Introduction
Maharashtrian marriages are never performed at night. These weddings usually take place in the morning hours. Sometimes, they are also conducted in the afternoon, depending on the muhurat. Such a muhurat is called a goraj-muhurta (when the cows return from grazing).

Wedding Attire
Bride
The Maharashtrian bride wears a bright yellow silk sari draped in the traditional marathi kachche style and green glass bangles. Her hair is decorated with fresh flower buds. She wears a golden crown and a bashing thread strung with white pearls around her forehead. She wears traditional jewellery - mango-shaped nose-ring, ear-rings, gold bangles interspersed with green bangles, a waist belt, silver toe-rings, and a profusion of neck-wear - putlya har, a necklace made of gold coins, kolhapuri saj, a necklace of floral designs, and the mangalsutra which is an indicator of the bride's marital status.

Groom
The groom wears a white kurta, a five yard dhoti and a golden turban or a Gandhi style cap on his head. A bashing is tied on this forehead.

Pre-Wedding Rituals
Kelvan
This is a feast which is organised in the houses of both the bride and the groom, a few days before the wedding. A meal is laid out for the entire family gathered in that home.

Wang-Nischay
This is an engagement ceremony performed in the evening before the wedding. There is a kuldevta-pujan, performed separately in the homes of the bride and the groom. In each house, all present pay obeisance to the family patron-deity, kuldevta. The women in the family wear glass bangles. After the kuldevta-pujan, the two families meet and under the guidance of a priest, the engagement ceremony takes place. A feast is laid out for all present.

Haldi Chadavat
The haldi ceremony takes place a day before the wedding separately in the houses of the bride and the groom. The bride is seated on a small table (pati) which is placed over a rangoli (colourful geometric design) etched on the ground. A lighted hourglass (samay) is kept close by. The bride is given a blouse piece and coconut in her sari pallav. Mango leaves are then immersed in haldi paste and applied from the feet upwards over the whole body of the bride. A similar haldi ceremony is done at the bridegroom's home too. The same day mehendi is applied on her hands and feet. Five married ladies with a copper pot (kalash), mango leaves entwined over a coconut and filled with holy water, go round a place arranged with 3 neem twigs (pradakshina) - from left to right, 5 times with the bride sitting in the centre and throw this holy water to ward off any bad spirits. Then a bath is given to the bride. The maternal uncle, then comes and breaks the neem twigs and asks the bride to get up and leave and go inside the house.

Ganesh Puja
On the morning of the wedding day, the first ritual is a ganesh puja and prayers to the lord for the success of all the rituals.

Seemaan Puja
When the groom with his procession arrives at the wedding venue, a Seemaan pooja (the boy's family crosses the Seema or limits of the girl's residence) is performed. As a part of the welcome, the parents of the bride wash the feet of the boy, his parents and traditionally the womenfolk of his family. The groom is offered a seat on a decorated Chaurang (a low square stool). Then the parents of the bride give gifts to the groom. These usually include ring, watch, gold chain, silverware (plates, glasses, bowls, spoons etc.), among other things.

Ceremonial Breakfast
The groom's procession usually arrives at the wedding venue in the morning. The parents of the girl offer a lavish ceremonial breakfast to the groom and his procession.

Gowrihar Pooja
During the time when the bridegroom is eating breakfast, the bride performs a Gowri-har pooja of the Devi.

Antarpat Ceremony
The antarpat is a shawl (usually silk), meant to separate the boy and girl until the actual moment of their marriage. The bride's Mama (brother of the mother) brings her in for the ceremony. She is also accompanied by two of her sisters carrying an oil wick lamp and a kalash full of water, adorned with mango leaves with a coconut sitting atop. After the elaborate meal, the boy goes centre-stage for the antarpat accompanies by tow of his sisters carrying an oil wick lamp and a kalash full of water, adorned with mango leaves with a coconut sitting atop. The girl and boy "face" each other, separated by the antarpat. The girl looks westward, while the boy faces east. The bride and groom hold a garland throughout the antarpat ceremony. The antarpat ceremony is a series of eight sets of mantras, with invocations to the various gods. After each set is completed, the priest utters the following line: "Shubha Mangala Saavadhaan!" The assembled guests throw coloured rice on the couple at this point. After recital of the last mantra, the antarpat is removed and the bride and groom can now see each other. They exchange garlands (Jaimala). At this time, the accompanying sisters dip their fingers into the kalash and wipe the eyes of the bride and groom respectively. Then the kalash is kept aside. Rosewater is sprinkled and pedas are distributed amongst the assembled guests. The women get haldi-kumkum, gajras (flowers for their hair) and attar on their wrists.

The Marriage Ceremony
For the marriage the appointed place is decorated and consecrated and a havan kund is prepared. The priest sits on the north side of the altar, with the groom seated on his left and the bride on his right.
The Maharashtrian marriage ceremony is conducted in the following steps:

Punyavachan(calling the day auspicious)
The priest begins the ceremony with the recitation of the Punyavachan to invoke the blessing of Lord Ganesha. Punyavachan are the sacred vows by the parents to oversee the success of the alliance and take care of the daughter-in-law. Then the priest asks the bride and the groom and their parents to wear the Pavitrakas (rings of metal and grass) on the third finger of their hands. They take a spoonful of water in their right hand and perform the achamana by sipping the water. The gods are worshipped through the achamana with the recitation of their names. They then do pranayam (deep breathing) and let the water pass through their right palm. This is known as the udaka.

Sannkalp (expressing the desire to marry)
Sannkalp - wherein the groom speaks of his wish to enter the domain of grihasthi, or a householder's life, and the priest blesses him so that his wish may be fulfilled. Then the bride and the groom seek the blessings and the permission of all the elders to marry, which is granted graciously to them and they are given gifts of clothes, jewelry, etc. The parents of the bride and the groom then greet each other and the bride and the groom along with their parents are given madhuparka (fruit salad with honey, yogurt, ghee and milk).

Kanyadaan
The bride's father takes the bride's hand and places it in the groom's hand. The bride's mother pours a little water into the palms of the couple. This symbolises that the father of the bride offers his daughter in marriage to the groom. The groom touches the right shoulder of the bride in acceptance of the proposal. Then the bride asks the groom bride to assure her that he would remain faithful to her and pursue a righteous life. The groom gives an affirmative reply. The moment when the bride is "handed" over to the groom, her father ceremonially pours water into the groom's hands, signifying that she is now his.

Akshataropanam
The bride and the groom express their expectations from the marriage and each other. These are desires for glory, sacrifice, righteousness, progeny, prosperity and success. Each time they express themselves, they sprinkle rice grains. They then assure each other that their desires shall be fulfilled.

Mangalsutra Bandhan (adorning the bride's neck with the sacred necklace)
The groom then puts on the mangalsutra around the bride's neck. The bride also puts a golden necklace around the groom's neck to usher good luck unto him. The groom then applies kumkum on the forehead of the bride and the bride applies a tilak, made of sandalwood paste, on his forehead. Then the newly weds receives gifts from various family members and other guests. The bride's mother-in-law gifts her a silk sari (usually green in colour), tow silver toe-rings, toiletry and cosmetic items like comb, powder and looking glass. The bride changes into her new sari signifying her acceptance into her in-laws' household. She also wears a shela (silk shawl-like garment that is draped around the shoulders). The boy's married sister ties the shela to the boy's uparna (piece of cloth draped over the boy's shoulders, which goes with his kurta and dhoti).

Paanigrahan (receiving the hands of the bride in marriage)
The groom and the bride then hold each other's right hands and the groom observes that he will stand by her and treat her properly till they get old and die. He sees his wife as a gift to his fate given to him by gods like Bhaga, Aryama, Surya, and Purandhi so that he may perform his duties as a householder in the correct manner.

Vivah Homa
This is the offering made for the marriage ceremony. The priest lights the fire in the altar. The couple then sits by the altar. A stone is kept to the west, an urn filled with water to the northeast, and four kusha grass blades, darbha grass are spread to the north of the fire. On them, two small metal bowls and an urn containing ghee are kept. One of these urns is to be filled with water and the other with ghee already melted in the fire. The priest then lights fire called yajoka. The groom then takes two darbhas and dips then into the bowl of water and sprinkles them over the ghee and around the fire. This is a purifying gesture. Then he offers the pavitrika of the darbhas to the fire in the name of Skanda, the heroic deity. He takes the container of ghee and pours a spoonful into the fire as a sacrifice to Prajapati, the God of creation.

Pradhanahoma - Main Offering
The groom then offers prayers and oblations of ghee into the fire, invoking the fire called Garhyapatya, to protect his progeny, wife and to grant them with a fulfilling life.

Lajahoma (sacrificing popped rice), Parinayanam, and Ashmarohsch
This is the oblation of popped rice, (lajahoma), being wedded to each other (parinayanam) and ascending the stone (shilarohan) and are performed in sequence. Lajahoma is conducted, which is an invocation to the gods before the starting of the main ceremony the bride and the groom stand up and the bride cups her palms. The groom pours a spoonful of ghee into her palms and then puts in a handful of popped rice. Usually, in practice, the girl's brother pours puffed rice into the boy's hands. The boy then transfers this rice to the fire as an offering. Then the groom pours in a spoonful of ghee and, holding the bride's hands in his, offers the popped rice to the fire. The groom then says that the fire called Aryaman, to whom the oblation is offered, may enable the bride to strengthen the ties with her marital family. Then he holds the bride's hand and takes a round about the fire and the kalash (pitcher of water). The bride then ascends a grinding stone, and is asked to be as firm and strong as the stone. This offering of the popped rice and the circumambulation of the fire and the ascent onto the stone is repeated thrice and each time the couple wishes for togetherness and longevity.

Saptapadi (walking seven steps together)
This is the ceremonial walking together of the seven steps. The groom takes the left hand of the bride in his right hand and takes seven steps in the southeast direction. The right foot is placed first and then the left foot is brought alongside and mantras are chanted before the next step forward. There should be a distance of 1.5 to 2 feet between two steps. A handful of rice is kept at every step and the bride and the groom step on this heap of rice at each step. The ritual is symbolic of their married life and is an exchange of vows, which lays down the ideal mode of interaction between them. At the end of the homa, the groom chants mantras to the fire called swishtakrit, to forgive him for any flaws in the conduct of the homa. He then holds a large bowl of water and circumambulates the fire anti -clockwise. The container is known as the praneetapatra. The water from the container is then sprinkled in all directions and on the heads of the groom and the bride. The groom then takes a little bit of the holy ash from the altar on the end of a spoon and applies it to his and his bride's forehead. The seven sacred steps around the fire are common to all Hindu marriages. After the saptapadi, the girl is supposed to officially belong to her new home and she goes to the boy's home (probably the room in the hall where his suitcases are kept). At the altar itself, Laxmi pooja takes place, as the boy's family welcomes its new Laxmi (bride). The boy's sister unties the knot between the shela and uparna. In front of the fire, on a plate, raw rice is kept with the names of Shri Ganesh, Laxmi, the family gotra etc. are written. The boy is asked what he would like to call his new bride. It might be her existing name or a different name altogether. He writes this name using his finger on the rice and then says the name. Nowadays, this custom of changing the girl's name after marriage is completely outdated, so the boy simply traces the girl's real name on the rice.

Karmasamapti (concluding the ceremony)
The bride's father, who sits near the altar with his wife on his right, then ends the marriage ceremony. He takes a spoonful of water in his left hand and lets it pass over his right hand, reciting a mantra to appease the gods so they may be pleased with his daughter's marriage. The bride and the groom then take water in their left hand and let it pass over the palm of their right hand, invoking the gods to be pleased with their marriage.

Mangala Ashthakn Muhurat
This is singing of marriage hymns while the priests' chants the mantras. Along with certain mantras, akshata (rice grains mixed with a little kumkum) is showered on the groom and the bride, and the groom and the bride garland each other. The sisters of the groom and the bride stand behind them and sprinkle water over them with mango leaves. They then perform an arti of the newlyweds. After this, the marriage ceremony is over. Sweets are distributed and haldi-kumkum are applied to the foreheads of the ladies present and betel leaves and nuts distributed amongst the men.