Nikah – The Marriage

Nikah is the most important ceremony of the entire wedding celebration. In this ceremony, the bride and groom sign a marriage contract in the presence of witnesses. This may amaze many, but the nikah may be held before or after the pre-wedding ceremonies namely dholki, Mehndi or Mayun.

Nikah Ceremony at a Pakistani Wedding

Rituals of Nikah Ceremony

The Nikah ceremony or marriage ceremony is the main event when the couple exchanges vows and becomes husband and wife. The phrase ‘kabool hai’ meaning ‘I do’ is said three times by the groom and bride which ties them in the sacred bond of matrimony. Marriage contracts are referred to as Nikah-nama, and they introduce the couples' vows and terms of marriage. Nikah-nama is a formal ceremony performed by Islam's mullahs and imams in a mosque. It is also important for both the bride and groom to have two witnesses to complete the Nikah ceremony. Both the bride and groom are kept from seeing each other during the contract signing. As soon as the marriage contract is finalized and signed, the groom's family presents the bride with gifts. In most cases, the gifts are money, clothing items or gold. Mehr is usually what the bride would like to have from the groom’s family and is mentioned in the contract beforehand. It can vary from money, household goods, jewellery, or some piece of land.

Couple at Nikah in a Pakistani Wedding

What to Wear on the Nikah

Red is considered the auspicious colour for bridal wear. In modern times, however, brides are experimenting with colour palettes. Pastels are trending in wedding attire and brides are selecting blush pink, beige, gold, and ivory colored lehengas and long dresses ornately embellished with elaborate embroidery, sequins work, and metallic thread work. For the wedding day, the groom prefers to wear richly embroidered sherwanis.