The events of a South Asian wedding, explained
A guide for anyone planning their first one, marrying into a family whose traditions they do not know yet, or invited and quietly unsure what to expect.
Updated August 8, 2026
South Asian weddings are usually several events rather than one, spread across days. Which events happen, what they are called and how they run varies enormously by region, religion and family — a Punjabi Sikh wedding, a Gujarati Hindu wedding, a Tamil wedding and a Pakistani Muslim wedding share very little beyond scale and the presence of extremely determined aunts.
What follows is the common shape, with the caveat that your family's version is the one that counts. If something here does not match what your parents describe, they are right and this is a generalisation.
What happens at a mehndi?
Henna is applied to the bride, and usually to the women in both families. Bridal designs are intricate and can take several hours for one artist, which is why it happens the day before or earlier — the paste has to dry and then stay on to darken properly.
Often a relaxed evening with food and music rather than a formal event. Vendors typically involved: mehndi artists, light catering, sometimes a DJ or live singer.
What happens at a haldi or pithi?
Turmeric paste is applied to the couple by family, often at their respective homes, on the morning of or the day before the wedding. It is joyful, messy and photographs beautifully.
Usually the least formal of the events and the one people most regret not having a photographer at. Wear something you do not mind ruining — turmeric does not come out.
What happens at a sangeet?
The sangeet is the music-and-dance night most associated with North Indian and Punjabi weddings, and now common across many communities.
Family members perform choreographed numbers for the couple — which is why a choreographer is often working with them for weeks — alongside a DJ or live band, open dancing, and sometimes games between the two families. Vendors: DJ or live band, choreographer, decor, catering.
What happens at a garba or raas night?
In Gujarati families the pre-wedding dance night is usually a garba — the circular folk dance of Gujarat, danced in rotation with synchronized claps — together with dandiya raas, danced in pairs with sticks.
It is a devotional folk form as much as a party (the same dances are performed at Navratri), so live garba singers or a band who know the repertoire matter more here than a playlist. Vendors: garba singers or live band, DJ, decor, catering.
What happens at a dholki?
The dholki is the Pakistani and Punjabi-Muslim tradition: an informal gathering, historically at home and often held more than once, where women of the family sing traditional wedding songs around the dholki drum itself — teasing songs, blessings, tappay — with dancing that grows as the night goes on.
It can stay small and homely or grow into a full event with a dhol player or DJ. Vendors: dhol player or DJ, decor if hosted at a venue, catering.
What happens at a baraat?
The groom's procession to the wedding venue — in many North Indian, Punjabi and Pakistani weddings on a decorated horse (a ghori), in others by decorated car, and occasionally something grander. It arrives with dhol and a large amount of dancing, moves slowly, and is supposed to. Not every tradition has one: many South Indian weddings centre the morning muhurtham rites rather than a procession, so take this as common rather than universal.
Logistically it is the most complicated fifteen minutes of the wedding: a horse and handler, dhol players, portable sound, road or parking-lot access, and sometimes a municipal permit. Build in far more time than the schedule suggests.
What happens at the ceremony?
This is the wedding. The form depends entirely on tradition — an anand karaj in a gurdwara, a Hindu ceremony around the sacred fire with the pheras or saptapadi, a nikkah, a church ceremony, or a blend.
Length varies from under an hour to several. Your caterer, photographer and venue all need the real number rather than an optimistic one. Vendors: officiant, ceremony musicians, decor and mandap, photo and video.
What is the vidaai or rukhsati?
The departure — the bride leaves her family home. It is brief, it is emotional, and it is not a photo opportunity to direct.
Tell your photographer in advance that it is coming and let them shoot it quietly. Nobody wants to be posed here.
What happens at the reception or walima?
The large formal celebration: dinner, speeches, entrances, dancing. In many Muslim families the walima is hosted by the groom's family after the nikkah and serves a similar role.
This is usually the biggest guest count and the biggest single spend. Vendors: venue, catering, DJ and MC, decor and lighting, photo and video, sometimes specialty entertainment.
How to use this
Write down which of these your families expect, then work out which vendors each one needs. That list is your actual vendor shortlist, and it is usually longer than couples assume at the start.
You can build exactly that in the GigSona planner — add each event, and it suggests the vendor types that event typically needs.