What to Expect at an Indian Wedding
 

 
Did someone invite you to an Indian wedding, perhaps, an officemate, a friend or someone from your boyfriend’s side? If you’ve been invited to such traditional occasion for the first time, you may be curious about what’s going to happen. We’ve asked our trusted Indian Wedding Planner and our best Indian Wedding Photographer New Orleans Saiaf Films for answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about Indian weddings.
Question 1: What should I wear to an Indian wedding ceremony?
A: Brighter is better. Don’t be afraid to wear bold colors. In fact, loud and bright colors will help you fit in with the Indian guests, who are also expected to be dressed in vibrant colors and flamboyant jewellery. If you don’t have lengha or sari in your wardrobe, don’t worry—a jewel-toned dress layered with shawl is appropriate, too.

Question 2: What will an Indian wedding reception be like?
A: According to Saiaf Films, who have photographed hundreds of Indian weddings across the many cities of US, Indian wedding receptions are always a BLAST! Guests come together to dance and celebrate. If you are among those who don’t know how to do the bhangra, a Punjab folk dance, you’ll pick up the steps fairly easily. But if you’re not confident to learn the traditional dance, you’ll still enjoy the celebration with contemporary Western music.

Question 3: What food should I expect at an Indian wedding reception?
A: Two of the most common misconceptions about Indian food are: it’s all spicy and it’s all vegetarian. In reality, it just depends on where the couple’s families are from. In the US, though, the food leans towards North Indian style, meaning you’ll likely see a spread of naan (a flatbread) with different choices of curries, pakoras (fritters), samosas (savory pastries with spiced veggies and meats), and a buffet of desserts—which typically includes kulfi (Indian ice cream), cakes and pastries, and decorated sweets made of nuts. There’ll often be up to four stations of chefs preparing food for guests.
Question 4: Should I bring a gift?
A: It’s not uncommon for Indian couples to request that if possible no boxed gifts during the wedding, so guests usually have their gifts shipped to the couple’s home or bring an envelope with money in it.

Saiaf Films