Engagement

In all cultures, wedding preparation starts with official engagement of the future bride and future groom. In Hindu tradition, parents or elders in the immediate family participate in the initial match making which aims at analyzing:

• Family backgrounds
• Educational, financial and physical compatibility
• Horoscope matching

In Hindu philosophy, marriage just does not happen between a bride and the groom, instead it is considered to be a liaison between two families as well. The engagement ceremony takes place a few months before the marriage and is a formal announcement of the impending marriage to all relatives and friends and the start of the planning for the big event.

Engagement Vidhi

This fun-filled event can take place either at bride’s or groom’s place. According to Indian customs, the groom’s father request the bride’s father for her daughter’s hand for his son. The bride’s father wants to be assured that groom has no skeleton in his closet! Having confirmed that and after mutual satisfaction, the bride’s father announces that he will communicate the appropriate date for the big event in the future.

The couple exchanges the wedding rings and the ceremony ends with blessings and best wishes  from all the attendees. In some customs, Lagna Patrika, is also prepared which is actually a written promise to each other to perform the ceremony at a future date.

However before a pre-wedding ceremony which happens a day or two before the actual wedding they can not be referred as bride and groom but after successful completion of engagement ceremony they are fondly called as a bride and groom.