We all have a soft spot for the glamorous, elaborate Bollywood romances with perfect happy endings – even if we wouldn’t publicly admit it! Bollywood might have some flaws in terms of story lines and setting realistic expectations, but we can’t deny the luxury surrounding the costumes, music, and lifestyles in most of these movies – especially in wedding scenes!
Here are some of the biggest blowouts, cutest ceremonies, and fabulous festivities that the world of Bollywood has to offer:
Hum Aapke Hai Kaun
This movie’s very long wedding scene doesn’t actually feature the main characters Prem (Salman Khan) and Nisha (Madhuri Dixit) – it's their elder siblings who are getting married! But the lavish ceremony features excellent song-and-dance numbers, including “Didi Tera Devar Deewana” and “Dhiktana” – which are shown during different wedding traditions. The sequences also include the fun Hindu wedding custom where the bride’s family steals the groom’s shoes, asking for a ransom before they are returned!
Photo courtesy of bestimagesof.com.
Hum Saath Saath Hain
Hum Saathe Saathe Hain is the king of cheesy, almost-nauseatingly happy Bollywood wedding movies – there are 3 weddings, after all! Each of the couples engages in fun teasing, song and dance, and LOTS of family bonding before and during their wedding ceremonies. The song “Mhare Hiwda” also features beautiful Rajasthani costumes and scenery when the couples all retreat there for a family honeymoon.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
This 2013 summer hit had everything a modern Bollywood fan wanted – attractive leads, fun songs, and exciting adventures. Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) and Naina (Deepika Padukone) are polar opposites in terms of personality, but they manage to fall in love anyways!
Their wedding adventures include planning their mutual best friend Aditi’s (Kalki Koechlin) wedding – where they stun the crowd with their awesome movies and chemistry in “Dilliwali Girlfriend” and other catchy tunes.
Monsoon Wedding
Arranged marriages are often not glamorized in Bollywood films, but Monsoon Wedding tells the tale of a modern family-oriented girl during her elaborate Punjabi wedding festivities. Naseeruddin Shah excellently plays the father of the bride organizing a complicated family affair where he learns more than he ever intended to know about his large, involved family.
The songs are more background than in-your-face, but they suit the more serious tone of the arranged marriage debate. Plus, the Punjabi wedding traditions are accurately depicted in ceremonies such as the sangeet – you'll truly get a feel of how hectic weddings can be!
Tanu Weds Manu
When Tanu (Kangna Renaut) and Manu (R. Madhavan) meet, they seem wrong for each other and never quite agree on the arrangement – but after a series of dating mishaps, family drama, and friendship, the couple end up together in a lavish Punjabi ceremony.
The detailed look at wedding procedures, including in the song “Sadi Gali”, truly captures the insanity, stress, and euphoria that goes into such elaborate ceremonies.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
The infamous Karan Johar hit is star-studded and guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and sing-along with every popular song: from the slow “Suraj Hua Maddham” to the upbeat “Say Shava Shava.” When Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) weds Anjali (Kajol), his adoptive father (Amitabh Bachchan) disowns him for marrying someone below his wealthy family's status.
The wedding is simple, but the reunion is more tear-jerking and filled with engagement and belated-wedding festivities as the couple's younger siblings Rohan (Hrithik Roshan) and Pooja (Kareena Kapoor) prepare to get married.
Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge
Back in the days when Bollywood couples fell in love on exquisite European vacations, Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge was a hit – starring Karishma Kapoor as Sapna, an overprotected young girl raised by her three uncles, and Salman Khan as Raja, an energetic youth who is determined to win her over.
After a series of fun mishaps and silly scenarios, Raja ends up convincing each of Sapna’s uncles that he is the perfect bridegroom for their precious Sapna. The couple marry in a beautiful Hindu ceremony, which isn’t detailed very much, but has some lovely examples of extravagant costumes and jewelry in the song “Hai Na Bolo.”
Vivaah
“Vivah” is the term for a South Asian marriage – which this movie is entirely about! Prem (Shahid Kapoor) and Poonam (Amrita Rao) are arranged to be married by their respective families – but they slowly fall in love and support each other in various endeavors before their ceremony arrives.
After facing many challenges together, the couple weds in a quiet ceremony – but the movie focuses on many Hindu engagement customs and pre-marriage rituals.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
The classic love story between Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and Simran (Kajol) depicts two lovers who are forced apart by their families but reunite to live a happily ever after. The wedding festivities in this movie do not focus on the couple but rather on Raj’s attempts to sabotage Simran’s wedding to another man.
The mehendi ceremony is elaborately shown in the song “Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna,” and Simran’s engagement is pretty detailed as well – although she thankfully ends up with SRK instead.
Jodhaa Akbar
Rajput princess Jodhaa (Aishwarya Rai) is forced to wed Mughal king Akbar for her family’s sake – albeit in a beautiful, fancy Mughal wedding ceremony. The Mughals influence on modern Hindu and Muslim weddings is noticeable throughout this movie – from the expensive gifts given to the bride to the mehendi and pre-wedding traditions.
The costumes, jewelry, and palatial venues all contribute to the glamor of the royal Mughal era – and the sweet love story between Jodhaa and Akhbar is just as breath-taking!