Punjabi Sikh & Ceylonese Hindu wedding by Andy Lim (Part 2!)

As promised here is part 2 of photographer Andy Lim’s post! We continue to cover Davinder and Shahlini’s five-day wedding:

And it begins! Here are shots from the early morning. For the bride she’s busy getting ready and dressed into her traditional sari, while the baraatis (groom’s party) are received by the bride’s family at the entrance to the wedding venue. Here, the bride’s mother welcomes the groom by performing the aarti (traditional Indian welcome ritual with a lamp or diya placed on a thali) to welcome her son-in-law and places a tilak on his forehead.

What do Hindu and Chinese weddings have in common? Both seek consultation to find out which dates are considered the ‘best wedding days’ with the most ‘muhurta’ (auspicious timing). However in Hinduism, this is decided by the vedic calendar known as Panchang.

I wonder what happens if you have a Chinese/ Hindu marriage!

The last event for the day is the Saptapadi, which is considered the most important rite where the bride and groom recite specific vows that touch on love, respect, commitment, fidelity and their eternal union.

I think every religion and culture more or less say similar things. Just be good to your wife! And husband, hehe.

But it’s not over yet! The following day, the Sikh wedding is held:

Shahlini looking beautiful. I can’t imagine how many bridal outfits she had to arrange and plan for!

The Sikhs believe that marriage is more than a two people in love, instead they are “one soul in two bodies”. Which explains why a Sikh wedding ceremony is also known as “Anand Karaj” or “Blissful Union”.

As you can see from the photo, Sikh weddings are a lot of fun! If you’re attending one, expect it to go from morning to night and go though lots of food, music people and of course – dancing!

When it comes to attire, the bride will dress in either a shalwar and kameez or langa (this is a blouse with matching trouser or long skirt). And around her head, she will wrap a chunni (gold-embroidered shawl).  For the groom, he is usually dressed in traditional shirt and trousers, with a turban and a coloured scarf (pulla).

And after 5 days, Davinder and Shahlini are married!

After seeing all the different types of weddings out there I can’t decide who’s culture has the more fun. But I think Indian weddings win hands down when it comes to colour and vibrancy :)

* If you love these photos, then do give WGA vendor Andy Lim a buzz. He’s well-known as a wedding photographer who captures ‘emotions’ and wedding photos that are ‘natural’. He’s also a lovely person to work with – thanks again for the pics Andy!