A traditional Bangladeshi wedding
Thank you for your interest in learning more about the vibrant culture of Bangladeshi weddings.
My name is Jasna Boudard, I’m a wedding photographer based in Austin, TX.
Over the past decade, I’ve been photographing weddings of diverse cultures all over the world, but most people don’t know what inspired me to start my business. If you haven’t guessed from the title of this post, it was experiencing the magic of a traditional Bangladeshi wedding.
(Please pardon the dust, this page is currently being remodeled as the couple no longer wanted their wedding featured. But since you’re here, feel free to read about Bangladeshi wedding traditions or check out the rest of our website to learn more about other fascinating cultural weddings!)
The multiple events of a Bangladeshi wedding
Bangladeshi weddings have a lot in common with other South Asian weddings (such as Pakistani, Nepali, Sri Lankan, and Indian weddings). They consist of several days of festivities, each representing different traditions. Most Bangladeshi weddings have at minimum three separate events:
A Holud, a Biye, and a Walima (or Bou Bhat).
What is a Holud?
A holud is a festive pre-wedding event for the bride and groom and their closest friends and family. Historically, this event was split into two separate days for the bride and the groom, although affluent communities typically prefer to combine resources to host a more lavish joint event.
However, sometimes the bride side will host a Mehndi for the females to gather. Mehndi is another word for henna, a traditional tattoo design that Desi brides typically get on their hands and feet. Aside from being decorative body art, henna is known to have medicinal properties and help the bride relax for her upcoming wedding.
The bridal Mehndi application is a very long process as it entails many little details and takes time to dry (up to six hours!). For that reason, while the bride spends hours sitting still, her ladies entertain her with a henna party complete with music, dance, and of course delicious food. Think of it as a colorful and energetic bridal shower. The guests bless the bride, socialize, perform, and sometimes also get henna done.
But back to the Holud.
If you’re familiar with Indian weddings, it would be the equivalent of a Haldi ceremony. The word “Holud” translated to “yellow”, which is a prevalent theme throughout the day, The bride and groom are often dressed in yellow, and turmeric paste is applied to their bodies by their families and guests. The guests take turns coming up to the couple to feed them some sweets and apply the paste, representing blessings and good fortune for the newlyweds. The food offerings are ornately decorated and presented, adding a fun and unique aesthetic!
This is my favorite event out of all the festivities, as the bride and groom are typically entertained by their guests performing songs and dances!
What is a Biye?
The Biye is THE wedding day! Traditionally hosted by the bride’s family, this day usually incorporates the religious union of the bride and groom (typically Muslim, although some Bangladeshi weddings are Christian or Hindu).
After they are have performed their religious rituals, the bride and groom are officially considered “married” in the eyes of their families and God.
The rest of the event typically consists of the bride and groom sitting on an elaborate stage, and guests take turns coming up to them to congratulate them and get a professional group photo taken together.
And then repeat with the next group!
As you can imagine, this is why I (and most couples) prefer the Holud event…
What is a Walima?
While the officialy wedding day is hosted and financed by the bride’s family, the groom’s family throws their own wedding reception called a Walima or Bou-bhat, typically as the final event of the wedding saga.
Wedding venues are a hot commodity in Dhaka and booked out every day of the year. As soon as a wedding ends, the event management team breaks down the previous setup and installs everything that the next client selected. Clients work closely with a wedding decor company to custom design every single detail. The entire production is hours upon days upon months of hard work!
Bangladeshi receptions are a big scale affair (and I mean big, like 800+ people), and have three priorities: beauty, food, and pictures.
If you’d like to learn more about this phenomenal experience or want your Bangladeshi wedding to be beautifully captured with artistic photography and videography, feel free to reach out!