Indian Fusion Wedding DC | Sikh Ceremony & Reception

In the previous post, we shared the photos from the Mehendi party, the Welcome Dinner (hosted at Meridian House in DC), a few getting ready moments on wedding day, and the always fun Baraat (groom’s processional).

As with most Indian weddings, a wedding is a multi-day celebration and the wedding day itself can be quite a marathon. After getting hair and makeup done very early in the morning, and dressed, there may be several traditional rituals that the bride and groom will perform. Prior to the ceremony, the groom’s family and friends will dance their way to the ceremony venue in a baraat. At the end of the baraat, the bride’s family and friend welcome them in a milni ritual. After the Sikh ceremony, held at the Sikh Gurdwara Washington DC, our couple exchanged wedding rings in private while guests enjoyed lunch. In between, there will be many photos taken. After lunch, guests can take a break while the bride, groom, wedding party, and families change into their evening outfits. The bride, bridesmaids, and mothers tyically will change their hair and makeup for an evening look. Then finally, we get to have a party which begins with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and lots of dancing. The evening festivities were held at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. From waking up at 5:30am to the last dance at midnight, it surely was a long day! All photos by Nat Wongsaroj Photography

For Sikh wedding ceremonies, your head must be covered. You can see me in the upper right hand corner with my scarf covering my head. Male members of the bride’s family escorts her into the ceremony – in this case, her cousin and brother-in-law. Nat Wongsaroj skillfully captured the emotions as the bride and groom shared a glance during the ceremony. And again capturing a touching moment between the bride and her father. During a Sikh wedding ceremony, the bride and groom circle the palki which holds the Holy Book. Since this is a fusion wedding, the couple decided to also have a ring exchange afterwards with their parents present, which is not a part of the sikh wedding ceremony.

In a Sikh wedding tradition, the bride shakes her bangles over the head of an unmarried bridesmaid. If that bridesmaid is hit by a falling piece of kalire (bell-shaped ornaments), she will be the next to get married.
Many couples will change from their ceremony outfits into another outfit for the evening reception. How cute are they, and Nat noticed the sign by the front door! A large antique mirror was used as a seating chart, which worked really well with the ornate design of the hotel. One of our favorite feature of the Mayflower Hotel’s Grand Ballroom is being able to introduce the newlyweds on the balcony, above all the guests, creating a dramatic moment. For their first dance, the couple started with something romantic and then entertained the guests with an upbeat, Bhangra style dance. At Indian weddings, guests will often perform a dance for the newlyweds. Lakshmi Sarkar captured the evening by painting the wedding reception live.