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
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreToe ring
A silver band worn on the second toe to mark a woman as married in India.Adornment · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaNishekam
The Hindu rite of consummation on the first night after marriageRite · The ceremony
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreNikah halalaنکاح حلالہ
A second marriage required for a woman to remarry her first husband after triple talaq.Vow · After the wedding
🇮🇳 IndiaMadisarமடிசார் (Madisar)
The nine-yard sari drape worn by Tamil Brahmin women during weddings and religious rites.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇳 IndiaSambandam
The traditional matrilineal marriage alliance of Kerala's Nairs and Nambudiris.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMaithil Vivahमैथिल विवाह
The arranged Hindu marriage of Maithils in the Mithila region, guided by Vedic texts and local customs.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaAyyavazhi wedding
The sacred rite of Ayyavazhi that treats marriage as a spiritual sacrament and family life as the highest austerity.Rite · Procession and arrival
🇧🇩 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
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 1 moreBou Bhatবউ ভাত
A feast hosted by the groom's family to welcome the bride into her new home.Feast custom · After the wedding
🇮🇳 IndiaMeitei weddingLuhongba (ꯂꯨꯍꯣꯡꯕ)
The traditional union of the Meitei people, marked by clan exogamy and specific courtship rituals.Rite · Finding a match
🇮🇳 IndiaGauna
The ceremony that marks the start of conjugal life in northern Indian Hindu marriages.Rite · After the wedding
🇮🇳 IndiaOdia Hindu weddingBahaghara (ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବାହାଘର)
The traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of the Odia people in Odisha, India.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Odia Hindu wedding: Aditya Mahar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bengali Muslim wedding: NahidSultan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Maithil Vivah: Sntshkumar750, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bhangra: Jimmysekhon25, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Toe ring: Wikiss, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Meitei wedding: Dabu Leichombam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ayyavazhi wedding: Vaikunda Raja, CC BY-SA 3.0, source