For match making, Gujratis usually look out for prospective alliances for their children within their own community. When it is the time for ringing of wedding bells, Gujaratis go in for all the customs and traditions that form an integral part of traditional Gujarati marriage rituals.

Gujarati wedding ceremony begins with offering prayers to Lord Ganesha and seeking his divine blessings. Like any other traditional Indian wedding, Mehndi and Sangeet Mehfil follow it. Below is given information about the marriage rituals:

Pre-wedding Ritual

• Mandap Mahurat
• Griha Shanti
• Jaan

Wedding Rituals

• Kanya Daan
• Hasta Milap
• Pheras
• Saptapadi

Post-wedding Rituals

• Reception
• Vidaai
• Ghar ni Laxmi

Gujarati Wedding Attire
Gujarati marriage is a classic example of ethnicity, in which people dress up in beautiful rainbow colors. Gujarati wedding attire exhibits glimpses of their rich culture. Talking about the Gujarati wedding bridal wear, most Gujarati girls choose to wear a sari that is draped in the proper Gujarati style.

For a bride, what can be a better and auspicious color than red! Thus, red sari is the ideal ethnic dress for a bride, complemented with appropriate jewelry. However, in the present times, designer bridal lehangas available in different shades are gaining momentum. Stylish and chic looking, lehangas are luring more and more girls into buying them for the special day of their lives.

In a traditional Gujarati marriage, grooms opt for dhoti kurta. However, in metropolitan cities, the traditional ethnic clothing has taken a little back stage. For the modern men, the fashion designers are coming up with designer Gujarati wedding bridegroom wear like indo western kurta pyjamas. In the western wear category, formal suits are becoming the choice of the town.

Post Wedding Gujarati Rituals

Here is provided information on post-wedding Gujarati rituals:

Gujarati Reception

It is an occasion of merriment, when all the near and dear ones come to bless the newly wedded couple and give them gifts.

Vidaai Ceremony
In the Vidaai ceremony, the bride, with tears rolling out of her eyes, bids goodbye to her parents, friends and relatives. She boards a specially decorated car along with her newly wedded husband. Then, both of them move towards their home, with a new life awaiting them.

Ghar Ni Laxmi & Aeki Beki
The bride is considered to be Ghar Ni Laxmi, a form of Goddess Laxmi, who brings wealth and good luck. At the entrance of the house, a vessel filled with rice is placed. The bride is asked to knock down the vessel with her right foot, spilling some rice.

Thereafter, the bride and groom are seated and arrangements are made for the playing of Aeki Beki. To play this game, a vessel is filled with water, which is colored, by putting sindoor and milk in it. After that, a ring and several coins are put into it. The bride and groom are then asked to find the ring. Whoever finds the ring 4 out of 7 times, will rule the household

Pre Wedding Gujarati Rituals

Mandap Mahurat Ceremony
Mandap Mahurat ceremony is performed by the families of bride and groom in their respective houses. Prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha, who is believed to remove all obstacles. A puja is done by an acharya or priest to seek the blessings of God for the to be wedded couple. Usually, this ceremony is carried out a couple of days before the wedding.

Griha Shanti Puja
After having matched the horoscopes of the prospective bride and groom, a puja or prayer is held. It is called Griha Shanti puja, which is done by the priest. A Mahurat or auspicious time is chosen for the conduct of the prayer. All the family members andrelatives participate in this auspicious ritual. It is an important puja, which is performed at the bride as well as groom's house.

Jaan
Jaan Gujarati wedding ritual is performed to ward off the evil eye. It is an interesting ritual, in which the groom arrives at the bride's house, where he is given a warm welcome. The groom bows his head to seek his mother-in-law's blessings. While, he does so, the bride's mother tries to clutch his nose. But the boy tries his level best to avoid it.

Gujarati Wedding Rituals

Jaimala & Madhuparka
Jaimala involves the exchange of garlands between the bride and the groom twice. First time, the groom is on a higher platform than the bride, while, the second time, they are at an equal level.

In the Madhuparka ceremony, groom's feet are washed. Also, he is given honey and milk to drink. While this ceremony is going on, the bride's sisters try to steal the groom's shoes, known as 'Juta Churai'.

Kanya Daan & Hasta Milap
One of the most important wedding rituals is Kanya daan. It is a ceremony, in which the bride's father washes the groom's feet and gives his daughter's hand to him in the hope that he will take good care of her. The bride is considered to be a form of Goddess Laxmi and the bridegroom is considered to be Lord Narayana. Kanya daan is performed in front of the sacred fire, facilitating the pious union of the boy and girl.

Hasta Milap ceremony has a lot of significance. It involves the tying of the groom's scarf or shawl to the bride's sari. The tying of knot and the joined hands of the couple are symbolic of the meeting of two hearts and souls. The acharya or the priest chants mantras and seeks the blessings of Goddess Laxmi and Parvatiji for the couple. The family and relatives witness the conduct of the ceremony and come forward to bless the bride and groom. They sprinkle rose petals and rice grains on them.

Mangalpheras & Saptapadi
Pheras are rounds that the couple takes around the sacred fire, as the priest chants mantras. It also involves the reciting of mantras by the groom that expresses his genuine and heartiest desire to seek his wife's loving support. In Gujarati marriage, there are four mangal pheras, which represent "Dharma", "Artha", "Kama" and "Moksha". Saptapadi are the seven steps that the wedded couple walks together and takes seven vows. Thereafter, the couple seeks the blessings of their parents and other elders.