If the Pakistani or Indian wedding is a Muslim wedding, then it generally lasts for three to four days. The actual celebrations may begin several weeks earlier and culminate with the final three to four days, beginning with the mehndi(s)and ending with the Walimah, where often the Nikaah is done on the mehndi or rukhsaati day. If the ceremony is a Hindu wedding, the religious ceremony can vary from an hour to much longer and ends with a reception and a traditional bridal sendoff. Finally, if the wedding ceremony is a Christian one, the religious ceremony lasts for no more than half an hour finishing with a reception as well.

Understandably, the religious ceremonies differ; however, there are varieties of cultural customs, which are traditional to South Asian weddings regardless of religion. Most South Asian weddings involve much celebration consisting of women’s sangeet or dholaks. Where the family and friends of the bride and groom dress in vibrant clothes and enjoy music, singing, dancing, and applying ooptan and/or henna. In many wedding ceremonies, the bride-to-be is gifted some token of her family’s remembrance in form of jewelry. In general, presents are often exchanged and new memories created.

During the immediate ceremonial days, there is a plethora of customs observed: Including hiding the groom’s shoes, serving milk to the newlyweds, the bride’s arrival in a doli, and the groom riding in on a horse. Whatever the customs may be, their purpose is simple– These traditions are symbolic of observable and participatory forms of historical familial bonds. Such customs involve the celebration of the beginning of a new relationship between the bride and groom. In addition, customs provide the means for their families to form a new connection by minimizing any stress and apprehension, while focusing on fun and frolic. At the end, wedding traditions are simple ways to commemorate the establishing of a new relationship.

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