Indian wedding ceremony day
1. In many Indian weddings, quite a few people are chatting, sometimes even eating or skipping the ceremony altogether. How do you avoid this?
This situation arises if the guests are not involved or if the ceremony is too long and/or if it is not explained in English.
We avoid this by getting guests involved in the ceremony as witnesses, explaining to them the significance of each and every step in English and conducting the whole ceremony in an hour or so. Some Indians think the ceremony is too boring and may skip it completely; because they have seen too many long and boring ceremonies. I have observed many empty chairs for the ceremony but the reception attendance increases dramatically. This is especially embarrassing in Indo-American weddings.
The hosts need to request all guests to arrive well before the start time. They should emphasize that guests need to witness and bless the couple at many key steps of the ceremony. Finally, no food or drinks should be served in the wedding hall during the ceremony.
2. What are pros and Cons of Indoor vs. Outdoor Ceremony?
Outdoor wedding ceremony can be very are romantic and beautiful. The venues are primarily chosen for their scenic beauty such as a lake, mountain or sea backdrop, a garden, a state park or natural falls. These venues typically accommodate small number of guests. It is a great success if the weather cooperates, if the venue meets requirements for an Indian wedding, if there are no external distractions and if all the facilities are available for the ceremony and reception for a large group.
On the other hand, indoor ceremonies, at a hotel or wedding halls, can minimise the unexpected events and t can be well planned and managed. For Indian weddings, the audience tends to be large, the ceremony involves many unique rituals and we use small fire in the ceremony. Major considerations must be given for the stage/ Mandap, sitting arrangements and audio considerations. In general, outdoor ceremonies pose many logistics challenges for our type of ceremony. Outdoor ceremonies, if planned, should have a good back up plan.
3. What are the Legal Considerations?
According to Hindu tradition, the Priest need not be formally trained as a Hindu priest. He or she should be familiar with Hindu Vedic marriage steps, should have an impeccable character and be comfortable acting as a master of ceremonies, guiding the participants through their parts and explaining the meaning of the various steps to the couple and to the audience.
In Texas, ordained Ministers, Priests, Rabbis or Officials, authorized by their religion can conduct the wedding and sign the marriage certificate. My role as a Priest in Texas comes under “officials authorized by their religion”, as stated earlier.
In Texas, you need to have marriage Certificate at least 3 days before the wedding and signed and returned to the county office in less than 30 days after getting it .
However, in other States, the laws could be different. The Officiant needs to be certified and/or must be an ordained priest or the Justice of Peace or a Judge.
Outside Texas, I recommend that you obtain formal marriage certificate through the county Judge or Justice of Peace or, if there is a church wedding also, through the ordained priest. This can be done same day, a day earlier or a day later than planned wedding day.
http://www.hinduwedding.info/faqs.html
1. In many Indian weddings, quite a few people are chatting, sometimes even eating or skipping the ceremony altogether. How do you avoid this?
This situation arises if the guests are not involved or if the ceremony is too long and/or if it is not explained in English.
We avoid this by getting guests involved in the ceremony as witnesses, explaining to them the significance of each and every step in English and conducting the whole ceremony in an hour or so. Some Indians think the ceremony is too boring and may skip it completely; because they have seen too many long and boring ceremonies. I have observed many empty chairs for the ceremony but the reception attendance increases dramatically. This is especially embarrassing in Indo-American weddings.
The hosts need to request all guests to arrive well before the start time. They should emphasize that guests need to witness and bless the couple at many key steps of the ceremony. Finally, no food or drinks should be served in the wedding hall during the ceremony.
2. What are pros and Cons of Indoor vs. Outdoor Ceremony?
Outdoor wedding ceremony can be very are romantic and beautiful. The venues are primarily chosen for their scenic beauty such as a lake, mountain or sea backdrop, a garden, a state park or natural falls. These venues typically accommodate small number of guests. It is a great success if the weather cooperates, if the venue meets requirements for an Indian wedding, if there are no external distractions and if all the facilities are available for the ceremony and reception for a large group.
On the other hand, indoor ceremonies, at a hotel or wedding halls, can minimise the unexpected events and t can be well planned and managed. For Indian weddings, the audience tends to be large, the ceremony involves many unique rituals and we use small fire in the ceremony. Major considerations must be given for the stage/ Mandap, sitting arrangements and audio considerations. In general, outdoor ceremonies pose many logistics challenges for our type of ceremony. Outdoor ceremonies, if planned, should have a good back up plan.
3. What are the Legal Considerations?
According to Hindu tradition, the Priest need not be formally trained as a Hindu priest. He or she should be familiar with Hindu Vedic marriage steps, should have an impeccable character and be comfortable acting as a master of ceremonies, guiding the participants through their parts and explaining the meaning of the various steps to the couple and to the audience.
In Texas, ordained Ministers, Priests, Rabbis or Officials, authorized by their religion can conduct the wedding and sign the marriage certificate. My role as a Priest in Texas comes under “officials authorized by their religion”, as stated earlier.
In Texas, you need to have marriage Certificate at least 3 days before the wedding and signed and returned to the county office in less than 30 days after getting it .
However, in other States, the laws could be different. The Officiant needs to be certified and/or must be an ordained priest or the Justice of Peace or a Judge.
Outside Texas, I recommend that you obtain formal marriage certificate through the county Judge or Justice of Peace or, if there is a church wedding also, through the ordained priest. This can be done same day, a day earlier or a day later than planned wedding day.
http://www.hinduwedding.info/faqs.html