This section will provide you information on different rituals that are observed on during the actual wedding ceremony:

Ganesh Puja

As the Maharashtrians are the devotees of the Lord Ganesh, they pray to their Lord on the very beginning of their preparation for the final wedding rituals. On the morning of the wedding day, a puja is offered to Lord Ganesh to seek his blessings for the success of all the rituals that are supposed to follow during the whole day.

Seeman Puja

As the groom's entourage arrives at the wedding venue; a Seeman Puja is performed as a way of welcoming the groom. Afterwards, the parents of the bride wash the groom's feet and shower him with gifts.

Marriage Ceremony

At the time of shubh muhurat, the girl’s maternal uncle leads her to the mandap. The girl and boy are not allowed to glance at each other; therefore the girl is taken to the mandap by raising an Antarpaat (a white cloth that is used as a partition between the bride and groom. Thereafter, the shlokas are chanted and this is followed by the removal of Antarpaat. People shower Akshata (unbroken rice) on the couple. After that, the garlands are exchanged between the bride and groom. The couple takes seven mangal pheras in front of the holy fire considering Agni, the God of Fire, the witness of the union of the bride and the groom as the wife and the husband.

Laxmi Narayan Puja

The bride is considered to be goddess Laxmi and the groom is taken to be Lord Narayan. After the completion of marriage ceremony, Laxmi Narayan puja is conducted, in which the bride and groom are worshipped. Generally this puja is conducted by the priest who also conducts the whole wedding ceremony.

Jhal Phirawne
The girl’s hand is formally given to the boy in the ceremony known as Jhal Phirawne which is popularly known as Kanyadaan. In this ceremony, a cane dish is taken in which 21 lit lamps or diyas are placed. For the first time, the dish is placed on the bride's head. After that it is taken to the bridegroom's family and the bride’s father asks each member to accept his daughter as their own.
Ceremonial Breakfast

Since the wedding entourage usually arrives in the morning, the bride's parents spread out a lavish ceremonial breakfast in their honor.