Marriage ceremonies differ in different Islamic countries due to cultural backgrounds and the financial capability of both sets of parents and while some celebrations can be lavish and last for several days, others can be quite simple.
In most Islamic cultures, a man interested in getting married to a particular girl sends a marriage proposal to her parents or guardian through his family representatives. They take into consideration the suitability of this proposal, and if satisfied, agree to the marriage. In modern days, girls are actively involved in this process and will refuse to marry a man they feel is not right for them and in many cases decide on their own marriage partner prior to involving their respective parents.
While the girl begins to get her wedding trousseau arranged, including gifts that will be given to the bridegroom and his close family, the boy has to ensure that he has adequate facilities for his bride when she gets married to him. While some prefer an extended family set up where the bride will stay with the groom's parents, many other modern couples prefer an independent arrangement.
Wedding invitations are sent to family and friends prior to the wedding and details of all the ceremonies involved will be included in the invite so that they can arrange dates to fully participate. A few days before the actual wedding a henna ceremony takes place, which is akin to the hen party non-Muslim brides partake in. The bride to be invites her friends and family and has her hands and feet decorated with henna paste. Other women can participate by having their hands decorated too and while the ceremony is going on, there is much singing and dancing to reflect the celebration that is to come.
The groom to be has a similar ceremony in which a small amount of henna is applied to his hand and members of his household sing and dance to show their happiness. This ceremony can differ in different countries with elements added on which relate to their particular cultural background. It is customary to have gifts of clothing and sweets exchanged between the couple's families.
On the day of the wedding, the groom arrives to the wedding reception, which is hosted, by the bride and her parents. The wedding can be held in a venue or at home depending on the number of invited guests and the financial status of the families, The wedding procession is called a baraat in Indian and Pakistani cultures and the bride's family and close friends welcome it by putting floral wreaths decorated with tinsel around the necks of the groom and his guests. They are led inside the reception venue and given seats in a prominent place so that they are easily recognisable. In some traditional Muslim families, the men and women are seated separately in the same reception area to respect each other's privacy.
Once all the guests are seated, a priest called a Qazi gives a marriage sermon called the Nikah to solemnize the marriage ceremony. There are recitations from the Koran and the importance of marriage as advocated by Prophet Muhammad is described. An amount of money called the "Meher" is added to the contract. This is money that the husband to be agrees upon to pays the wife in case the marriage does not work out. The priest then approaches both the groom and the bride to be separately with two witnesses and asks them if they agree to the marriage. Once confirmation is obtained, both of them sign a document of marriage and the marriage is then official.
Dried fruits are distributed to all the guests as a sign of happiness that the couple have both agreed to marry and after this moment, food is served to the guests in an air of happiness and festivity. Because Islam is spread amongst diverse cultures in the world, there will always be different elements added to the wedding celebrations. The signing of the wedding contract formalising the wedding, though, is a standard practice in all cultures.
After the wedding is over, the bride's family members say good-bye to her and there is sadness underlying the joy because she is to start a new life and saying good-bye to her old life and to her childhood. The bride is taken to the groom's house where the festivities continue, gifts are exchanged and the bride is introduced to her new home. A week or so later, the husband celebrates his marriage by hosting a Walima reception where his friends and families celebrate his new life and wife with him while eating a variety of festive dishes.