Dance Dance Dance!

Another aspect of weddings that the team at Bombay Photography loves is all of the dancing! Not only
does dancing make for really fun candid pictures, but it is literally the life of the party. American style
weddings have some dancing but no one does it like the traditional Indian weddings!!

Indian weddings are truly grand affairs with ceremonies ranging from 500-1000 people. The ceremony is
conducted with the utmost of tradition and includes a lot of entertainment, colorful outfits, great food, and
a ton of music and dancing! Of course there is some variation to the traditions based on the community,
religion or region of origination, but the underlying tone of merriment is the same.

There are two big events that occur prior to the actual wedding ceremony. The first is the engagement
ceremony which is then followed by the Mehndi or Sangeet ceremony. Both are punctuated with
much dancing and fun. Next, the main ceremony begins with the arrival of the Baraat and includes a
procession of friends, family and relatives of the groom. There is a lot of music and a lot more dancing!
The bride’s family welcomes the Barattis, the bride’s mother does the Aarti in front of the groom and then
he enters the site. After the groom enters, the bride and groom exchange garlands. Afterward, they are
presented with gifts from the guests. The ceremony continues with the couple exchanging vows while
chanting hymns. Then the Phera ritual takes place which is filled with more dance while moving around
the ceremonial fire.

After the ceremony is a delicious banquet of the best possible food which varies based on the region of
origin. The entire event is more than the joining of the bride and groom; it is the uniting of two families.
Fun, food and dancing make the event a grand celebration that we at Bombay get the honor of capturing
for the couple to remember for years to come.