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For a bride, her wedding day is the most special day in her life. This is a day she dreams of, thinks about constantly, and makes hundreds and thousands of plans about. Of course, what she will wear on her special day will take the most important place in her mind. A bride will naturally have a desire to shine and glow like a precious gem on her wedding day and the clothes she will wear must reflect this wish.

A typical wedding in Bangladesh will last for four days and the bride will wear a different set of clothes for each occasion. ‘Gaye Holud’, ‘Gaya Holud’, ‘Bou-Bhaat’, and Bou Baran are just some of the ceremonies that form a part of a typical Bangladeshi wedding. A bride chooses her clothes very carefully, with the help of her close relatives and friends. In Bangladesh, as in several other parts of the world, the wedding attire of a bride and a groom will reflect the traditional clothes of those regions. A bride will wear a traditional Bangladeshi sari, and the groom will wear a Kurta-Pyjama or a Bangladeshi Sherwani. You may have heard already that the Sari is the traditional garment preferred by women in India and in Bangladesh. The garment can be described as a long five meter piece of unstitched cloth, which can be draped in any of the several preferred styles available.

A bride can choose to wear a Lehenga/choli for any of the rituals associated with the Bangladeshi wedding. This is a stunningly crafted long skirt worn with an exquisitely embroidered short blouse. A dupatta covers the blouse in elegant folds. The groom can wear the traditional sherwani or long jacket teamed up with pajamas. He can accessorize the garment with a matching turban, or a stole, and mojaris and juttis, the traditional footwear for men.

I was talking to the mother of the bride at a Bangladeshi wedding I attended recently, and she told me that there are several varieties of bridal saris in Bangladesh: Jamdani, Tangail, Muslin, Rajshahi Silk, and Mirpur. The Jamdani variety is known for its versatility and its stylishness. Each sari is unique and special because of its exquisitely crafted designs and this is the preferred attire of choice for a Bangladeshi bride. Tangail saris are produced by traditional Bangladeshi weavers and each piece is beautifully crafted and gorgeously designed. Muslin is one of the oldest and finest cloths ever produced and was the preferred cloth worn by Queens of the past. However, the British managed to kill the Muslin makers, so the secret of this exotic cloth has been destroyed forever. Rajshahi and Mirpur silk are fabrics created out of the cocoons of silkworms. They are rich and look stunning. These are fabrics much preferred by brides and grooms alike for their traditional wedding attire.

Most brides in Bangladesh love to dress in red for their wedding, and red is the color preferred for the bridal attire. Teamed up with rich gold jewelry, the bridal attire will do full justice to the wearer and a Bangladeshi bride will look stunning on her big day! The groom most often chooses the color gold for his wedding attire, and he teams it up with a stunning stole or turban in red and gold.

My first experience of a Bangladeshi wedding was incredible, and I was amazed at the traditional wedding attire worn by the bride as well as by the groom. After all, a wedding happens just once in a lifetime, and it is worth spending a little on oneself to look great, don’t you agree? In all, it was an unforgettable experience for me, and I was reeling from the impact of all the gorgeous and stunning colors and designs displayed by the bride and groom and their respective families.

If you ever get a chance to attend a Bangladeshi wedding, make sure you do not miss it! It was to me the experience of a lifetime, and it will be the same for you too!

A Bangladeshi Wedding is full of gaiety, fun & laughter, and of course, delicious mouth watering food. Great care is taken in planning every aspect of the Bangladeshi wedding, and equal emphasis is placed on decorating the venue, dressing up the bride and groom, and on the jewelry that they wear, and finally- the menu. Bangladeshis are known for their excellent hospitality and if you were invited to a Bangladeshi wedding, make sure you do not miss it at any cost; you are in for a great time!

Let me tell you about a Bangladeshi Hindu wedding I happened to attend recently. It was my colleague’s wedding, and we had been awaiting the D-day eagerly. The wedding day finally arrived, and my colleague was naturally overjoyed! I will not go into detailed descriptions of the wedding ceremonies, but I will tell you about my experience in the dining room! If one word could describe it, it would be ‘Wow!’ The number of items being served was astonishing, and I thank God I had a large appetite that day; otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do justice to the wedding feast!

Let me give you a sampling of the wedding menu that day: The meal was arranged in the buffet style, and there were items like a variety of breads including naan, and three different types of pulao. These were accompanied by dal makhni, lamb korma, a delectable mushroom and vegetable curry, vegetable cutlet, vegetable jhalfriezi, and Fish paturi. Paturi is an exotic steamed Bangladeshi delicacy created with fish marinated in ground coconut, white and black mustard paste and freshly ground green chilies. A salad bar with different type of salads was displayed cleverly in the corner. On the side were a fascinating array of pickles and chutneys. For dessert, there was a large variety of traditional Bangladeshi sweets including gulab jamun and rasgolla, dark chocolate and hazelnut truffles. I am afraid I could not do that part of the Bangladeshi menu full justice; I had stuffed myself full already!

I was talking to the Grandmother of my colleague, and she told me that the buffet style presentation of the wedding menu was part of the changes taking place in Bangladesh today. She sighed and said that in older times, the wedding feast would be served on fresh green banana leaves. The menu would start with rice, and would be accompanied by moong dal. Alu bhaja and brinjal deep fried in gram flour batter would add to the taste. Chanchra, a typical mixed vegetable curry with fish head and ruhu fish kalia, a gravy sweet water fish preparation would also be served with the rice. This would be followed by a sweet pulao and a rich Mutton curry, spicy Tomato chutney, and crunchy papad. Desserts would include sweet curd, rasogolla, and sandesh. A bite of paan would provide the full stop to the sumptuous feast.

Now let me tell you about a typical Bangladeshi Muslim wedding menu. Most Bangladeshi Muslims prefer to remain more or less traditional in their choice of menu. This includes starters like alu chaps and a tasty cucumber and tomato salad. Burhani, a flavorsome lassi is served as well. This is followed by the main course of mutton biriyani and freshly baked paratha. These dishes are accompanied by chicken champ, tehari or pulao, chicken Q roast, and rezala. Exotic traditional Bangladeshi desserts like firni, mishti doi, gulab jamun, rosagulla and ksheer are served at the end of this wonderful meal. Interestingly, ksheer, a dessert prepared with milk and rice and garnished with cashews and raisins, is the preferred dessert for a traditional occasion by Muslims as well as Hindus.

A traditional Bangladeshi wedding menu is neither too spicy, nor is it too bland. It is rather flavorsome, and is prepared lovingly for the invited guests. I can truly say that I have never enjoyed a wedding feast as much as I did at my colleague’s wedding. I am waiting with great anticipation my next wedding invitation, and to savoring my next traditional Bangladeshi wedding feast! I wish it would come my way soon!

What a Bangladeshi wedding is all about

Beautiful, gorgeous colors, exotic foods and a large family gathered together is what makes a Bangladeshi wedding the glorious affair it usually is. If you have ever attended a Bangladeshi wedding, I am sure you will agree with me wholeheartedly! The only sad part is that a traditional Bangladeshi wedding used to be a seven day long affair at one point of time, with the entire village gathering at the venue to take part joyously in all the ceremonies associated with the wedding. Today, this has been cut down to a mere four days, but with the escalating costs, one cannot expect anything more, am I right?

Interesting Matrimonial Traditions

Day 1

I am sure you have all heard of the numerous matrimonial traditions that go with a typical Bangladeshi wedding. The first day of the wedding ceremony is known as the ‘Gaye Holud’, which is the day that the bride and everyone around her is smeared with the golden yellow turmeric paste specially prepared for the wedding. Everyone present at the ceremony is expected to adorn themselves in yellow cloth as a sign of participation and great enthusiasm. All Bangladeshis follow this quaint matrimonial tradition wholeheartedly. Sweets are brought to the bride by the groom’s family, and the bride is fed these sweets lovingly by the relatives present.

Day 2

The next day, referred to as the ‘Gaya Holud’ involves the same tradition, but this time, it is meant for the groom and his family. The guests this time round will wear green, red, orange and yellow, and the bride’s family will bring for the groom the groom’s outfit, as well as sumptuous treats and sweets.

Day 3

The third day is the actual wedding day, when the families and friends of the bride and the groom gather together with great excitement for the ceremonies to begin. One of the remarkable Bangladeshi matrimonial Hindu traditions at this point is that the priest in charge of conducting the wedding ceremonies examines the ancestral lineage of both the sides so that there is no linking of similar lines.

Now, back to the actual wedding day in a Hindu family. As the sun rises over the day, the bride and the groom are escorted separately by the married women in their respective families to a pond, where the Goddess Ganga is formally invited for the wedding. A large pitcher of water is collected for the bride and the groom to bathe in; the bride is dressed, and then veiled until the evening, which is when the groom arrives at the bride’s home. He comes accompanied by a great cacophony of bells, blowing of conch shells, and shouts and laughter. The traditional wedding ceremony is conducted by the priest, who chants the Holy Mantras to unite the bride and groom in holy matrimony. Later, the reception or ‘Bou-Bhaat’ is held by the groom’s family, and the new bride is expected to cook for her parents and relatives!

In a typical Bangladeshi Muslim family, the matrimonial ceremony is held at a large hall, where the registration book is signed by the bride and the groom, separately and from different locations. This ceremony takes place in the presence of a government official or Kazi and a religious person. The wedding or ‘Nikaah’ is thus solemnized. After the matrimonial ceremonies are complete, food is served to the guests. The groom is then escorted to the room to sit next to the bride. There is great joking and laughter until it is time for the bride to leave. The ‘Bou-Bhaat’ or the bride’s feast takes place a few days later, where the new bride blushingly cooks a feast and serves her parents and relatives  with her own hands!

Day 4

The bride now has to prepare for leaving her parental home and entering her husband’s home. She leaves her home amidst tearful farewells to her parents and relatives, and she enters her husband’s home for the first time where several guests would have gathered already in readiness to welcome her and make her feel at home.

Bou Baran is the traditional welcome of the bride into the groom’s home, when the bride dips her feet into a plate of lac dye and then steps across the threshold into her new life. This is celebrated with a lot of gaiety and fun and all round merriment, and can only be described as a fascinating Bangladeshi Hindu matrimonial tradition, symbolizing Goddess Lakshmi’s entry into the home.

These then are some of the matrimonial Bangladeshi traditions, and I personally make it a point to never miss attending one if possible. The gorgeous clothes, jewelry, the ceremonies, and best of all, the food: all these are things never to be missed at any cost. So, next time you are invited, you know what to do. Bring out your best clothes, and make a beeline for the wedding; you’ll enjoy it tremendously; I always do! 🙂

If you are invited to a Bangladeshi wedding, don’t be surprised to witness an elegantly decorated venue, fresh flowers exuding pleasant aroma and attractive colors, women in colorful saris and men well-dressed in traditional suits, numerous waiters serving gourmet dishes, and music reverberating in the air. After all, a big fat Bangladeshi wedding is all about this. If I am not mistaken, cultural affluence, elaborate ceremonies, importance of social recognition, and growing economic prosperity contribute to the rising number of such big fat weddings.

If you are planning a Bangladesh wedding, there is ample information on organizing big fat weddings. Even the availability of Bangladeshi wedding planners makes your task easier. While planning the wedding, ensure that the ceremony will be a pompous celebration combining traditional rituals and festive spirit with innovative decoration, flamboyant showcase of social and economic status, entertainment, and food.

Reason for Spurt in Big Fat Bangladeshi Weddings

You must be wondering why there is spurt in big fat Bangladeshi weddings, which have always been a mixture of color and elaborate rituals, with scrumptious wedding recipes adding more glaze to the celebrations. These days, the penchant to make weddings big and wonderful contributes to the spurt in big fat weddings in Bangladesh and abroad, where many Bangladeshi immigrants reside. The presence of extended family members and relatives dressed in exotic and ethnic colors and filled with great enthusiasm along with modern-day preference for Bangladeshi wedding decoration and design create a regal and unforgettable experience for all guests.

I have noticed that most of my Bangladeshi friends, either living in their country or abroad, now make it a point to spend lavishly on weddings of their children to make the function grand and famous. Apart from spending on decoration, food, clothes, and ornaments, they leave no stone unturned in making ample arrangement for entertainment with the right earnest. In many big fat Bangladeshi wedding ceremonies that I have attended, music, dance, qawwali groups, and even film personalities are hired to entertain guests.

Most of my Bangladeshi friends tell me that availability of Bangladeshi wedding planners makes their task of organizing lavish wedding parties a success.

Tips to Making Your Big Fat Bangladeshi Wedding Successful

When you are dolling out huge sums of money for organizing a big fat Bangladeshi wedding, you should not leave any stone unturned to make it glorious and eye-catching. The following tips are essential for the success of any big fat wedding.

• Plan your big fat wedding in advance. As any wedding in Bangladesh involves all family members, you must know who are going to be involved. It helps you draw up your budget and get the best out of your resources.
• Ensure that the venue is conveniently located and big enough to host all guests and your chosen Bangladeshi wedding entertainment events. It is important to see that the place has ample space for marriage rituals, parking, and dining. The venue should also have sufficient seats for all the guests.
• Keep in mind the traditions while making arrangements for a big fat Bangladeshi wedding. Bangladeshi wedding decoration, food, and entertainment must reflect the distinct cultural heritage.
• Ensure that famous ethnic recipes are part of the dining at your big fat Bangladeshi wedding, as Bangladeshi wedding food is always a big hit among the guests.
• Consider the number of events you have planned while making arrangements for Bangladeshi wedding entertainment. The ceremonies can be turned into a treat for all and involve all guests. Ensure that the guests have sufficient flowers to throw, the dance platform is ready, and the ceremonies are well choreographed. Insert some fun games involving the bride, groom, and guests.

• Pay special attention to the makeup, dress, and appearance of the bride and groom to make them the cynosure of all eyes on the most special day of their lives.

I have attended many marriage ceremonies that had been planned wisely, though with great pomp and show. I have found that most of these ceremonies had been organized with the assistance of a wedding planner. If you are planning a wedding of your loved one, it is better to hire a wedding planner having experience and resources to organize the ceremony. Being an expert, they can advise you on Bangladeshi wedding food, entertainment, and decoration as per the latest trend. You will save money, time, and energy in planning your dream wedding.