- Sarah
Pre-wedding ceremonies: Sangeet (Part 2 of 3)
Hey y’all,
I’m taking a break from crying over the pictures of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ wedding, so I thought I could continue the Indian wedding series. I am so excited to share Day 2 with y’all because it is hands-down my favorite wedding event!
Day 2: Sangeet (Sun-geet)
The Sangeet is probably one of the most fun events of an Indian wedding and it is also one of the only non-religious ceremonies of the wedding weekend! This event is getting more popular within all Indian cultures, but are mainly seen at Hindu or Punjabi (Pun-jah-be) weddings.
‘Sangeet’ in Hindi means “music.” Think of the wedding sangeet as a giant dance party that occurs the night before the wedding ceremony! At the sangeet, a large group of people close to the bride and groom get together to eat, drink, and dance the night away. This is another occasion where family and friends from both sides can meet in a less formal environment. On this evening, the nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents, and even the bride and groom choreograph dances to high-tempo, fun songs that exemplifies that love and joy the couple feels for one another and their loved ones.
Once people have eaten and mingled, it’s time for the fun to start. First, usually the little kids in the family have a dance they want to put on. All the adults get to smile and cheer for the kiddos that worked hard on putting together a dance for the bride and groom.
The kids dance is then followed by dances from friends and family of the bride and groom. It’s almost a contest to see who can amp the crowd up more, and who can rock the best dance moves! There is usually a clear "winning" family at the end of it all. Then to thank everyone for coming, sometimes the bride and groom even surprise the guests with a dance that they have been working on together. It truly is one of the sweetest parts of the weekend – seeing the future husband and wife dance together to a song all about and love and happiness.
After the competition is over, the DJ will usually play a set of the best Bollywood and Hollywood dance music and open up the floor for a GIANT dance party. What is better than a big room of all your closest friends and family dancing, eating, and drinking? Nothing! 😊
Since I have been emotionally invested in the Nickyanka (Nick and Priyanka) wedding for the past week, I wanted to call attention to their Instagram posts about their Sangeet. They posted a fun overview video (which was obviously a grandiose affair) but it showed the dance-off between Nick’s family vs Priyanka’s family. She so accurately stated “it started as a fierce dance competition between family but ended, as always, as a huge celebration of love!” (picture below) That’s what an Indian wedding is all about – love and showing that celebrating love can be a fun and beautiful event that is so inclusive!
So I am guessing now you really want to attend a Sangeet? Well if you get invited and know you want to go, don’t stress about what to wear. Let us help! We are more than willing to help you figure out what kind of Indian outfit would be appropriate for each day of an Indian Wedding. Reach out to us and let us guide you along each event!
With love, Sarah