Anand Karaj is the Sikh marriage ceremony, meaning "Act towards happiness" or "Act towards happy life".
The Bride & Groom will be joined by a piece of cloth, and will circle the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Scripture), as they make a commitment to one another & The Divine. - The 1st circle emphasises duty to family and community - The 2nd circle signifies the stage of yearning and love for each other - The 3rd circle stresses the stage of detachment from the world - The 4th circle signifies the final stage of harmony and union in marriage when love between the couple blends into the love for God
The Anand Karaj will be indoors. The 2nd ceremony (Friday Morning) will be outdoors and the reception will be indoors. Please be aware that the weather in Burlington, WI, can be up to ~84 degrees during the day and ~63 degrees at night (in August).
There is ample free parking at the Sikh temple on Thursday and the reception venue on Friday. Additionally, there will be parking available just across the street at the Hampton Inn parking structure by Veterans Terrace.
Thursday (August 10th): Modest Semi-Formal If you plan to attend the Sikh ceremony, please wear attire you can comfortably sit (on the ground; chairs will not be available, except for elderly and those with disabilities) in for up to 1.5 hours. We encourage you to bring your own cushion to sit on as this may be more comfortable. Women may wear long dresses (no spaghetti straps or halter tops) with leggings or tunic tops with leggings, and men may wear dress pants with dress shirts. Out of respect for the Sikh religion, it is asked that hair be covered (head coverings will be available). Men typically wear bandanas and women wear long scarves or shawls. Please do NOT bring/wear hats. Upon entering the temple, there will be a room to the left where guests will set aside their shoes (cannot walk inside the temple in shoes). If you are unable to attend due to these requirements, that is ok and we will see you at the 2nd ceremony and reception on Friday! Please refer to the section regarding the Anand Karaj for more information. Friday (August 11th): Formal For the 2nd ceremony and the reception, we would love to see you all dressed up! The following are welcome: Tuxes and gowns, suits and long cocktail dresses, and Indian party wear.
1) The Anand Karaj begins promptly at 11:00am, so we recommend guests arrive by 10:45am to take off their shoes, put on a head covering, and find a spot to sit during the ceremony. If you arrive by 10:30am, you will have time to have tea/snacks on the lower level before going up to the main hall for the ceremony. If you arrive after 11:00am, we ask that you wait until 11:30am to do the above and find a seat in the back. *Side note, there is a playground next to the temple if you need to take your little ones out at anytime. 2) The 2nd ceremony begins promptly at 4:30pm and the doors open at 4:00 for guests to arrive and find a seat. If you happen to be late, we ask that you wait to enter the venue until the conclusion of the ceremony. If that happens, you will still be able to attend the reception so hang tight and we will see you at the reception! Thank you for understanding!
There will be open seating for the ceremonies, so you can sit wherever you would like. For the reception, we will carefully arrange tables so our guests are sat with those they know (or their plus one or partner).
Although we would love to celebrate with everyone, we can only accommodate the individuals noted on your invitation.
Although we love your children, we regretfully cannot accommodate everyone's children at out wedding due to restricted numbers/space. This pertains to children of all ages including infants, toddlers, kids, and teens. Please refer to your RSVP to verify if we are able to accommodate, and if so, they're more than welcome to come and party!
Please contact either Zak or Jasleen directly if you have food allergies or dietary restrictions as soon as possible and we will do our best to accommodate.
For "Anand Karaj" portion of your invite, you may have noticed the "Doli" section that is set for 5:00pm. This is a ceremonial send-off for the bride, and we will only have family present for that event.