Muslim Brides - Prewedding Rituals

In the Muslim wedding tradition, the Muslim brides are given much importance as the Muslim grooms. It is the bride's family that takes the first step towards the groom's side to fix the marriage. There will be a lot of ceremonies in the bride's home. First the bride's family sends a lot of fruits as well as sweets to the groom's house once the marriage is fixed. Next they start the preparations of the wedding. As the wedding is a very important event in the life of Muslims, a lot of care is taken to make the bride look good.

A lot of money is spent in designing the Muslim brides dress for the wedding. They will mostly wear bright red colored clothes in the Muslim customs, and they will also wear a lot of gold jewellery. The dresses will also be full of gold and silver threads to make the brides look very rich on the day of the wedding. Once the marriage is fixed, and the date is fixed the brides must not go out of the homes. They must be kept company by the ladies in the household as well as her friends. During this time they will beautify her for the wedding day.

They use a lot of turmeric paste a few days before the wedding day on the skin of the Muslim brides' to make them fair. The bride's family will also arrange an engagement ceremony for the Muslim groom and bride to exchange rings. The bride in the Muslim wedding tradition must not look at the groom till the wedding is over. After that she has to immediately go to the groom's new house, where everything will be ready for her to start her new life. Till then she will be guarded by her parents or her guardians.

The Muslim brides are entitled to receive dowry on the day of the nikah or the social contract. They may ask for anything from the bridegroom, and she will also get it. She may receive property, gold or any other items as dowry. This she is allowed to keep and it will become her own even after the marriage. If she wishes to she can maintain her maiden name, it is not compulsory for her to take the name of her husband after the marriage. The brides of the Muslim community are requested to dress very modestly.

They have to dress modestly when they are meeting the groom before the marriage, and in the presence of her parents. She must also dress modestly on the day of her wedding. There has been a lot of criticism about the Muslim brides wearing very Westernized clothes for the wedding. She must be dressed in a way that none of her body parts are shown. She must also dress in a way that she will not attract the attention of the other men in the room. She must also not indulge in Western practices during the wedding like kissing visitors.