One of the unique parts about being the bride getting married in a traditional, Tamil Hindu ceremony is that you have two grand entrances. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tamil Hindu weddings, the bride typically joins the ceremony in one outfit (usually a saree) and completes the ceremony in her second outfit. The brides first entrance is for the purification rituals and blessing of the Thali/Koorai (bridal saree ) after which, the bride leaves to change into her Koorai saree. It is after the bride returns in her Koorai that the groom ties the thali (See what we did there)
Images by EM Photography
It never occurred to us how special this truly is until we brought along a non-Tamil friend with us to a family wedding. Having been her first Tamil Hindu wedding, she was amazed at pretty much everything, but the one thing that blew her mind was that the bride got two head turning entrances!
“She gets TWO entrances in DIFFERENT outfits? I’m definitely having a Tamil Ceremony!”
With having two entrances comes the job of picking two songs for each entrance. Some brides chose to let the Traditional Nadhaswaram and Thavil players carry on with the Mangalya Vadyam during their entrance, while others chose to have a specific song playing. Being a Tamil bride means you have more options than the classic ” Here Comes the Bride!”
For those brides who are looking to have songs played during their entrance, we at Tie • The • Thali have compiled a list of songs ranging from old classics to new compositions that we believe will highlight every brides arrival at a Hindu wedding! (PS: For those of you looking for wedding worthy songs for highlight reels, playlists etc. , make sure you check out our full wedding playlist: Ultimate Tamil Wedding Songs – Playlist )
Film: Jodha Akbar Singers: Srinivas
Alternatively, we also LOVE this acoustic version by Diluckshan Jeyaratnam! Although this version is only of a portion of the song, you can use this part if you are making your own mix.
Film: Kochadiyan Singers: Haricharan & Latha Rajanikanth
Male Part (0:00 – 1:49)
Female Part:
Film: Uzhaven Singer: S.P. Balasubramniam
Of course our search of this song led us to this amazing medley version performed live at A. R. Rahman’s concert. While there is quite a bit of talking and background noise in this clip, with some mixing, this would sound amazing!
Film: Alaipayuthe Singers: A. R. Rahman, Srinivas and Clinton Cerejo
Film: Maan Karate Singers: Anirudh, Shruti Hassan
Film: I Singers: Haricharan, Shreya Goshal
Film: Anbe Aaruyire Singers: Sadhana Sargam, Naresh Iyer
Film: Guru Singers: A. R. Rahman, Srinivas
Film: Saamy Singers: Chithra
Film: Thevar Magan Singers: Swarnalatha, Minmini & Sindhuja
By: Enneume
Film: Theri Singers: Hariharan, Saindavi
(Specifically 12:56 – 14:00)
Artist: Karthick Iyer and Ramprasad Sundar
This song is originally from the movie Indira and was sung by Hariharan and Harini
Film: Raja Rani Composer: G. V. Prakash
(Specifically 2:33 – 4:23)
Composer: G. V. Prakash
(Specifically 4:27 – 6:45)
Film: Remo Composer: Anirudh Ravichander
(Specifically 12:56 – 14:00)
Film: Remo Composer: Anirudh Ravichander
(Specifically 0:36 – 1:40)
Composer: A. R. Rahman
(Specifically 0:00 – 1:30):
Film: Jeans Composer: A. R. Rahman
Film: Solo Singers: Dulquer Salmaan, Bejoy Nambiar
Film: Bigil Singers: Sreekanth Hariharan, Madhura Dhara Talluri
Any one of these songs will make heads turn in anticipation of the brides arrival. What songs did you use at your wedding? Comment below as Tie • The • Thali would love to do a post on an ultimate wedding playlist!
UPDATE: Our Ultimate Tamil Wedding Song – Playlist is ready. Click the link below to see the full playlist. (Ultimate Tamil Wedding Songs – Playlist)