As per the Christian faith, marriage is defined as a divine union between man and woman. Christian weddings are held in the presence of all. The Bible also describes marriage as ordained by God and an occasion for joy and merry-making. Different sects in Christianity define marriage differently. They lay down different conditions for couples to get married or not. But Christian weddings in India are usually celebrated with the same vigor and enthusiasm like the usual Indian wedding.

Usually all Christian matrimonial are celebrated in a Church. During the wedding celebrations, the friends and family members of the bride and the bridegroom are supposed to manage everything. Basically, like any other Indian weddings, Christian weddings also spread for over a couple of days as there are pre-wedding, wedding and post wedding rituals. Traditionally, an Anglo Indian Christian bride wears a western-type white gown and the groom wears a suit. Like in all Indian matrimonial ritual and customs, Christianity too has an interesting lecture with an emphasis on the sacredness of marriage recited by the priest. Christian wedding and matrimonial rituals and customs are simple, enjoyable and easy to follow.

Pre-wedding rituals of a Christian Wedding –

Among the main pre wedding rituals, occasions like bridal shower, which is an informal hen party hosted by the bride's female friends is significant. It is primarily a female get-together to celebrate her last days of bachelorette. It is a merry-making occasion where games are played, girl friends of the bride sing and dance the whole night. The friends and relatives shower the bride with gifts. The bride then serves a pink cake to her guests with a thimble hidden inside. As per the tradition, the girl who gets the slice of that cake with the thimble inside will the next one to get married. Some of the pre-wedding customs are similar to that of a Hindu Wedding, like during the eve of a Christian wedding, Haldaat ceremony takes place in both the bride’s as well as the groom’s house. This ceremony involves applying of tumeric paste and sandle wood on the bride and the groom. Haldaat ceremony is usually celebrated among the North Indian Christians. The Christians of Western India term the Haldaat ceremony of North India as Ross. But there, instead of applying tumeric and sandle wood paste, they use coconut paste on both the bride and the groom.

One the side of the groom, bachelor's party is celebrated by the groom and his male friends. It is also called a stag party hosted by the groom on the eve of his wedding or a couple of days earlier. Usually this is part is celebrated in a very wild manner, and the groom makes sure that he tremendously enjoys the last night of his bachelorhood.

During this occasion, it is customary to raise a toast before the drinking begins in earnest. Besides the groom, his friends also equally enjoy the occasion. Bachelor’s party is mostly celebrated to have fun and enjoyment with close friends.

Wedding rituals:

Wedding rituals begin with welcoming the bride; the groom is supposed to send a car to pick up the bride and then wait for her outside the church. Then the bride arrives and after that the Best Man welcomes her with a kiss on either cheek and presents her a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Both the bride and the groom walk down the aisle slowly and elegantly with the wedding procession in tow till they reach they reach where the priest stands for the wedding mass. The priest welcomes them and showers the couple with blessings. Then the wedding mass begins with recital of hymns and selected readings from the Bible. After that, the priest recites the homily, with an emphasis on the purity of marriage. The next ceremony is the blessing and the exchange of the wedding rings. The wedding ceremony concludes with the final blessing of the priest. Towards the end, the guests shower the newly wedded couple with their blessings. The last custom is the couple then signs the register and walk down aisle.

Post wedding rituals:

Like all other Indian matrimonial, Catholic wedding are also followed by a reception for celebration. This is how most of the Christian weddings are celebrated in India.