The wedding starts with grooms procession towards the Mandap (wedding alter) with all friends and family dancing ahead of him. When they reach the mandap, bride’s mother welcomes the groom by applying tilak (red vermillion) on his forehead and welcoming him to marry her daughter. The groom enters the Mandap and sits on a designated wedding spot. The antarpat, or curtain, is hanged in front of the groom, restricting his vision of the bride, who’d be sitting opposite him. The bride then enters the Mandap, and the priest chants Mangalashtakas or sacred vows, accompanied by musicians. On an auspicious moment, the antarpat is removed, and the couple exchange jaimala (flower garlands). That’s when all guests shower them with akshata, or whole rice. Both, the bride and groom, sit at the alter to carry out religious ceremonies like Kanyadaan where the father of the bride gives away his daughter to the bridegroom with blessings and the groom promises to love and respect his wife forever. The bride’s parents worship the couple as avatars of Vishnu and Laxmi, and the couple then tie a turmeric thread to each other’s hands. As a final touch, the groom ties the Mangalsutra (a gold necklace with black beads) around the bride’s neck and puts vermillion on her forehead (called sindoor). Saying out loud the seven wedding vows, the couple together encircles the holy fire seven times while performing the Marathi marriage ritual of Saptapadi. The bride bids farewell to her parents and leaves with the grooms family to her new house.