Bengali Wedding Tattwa: Ashirbad and Gift Exchange Customs
Tattwa trays, an ashirbad of dhaan and durba, and a hundred envelopes at the bou bhaat. Here is how gifting works in a Bengali wedding, and how families keep the record straight.
West Bengal
Bihar
Bihar Wedding Shagun Customs: Tilak, Gifts and Blessings
From the tilak that seals the match to the neg handed out at vidaai, a Bihar wedding runs on gifting that everyone is expected to remember. Here is how it works, and how families keep track.
Gujarat
Gujarati Wedding Shagun: Chandlo, Gol Dhana and Gifting
From the chandlo vidhi that fixes the match to the envelopes handed over at the reception, Gujarati weddings are held together by gifting. Here is what happens, and how families keep track of it.
Haryana
Neota in Haryana Weddings: The Custom of the Gift Register
In Haryana, the wedding gift is written down before it is spent. Neota is the custom of recording each household's cash gift in a register, so that it can be returned when their own function comes.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh Wedding Shagun Customs: Dham and Gifting
A Himachali wedding is carried by the village as much as by one household, and the giving shows it. Here is how shagun works across the state, and how families keep the record.
All India
How Much Shagun to Give at an Indian Wedding: A Real Guide
There is no fixed rate for shagun, but there is a way to work out the right amount. Relationship, city, what that family gave you before, and the etiquette around the envelope.
Maharashtra
Maharashtrian Wedding Aher: Sakhar Puda and Gifting Customs
Aher is the quiet engine of a Marathi wedding: sarees, dhotis and envelopes moving between two families in a careful, remembered exchange. Here is how it works and how families keep track.
Punjab
Shagun in a Punjabi Wedding: Customs, Milni and the Lifafa
From the first shagun ceremony to milni on the wedding morning, Punjabi weddings run on gifting that everyone is expected to remember. Here is how it works, and how families keep track.
Rajasthan
Marwari Shagun Customs in Rajasthan Weddings: Neg and Bhaat
Rajasthani and Marwari weddings run on layered gifting: shagun between households, neg at a dozen small moments, and the bhaat brought by the maternal family. Here is how it works.
All India
Shagun Counter Checklist: How Hosts Record Every Gift Given
Someone in every family gets handed the register and the cash box on the morning of the function. This is the playbook for that person, from setup to the thank-you calls.
South India
South Indian Wedding Gift Customs: A Guide by Community
Gifting at a South Indian wedding looks similar from the outside and works differently in each community. Here is what guests give, what hosts give back, and how the record is kept.
Tamil Nadu
Moi in Tamil Weddings: The Gift Register Every Family Keeps
At a Tamil wedding the cash gift is not just handed over, it is written down, and sometimes read out. Here is how moi, moi ezhuthu and moi virundhu work, and how families keep the register.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh Wedding Shagun Customs: Tilak to Muh Dikhai
From the tilak ceremony to muh dikhai after the bride arrives, a UP wedding marks almost every stage with a gift. Here is what each one means and how families keep track of it all.
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand Wedding Shagun: Garhwali and Kumaoni Customs
Uttarakhand weddings bring relatives back from the plains and run across two or three days of gifting. Here is how shagun works in Garhwal and Kumaon, and how families keep the record.
