Where the groom dances to his own wedding.

The best part of an Indian Wedding is probably the Baraat. In case you are from the groom’s side, then this is your lucky day, because you get to dance your way to the wedding; unapologetically, loudly, and without anyone asking why. On the streets! 

The Baraat is the groom’s procession, and it’s less about arrival and more about declaration. He is coming. And he’s bringing a band and all his family, dancing.

It’s not quiet. But it’s also not fast.

The Baraat is a full parade. There’s usually a Dhol drummer (or three), a DJ on wheels, and an overly excited uncle or a few bachelor friends. The groom may be on a horse or a chariot, as elaborately decorated as the groom himself. Everyone else is dancing, his parents, the cousins, uncles, aunties, friends, the neighbours and you. It’s the kind of dancing that doesn’t ask for music— just energy, chaos, and a reason to celebrate. Hands in the air, shoulders bouncing, no real choreography, but lots of fun.

The Baraat is a celebration of the groom’s journey to the wedding venue, symbolising his entrance into the bride’s life and her family. It is his people, his joy, his arrival into the wedding bond. The bride’s family often waits at the venue gates to receive the whole party, sometimes with garlands, or a small ritual: Aarti, Tilak, and maybe even ribbon cutting ceremony following a short find-the-scissors game, and sometimes with a little dance-off, pepped up by some boliya from the groom’s side, often the brothers or some uncle.