It’s no secret that weddings are meant to be grand; and the grand ceremony includes many different pre and post wedding rituals that bring out more colours in the ceremony.

Mostly, weddings aren't just a one day affair; and that's what makes them an interesting event to be a part of. Different cultures follow different lines of events, and sometimes they influence other cultures as well!

For instance, these days, India has started celebrating Bachelor's parties. One example of that is shown in the evergreen movie - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara where three best friends go on a Bachelor's trip in Spain to celebrate the bachelorhood of one of them!

The pre wedding ritual of bachelor's party or a 'stag night' comes from the ancient Sparta, and is now a part of many different cultures; especially Christian Weddings.

Well, with time, the custom of Bachelor's parties gave rise to Bachelorette parties as well; because 'why should boys have all the fun'?

A little insight of weddings around the world.

Hindus have a very traditional wedding and there is a reason behind each and every ritual that we perform.

Each of these Hindu pre-wedding rituals are completely one of a kind that gives both the bride to be and the groom to be the time to get to know one another better.

We are aware that India is a country of diverse cultures.

The Gujarati culture is vibrant and full of enthusiasm and energy. They are known for their great culture, and delicious vegetarian food and Garba Nights.

Their weddings reflect everything about their culture. People wear colorful traditional Gujarati dresses and dance on the beats of Garba and Dandiya. A movie that depicts a Gujrati Wedding is Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram - Leela.

The groom's attire is Dhoti and Kurta for the wedding day.They almost always wear a colorful, bandhani work dupatta around his neck with a matching turban on his head embellished with pearls and other precious stones!

The attire of a typical Gujarati bride are the traditional sarees Panetar or a Garchola on her wedding day.

Panetar sarees are white coloured sarees with a bright red border. The saree and the border are often embellished with zari thread work and stone embellishment making the saree quite heavy. It is gifted to the bride by her maternal uncle.

The Gharchola is a red or maroon coloured silk saree which is gifted from the groom’s side as a symbol of acceptance.

The draping of the saree is typical for a Gujarati bride with the Pallu draped in the front fanned out over the blouse.

Punjabis are jolly, humourous, welcoming, food loving, generous,and one of a kind!

Their weddings reflect their life philosophy. They are colorful, loud, sometimes over the top, fun filled with lots of opportunities for singing and dancing one’s heart out. A movie that depicts a Punjabi Wedding is Mere Dad ki Maruti.

The traditional attire of a Punjabi groom is a set of Kurta Pajama. The Kurtas may also be paired with churidar trousers. The designs on these Kurtas are generally lavish and elaborate.Nowadays, as a standard the Punjabi groom wears Sherwani and a Garland of notes.

The headrests that are vibrant and decorated with ribbons, pearls, and flowers that cover his face are called Sehra.

The Punjabi bride is a sight to behold. Although Red is the traditional wedding color for all Indian brides, Punjabi brides are known to go for other colors like green, gold, fuchsia and orange.

They pair the lehenga with a matching dupatta with which they cover their head. They wear a lot of jewelry, some of it made of gold while some of it may be modern costume jewelry. Some compulsory components are maangtika, bangles, Nath, Chooda (a traditional red and ivory colored bangle set in multiples of four), kamarbandh and Paijaniya.

Bengalis are food and sweet lovers and you would find varieties of that in a Bengali wedding! Imagine being surrounded by delicious food and amazing sweets like rasgulla and rasmalai!

Bengali weddings are called 'Biye'.

The weddings are full of meaningful rituals and traditions. A Bollywood movie that depicts Bengali wedding is Barfi!

A typical Bengali wedding attire for a groom included kurta and dhoti.The groom wears dots of sandal wood paste on his forehead. He also features a conical head adornment known as the ‘Topor’ that is made of Shola or Indian Cork.

He also wears a garland made of tuberoses and roses.

The attire of the Bengali bride makes her look like a Goddess.

They wear a Red Banarasi Saree made of silk which is heavily embroidered with golden zari. The saree is accompanied by lots of jewellery and a veil to cover her head!

She wears a veil to cover her head and a lot of jewellery. Also, she wears a complimentary headgear to the groom’s topor, known as Mukut.

Muslims are known for their raseesiyat, tehzib, and the way they value their tradition. Islam is one of the most prominent religion in the world, and our country is home to many people following the religion.

The Muslim weddings are different in each country, but at it's heart, the ceremony of Nikah stays the same. A Bollywood movie that depicts Muslim wedding is Raazi!

The typical outfit of a Muslim groom is Kurta Pajama, or Kurta and churidaar which can be of any colour but black.

The groom wears certain pieces of jewelry with his attire like neck chains in gold, finger rings and may be men’s bracelets.

With Sherwani or kurtas the groom generally wears sandals or Nagrai shoes.

The outfit of a bride is strictly described in the Holy Quran. It states that except the face and hands, everything should be decently covered up. This makes Salwar kameez a top choice for their wedding day. Apart from that, most popular worn outfits are shararas!

Green is considered to be the most auspicious color in Islam and bridal outfits in green color are most popular. The nose pin in the right side of the nose is compulsory for married Muslim women; and one important piece of jewelry is a modified version of the maang tika.

It falls on the left side of the forehead rather than on the front.

All these may be different in their attire or food; but most of the pre wedding rituals in India stay the same.

The first official announcement of a future comes from the tilak ceremony.

One of the most important rituals and the first step toward the bride’s and the groom’s families bonding. It is most commonly performed at the groom’s place where the father or the brother of the bride applies tilak on his forehead as a sign of fixing the marriage. This ceremony marks the beginning of this prosperous and wondrous journey.

The Gujarati's call it the Chandlo Matli ceremony.

Punjabi's call it Roka,but it is louder and more catchy. The word ‘Roka’ comes from the word ‘Rokna’, which indirectly implies that now the bride and groom can stop looking out for other wedding prospects and they are fixed in an alliance.

Bengali's call it Ashirbaad where on an auspicious day, the elders of the groom's side go to bless the bride, by sprinkling husked rice and trefoil on their heads and giving them gold ornaments.

And the Muslims have Istikhara.

It is when the couple is matched, and the religious head (Imam) of the nearby mosque performs special prayers to seek Allah's blessing upon the match.

Then comes the engagement ceremony.

This Hindu pre-wedding ritual comes to fruition when the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be exchange rings and make a solemn promise to walk forward as one in life from this day forth. The rings are usually made of silver or gold to signify the purity of the bond.

The engagement is followed by the sangeet. Usually, there is a long gap between the engagement and the ceremonies that follow.

The sangeet ceremony is all about dance and music.

It is exclusively arranged for the female friends and relatives of the bride where they all sing wedding-related folk songs and the unmarried girls dance on them and the latest Bollywood hits.

Nowadays, even the male members of the family are allowed to take part in the merry making.

This happens to be one of the most favourite and cherished Hindu pre-wedding rituals of all. A sangeet ceremony sums up what Indian weddings entails. Drama, fun, love, laughter, bittersweet moments.

The ritual presents an informal setting for the two families to get to know each other well.

Then comes haldi. This ritual is known to mimic a ceremonial bath. Where both bride and groom are smeared with turmeric and sandalwood paste as a means to make them pure, fertile and wish for their good health.  

The ceremony first takes place in the groom's house, and then the same paste is sent to the bride's place.

The ceremony ends with the elders blessing the bride and the groom as they prepare themselves for the new beginning. It is also meant to help them relax.

This is followed by the mehendi ceremony.

The hindus have a tradition of 16 ornaments. These 16 ornaments are incomplete without henna.

In most cultures, the groom’s name or his initials are hidden in the elaborate mehndi designs which he has to find in the bride's hands in one of the post-wedding ceremonies.

They say the darker the colour of the mehndi, the more her future husband will love her!

Greece is a country of rich history. Other than that, it's a beautiful country with several islands and beaches.

The Greeks treasure family values, and their culture; and a Greek wedding is a true reflection of that.

The ceremony is packed with tradition and superstitions. It is divided in two main parts - the Betrothal Service; and the Marriage Service.

The Betrothal marks the engagement of the bride and groom. The priest blesses the wedding rings and touches the forehead of the bride and groom with it.

After that, he makes the sign of the cross wavering over their foreheads while saying, "The servant of God [name] is betrothed to the servant of God [name] in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Greek groom's best man, or "koumbaros," becomes his barber when he pulls out a razor and shaves his pal's face. But the groom's day also has a sweet side: After he's been freshly shaved, his new mother-in-law will feed him honey and almonds.

In the Marriage, the bride and groom hold a lit candle throughout the ceremony.

The lit candle symbolises the light of Christ who stays with them throughout their married life.

 Koumbaros, that exchanges the crowns over the couple's heads. The crowns are called stephana.

The Koumbaros holds the stephana above the heads of the bride and groom and exchanges them three times while the priest asks God to “crown them with honor and glory”. This further emphasizes the connection between the two people.

It is said that Jesus changed water into wine. To reflect that, the readings are followed by the "common cup".

The bride and groom share the cup of wine which symbolises how sharing becomes a part of life after marriage.

After the ceremony is over,the newlyweds are led towards a small table, and are followed by the Koumbaros that hold the stephana ribbon.

The couple circles the table thrice, and this is called 'The Dance of Isaiah's'.

Christian Weddings are the most common around the world. You must have witnessed a Christian wedding be it in a movie, TV series, or real life.

The setting of a Christian wedding is calm and elegant. An image of a church, the altar, the bride dressed in white walking down the aisle with her father to stand beside the groom, pops up in our minds.

The christian rituals are simple and elegant. They involve the exchange of the wedding vows and gold bands as wedding rings by the bride and the groom.

The blessings and prayers of the choir add a signature and most agreeable note to all of it.

The pre wedding ceremonies include a bridal shower, where the bride to be is thrown a bash by all of her female friends before the marriage; and a bachelor's party, where  the family and friends of the groom organize a party in the name of the groom.

One of the most important ore wedding ceremonies is the Rehearsal Dinner. This is a custom in the United States.

The purpose of the dinner is to ensure that both sides of the family get along, and have a good time.

It is a rehearsal of how the wedding ought to be. It includes the toast of the best man, the walking down the aisle, and a grand dinner with the loved ones.

As the ceremony begins, the groom waits for his bride at the altar. She makes a slow walk towards him, accompanied by her father.

The Priest then reads to them their vows and they agree to take each other as husband and wife. The marriage is sealed with a kiss.

The ceremony is followed by a Reception where the newly weds and their guests dine and cut the cake! The best man of the groom ,who is usually his brother or best friend, gives a toast in the name of the couple wishing them good health and a happy life!

The ceremony ends with a dance of the newlyweds which is accompanied by a live band!

Chinese culture is disciplined and polite.

A traditional Chinese marriage follows 6 rituals.

They are known as three letters and six etiquette.

The first ceremony is the proposal when the family finds a suitor for their son or daughter, according to their best interests and then proposes a marriage.

Just like astrology plays an important role in an Indian wedding, the Chinese culture asks for the matching of birth dates as well.

A traditional Chinese wedding also has a ceremony where the groom's family provides the bride's family with gifts, which is followed by the ceremony of sending wedding gifts to the families.

Red is believed to be a colour of happiness in the Chinese culture. On the wedding day, the bride's hair is tied up with ribbons, and she wears a red skirt.

Unlike the Indian culture's baraat; the traditional Chinese weddings have brides going up to the groom's place on the wedding day with a band.

They carry with them the dowry, other than money.

The interesting bit is that the most common dowries included scissors like two butterflies never separating, rulers indicating acres of fields, and vases for peace and wealth.

Then the wedding takes place when vows are exchanged.

The traditional dress for a groom is supposed to be of red colour as well; most commonly they wear a red gown.

There is another regional marriage in China of the Tujia ethnic group.

The pre wedding ceremony here for a bride is to cry for an hour every day for a month before tying the knot!

Ten days after the bride starts crying, her mother joins in, and then ten days later her grandmother joins them both. By the end of the month, every female in the family is crying alongside the bride!! Can you believe it!

It’s supposed to be an expression of joy and happiness. As the women weep in different tones, it sounds almost like a song.

There are several different sorts of wedding, but they all signify togetherness and love.

One more beautiful post marriage ceremony is practiced by the Philippines.

They release a pair of white doves—one male, one female—into the air which are said to represent a harmonious life together for the newly married couple.