Gish/Cultural Templates/Indian wedding
Cultural template · Indian wedding

An Indian wedding, built around the ceremony.

Multi-day, multi-event, multi-language. From sangeet to reception, the template carries the full arc — not a Western wedding template with Hindi typography bolted on.

"Common across many practices, with significant regional variation." Hindu, Sikh, Jain, South Indian, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Marwari — each shapes the events differently. The template is a starting point you tune to your family.

01 · The ceremony at a glance

A wedding is a week, not a day.

A typical North Indian Hindu wedding runs three to five days; South Indian, Sikh, and Jain weddings have their own arcs. Many families today blend traditional days with modern receptions and welcome events. Below is one common shape — adjust as your family does.

Regional variation is real — pick what fits, drop what doesn't
01
Day 1–2
Sangeet
Music and dance evening — both families perform choreographed numbers. Often a separate event for each side, or combined. Smaller welcome events (tilak, roka) may precede.
02
Day 2
Mehndi
Henna application for the bride and women in both families. A daytime event — often family-only — with music and food.
03
Morning of
Haldi
Turmeric paste applied to bride and groom (at their respective homes) for blessing and skin glow. Bright yellow décor, family blessings.
04
Wedding day
Baraat
Groom's processional — traditionally on a horse, with band, dancing, and family. Arrives at the venue to be greeted by the bride's family (milni).
05
Wedding day
Varmala / Jaimala
Exchange of flower garlands between bride and groom on stage. Playful — friends often lift each side to make it harder for the other to garland them.
06
Wedding day
Mandap ceremony & pheras
Under the mandap canopy, with sacred fire (agni), the priest leads the rituals — kanyadaan, hasta milap, mangal pheras (typically four or seven circles around the fire), saptapadi (seven steps), sindoor and mangalsutra.
07
Wedding day
Vidaai
Emotional farewell as the bride leaves her family home. Followed in many families by a griha pravesh welcome at the groom's home.
08
Day 4–5
Reception
The cocktail-style reception — often the most "modern" event, where the couple receives extended family, colleagues, and friends. Stage photos, speeches, dance floor.

Sikh weddings center the Anand Karaj (around the Guru Granth Sahib). South Indian weddings emphasize the tying of the mangalsutra/thali. Jain weddings include their own vidhi. Each tradition's order and content varies — the template lets you reorder or remove events freely.

02 · Suggested microsite structure

A microsite that knows it's a multi-day wedding.

The default pages and sections this template ships with — every one editable.

Pages

  • Home / countdownHero with both names (often bilingual), event date, countdown to the muhurat or first event.
  • Our storyHow you met, families, optional engagement story.
  • EventsDay-by-day schedule — sangeet, mehndi, haldi, baraat, ceremony, reception, with attire and venue per event.
  • Travel & stayHotel blocks, airport pickup, transport between events.
  • Registry / blessingsCash-gift envelope option, charity option, registry link — Indian families often prefer cash blessings.
  • RSVPPer-event RSVP — not one big yes/no.
  • Cultural glossaryWhat is haldi? What's a baraat? Written for friends and colleagues outside the tradition.
  • Attire guideWhat to wear to each event — colors to consider, colors to avoid.

Defaults & toggles

  • Bilingual headersEnglish + your script (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi/Gurmukhi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam).
  • Per-event RSVPGuests can attend only certain events — particularly common for distant or work guests.
  • Mehndi / haldi galleryPhoto upload for family who can't attend.
  • Livestream linkFor mandap ceremony — common for relatives abroad.
  • Color paletteDefault warm: marigold, deep red, gold. Easily swapped to your family's choice.
  • Muhurat timeAuspicious time displayed in local + IST.
  • Mandap diagramOptional — show seating for parents, priest, couple.
03 · Paper goods that fit

Heavy on bilingual ornament.

Indian wedding invitation suites are traditionally elaborate — heavy stock, gold foil, bilingual text, sometimes with a Ganesha or family deity invocation. Below are the SKUs the template links by default; swap freely.

StationeryBilingual invitation suiteHindi / Tamil / Punjabi · gold foil StationerySave-the-date with muhuratMulti-day callout StationerySangeet / mehndi insertsPer-event inserts TabletopMandap seating cardsFamily + priest TabletopMultilingual programsCeremony order TabletopTable numbers (bilingual)Floral or geometric FavorsMithai box tagsSweets-box labels FavorsShagun envelopesCash-gift envelopes for return gifts DécorWelcome signage (bilingual)Per-event boards DrinkwareHaldi-yellow tumblersBridal party favors
04 · Roles & honorees

The people who hold the wedding together.

Ceremonial

  • Pandit / Priest / Granthi / AcharyaOfficiates the religious rituals — varies by tradition.
  • Mama / Mami (maternal uncle & aunt)Specific honored role in many North Indian weddings — bringing gifts, escorting the bride.
  • Bhabhi / Jiju (sister-in-law / brother-in-law)Lead the joota chupai (shoe-stealing game) and other pranks.
  • Family eldersBlessing ceremonies (ashirvad) — names listed on programs.

Hosting & party

  • Sangeet host / MCRuns the dance evening; often a cousin.
  • Mehndi artist(s)Booked separately; sometimes credited on the schedule.
  • Baraat bandTraditional dhol or full brass band.
  • Coordinator / plannerOften family-coordinated, sometimes professional — the schedule volume warrants it.
05 · Gifting traditions

Cash blessings, in the right amounts.

What guests typically give

  • Shagun (cash blessing)Cash in an envelope, traditionally in odd amounts ending in 1 — ₹101, ₹501, ₹1,001 — the 1 is the blessing.
  • Gold or jewelryFrom close family — often given at specific points in the ceremony.
  • Registry itemsIncreasingly common, especially for diaspora weddings.
  • Sweets & dry fruitsFrom visiting relatives, especially for events leading up to the wedding.

What the couple gives back

  • Mithai boxesSweets in a branded box as guest takeaway.
  • Return giftsSmall keepsakes — silver coins, candles, embroidered bags, custom prints.
  • Aashirwad / blessing cardsA printed card with the couple's names and a thank-you.
  • Mehndi favorsSmall henna kits or bangles for women guests.
06 · Sample template preview

What the microsite home page looks like.

A static preview — your real names, dates, and palette in place of these defaults.

Shaadi · The wedding of
शुभ विवाह — with the blessings of our families

Priya weds Arjun

14 · 15 · 16 February 2027 · Udaipur
Day 1 · Fri
Sangeet
Day 2 · Sat
Mehndi · Haldi · Baraat · Pheras
Day 3 · Sun
Reception
Our storyEventsTravelGlossaryRSVP

Start an Occasion from this template

Spin up a microsite with the Indian wedding structure pre-loaded. You'll set your families, dates, regional tradition, and language(s) in the next step.

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