Every Tradition
Your traditions, planned properly
Find Your Tradition
Twelve ways to say I do
Hindu
Seven steps around a sacred fire
Gujarati
Garba nights and four pheras
Punjabi
Dhol, jaggo and the loudest baraat
Sikh
The Anand Karaj, and a destination for everything around it
Tamil
A dawn muhurtham and the thaali
Telugu
Talambralu, and a muhurtham to the minute
Malayali
Brief, graceful, and the sadhya
Bengali
Shubho drishti behind betel leaves
Marathi
The antarpat falls at the auspicious moment
Muslim
The Nikah, with a mehndi and a walima around it
Christian Indian
A church ceremony with Indian customs
Fusion and interfaith
Two ceremonies, one wedding
North India and Hindu families worldwide
Hindu weddings
Usually three days or more, built around the pheras: the couple circling the sacred fire while the pandit recites the vows that bind them. The events before it, the haldi, the mehndi and the sangeet, are where the two families become one.
The moments that matter
- Jaimala
- , the exchange of flower garlands
- Kanyadaan
- , the bride’s parents give her hand in marriage
- Pheras and Saptapadi
- , circling the fire and taking seven steps, one for each vow
- Sindoor and mangalsutra
- , the groom marks the bride’s parting and ties the sacred necklace
What it needs from the resort
- The havan needs an open flame, and many resorts treat that as a request to be approved, often only in a contained brass kund. We get it in writing before a date is held.
- Your pandit usually travels with you. Where no local priest is available, we plan the flights and the room.
- Your muhurat may fall outside a resort’s ceremony hours. Some only marry between late morning and mid-afternoon, and not on Sundays.
A Hindu ceremony we planned on the sand, with the havan by the sea, at Dreams Aventuras in the Riviera Maya. See Pooja and Geiler's wedding
Plan a Hindu wedding with usGujarat and the Gujarati diaspora
Gujarati weddings
Joyful, food-proud and musical, with a garba night that can run later than anything else in the week. The ceremony itself is rich in family roles, from the maternal uncle’s gifts to the pithi that blesses the couple before the day.
The moments that matter
- Griha Shanti
- , a prayer for peace and blessings on the new home
- Pithi
- , turmeric paste applied by family, for glow and good fortune
- Mameru
- , the maternal uncle’s gifts to the bride
- Garba and Dandiya Raas
- , circle dances with sticks, late into the night
- Hasta Milap and Mangal Phera
- , hands joined, then four pheras around the fire
What it needs from the resort
- Garba needs space, sound and time. The resort’s music curfew decides how your night ends, so we confirm it before you choose the venue.
- Many Gujarati families need Jain meals, with no onion, garlic or root vegetables. That is a kitchen commitment, not a menu note, and we ask for it in writing.
Punjab, on both sides of the border, and its diaspora
Punjabi weddings
Big, loud and generous. The celebrations start days early and the baraat arrives with a dhol that the whole resort will hear. At the centre of it all are the families, meeting formally at the milni before anyone is married.
The moments that matter
- Chooda and kaleere
- , red and ivory bangles and golden ornaments for the bride
- Jaggo
- , a night procession with a decorated pot of lights, singing through the venue
- Baraat
- , the groom arrives with dhol and dancing, often on a ghodi
- Milni
- , the two families greet each other, relative by relative
What it needs from the resort
- The baraat needs a route, a start time and permission for the dhol. A live horse is available at only some resorts, so we ask early.
- Jaggo is a late-night event by nature, which puts it up against the music curfew. We plan the venue around it rather than the other way round.
Sikh families worldwide
Sikh weddings
The Anand Karaj, the blissful union, is held in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib: four laavan, four hymns, and the couple walking around the Guru Ji once for each. It is simple, morning-lit and deeply spiritual, and the celebrations around it are anything but quiet.
The moments that matter
- Four laavan
- , four hymns, the couple circling the Guru Granth Sahib for each
- Milni
- , the families greet one another before the ceremony
- Ardas
- , the closing prayer
- Langar
- , the shared vegetarian meal
What it needs from the resort
- The Akal Takht has directed that the Guru Granth Sahib is not taken to resorts or beaches, and reaffirmed in December 2025 that the Anand Karaj belongs in a gurdwara. So many families now hold the Anand Karaj at their gurdwara at home, then bring the mehndi, sangeet, jaggo and reception to the destination. We plan the destination half around the date you set with your gurdwara.
- We keep alcohol away from any event you ask us to, and we confirm vegetarian kitchens for the meals that need them.
Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil families
Tamil weddings
Rooted in Vedic ritual and often timed to an early-morning muhurtham. The ceremony is intimate and precise, and the thaali tied at its peak carries the whole meaning of the day.
The moments that matter
- Nichayathartham
- , the formal engagement between the families
- Kashi Yatra
- , the groom sets off to renounce the world until the bride’s father persuades him to marry
- Oonjal
- , the couple rocked on a swing while the women sing
- Mangalya Dharanam
- , the groom ties the thaali with three knots
What it needs from the resort
- A sunrise muhurtham means ceremony staff, flowers and nadaswaram on before the resort is awake. We confirm the resort will open the venue that early.
- A traditional vegetarian feast served on banana leaves is a request we put to the kitchen in writing, not an assumption.
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Telugu diaspora
Telugu weddings
Colourful and exact. The muhurtham is set to the minute, sometimes late at night, and the moment it arrives the couple place a paste of cumin and jaggery on each other’s heads as a promise to stay together through bitter and sweet.
The moments that matter
- Pellikuthuru and Pellikoduku
- , turmeric and blessings for the bride and groom
- Jeelakarra Bellam
- , cumin and jaggery placed on each other’s heads at the muhurtham
- Talambralu
- , the couple shower each other with turmeric-coloured rice
- Saptapadi
- , seven steps together
What it needs from the resort
- A muhurtham late at night or before dawn needs the resort to hold the venue, the lighting and the staff for it. We confirm that before the date is fixed.
- Talambralu scatters rice across the mandap. Some venues have rules on what can be thrown on a beach or lawn, and we check them.
Kerala
Malayali weddings
Kerala Hindu weddings are famously short: the ceremony itself can take minutes, timed to the muhurtham, with the nilavilakku lamp lit beside the couple. The feast afterwards, the sadhya, is the part everyone remembers.
The moments that matter
- Thaali kettu
- , the groom ties the thaali
- Pudavakoda
- , the groom gives the bride a sari, a symbol of his care
- Nilavilakku
- , the traditional brass lamp, lit for the ceremony
- Sadhya
- , a vegetarian feast of many dishes on a banana leaf
What it needs from the resort
- The nilavilakku is an open flame. It is small, but it still needs the resort’s approval, so we ask.
- A true sadhya is a kitchen project. We confirm the resort can cook it, or bring in someone who can, before we promise it.
West Bengal and Bangladesh
Bengali weddings
Theatrical and tender. The bride is carried in on a wooden seat by her brothers, her face hidden behind betel leaves until the moment she lowers them and meets the groom’s eyes. The celebrations close days later with the Bou Bhaat.
The moments that matter
- Gaye Holud
- , the turmeric ceremony
- Shubho Drishti
- , the first look, as the bride lowers the betel leaves
- Mala Badal and Saat Paak
- , garlands exchanged and seven circles around the groom
- Sindoor Daan
- , the groom marks the parting of the bride’s hair
- Bou Bhaat
- , the reception and feast hosted by the groom’s family
What it needs from the resort
- Carrying the bride on the piri needs a level, clear path to the mandap. We walk the venue for it.
- Bengali menus lean on fish and sweets the resort may never have made. We agree the menu with the kitchen well ahead.
Maharashtra
Marathi weddings
Warm and ceremonial. The couple stand either side of a silk cloth, the antarpat, while the mangalashtak verses are sung. At the auspicious moment it is lowered and they see each other as the guests shower them with rice.
The moments that matter
- Sakhar Puda
- , the engagement, sealed with sugar
- Halad
- , the turmeric ceremony
- Antarpat and Mangalashtak
- , the cloth lowered at the end of the verses
- Saptapadi
- , seven steps together
What it needs from the resort
- The ceremony runs to an exact auspicious time, so the venue, the sound and the photographer all have to be ready to the minute.
- Maharashtrian vegetarian dishes are rarely on a resort menu. We confirm the kitchen can make them.
South Asian Muslim families
Muslim weddings
The Nikah is a contract made with the consent of both, witnessed and blessed with readings from the Qur’an. Around it, many South Asian families hold a mehndi before and a walima, the groom’s family’s reception, after.
The moments that matter
- Mehndi
- , henna, music and family, the night before
- Nikah
- , the ceremony, officiated by an imam or qazi
- Ijab-o-Qubool and mahr
- , the offer and acceptance, and the groom’s gift to the bride
- Walima
- , the reception hosted by the groom’s family
What it needs from the resort
- Halal is a kitchen certification, not a menu label. We confirm what the resort can actually certify, and plan around it where it cannot.
- We can keep events alcohol-free, find a quiet space for prayer, and arrange an officiant.
Kerala, Goa, Mangalore and Christian families across India
Christian Indian weddings
A church or chapel ceremony, often with customs from home woven in: the minnu, a thaali bearing a cross, the manthrakodi sari blessed by the priest, or the coconut-milk roce the night before in Mangalorean families.
The moments that matter
- Roce
- , the bride and groom anointed with coconut milk, in Mangalorean tradition
- Minnukettu
- , the minnu tied at the altar
- Manthrakodi
- , the sari blessed by the priest and given to the bride
What it needs from the resort
- Some resorts have a chapel on site; others need a church nearby. The legal paperwork depends on the country, and we work it out before you travel.
Two families, two traditions
Fusion and interfaith weddings
Two traditions, honoured properly rather than blended into neither. Often that means two ceremonies, on the same day or across two, each with its own officiant, dress and timing.
The moments that matter
- Two ceremonies
- , each tradition complete, not shortened to fit
- Two officiants
- , a pandit or granthi and a priest or rabbi, both briefed
- One timeline
- , outfit changes, venues and guests moved between them
What it needs from the resort
- Two ceremonies means two venues or a fast turnaround of one. We plan the change-over so neither ceremony is rushed.
A wedding we planned: Pooja and Geiler held a Catholic ceremony and a Hindu ceremony a day apart at one resort. See their weekend
Plan a fusion wedding with usTwo Families, Every Ritual
Tell us whose traditions you are bringing together
We match your ceremonies to resorts that can actually hold them, and get the answers that decide it in writing before you commit. Planning is free.
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