Kandyan cultural wedding in Sri Lanka

When it comes to Sri Lankan weddings, Kandyan weddings are some of the hardest to organize and those wedding usually tend to consume a lot of time as well. There are so many things to buy and there are so many things to prepare as well. If you are strictly following the up country traditions then preparing the brides dress is almost an headache. In this article I will look at few of the things you should plan for when preparing for a traditional up country wedding, including things like finding Nilame wear, preparing the poruwa, various presents required for the occasion and many other necessary items in the ceremony. Another important part of the Kandyan or up country wedding is the bridal sari, commonly known as the "osariya". More than the sari it is the supporting jewelry that is very hard to find and which cost to buy. There are imitations of these types of jewelry made specifically for this occasion.

Nilame attire is a must have item in any Kandyan wedding and depending on the number of people in the wedding party you are looking at 2-5 Nilame suits.Since this is the only time you will be wearing this it is advisable to hire these items. There is a proper way to wear the Nilame suit and more often than not you will need expert help with it. Usually the shops that rent out Nilame suits have people who can help you in wearing the item.

Poruwa ceremony is another very important part of traditional Kandyan wedding. Although almost every wedding has a sort of platform built for the couples, the poruwa in a up country wedding is built in a more grand way, with lots of artwork added to the poruwa. Most hotels have a ready made poruwa with them so usually you only have to do the outer decorations, but if you are picky about the subject and want a one built from scratch there are people who specializes in building poruwas.

The bridal dress is commonly known as the "Osariya" and in a traditional up country wedding lot of work goes into making it perfect. Not only the dress but there are plenty of jewelery involved as well and it can be a very costly thing. Because of the special jewelry required for the dress most people tend to rent or borrow these items. Although gold is the preferred choice there are imitation jewelry made specifically for these occasions. The osariya is a bit different from the traditional sari and there is a special way to wear it and like most other things in a wedding you need expert help to do this.

Mentioned above are some of the most important things in a up country wedding but there are few more things you need to make it a success. An oil lamp, some traditional food like milk rice, kewum and kokis are usually needed during the ceremony. You can spice up the wedding by having a theme for your wedding, like a ancient palace, or a wedding among ruins etc. And a great way for the groom to arrive at the hall is on top of an Elephant, a sign of majesty among the royalty. These little things adds up to make it a grand wedding.