After the wedding
The first night, the return visit, the honeymoon and the first anniversary.
The wedding does not end with the party. The first night, the return visit to the bride's home, the gift-opening and the honeymoon all follow, and in many cultures the bride has a series of visits and tasks in her new family.
Returning and visiting
In India the pag phera or the satvaru sees the bride return to her parents' home soon after the wedding. In China the huimen is the visit a few days later, with gifts. In Iran the pa-gosha is a gathering at the bride's parents' house after the wedding. In Pakistan and Bangladesh the chauthi and the walima, held by the groom's family, mark the new bride's welcome. In Jewish tradition the seven blessings are repeated at feasts in the week after.
Honeymoon and settling
The honeymoon, a Western custom, is now a global custom, from the Maldives to Niagara Falls. In some cultures the couple live with the husband's parents, in others they start a new household at once. The first anniversary has its own gifts; in the West the first year is traditionally paper.
What is changing
Honeymoons have moved from a luxury to a norm, and couples now travel together or return to jobs the next week. Post-wedding visits are being shortened but still held in many families. Joint households are declining in cities while remaining common elsewhere.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on After the wedding (stage of the wedding). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, IndiaBhangra
A vigorous Punjabi folk dance performed to the beat of a dhol drum during harvest celebrations.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇳🇬 Lagos, Nigeria and 2 moreOwanbeÓwàńbẹ̀
The extravagant Yoruba celebration where music, fashion, and money spraying mark life's milestones.Feast custom · Reception, dance and gifts
🇪🇸 Seville, SpainSevillanas
A traditional Andalusian folk dance performed by couples at weddings and local festivals in Spain.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇨🇺 Havana, Cuba and 5 moreConga line
A long processing line dance that links dancers in single file to a rhythmic drum beat.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
🇺🇦 UkraineSong about the RushnykПісня про рушник (Pisnia pro rushnyk)
A Ukrainian song that celebrates the embroidered cloth used in weddings and family life.Performance · The ceremony
🇦🇿 AzerbaijanAzerbaijani wedding traditionsAzərbaycanın toy adətləri
The multi-step family rituals of Azerbaijani weddings, from matchmaking to the henna night.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 Lucknow, IndiaBabulबाबुल
The Hindi term for father that marks the emotional farewell of a bride leaving her home.Performance · The eve
🇮🇳 IndiaHindi wedding songs
Film and folk music that accompanies the stages of a North Indian Hindu wedding.Performance · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇽 Oaxaca, MexicoOaxacan wedding
A multi-day Catholic celebration in Oaxaca featuring mole, mezcal, and communal dancing.Feast custom · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreEpithalamium
A poem or song written to celebrate a bride as she goes to her wedding chamber.Performance · The eve
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBengali Muslim weddingবাঙালি মুসলিম বিয়ে
A multi-day Bengali Muslim marriage blending Islamic rites with local folk traditions.Rite · The weeks before
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreWedding March (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's C major piece from 1842, used as a recessional at Western weddings.Performance · After the wedding
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreCountry dance
A social partner dance from England where couples follow a caller through repeated figures in long lines or squares.Performance · Reception, dance and gifts
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Epithalamium: Lorenzo Lotto, Public domain, source
- Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sevillanas: Anual, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Conga line: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Derek J. Hu, Public domain, source
- Bhangra: Jimmysekhon25, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Country dance: Engraving by William Hogarth, CC BY 4.0, source
- Azerbaijani wedding traditions: Azim Azimzadeh, Public domain, source
- Oaxacan wedding: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source