Pre Wedding

Pithi Dastoor
The Pithi Dastoor ceremony follows which involves the bride/groom and continues until the day of the wedding. The actual ceremony consists of application of turmeric and sandal wood paste to the bride/ groom who cannot leave the house once the pithi starts. The pithi dastoor at the bride's house is an elaborate affair.

The bride dresses in an orange Rajasthani dress and is then brought under a silken canopy, which is held up with swords at four corners by four ladies who must belong to the same clan as the bride. She is brought to the ladies gathering, who then apply the paste to her. A similar ceremony takes place at the groom's place as well, although it is not that elaborate.


Mehfils
Mehfils are an integral part of every Rajasthani wedding. It is usually held in the evenings, they are again segregated into the 'ladies mehfil' and the 'gents mehfil'. At the ladies' mehfil, all the women gather at a central place in an enclosed courtyard or hall.

In dazzling dresses, they perform the ghoomar (a special dance done in a group). The bride at the mehfil is given an important position to sit and watch the proceedings. If the ladies' mehfil is in progress at the groom's house, then only the groom is privileged to attend the all-women affair. Of course, the men have their own mehfil, where singers perform and these are strictly all male parties.

Janev
In the Janev ceremony, the sacred thread is given to the would-be groom on the eve of his becoming a house-holder. The groom has to be dressed in saffron robes like an ascetic and perform a havan before wearing the thread.

Palla Dastoor
On the day of the actual wedding, or maybe a day prior to it, the Palla Dastoor is brought in by a few of the groom's relatives, accompanied by family retainers, to the bride's house. The palla dastoor consists of clothes, jewelry and gifts from the groom, which the bride has to wear during the wedding ceremony. This particular custom is typical to the Rajputs. The traditional Rajasthani wedding dress is usually red, but it could also be orange, gold, yellow, or pink. In certain Rajput clans, a bright parrot green is also worn.

Baraat
A Rajput baraat consists entirely of male members. The bridegroom is usually dressed in a gold achkan, with an orange turban and a churidar or jodhpurs with jootis. The baraat members also must wear achkans or sherwanis with jodhpurs and safas. All members, including the groom who rides an elephant or a horse, carry swords.

Wedding

Aarti
As soon as the actual wedding ceremony begins the groom is taken inside to the ladies section where he is received by the bride's mother with the traditional aarti, and then taken to the mandap to perform the actual wedding rituals. The bridegroom has to be accompanied only by a male member of the family, either a married relative or his younger brother or a younger male cousin.

The bride must keep her face covered throughout the wedding ceremony.

While the wedding is in progress, the baraat is entertained outside by the bride's male family members. Therefore, it is mostly the women members of the bride's family who attend the wedding ceremony.

Post Wedding

Bidai
However at the time of the bidai, a coconut is placed under the wheel of the car before the bride lifts her veil for the husband after the wedding. At this stage, the groom usually gives a piece of jewelry to his bride.

Grihapravesh
After the bride reaches the groom's house Grihapravesh takes place. The bride still wears the veil while the puja and other ceremonies take place. A few games are played between the bride and the groom.

Pagelagni
The day following the grihapravesh, the pagelagni takes place. This is a ceremony where the bride, still in veil, is formally introduced to all the family members of the groom who bless her and give her gifts. The veil is then finally removed.