We know Ismaili weddings really well since half of our team is Ismaili. It's natural that we end up doing many Ismaili weddings in the Dallas metroplex along with many destination weddings. We know the culture, what music to play for each event during the weekend and the right equipment that is needed throughout the weekend. 

The main purpose of this blog is to share with couples a guideline to a smooth wedding weekend. If you want new music lists on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube or want some Non-Stop Mixes, fill out the form on this page. 

Ismaili Wedding Guide

An Ismaili wedding is celebrated over the course of four days. These days consist of the Mehndi, Pithi/Sangeet, Nikkah, Koba Kobi, Reception, and Satada. For an Ismaili couple dreaming of their fun wedding weekend, here is a guide to the see what other couples are doing. 

Day 1: Mehndi

Let the festivities begin! The mehndi day is usually hosted for the ladies of both families to get together and enjoy the first day of the wedding weekend at a non-hotel venue. It is a casual event where everyone is dressed comfortably in Indian or Pakistani clothing.

1. The main attraction on the Mehndi day is the application of Henna/Mehndi on their hands and/or feet. The Henna is a temporary tattoo that ladies of each family put on to celebrate the joyous occasion. Supposedly the darker the Henna stain, the more your fiance loves you. 
2. After the Henna has been applied, dinner begins. Everyone is enjoying the music and food. This is also a time where ladies of the families take pictures with the bride to be. 
3. Some of the ladies may have prepared a choreographed dance or casually sing songs together. 
4. Some couples may do this event with their own families at home also. 

Day 2: Pithi/Sangeet

Welcome to the Pithi/Sangeet day where friends and family come together and celebrate the most festive part of the weekend. People will come wearing the dressy traditional Indian or Pakistani clothing to this semi-formal event. Tonight is definitely the night every must come energized and ready to dance all night! You can have your Pithi/Sangeet in either a hotel ballroom or a non-hotel venue. Let us take you step by step on how your Pithi/Sangeet can flow smoothly.

1. The mothers or elder women of both families begin by setting up the rice on the floor in a religious pattern with a chair right behind it. 
2. The next step is to have the bride to be’s side while waiting for their entrance to complete the Pura ceremony. A pura ceremony is where the younger cousins of the bride carry an item on their head and take a few steps at a time before passing it on.  
3. The bride to be’s side enters with the men of her family carrying her in a dholi. A festive love song is usually played for this entrance. 
4. Right after the bride to be’s entrance is the groom’s entrance. The groom comes in with his groomsmen to an upbeat bollywood song to show everyone he is ready to get married.
5. Now we will begin the pithi ceremony where the couple will sit on the chairs that were set up. You can do a joint pithi ceremony or separately. In more recent times, couples are doing their pithis together. The pithi consists of family members from the respective sides give blessings to either the bride to be or groom. The first step is to take the turmeric paste and rub it on either their arms, legs, or face. This paste helps the skin glow. The next step is to take a handful of rice and shower it upon their heads. This is a form of a blessing. The third step is to feed them a small chocolate to sweeten the marriage. And lastly a verbal blessing is given while embracing each other for a beautiful life. 
6. Once the pithi is complete the couple stands up and must step on a Sapatia (small clay pot) breaking it to ward off evil spirits.
7. Here comes the fun part! The groom’s side exits to complete his egging ceremony. This ceremony begins with his bride cracking an egg on his head followed by his groomsmen, friends, and family trashing him with all sorts of condiments imaginable. 
8. While the egging ceremony has begun, dinner is served to the bride’s side of the wedding. Once the groom’s side is complete with the egging, they will then proceed to dinner. 
9. The groom heads home or to his suite to freshen up and change into an Indian or Pakistani outfit for the festivities. Once he is back, his bride and him will do their second entrance into the ballroom together. 
10. Once dinner is complete, get your cameras ready, it’s time for the performances! Here is where the couples’ friends and family put together a skit on how the couple met up until their wedding day. Also there are many dances where each family puts on a show for all the guests. 
11. The performances are finished and usually the finale song leads into the open dancing. The finale song is an upbeat song featuring a flash mob or where the performers pick up random guests from the audience and invite them to dance. Here is where we take over. DJ Riz Entertainment can keep the dance floor packed all night.

Day 3 Part 1: Nikkah

To begin the third day of the wedding there will be a Nikkah ceremony where the couple will submit their vows through the Ismaili constitution. This is a religious and formal setting where the men are in their formal suits with modest style and the ladies will be in formal Indian or Pakistani clothing. Here are a few details to keep in mind for your Nikkah ceremony:

1. Choose the Jamat Khana you both attend to have this ceremony done.
2. Let your Mukhi know if there will be any non-Ismaili members attending. If so, the ceremony will be held outside of the prayer hall.
3. The bride and groom will be represented by their fathers or another male who has been a great influence for them.  
4. The couple will sign documents stating their court marriage has been complete, and they are completing their Ismaili wedding ceremony. 
5. Once the ceremony is complete, as the couple exits Jamat Khana they will smash a coconut on the ground to ward off the evil spirits. 

Day 3 Part 2: Koba Kobi 

1. This is where the rings are in bowl of rice and the bride and groom have to race to find it. It’s a quick ceremony to encourage their happiness and laughter lasts forever. This ceremony can be done anywhere either at the bridal house or at the reception venue.

Day 3 Part 3: Appetizer/Cocktail hour

1. This gives the guests a chance to mingle with other guests, take a few snaps, have a quick snack before the epic reception. 

Day 3 Part 4: Reception

The biggest event of the weekend is finally here, the reception!

1. Let's begin with the entrances. Parents and siblings are up first entering to their favorite songs. The bridesmaids and groomsmen can enter together in pairs, altogether, or in separate groups. They will use the most hype songs of that year or an anthem they used to jam to with the bride and groom. And now the main entrance, the Bride and Groom are welcomed in with an abundance of cheers to their favorite song.
2. After the entrances are complete the couple will go into their first dance. Sometimes a couple will do a traditional first dance with a slow waltz or in other cases the bride groom planned a choreographed dance where they begin with a slow dance and the music cuts into an upbeat song to get the crowd excited. 
3. Now comes the cake cutting ceremony, a simple and sweet love song is played for the couple as they cut their cake and feed each other.
4. It’s time to have the Father/Daughter and Mother/Son dance. A heartwarming moment to witness. We suggest having a song that describes the relationship between the parent and the bride or groom. 
5. Here comes the part where you get to know the couple on a more personal level, the speeches. Speeches are usually given by a few members of the bridal party, and parents. 
6. The game everyone loves to see the answers to, the Shoe Game! Two chairs will be brought to the middle of the dance floor facing back to back. The bride and groom switch one shoe and the questions begin. Questions include, who is the better cook?, who is always on time?, who is always right?, etc. 
7. Now is a good time to take a break from the main program and release guests for dinner. This is good to do since it refreshes their attention, and once they’re back in their seats they are ready for what comes next. To fill in the dinner time, our professional DJs will have created a list of soft songs that the couple loves. Towards the end of dinner we will direct everyone’s attention to the big screens and show the slideshow or video presentations of the bride and groom.
8. Now it’s time to dance! The reception will be a mix of top bollywood songs and your favorite hip hop/top 40 tracks. Everyone from young to old will have a great time.

Day 4: Satada

1. This is a lunch provided from the bride and groom to their closest friends and family.
2. It is a casual event where everyone reflects on the wedding and gives the couple their best wishes.
3. There may be pictures taken with the newly married couple. 
4. This used to be a reception from the grooms side but things have changed more to an even split between the two families. 

The DJ Riz Entertainment team takes pride in being a part of Ismaili weddings. Our team will help make your dream wedding come true and give you an unforgettable experience. Hiring an entertainment team that knows the cultures and traditions is very important, this will help you have a smooth wedding weekend. Every year hundreds of couples trust our professional wedding entertainment team and we are able to deliver a service they remember for a lifetime. We would love to be a part of your celebrations and make it memorable for you and your family. If you would like to talk about your wedding, please contact us here. If you want new music lists on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube or want some Non-Stop Mixes, fill out the form on this page. 

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