The Essential Guide to Mughal Weddings: Post-Wedding Traditions

The lavish, extravagant Mughal wedding ceremony maintains expectations by ending on a similarly glamorous note.

Welcome to Part IV of our Mughal Wedding Series. Be sure to check out the rest:
Mughal Wedding: Introduction
Mughal Engagement/Pre-Wedding Traditions
Mughal Wedding Traditions
Mughal Post-Wedding Traditions – You're here!
Mughal Bridal Attire and Jewelry
Mughal Groom’s Attire
Mughal Food and Desserts
Mughal Modern Touches & Inspiration

Immediately After the Ceremony

Once the bride bids her own family farewell and enters the house of her bridegroom, she is auspiciously welcomed into her new family. Her mother-in-law holds a Quran over her head as the she walks into the home. Prayers and blessings from family elders follow – and so does a huge party!

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor had a Mughal-themed wedding reception – talk about royalty all around!

Wedding Reception

Mughal weddings ended on a grand reception, thrown by the bridegroom's family to celebrate the new union. This post-wedding celebration is called a valimah. Both sides of the family attend, and it was known to be a very elaborate affair!

Similar to today’s South Asian wedding receptions, Food and Desserts were a big part of the gathering. Only the most extravagantly delicious foods were served to the guests – since weddings were a rare time of large family reunions across the vast Mughal empire.

The Kapoor family is decked out in beautiful colors and jewels for the Saif-Kareena Mughal wedding reception.

Chauti

The chauti occurs on the fourth day after the wedding, when the bride goes to visit her parents. It is a happy moment, for she is reminded that she will now have the love of two families in her life.

In ancient Mughal times, however, the post-wedding celebrations were limited if the bride moved very far away from her home. In the case of Hindu-Muslim weddings, chautis often were not followed due to inconvenience – although the bride was encouraged to visit her family from time to time.

The fashions of both the bride and groom contribute to the maintenance of the rich Mughal tradition as well. Check out our series on the Bride's Attire and Groom's Attire.

Photos courtesy of emirates247.com and boldsky.com.