Earlier this year I acted as a wedding Toastmaster, MC and Master of Ceremonies at a Hindu wedding held at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms at Holborn in London. For my non-Asian friends, thought I would show the sequence of events which 300 guests would enjoy in a long day from 8am until 1am next day. Always such a privilege to participate.

It is a great honour to act as Toastmaster at beautiful ceremonies for the most elegant of clients at important, unrepeatable – and unrehearsed – events

The Grand Hall ready for 300 guests facing the mandap

It’s early morning; the groom arrives with his family and friends, (known as the ‘Jaan’) accompanied by dhol drummers to be greeted at the entrance by the bride’s family

With the dhol players

The groom has been brought to the mandap by the bride’s mother and the priest (pandit). The ceremony is about to begin.

The bride enters accompanied by her uncle, aunt and siblings. The 5,000-year old ceremony will now take an hour and a half at the mandap, conducted and chanted in Sanskrit by the pandit

After the ceremony, I will announce 31 groups of guests to be photographed at the mandap with the bride and groom. At about two minutes each, we are looking at one hour of calling, assembling, posing and disassembling.

Typical group could contain 25 guests

Ceremony and photography over, its time for lunch.

There’s a live painting being prepared in real time during the ceremony by artist Stephanie South

Bride shows me her artistic henna hands. This is traditional mehndi body art which would have been applied at her henna party a day or two before.

A game called ‘kodakodi’ where the bride and groom compete to find a ring in coloured liquid. Priest is the ’umpire’ while guests cheer for each side. Bride usually wins, by the way.

Bride and groom prepare to leave and she tearfully bids families goodbye (the Vidai) with her parents the most emotional. Symbolically she is leaving their house for the first time…. permanently.

Bride and groom make their way to the exit towards a limousine waiting to take them away… but they’ll be back later for the evening celebrations.

Guests come out to bid farewell

The priest places a coconut under the front wheel to be crushed by the tyre as the car moves off

The symbolic crushing of the coconut ensures a safe journey through married life

Guests attempt to ‘stop’ the car moving until ‘paid’ by the groom

The finished painting by Stephanie South on display at the evening reception

The cake will be cut as soon as the bride and groom enter the ballroom

The bride, being a pharmacist, has prepared favours in ‘prescription’ packaging – inside is a pill box with sweets in.

The bride, being a pharmacist, has prepared favours in ‘prescription’ packaging – inside is a pill box with sweets in.

Bride and groom feed each other pieces of cake after cutting it

5-year old performs a Bollywood dance to delight and entertain: 300 guests

Guests remain respectful during speeches and entertainment

First dance as a married couple. Then of course everybody joins in to the end… it’s been a long day.

Are you organising an Asian Wedding?

Are you looking to hire a wedding Toastmaster, Master of Ceremonies, MC?

Richard Birtchnell, The London Toastmaster, has years of experience working as an Asian wedding Toastmaster, MC and Master of Ceremonies at Asian Weddings all over London. Contact him on 020 7730 3725 to check his availability.