The world is multi-cultural and weddings are the perfect opportunity to explore the galore of rituals. There are different traditions followed in a wedding ceremony depending upon the religion you follow. While most western weddings follow Christian tradition; Indian weddings, on the other hand, are a visual delight of vast Hindu practices. The extensive difference between Indian and western culture makes weddings extremely dissimilar. Well no matter what the traditions are, the sole purpose of a wedding is to unite two families and strengthen the bond of love shared by the wedding couple.

Christian wedding traditions followed by western people (india.com)

From the length of the ceremony, wedding guests to the wedding rituals, these all have drastic differences when it comes to the comparison of Indian and Western-style weddings. Let’s have a detailed discussion at some points that clarify the difference between an Indian wedding and a Western wedding.

Indian vs. Western Wedding

The number of guests:

 The number of people attending the wedding is the most noticeable difference between them both. In India, a wedding is considered a chance to show off the wealth and hospitality of families. Indian families invite as many people as they know and Americans, on the other hand, prefer reserved weddings where only family members and close friends are usually invited.

Christian weddings have limited guests (Inside Weddings)

Western weddings are usually small ceremonies with around 75 guests in the room. And in Indian weddings, a gathering of 200 people is quite normal that generally extends to 2000 people and more.

Hindu marriage traditions practiced by Indians

Hindu marriage traditions practiced by Indians (Lovevivah.com)

The duration of the ceremony:

A typical Hindu wedding lasts around for a week that includes many different events with different guests to attend. From pre-wedding dinners to receptions like Sangeet, Haldi, and Mehndi there are many such events in an Indian wedding that demands a complete day for the celebration.

Indian pre-wedding & wedding celebrations stretch to 4 days (ShaadiSaga)

However, some of the events are more of a religious matter and some are just for being social. The actual wedding is of one day where the couple ties the holy matrimony knot for the rest of their life.

Fun and celebrations with family and friends at Hindu wedding (TripSavvy)

In contrast to that, even the grandest American wedding doesn’t last for more than a day. It can as short as 15 minutes to a maximum of 5 to 7-hour long wedding ceremony.

Half-a-day wedding celebrations of Christians

Half-a-day wedding celebrations of Christians (Celebrant Spain)

The rituals:

A western wedding is officiated by a pastor, priest, or a government official who guides the couple through a set of wedding vows, where a couple promises to love and respect each other for the rest of their lives and exchange wedding rings. Then they go to their reception area where they cut the wedding cake and sign the wedding certificate. That’s all for a western wedding.

While at Indian weddings there is an elaborated array of wedding rituals. They wear each other the wedding garlands in front of their family and friends. The most important ritual is when the bride and the groom make the seven vows (promises) to each other for a prosperous married life, including standing by each other in good times as well as tough times. Then they become husband and wife with the last and the seven vow, as the guy puts sindoor on his wife’s forehead and mangal sutra around her neck.

Indian marriage is followed with seven vows taken by the couple (Lovevivah.com)

The clothing:

In Christian weddings, dress codes for bride and groom are quite formal. The bride wears a white wedding gown and the groom comes in a formal Tuxedo.

Groom in formal attire and bride in a white gown for Christian wedding (vshoot.com)

Just as loud the Indian weddings are in their rituals and colors, the wedding attire for bride and groom are exactly the same. The bride usually wears red in her wedding and groom can opt for any color as he like. Lehenga and Sherwani are the signature wedding attires for the Indian wedding couple.

Indian bride and groom decked in lehenga and sherwani (Pinterest)

While there are many differences between the both but there is one similarity. And that is the luxury ride of bride and groom in a vintage classic car. People all over the globe book wedding car hire companies to enhance their wedding class and look. There are many Christian and Indian wedding car hire services with a multitude of cars to book for the big day. Well, which wedding you had arranged for yourself with your partner or you’re planning to have- Indian or Christian? Do share your wedding experience with us via comments below! 🙂

Guest Blog – written by Harry Smith




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Sanghamitra Roychoudhary

Sanghamitra Roychoudhary

Author at w3buzz.in
A proficient Web Content Developer (Technical and Non-Technical Writer), Blogger, and Freelance Content Writer. A happy author of www.w3buzz.in! She is a creative person, always eager to learn new aspects, and seeking new ways for improving skills in her field. She loves traveling & photography; also, a sports enthusiast!
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Sanghamitra Roychoudhary