Punjabi Wedding: From rituals to Punjabi wedding dresses & songs, all that you need to know!

A Punjabi wedding is probably the most colourful and fun-filled Indian wedding you can come across! Right from the dhol-taasha to the flamboyant dancing, you can find everything at a Punjabi wedding. To give you an overview at what to expect at a typical Hindu-Punjabi wedding, I have listed down the Punjabi wedding rituals, Punjabi wedding suits and Punjabi wedding songs! Behold all your energy before attending a Punjabi wedding, because “Punjabiyan di battery change rehndi ae”



Punjabi Wedding Rituals

Punjabi pre-wedding rituals

1. Roka

Roka is the ceremony where the bride as well as the groom’s family exchanges gifts and shagun and decide on a wedding date. Roka is to signify that the boy and the girl are off the wedding market and no one else can ask for their hand in marriage. This ritual typically begins with a pooja known as ardaas to seek the blessings of the Almighty to consecrate the start of the couple’s journey.

 

2. Chunni Ceremony

The chunni ceremony is the official engagement of the couple. Generally, the groom’s family visits the bride’s family with gifts. They give the bride a sari or a lehenga-choli along with a red dupatta called chunni. These gifts for the bride from her would-to-be mother-in-law is a token of acceptance as the fiancée of her son.

 

3. Sagai or Engagement Ceremony

Usually on the same day as the chunni ceremony, the bride and the groom exchange rings among close family and friends as a mark of their engagement to each other!

 

4. Mehndi Ceremony

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Like most weddings in India, a Punjabi wedding has a mehndi ceremony too! The bride along with her friends and female family member apply henna to their hands and feet.

 

5. Sangeet

While sangeet used to be limited only to the ladies earlier, it has nowadays become a full family affair! Both the bride and the groom’s families come together along with their friends to eat, drink and dance throughout the evening. It is a Punjabi wedding, so this is the time you can expect the daru ki nadiyan to flow!

 

6. Choodha and Kalire Ceremony

In this Punjabi wedding ceremony, the bride’s eldest maternal uncle puts red and white bangles on both her hands. The bangles are purified in milk and rose petals. While the ceremony is taking place, the bride’s face and head are covered as she is not supposed to see the bangles when her uncle is putting them on her wrists. Golden kalire are also attached to the bangles by the bride’s sisters or friends. They signify fertility and a happy marital life!

 

7. Haldi Ceremony

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The female members of the house apply a mixture of haldi, chandan, gulab jal and mustard oil on the bride’s body. Haldi is said to give the bride a radiant glow for the wedding day and wash off the impurities. A similar ceremony takes place at the groom’s home as well. After the haldi is applied to the bride and the groom at their respective homes, all the family member and friends smear each other with haldi for fun and merriment. It is a riot of yellow all over!





Punjabi wedding main rituals



1.Agwaani

Agwaani or welcoming the Baarat is done by the ladkiwale. The groom comes on a horse with his family members and is greeted by the bride’s family with a lot of pomp!

 

2. Jaimala

In this Punjabi wedding ritual, the bride and the groom exchange flower garlands as a mark of accepting each other!

 

3. Madhuparka

In this Punjabi wedding ritual, the groom is given a sharbat called madhuparka, which is made of ghee, curd and honey to drink. The groom takes the madhuparka and sprinkles it in all directions before drinking it.

 

4. Kanyadaan

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In this Punjabi wedding ritual, the bride’s father gives her hand to the groom and asks him to take care of her from here on!

 

5. Phere

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Like most Indian weddings have the saat phere, so does a Punjabi wedding. The couple walks around the havan and takes seven rounds, each for one wedding vow. After this, the priest declares the couple as married.

 

6. Lajahom

The bride’s brother takes rice flakes in his hands and gives it to the bride. She then offers the rice flakes along with the groom to the fire and seek the Fire God’s blessings.

 

7. Sindoor Daan

In this Punjabi wedding ceremony, the groom adds vermillion in the hair parting of the bride to signify the end of the entire marriage ceremony and the beginning of a new relationship between the couple.

 

Punjabi Wedding Dress



Punjabi brides have traditionally worn Punjabi wedding suits on the day of their wedding, however, brides today wear anything from a sharara suit to lehenga for the main wedding day! Find some amazing Punjabi wedding suit pictures that you can pin or save for your wedding outfit inspiration.



       

Image Source: Artfoto Studios



Punjabi Wedding Songs



No Punjabi wedding is complete without some naach gaana! And if you have been scouting for some Punjabi wedding songs to show off your latke-jhatke, then you got to check out these Punjabi wedding chartbusters, which you can blast on a music system and dance the night away!





1. London Thumakda – Queen

This Punjabi wedding song is a classic when it comes for the bride tribe to dance on the sangeet night!



2. Suit Suit – Guru Randhawa

Tenu suit suit karda is the perfect Punjabi wedding song for the groom and bride to dance together!



3. Punjabi Wedding Song – Hasee Toh Phasee

The name of this song is the Punjabi Wedding Song! Do I need say more?



4. Kar Gayi Chull – Kapoor And Sons

Ladki beautiful kar gayi chull is the perfect Punjabi wedding song for the groom and his friends to dance to!



5. Nachde Ne Saare – Baar Baar Dekho

With this song you can take the entire fam and literally ‘nachde ne sare’ throughout the night!



6. Kaala Chasma – Baar Baar Dekho

Let this Punjabi wedding song blast on the speaker and watch everyone in the crowd get up and shake their kamariya! Don’t be surprised if you see the fufaji dancing with a whiskey glass on his head! 😀



7. Daru Badnaam

Definitely the “daru peeke nachne wala” Punjabi wedding song!



8. Punjabiyaan Di Battery – Mere Dad Ki Maruti

You cannot not play this song at a Punjabi wedding!



9. Gal Mitthi Mitthi – Aisha

This Punjabi wedding song is another in the list for the bride and the bridesmaids to dance to!



10. Ishq Tera Tadpave – Sukhbir

Forget a Punjabi wedding; no Indian wedding is complete without dancing like crazies to this hell-of-a-classic Punjabi wedding song!

Let us know if something got left out in the big fat Punjabi wedding that you were expecting!