u/SuitableBeautiful408

Hi all,

My fiancée is English and I'm Gujarati, and we're trying to plan a wedding that genuinely blends both cultures instead of feeling like we're doing an English wedding with a few Indian bits tacked on (or vice versa).

At the moment we're thinking something like:

• 2:30pm – Ceremony
• 3:30pm – Drinks reception, Indian canapés, vinyl bar, photos
• 6:30pm – Dinner & speeches
• 8:00pm – Cake & drinks outside
• 9:00pm–3:00am – Dancing, photobooth, late-night food, etc.

Rather than having two ceremonies, we're thinking of doing one shortened Gujarati Hindu ceremony (around 45 minutes). Roughly:

• Baraat – groom's procession
• Antarpaat – bride's entrance
• Jaimala – exchanging flower garlands
• Family blessing (instead of a very traditional Kanya Daan/"giving away the bride")
• Hasta Melap – our garments are tied together to symbolise our union
• Mangal Pheras – walking around the sacred fire
• Saptapadi – seven symbolic steps and vows together
• Sindoor & Mangal Sutra + ring exchange – symbols of marriage
• Kansar – feeding each other sweets
• Ashirwad – blessings from our parents/families

The bit we're really struggling with is what my fiancée should wear.

She's always dreamed of wearing a classic white wedding dress, but she'd also love to wear a lehenga or sari.

Our original idea was:

• White dress for the ceremony.
• Change into Indian outfits before the evening party.

The more I picture it though, the more I'm wondering whether a white wedding dress looks a bit out of place with the mandap, sacred fire, garlands, pheras, etc. On the other hand, I don't want her to miss out on wearing the dress she's always wanted.

Has anyone here done something similar?

I'd love to know:

• How you structured the day.
• When you did outfit changes.
• Whether you had one ceremony or two.
• If the bride wore a white dress, a lehenga, or both.
• Anything you wish you'd done differently.

Would really appreciate hearing what worked (or didn't!) for other mixed British/Indian couples.

Hi all,

My fiancée is English and I'm Gujarati, and we're trying to plan a wedding that genuinely blends both cultures instead of feeling like we're doing an English wedding with a few Indian bits tacked on (or vice versa).

At the moment we're thinking something like:

• 2:30pm – Ceremony
• 3:30pm – Drinks reception, Indian canapés,
• 6:30pm – Dinner & speeches
• 8:00pm – Cake/ drinks
• 9:00pm–3:00am – music/ dancing etc.

Rather than having two ceremonies, we're thinking of doing one shortened Gujarati Hindu ceremony (around 45 minutes). Roughly:

• Baraat – groom's procession
• Antarpaat – bride's entrance
• Jaimala – exchanging flower garlands
• Family blessing (instead of a very traditional Kanya Daan/"giving away the bride")
• Hasta Melap – our garments are tied together to symbolise our union
• Mangal Pheras – walking around the sacred fire
• Saptapadi – seven symbolic steps and vows together
• Sindoor & Mangal Sutra + ring exchange – symbols of marriage
• Kansar – feeding each other sweets
• Ashirwad – blessings from our parents/families

The bit we're really struggling with is what my fiancée should wear.

She's always dreamed of wearing a classic white wedding dress, but she'd also like to wear a lehenga or sari.

Our original idea was:

• White dress for the ceremony.
• Change into Indian outfits before the evening party.

The more I picture it though, the more I'm wondering whether a white wedding dress looks a bit out of place with the mandap, sacred fire, garlands, pheras, etc. On the other hand, I don't want her to miss out on wearing the dress she's always wanted.

Has anyone here done something similar?

I'd love to know:

• How you structured the day.
• When you did outfit changes.
• Whether you had one ceremony or two.
• If the bride wore a white dress, a lehenga, or both.
• Anything you wish you'd done differently.

Would really appreciate hearing what worked (or didn't!) for other mixed British/Indian couples.