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A Tamil Catholic’s pre-wedding preparations have certain things in common with that of Hindu weddings. Much like their Hindu counterparts, parents start spreading the word around to their friends and family members that they are looking for a suitable match for their son or daughter. When they hear of a girl or boy fitting their expectations, they set up a meeting with the parents of the boy or girl to talk further. Once the two families meet and they like each other, then they finalize the wedding talks in front of their family elders. Next, the two families register the match in their own local parish churches. At this time, they must get a certificate from their Church. This certificate contains details like the Church the family’s registered with, details of their confirmation or Holy Communion etc.
Once these details have been registered, the banns are read in the two Churches. If anyone has anything to say against the match, they speak up at this time. The banns are read out for three weeks and after the third week, the wedding date is finalized. If the reading gets no objection, it signifies that the match has got the complete blessing of the Holy Church. On the wedding day, the bride and groom are decked in all their finery and are brought to the Church by their families. The brides don’t wear the wedding gowns like their western counterparts – they wear special lace sarees or silk sarees and wear a veil and also a small crown on their head. The groom is dressed in a tuxedo.
In the presence of the priest, they exchange their wedding vows. Instead of exchanging rings, the groom ties a thaali (mangalsutra) around the bride’s neck. After this, the priest reads out certain passages from the Bible. The wedding is solemnly registered in the Church register, citing the name of the couple as well as the date. Two witnesses also sign the register, along with the bride and groom. The couple cut the wedding cake and with this, the ceremony in the Church is over. Next, the parties proceed to the reception site.