A Sikh Wedding (and Reception) - Naveenu - Edmonton Photographer - Zokah

At the least, you could say Mandeep and Nav's wedding was a blast. There were chickens at the brides house after the ceremony. The ceremony itself was romantic, held at the Nanaksar Gurdwara. We even managed to make it over to the Muttart Conservatory for a photo shoot. Since everything was hosted on Canada Day weekend and with 800+ people attendance, it was a pretty grand celebration.

Thank you so much for inviting us to celebrate/capture such an important moment in your lives.

Before I continue on with photos (or you can just scroll to them haha), let me explain some of the main wedding day traditions...to the best of my abilities...I am sure some things are wrong so please correct me if you notice anything! Varna/Soorma/Kalgi: This happens in the monring at the grooms house. His turban is tied on. Kohl is applied to the grooms eyes, this wards of negative energy. Barat/Milni: Milni Means "introductions". During these ceremonies the groom and his family will parade toward the brides family. The groom will be travelling by either foot, horse, or even tractor outside of the ceremony location until they met with brides family. The families then kindly exchange garlands.

Shaggan: Friends and family bless the couple with gifts and money for their future life together after the ceremony.

"Ceremony before the Doli": We aren't quite sure what this ceremony is called but it happens at every Sikh wedding we attend. After the ceremony the bride is hidden in her home and the groom with his groomsmen/brothers/family must pay a debt to the bridesmaids/sisters/family. The men will only be allowed into the brides family home once the girls feel they have gotten an adequate amount of money/gifts.

Doli: This is a very emotional ceremony. This is bride being sent from her family home into her life with her now husband. The bride showers the family home with rice as she is escorted to a vehicle. The vehicle is the pushed by men from the family.

Welcoming the new Bride: This is the final ceremony on the wedding day. The bride is warmly welcomed at the grooms family home. The couple is showered is flower petals and fed sweets. Sometimes there are games played such as "Fish the ring", like Mandeep and Nav played. Reception: Finally, the reception (usually taking place the next day). This is hosted by the grooms family to honor the newly-weds. It is a great time celebrated with delicious food and elaborate performances. Hope this explains a little bit. I am still missing a lot of events from the day, these are just the main ones.