South Indian culture is very different from the traditions prevailing in other parts of India. Hence, South Indian wedding preparations are done accordingly, as pre and post-wedding rituals continue for several days for the marriage of a South Indian couple. They need to plan systematically while preserving all their customs.
Finalize the date
First of all, the wedding date should be finalized after a discussion between the families of the bride and groom. Once this date is fixed, it will be easier to carry on other wedding preparations, like booking the wedding venue and placing an order for wedding cards.
Venue Selection
The wedding venue should be decided according to the desires of the new couple regarding their wedding. If they want to have a destination wedding, they need to book the venue months before their wedding date. Similarly, a wedding in a temple also needs permission from the temple authority beforehand..
Image Resource: unsplash.com
Invitation cards
New South Indian couples need to buy wedding cards to invite their friends and relatives to their weddings. They can choose Indian wedding invitations online, as renowned wedding card makers display many suitable templates for their South Indian customers on their websites.
Decoration
The style of the wedding venue décor depends on the nature of the wedding venue and the theme chosen for the wedding. Flowers, silk drapes, and pretty home décor items are used to beautify the wedding venue, as demanded by the new couple.
Wedding Planners
If the new couple finds it tough to decide everything about their wedding, they can hire an expert wedding planner who has prior experience in organizing South Indian weddings. An efficient wedding planner will hire the best caterer, venue decorator, and other service providers related to wedding preparations, within the budget of their clients.
Quintessential Gold Jewelry
South Indian brides love to wear lots of gold jewelry along with fresh flowers on their wedding day. They prefer a gold choker necklace with a long Satlada pearl necklace, a broad gold waistband, bangles, large earrings, and other ornaments to match their gorgeous bridal sari.
Image Resource: pexels.com
Wedding attire
Normally, South Indian brides wear beautiful silk saris as their wedding attire. The gorgeous Kanjeevaram sari of vibrant color and intricate embroideries is the favorite choice of most brides. Traditionally, grooms wear dhoti and white shirts in South Indian style. However, modern grooms also prefer Sherwani, kurta-pajama, with gorgeous Nehru jackets as their wedding outfit.
Photographers
It is important to hire an experienced wedding photographer who can capture all the precious moments of wedding rituals as still photos and videos. Moreover, modern couples also want to have pre-wedding photo-shoots to provide wonderful memories that they can cherish for a lifetime.
Image Resource: pexels.com
Lip-smacking Food Spread
Various popular South Indian dishes, including Dosa, Idli, Sambar, and curry are offered as part of the mouth-watering food spread for all wedding guests. Different tasty street foods and other types of cuisines are often included in the wedding feast.
Wedding Rituals
On the wedding day, the brother of a South Indian bride washes the feet of the groom and invites him to the Mandap. Then the bride enters the Mandap accompanied by her aunt. The bride and groom sit side by side while the priest starts reading the Vedic mantras meant for marriage. Then the couple walks around the sacred fire and the groom ties the Mangalsutra around the neck of his bride. They exchange garlands and the bride’s father gives her hand to her groom, to complete the wedding ceremony. Finally, the new couple leaves after the wedding feast, bidding goodbye to the bride’s family.
Image Resource: pexels.com
Kasi Yatra
Kasi Yatra is a unique ritual of South Indian weddings where the groom pretends to be ready for traveling to Kasi for leading the life of celibacy. The bride’s father persuades him for marriage, by explaining the importance of married life in gaining ultimate salvation. Then the groom is given several gifts and taken to the Mandap for the wedding ceremony.
Doli for the Boss Bride
Now, the South Indian bride enters the Mandap in a Doli or floral palanquin, to have an impressive entry for marriage. It is a recent custom added by grandeur-loving people, who want to treat brides in a royal style.
Post-wedding festivities
Oonjal is a post-wedding ritual where the new couple sits on a swing and they are given milk and bananas to devour. All people present there throw rice balls towards them to ward off all evil energy.
Therefore, it is easy for South Indian couples to plan their weddings in India, with the help of their families and experienced professionals.