With sacred fire and holy chants,Two hearts beat as one,As they make vows of eternal love,Under the bright, shining sun.With Saat Phere, they take seven rounds,Promising to walk hand in hand,Together they vow to build a life,That’s filled with love, trust, and stand.With the Mangal Sutra, they seal their bond,As they vow to cherish and care,For each other, forevermore,Through life’s joys and despair.The bride vows to be her husband’s strength,To support him in every way,While the groom vows to be her protector,Till the end of their days.They promise to respect each other’s families,And to uphold each other’s honor,To be each...

 The original text of the saptapadi was written in Hindu scripture in Sanskrit language. For many, it can be too complicated to understand practical meaning. One Hindu Scripture and English Scholar (whose name is unknown) put these slokas of saptapadi in a romantic way as follows:Walk with me four steps and three, I seek thy hand;let me not break from thee, nor thou from me. Let us swear in joy and strength, One in thought and deed, one within. Heaven and earth are me and thee, Seed am I for thee to bloom. Word and mind are thee and me...

For a Hindu family, a wedding serves as the fulfillment of one of the nine sanskars of life, in addition to being a festivity and celebration. In other words, marriage is a duty that every Hindu must fulfill since it is a matter of moral and religious obligation, and is required of everyone in all situations.Here is a lovely poem that Tanvi, a longtime Desh-Videsh reader from Orlando and a recent newlywed, wrote. She composed this poetry, which her cousin Vaidehi recited in the mandap shortly before Tanvi walked seven steps with her soul mate.In a Hindu wedding, an eternal...

The following Hindu wedding vows were recited at Anamika and Atharv's nuptials and were sent to us by the couple, who mentioned how much the Desh-Videsh wedding-specific issue helped in planning their wedding. This poetry was composed by Anamika. We are publishing here with their consent. Additionally, they have informed us that any newlyweds are welcome to utilize these vows.In the presence of the divine,With the blessings of the divine,We take our wedding vows,To cherish each other, forever and now.We vow to love and honor,To respect and support each other,In joy and sorrow, in good times and bad,Our love will...

For over 10 years, MyShadi Bridal Expo has been a community event not to be missed by those planning a South Asian wedding. What began as a small bridal show twice a year in Florida, has now grown into a platform for over 85 event vendors taking place in over six different cities across the Southeast US. Hosted by Desh Videsh Media Group, the MyShadi Bridal Expo offers vendors a chance to showcase their products and services as well as the latest trends in South Asian weddings. Instead of driving around town meeting vendors weekend after weekend, brides, grooms, and...

Le Trend Boutique - Fashion Show Participating Models JULIA BALES A graduate of Furman University with a degree in computer science and Chinese, Julia spent 2 years in Beijing and 8 years in Hong Kong developing the Asian cruise market. Julia is now chief digital officer for Go Travel in Orlando and enjoys training in aerial silks and acrobatics. ROSANNA BARSATI Rosanna earned her Juris Doctorate from Florida Coastal School of Law and graduated with a certificate in International Law. She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts from Stetson University. She currently works at the Law Office of Paulette Hamilton assisting...

In earlier wedding special issues of Desh-Videsh, I have discussed the importance of wedding rituals in Hindu weddings. A wedding for a Hindu family is not just a party and celebration, but it also fulfills one of the nine sanskars of life. In other words, Marriage, for every Hindu, is not merely pleasure, or romantic love, but an act of duty, a matter of moral and religious obligation, incumbent on everyone in all normal circumstances. Vedic rites or rituals for the performance of a wedding ceremony are many, and may take anywhere between one hour to four hours. According to...

You are about to get married. No doubt, you have many things on your mind, and expressing endearing words about your soulmate may be hard. Whether for your invitation, wedding programs, or special vows, you might need some inspiration! Often, a great quote about true love, few lines of dialogue, love poem, or song lyrics can help you express yourself more eloquently. To inspire your next love sonnet about your soulmate we present a collection of love poems from Rabindranath Tagore, Bengali poet, novelist, educator, Nobel Laureate for Literature, and one of the greatest writers in modern Indian literature. The...

RIMA ARORA Rima Arora is a dedicated fitness enthusiast, who believes that fitness is a state of mind that can yield miraculous results if it could be transformed into a habit. Rima owns the dance company Dil Se Dance. She loves to teach anyone to dance as she loves teaching and puts her heart and soul into it. STEPHANIE CULLEY Stephanie Culley is from Switzerland and speaks several languages. She has a passion for dancing and Zumba. She also enjoys enjoy modeling, photography, going to the beach and reading. She loves to travel and one of her favorite travel destinations...

SHIVANI DESAI Shivani Desai, a civil engineer, earned her master’s degree from the University of Florida and currently works in the construction industry. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, dancing, and exercising. Shivani is also trained in various forms of Indian dance including Bhangra and Bollywood ANIKA DHAM Anika Dham is a junior at American Heritage School. She loves to dance in her free time and is trained in bharatnatyam. She is part of the debate tea, and likes science research. In the future, she hopes to pursue her interest in law. DEVIKA JHAVERI Devika Jhaveri is a senior...