Indian wedding glossary · Before the wedding
What is Sagai?
Also written: Engagement, ring ceremony, सगाई
Sagai is the Hindi word for the engagement ceremony, where the bride and groom exchange rings in front of both families and the wedding is formally announced.
- Who keeps it
- Across North and Central India. Rajasthan, UP and Bihar often say mangni; Maharashtrians hold a sakharpuda, Gujaratis a gol dhana, Sikh families a kurmai.
- When
- After the roka, from a few weeks to several months before the wedding. Some families hold it the day before the wedding to save travel.
About Sagai
What should you know about Sagai?
A sagai usually starts with a short puja or prayer, then the ring exchange, then blessings from elders on both sides. The families exchange gifts: clothes, jewellery, sweets, dry fruit and shagun envelopes. In cities it is often called the ring ceremony and held as an evening party with music.
Some families keep it small at home; others invite the full guest list. Many families now fix the wedding date at the sagai and announce it to everyone there.
In the order of functions
Where does Sagai come in an Indian wedding?
After the roka, from a few weeks to several months before the wedding. Some families hold it the day before the wedding to save travel.
- Before the weddingFixing the match, the engagement, the date and the card.
- The functionsPujas, haldi, mehndi, sangeet and the family days before the wedding.
- Wedding day ritualsFrom the baraat to the pheras, nikah and anand karaj.
- After the weddingVidaai, the new home, the reception and the first visits.
Planning your own days? The free wedding function order planner puts your functions in a sensible order with dates.
On the card
What do families write on the invitation for Sagai?
Please join us for the sagai (ring ceremony) of Riya and Arjun on Saturday, 8 February, 7 pm onwards, at The Grand Banquet, Jaipur.
Related words
Words that go with Sagai
- Roka
Roka is the small family ceremony where the bride's and groom's families formally agree to the match, bless the couple and exchange sweets, gifts and shagun.
- Mangni
Mangni is the word many families in Rajasthan, Haryana, UP, Bihar and many Muslim households use for the engagement, when the match is announced and the bride receives a ring and gifts.
- Kurmai
Kurmai is the Sikh engagement ceremony, usually held at a gurdwara or at the groom's home with an ardas, where the bride's family blesses the groom and gives him gifts.
- Sakharpuda
Sakharpuda is the Maharashtrian engagement ceremony, named after the packet of sugar (sakhar puda) that the groom's family gives the bride along with a saree and jewellery.
- Gol dhana
Gol dhana is the Gujarati engagement ceremony, named after the jaggery (gol) and coriander seeds (dhana) that are shared with guests after the match is sealed.
Questions
Sagai, answered
What is Sagai?
Sagai is the Hindi word for the engagement ceremony, where the bride and groom exchange rings in front of both families and the wedding is formally announced.
Which families celebrate Sagai?
Across North and Central India. Rajasthan, UP and Bihar often say mangni; Maharashtrians hold a sakharpuda, Gujaratis a gol dhana, Sikh families a kurmai.
When does Sagai happen in the order of wedding functions?
After the roka, from a few weeks to several months before the wedding. Some families hold it the day before the wedding to save travel.
What do families write on the invitation for Sagai?
Please join us for the sagai (ring ceremony) of Riya and Arjun on Saturday, 8 February, 7 pm onwards, at The Grand Banquet, Jaipur.
Put Sagai on your invitation with its date, time and venue, and send it on WhatsApp. Two invitation designs are free forever.
Make your invitation