Mehndi Ceremony : The Mehndi Ceremony is an important ritual and usually takes place one or two days before the actual wedding. The reddish brown color of Mehendi - which stands for the prosperity that a bride is expected to bring to her new family - is considered most auspicious for all wedding-related ceremonies. First a paste of turmeric and sandalwood powder is applied on the girls body. Then the gilrs hands and feets are adorned with beautifull mehndi designs. Mehndi or henna is considered to be Sunnah or traditional. This event is very colorful and full of traditional songs and dances. The event gives a festive touch to the celebration. The girl is surrounded by her friends and female relatives who also get their hands adorned with henna. According to the tradition, the girl hereafter is forbidden to step out of her home until she gets married. The Mehndi ceremony is also celebrated at the grooms place where the sisters and female relatives of the groom apply Mehndi on his hands and also apply turmeric and sandalwood paste on his body.

The actual Nikaah or wedding ceremony is traditionally done by the bride's side. The Islamic Weddings are not time bounded. There is no concept of auspicious timings and the Nikaah can take place at any time that is suitable and convenient to both the families. The groom comes with his baraat which consists of his family and friends and is welcomed by the bride’s family. A band of musicians strike up some traditional notes to welcomed by the bride’s family. A band of musicians strike up some traditional notes to announce their arrival.The bride usually wears a sharara, which is a long flowing skirt and blouse, and a dupatta to cover the head and the groom wears a sherwani or the traditional salwar and kurta. The nikaah ceremony is presided over by the qazi, or law officer. He appoints two men as witnesses (Gawah) on the groom's behalf, to receive orders for the nikah from the bride's family. In addition to the presence of two witnesses, the presence of the two 'Walis' (the bride's and the bridegroom's father) is also necessary - the girl's father to care for and protect her rights, and the boy's father to endorse his rights. In Islamic Weddings the validity of a Nikaah depends upon the acceptance of both the boys and the girls side. Once the marriage consent is given by both the parties , a Nikaah-nama must be signed by the bride, the bridegroom , their walis, the witnesses and the Qazi. The Nikaah-nama is a document in which the marriage contract is registered. After the Nikaah-Nama is signed, the Qazi delivers a sermon called Khutba, consisting of verses from the Quran which were recited by the prophet and which lay particular emphasis on obligations toward women. The Qazi explains the meaning of these verses to the audience with an explanation of the mutual rights and duties of the spouses. Once the contract is signed the Qazi declares them Husband and Wife and with the declaration the family members and the friends come and congratulate the newly wed. An essential part of the contract is Mahr. The marriage-gift (Mahr) is a divine injunction. The giving of mahr to the bride by the groom is an essential part of the contract. Mahr is a token commitment of the husband's responsibility and may be paid in cash, property or movable objects to the bride herself. The amount of mahr is not legally specified, however, moderation according to the existing social norm is recommended. The mahr may be paid immediately to the bride at the time of marriage, or deferred to a later date, or a combination of both. The deferred mahr however, falls due in case of death or divorce. Once all the formalities are over the newly wed couple dines at the house of the parents of the bride. Once the wedding formalities are over, the groom's family hosts a feast - Valimah, for relatives and friends. The purpose of Valimah is to publicise the marriage and give the bride an opportunity to meet relatives and friends.