In this series I will share with you stories of other's, who like myself, have married into the Punjabi Culture and celebrated their own Big Fat Punjabi-Sikh Wedding. Though firstly there is some confusion around the difference between a Sikh and Punjabi Wedding merely because many weddings happen to predominately be Punjabi-Sikh Weddings.
Therefore to clarify, Punjab is a state of India in which many different faiths exist not only that of Sikhism. Which means not every Punjabi Wedding will necessarily be of the Sikh Faith, celebrating the same wedding traditions. Sikhism is a religion that originated in the state of Punjab. So whilst majority of Punjabi's are Sikh's, not every Punjabi will be. Hence why many weddings will be Punjabi-Sikh Weddings given they both are of the Sikh Faith and were born a Punjabi. Though even a Punjabi-Sikh Wedding can be referred to as either just a Sikh Wedding or Punjabi Wedding.
Even so, the rituals and traditions of a Punjabi-Sikh Wedding can vary greatly between regions and family. Therefore even the most common traditions can differ in how they are celebrated and is usually a personal preference as to which traditions are participated in. Though for the most part many are quite similar.
My Big Fat Punjabi-Sikh Wedding Story
Jodie & Kritin
Introduce Yourself
My name is Jodie, I'm born and raised in Australia, and my Husband Kritin is born and raised in Ferozpur in the Northern State of India, Punjab.
We met each other at his work place and began chatting and before you know it, his shift was over. This continued for days and days until that job site was finished and he was moved to another job site. We still kept in contact via Whatsapp and Facebook and began hanging out every day. After months in we decided to tell our families and make it official. The day I met him was the day my life became better.
What Was Involved In Planning Your Wedding?
When we decided to get married I kept it hidden from so many people, except close relatives and that's because I had decided to travel to India for my wedding. As a child I always dreamed of a Bollywood wedding; the colours, dresses and of course the food! My whole wedding was planned by my family in law as they were in India and I was in Australia and I'm glad it was!
I did choose my own Lehenga Choli when I arrived in India. However I am really fussy and after hours of seeing so many gorgeous Lehenga's, the one I chose was the very last Lehenga the shop assistant showed me!! Ohh don't forget the shoes!!!! I also chose my shoes and let me tell you I felt terrible for all the shops I went to as each shop pulled out all the gold shoes and it wasn't until I walked past a shop and fell in love with a pair of shoes that I knew these were for me. We had so many guests attend our wedding that to be honest I cant even tell an exact number. We didn't really have any challenges planning the wedding!!
What Traditional Pre-Wedding Ceremonies Did You Celebrate?
We celebrated a bangle ceremony, where each person adds a bangle to my arm which is known as the Chooda Ceremony. My sister in law and I wore matching hand made traditional Punjabi Suits in different colours.
We also celebrated Sangeet, where everyone dances to the music and the beat of the drums while songs are sung! It kind of reminded me of a pre-wedding party! Mostly we danced, had fun and ATE! I also wore a traditional Punjabi Suit to my Sangeet Ceremony.
Then two days before my wedding I had my mehendi done. I love mehendi, but I hate how long it takes for bridal mehendi to be applied! The mehendi was applied on my feet, all the way up to my ankles and on both sides of my hands, all the way up my forearm. A long but beautiful process!!
Describe Your Wedding Day
On my wedding day I wore a gorgeous Maroon Lehenga Choli with gold heels! My hair and makeup was done professionally and I also wore some traditional jewellery, including a tikka & earrings, kaleere, bridal chooda and nath. Learn more about: The Attire Of A Punjabi Bride
To be honest I'm not even sure what events we celebrated, as the whole day went so fast. We did do a couples dance, were fed cake by everyone and had a marching band. We took photos with everyone and played a few games. I was tired at the end of the day!
In total, all of our wedding celebrations went for four days.
Thank you to my amazing family for welcoming me into the family and providing me with the best wedding a girl could want!
Any Advice For Those In An Interracial Relationship Who Are Planning Their Own Big Fat Punjabi-Sikh Wedding?
Just go with the flow and enjoy it! The Punjabi Culture is amazing and a Punjabi Wedding reflects that in it's entirety; it truly is a beautiful celebration. All in all it's an experience that will never be forgotten.
Connect With Jodie
Instagram: @Jodzlou
To share your wedding story then click here.
*Images are courtesy of Jodie and are original copyrighted content and cannot be used without the express written consent of Jodie.