I absolutely love everything about weddings & when it comes to Bengali weddings i can assure you it is a treat to the eyes & your stomach. From the rightly crafted Benarasi sarees to the lip smacking food the extravagant fairy tale will be etched in ur memory forever.
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So here's a glimpse of the elaborate rituals that you can expect to witness in a traditional bengali wedding if you are invited to one.. Btw we call it BIYE.

PAKA DEKHA & ADAN PRODAN:
Bride says yes. Groom says yes. Now both families will converge together with a priest to fix the auspicious date consulting the almanac & horoscope. Mishti mukh & exchange of gifts follows.

AIBUDO BHAAT:
You can call it bridal shower or even bachelor party. Bride & groom are offered platter of traditional delicacies by family & close relatives as the last spinster meal. This goes on for a week before the D day..

DODHI MANGAL:
Marks the dawn of the wedding date. Family members move in a procession to Ganga ghat to fill a pitcher of water which is used to shower the Bride & the groom in the next ritual

NANDI MUKH:
In this ritual a Brahman chants the vedic incantations & family pays homage to their forefathers. A puja is performed to seek the blessings of ancestors.

TATTVA:
It's an elaborate exchange of gifts btwn the families. It holds all the marriage essentials & also gifts that the newly wed requires. What makes it a dazzling display is your entire family's creativity. You might spot a butterfly shaped sondesh to a peacock shaped saree.

SANKHA POLA :
Her hands are decked up with a red coral bangle & white conch shell bangle. They are the signs of married woman. The brittle conch shell bangles signifies the care she has to take to build new relationships coupled with the warmth of the red coral ones.

ALTA :
Her lotus hands & feet vermillioned with this red dye to signify fertility & prosperity. Traditionally we don't have mehendi ceremony. It's Alta that compliments a Bengali bride the best

GAYE HOLUD :
The groom's body is slathered with turmeric paste which goes to the bride's house in tatva . The same paste is applied on the bride then.

ATTIRE AFFAIR:
Our handsome groom will be incomplete without a tussar dhoti & kurta & our brides look graceful in her Benarasi Sarees.

BRIDAL COUTURE:
What sets our brides apart from the rest is the chandan & kumkum art that embellish her forehead.

TOPOR MUKUT:
Traditionally a bengali 'Bor' will wear a topor made of thermocol while the bride's crown will be decked up with a mukut.

BOR JATRI & BOR BORON:
Bor jatri is the bengali word for Baarat. This marks the actual wedding. When the groom reaches the bride's house her mother welcomes her son-in-law with earthen lamp, sprinkling trefoil & feeding sweets.

SAAT PAAK:
The bride arrives on the mandap sitting on a pidi(a wooden stool) that her brothers carry. The take 7 rounds around the groom while the bride hides her face with betel leaves.

SHUBHO DRISHTI:
After saat paak the blushing bride removes the beatel leaves amidst uludhwani & looks at her groom. This exchange of loving glance marks the beginning of the saga.

MALA BADAL:
Sitting high on the wooden pidi bride exchanges garlands with the groom 3 times accepting each other as man and wife.

SAMPRADAN:
An equivalent of kanyadaan where the Bride's father gives her hand to the groom.

SAPTAPADI:
Here the couple takes 7 rounds around the fire qith 7 promises thereby solemnising their marriage .

ANJALI:
Another unique tradition in bengali wedding where the bride offers puffed rice in yagna & the groom holds her hands from behind

SINDOOR DAAN:
Finally the groom makes his brinde his own by applying sindoor in the middle parting of her hair.

Wait wait. That's just the beginning. The wedding soiree to be continued.

So which of the ritual did u like the most??