In recent years, South Asian weddings celebrated in our country have increased, placing Mexico as one of the principal destinations to carry out these majestic weddings. Something that characterizes them is undoubtedly their splendid colors, culture, music, and audiovisual atmosphere elements that make a wedding stand out and differentiate itself from others.
To understand the context and the role of AV in these weddings. Brenda Fernández, Founder of the South Asian Wedding Institute (an international organization specialized in certifying industry professionals) shares with us a bit of this culture and its traditions that date back more than forty centuries ago.
What are South Asian Weddings?
They are weddings of the Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and Persian Religions, among others. These weddings are full of religious symbolism and specific protocols that depend to a great extent on the religion practiced by the couple and their family.
It is very important to mention that there are many types of weddings in South Asia. However, the most common weddings in Mexico and the weddings we have seen in the South Asian Wedding Institute certification are mainly Gujarati, Punjabi, Sikh, Persian, and Muslim weddings, says Brenda.
This type of wedding is characterized by lasting several days and holding various pre-wedding celebrations. One of them, is the Pithi where they use a yellow paste made with turmeric (among other ingredients), which is smeared on the face of the bride and groom to purify the skin and prepare it for the big day.Another event is the Mehndi Party, where the bride and her guests paint their hands with Henna, with designs related to love, happiness, and fertility.
The Sangeet is an event about music, with very colorful entertainment that serves as an icebreaker for families. Something relevant to highlight is the importance of the film industry in India: “Bollywood” so it is not surprising that such extraordinary and colorful productions come from this influence, placing music, entertainment, and lighting at the top of their standards and requirements.
“For Hindus, life is into different stages and, one of them and the most important is marriage, it is not only about the union of the bride and groom, but of two families.”
An example of these specific requirements is the Sikh Wedding where the “Granthi” who is the priest, is in front of a sacred book and must have his hands free to manipulate it. In this celebration, Encore Weddings usually provides special microphones for the musicians, who will accompany with ‘songs’ during the ceremony.
Barat, which is the groom’s procession place of the ceremony, it is customary to use traditional Indian drums. However, a trend that we highly recommend is portable speakers, they make a huge difference in the accompaniment of the procession since they give more strength to the music, which will infect the guests to dance, and you can even mix another type of sounds which will make the moment more pleasant and joyful.
Now, we go to the moment of the reception, where you cannot miss an incredible wooden or LED dance floor and of course, a DJ who knows the tastes of the bride and groom, the music and even the soundtracks of Bollywood movies, as well as the traditional songs. Music is just as important as food; they do not marry anywhere if they do not have the guarantee and confidence that their provider understands and knows their requirements.
Every year in Encore | Weddings we prepare and certify our team of professionals to meet the needs in audio, video, and lighting under the protocols that a South Asian wedding demands, so you will have the guarantee of having a specialized provider with the most advanced! technology to make that great day the best!
Collaborative Post: Brenda Fernández Founder of South Asian Weddings Institute and Miroslava Arriaga Product and Strategy Manager for Encore Weddings.
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