Joining, meeting, assembling together
After the Baraat, at the entrance to the ceremony area, the bride's family greets the groom. The bride's family marks his forehead with the red tilak (red powder), signifying the Lord's blessing upon him. They lead him to the wedding canopy (mandap) under which the ceremony will take place.
After guests are seated, the bridemaids escort the bride to the mandap. The groom awaits her at the mandap, and his view of her is obscured by a veil until she arrives.
While the bride is escorted to the mandap, the groom may be teased about the bride he has not yet seen.
Garland of victory
The bride and groom then exchange flower garlands signifying their acceptance of each other.
The wedding ceremony begins with the worship of Shri Ganesh, the remover of all obstacles and provider of good luck. All traditional Hindu ceremonies begin with invocation of Ganesh. Other poojas (prayers) are also performed evoking the presence of other forms of God to preside over the wedding ceremony.
The joining of hands
This is what can be considered the legal part of the ceremony. The parents of the bride release their daughter and the parents of the groom release their son to be married. Both parents place the hands of their children together. This symbolizes that they are becoming as one. Both parents then recite a Sankalpa stating that their children are being married. The audience is the witness.
Sacred fire ceremony
The great messenger of the Gods, Agnideva the fire God, is evoked to witness the proceedings. The priest lights a sacred fire in the presence of the bride and groom. Throughout the ceremony, the bride, groom, and the priest add clarified butter (ghee) to the fire to keep it burning. Rice and other ingredients are added to the fire at various times.
Tying of the sacred knot
One corner of groom's shawl is tied to the end of the brides sari. This signifies the union of two souls.
Circumambulation in a clockwise direction
The bride and groom walk around the fire seven times, symbolizing the walk of life, following the path of the sun. The groom leads the bride through the first four rounds while the bride leads the groom through the last three rounds.
Human life is seen to have four great goals called Purusharthas.
The first four rounds are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.
The first round represents the attainment of Dharma, or righteous conduct and the fulfillment of civic and religious responsibilities.
The second round is for the attainment of Artha, the accumulation of wealth and prosperity.
The third round is for the attainment of Kama, life's enjoyments.
The fourth round enacts the attainment of Moksha, life's spiritual values and final release from the bonds of earthly life.
The bride leads the groom around the fire for the final rounds, three Pheras.
The fifth round is for Daana, or charity,
The sixth round is for Vidya, or knowledge,
The final round is for Prema, or love.
Offering of puffed rice to the sacred fire
The bride places her right foot onto a stone, symbolizing the earth, and makes offerings of puffed rice into the sacred fire, asking for the protection of her husband. The act of placing the bride's foot upon the stone means that she should become strong and fixed like the earth.
Seven steps
The bride and groom take seven steps together, symbolizing the beginning of their journey through life as partners. These seven steps reflect their guiding principles in life.
As they take each step, the bride and groom exchange the following vows:
Together we will respect each other
Together we will care for each other
Together we will be patient with each other
Together we will be honest and faithful with each other
Together we will raise our family with love and harmony
Together we will practice self-restraint and seek longevity
Together we will be the best of friends and life-long partners
An auspicious thread
The groom gives the bride a Mangalsutra, a necklace made of gold and onyx. This necklace also identifies her as a married woman. The Mangalsutra is the equivalent of the wedding ring.
The groom places a special red powder (vermillion) between the parting of the bride's hair. This red line identifies the bride as a married woman.
The groom's uncle presents the bride with a chunari as a blessing.
After the vows are exchanged, the priest directs the newlyweds to look toward the sun in order to be blessed with creative life. The couple is then told to look at Dhruva, the polar star. Dhruva never moves or wavers in the night sky. The bride and groom recognize this and resolve to remain just as steadfast in their marriage as Dhruva is in the heavens.
The newly married couple feed each other sweets representing their first meal together.
The newly married couple then seeks the blessings of the priest, parents, elders, family, and friends. The family and friends bestow their blessings by showering them with flower petals and rice.