Misc/Games
Symbolism of Various Items Used in Hindu Weddings- Fire - the element that dispels darkness
- Water - life nourishing element
- Rice - Dispeller of evil spirits (soil/land)
- Coconut - Fertility
- Sindhur - Auspiciousness
A Knight on a White Horse
It's not something that only happens in fairy tales. In India , the groom often arrives to the wedding on a horse. This tradition has been adopted at Indian weddings in America , as well. You can rent a horse, preferably a tame, white one, from a stable. Usually the horse is adorned with a decorative saddle. In America , the tradition can be adapted to suit your taste. Grooms have been known to arrive on elephants, a carriage, or even a white mustang convertible - the modern day interpretation of a ~white horse.~
Who gets the garland on firstWhen the bride and groom first meet each other on the wedding day, they exchange flower garlands. This is to greet each other and to acknowledge mutual acceptance of the wedding to take place. Sometimes the family members have fun with this tradition. They will lift the bride or groom high off the ground so that it is difficult for the other member to get the garland on.
Stealing the Groom's shoes Since the groom has to remove his shoes during the wedding ceremony, members of the bride's family often try to steal his shoes at this time. The groom's side usually goes to extreme measures to hide these shoes because if the bride's family steals the shoes, the groom must pay them whatever amount of money they ask for to get the shoes back - a sometimes costly endeavor!
Coin Game After the wedding festivities have ended, the bride and groom go to the groom's parents' house. Some rituals take place to welcome the bride into the groom's family. One of these is a game in which coins and other items are placed into a large bowl that is filled with red colored water (by using kunku). The bride and groom place their hands in the bowl and each try to pull out a specified item. They do this a number of times and the person who pulls out the most number of the specified items is destined to be the ruler of the home.