Being a North Indian when I think of marriage, I think of the extravagant, ostentatious and free-spending arrangement. But this notion changed big time when I went to the wedding of my Tamil friend's sister. The ceremony was not at all showy and was a close arrangement of family and friends. My friend told me that Tamils believe in simple living and frugality and so Tamil Nadu Matrimony marriages are simple. She told me that a Tamil wedding are not held in the months of Aashad (July 15^th to August 15^th), Bhadrapad (September 15 ^th to October 15^th) and Shunya (December 15^th to January 15^th) and on the days Tuesday and Saturday because a marriage held at that time would be considered inauspicious. Tamil weddings are particularly famous for its cuisine. One will find both vegetarian and non-vegetarian South Indian delicacies with countless varieties. Also, there would be different types of Coffee. The bride usually wears a red coloured saree with a lot of gold ornaments and the groom wears a plain dhoti with a patta covering his upper body. The rituals are divided into pre wedding rituals, wedding rituals and post wedding rituals.Pre wedding rituals are Panda kaal muhurtham, wherein the groom's and the bride's family pray for an auspicious and uninterrupted wedding; Naandi, in which both sides of the family call Brahmins and feast them in order to get their blessings; Nicchiyadharatham, in which the bride and groom exchange rings. On the day of the wedding, Mangala Snaanam takes place wherein the bride and the groom take a purifying bath at each other's place at dawn. A very interesting ritual that takes places is Kashi Yatra wherein the groom playfully threatens to leave for Kashi to live the life of a saint. The bride's father then urges the groom to not go and take her daughter's hand in marriage. The groom then later heads for the mandapa and exchanges garlands with the bride. After that the Oonjal ritual happens in which the bride and the groom are made to sit on a swing and are offered milk and banana to eat. The last wedding ritual that happens is Muhurthum, in which the groom puts vermillion on bride's forehead and ties magalasutra on her neck and then takes seven rounds around the holy fire. In the post wedding rituals, both the families exchange gifts with each other and the bride bids her home farewell and leaves for her husband's place where she is welcomed with a grehpravesham. A reception happens the other day in which the newly weds are given blessings by the guest. This reception is followed by a grand dinner.