye, thus offering and receiving blessings from the divine through the practice. Some common beliefs are: The darkness of the mehendi color on a bride’s hand represents the deep love between the would-be-couple. The mehendi's color also shows the love and understanding between the bride and her mother-in-law. The longer the mehendi retains its colour, the more auspicious it is for the newlyweds. Also, in the intricate design of the bride's mehendi, the groom’s name or his initials are also hidden.

Haldi Ceremony/Chooda Chadana

2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Casual attire, optional traditional attire is encouraged

The Haldi ceremony is one of the pre-wedding ceremonies in India. Turmeric, oil and water are combined into a paste and applied by women as a blessing and to rid of the bride & groom of the evil eye for their wedding. After the ceremony is completed, the bride and groom are expected to stay within the household in order to prevent all evil spirits. Chooda refers to a set of bangles usually in a set of multiples of four. Generally, the eldest maternal uncle of the bride has a vital role to play in this ceremony, as they will sit with the bride to conduct the haven (a ritual in which making offerings into a consecrated fire) during which the chooda is purified in a liquid mixture containing milk and rose petals. Other elderly members touch the chooda and give their blessings. Flower petals are showered on the bride. The sister-in-law, friends, and sisters of the bride then ties in the Kalire around her wrist or to one of her bangles which are umbrella-shaped ornaments.

Indian Wedding Ceremony

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Black-Tie: Wear floor-length gowns or formal cocktail dresses, tuxes with black neckties or bowties and traditional attire is highly encouraged. Sarees and Lehngas for women and Kurtas or Indian ethnic suits for men.

Seated under the mandap with a ceremonial fire pit placed in the center. Fire is an important aspect in the Indian wedding because Agni – the god of fire – is said to give life. By lighting a fire, you are asking Agni to provide your marriage with a long life. The bride and groom then proceed with the mangalphera which is a ceremonious walk around the fire. Sindoor: Traditional vermilion red or orange-red colored cosmetic powder worn by married women along the part of their hair which indicates a woman is married. Mangalsutra: The word mangal means auspicious and sutra means thread – together mangalsutra means an auspicious thread uniting the souls. The groom ties the auspicious thread around the bride's neck on the day of their holy nuptial as significance that their relationship would be as auspicious as the thread. Saat Pheras: Seven vows taken by the bride and groom around the sacred fire. The couple seeks the blessings of God and the fire to be together for the next seven births.