Asian matrimonials are wonderful, joyous occasions. These matrimonial ceremonies provide a great opportunity to gather with friends and family to celebrate love and happiness. A period of time that can last a day or over multiple days where two become one. 

Wedding Traditions for Sikhs and Hindus

In this blog post, we will cover what anyone can expect from a Sikh and or Hindu wedding, what are the general customs that are observed? How do you decide between a traditional or more modern wedding and where should the weddings take place. 

The first part of Sikh wedding ceremonies is known as an Anand Jaraaj whereas Hindu wedding ceremonies usually take place over a couple of days at a chosen residence or house.  

What are Asian Matrimonials?

An Asian Matrimonial is a religious ceremony like a wedding, specifically for South Asian cultures and religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Buddhism. 

Not looking to get married? Maybe you’re looking to do some research for a date you’re taking to a wedding… or even better you could be looking for a date to take, if you are you can sign up to our Asian dating site here

Sikh Wedding Traditions

Depending on the wedding you want, Sikhs can have a simplified or big lavish wedding as long as all of the distinct religious traditions are upheld. 

The ceremony of joy or Anand Karaj is the first thing to take place within a Sikh wedding and takes place in the place of worship, the Gurdwara.

During the Anand Karaj, guests and members of the couples family sing shabads from the scriptures. In modern times these are translated into English for guests.

The Barat part of the ceremony is where the groom meets the bridge family within the Gurdwara.

There are more traditions further into the ceremony that you can see at brides.com

Clothing at Sikh Weddings

You can wear a variety of different clothes however during the morning ceremony at the Gurdwara you must dress in a modern fashion, remove any footwear and cover your head.

During the evening ceremonies, you can choose a more modern dress and less modestly allowing for an evening of dancing, food and fun. 

Hindu Wedding Traditions

Some Hindu wedding traditions include but are not limited to: The Sangeet, a gathering of family and friends where people sing and dance, Henna for the bride’s hands & feet as well as the vara yatra or the celebration of the groom arriving at the ceremony. 

The Red Sari

Traditionally Hindu brides adorn a red dress or sari that has been embroidered with golden accents, however, in modern times brides have been known to forego this tradition in favour of a slew of pastel colours and or floral prints.

Wearing a red sari or dress symbolises commitment and fertility within the usual tradition. 

The Mandap

The Mandap is a structure built and decorated just before the wedding. It is usually highly decorated and elevated with seats on either side for both the bride and grooms parents. 

During the ceremony a fire is kept in the centre of the Mandap, this is usually holy fire and is used as a witness for the marriage. 

The Mandap is considered the centrepiece of a Hindu wedding. 

How long does a Hindu Wedding Last?

A traditional Hindu wedding usually takes place over 3 days these consist of Day 1, The Ganesh Puja, followed by a family gathering. Day 2 is the Grah Shanti a larger pre-wedding ritual that invites Ganesha into the home to bring happiness and remove any obstacles in the way of the couple. Day 3 consists of the actual Wedding and an evening celebration where all guests are invited.

If you are a guest at a Hindu wedding or someone’s date you may be invited to all 3 days or just one. As time has gone on some couples have been known to have weddings that last up to 5 days.

Are you looking to find love? The majority of our users have been on successful dates and of those many have found happiness and married each other. We have several success stories every week. You can sign up for our Asian dating service here.

The dating fever is back in the UK after numerous months of lockdown and isolation. Perfect timing as we approach the romance-filled part of the calendar leading into Christmas and Valentine’s.

Despite dating coming back to the forefront of many people’s lives, Brits have never struggled more to find a match.

According to YouGov 60% of Brits have decided to remain alone since Feb 2020. 

Almost half of all active daters stopped looking for matches during the past 18 months, so there’s good news for anyone who has been struggling on dating apps over the past 12 months. 

Chris Pleines, a dating expert from datingscout.co.uk said:

“After the world essentially stopped, we suddenly had the time to pause and think.

“For daters, quality starts to matter more than quantity. So, you get a bunch of likes and winks. But in this pandemic, what do these likes and winks actually mean?

“Intimacy and meaning has become a major requirement for some daters. Casual flirts or hookups aren’t enough anymore. 

“People go to dating apps hoping to find profound connections and potential for serious relationships. 

“Dating apps should shift their perspective from giving high quantity of matches to high quality of matches. People need to socialize and feel less alone in this uncertain world.”

One of the least surprising findings came in that the least likely age group to stop dating all together throughout COVID-19 has been the 18-24 year olds, with 1 in 4 turning to dating apps opposed to the previous concept of meeting in person.

The impact of COVID on dating has been the biggest on the 18-24 year olds with 1 in 3 reporting a “huge reduction” in their sex life. 

This is a worrying trend after the marriage rate dropped by almost 70% as less people are wanting to start a family in their 20-30s whilst the shortening of the wage gap gives women more options opposed to marrying early. 

The current average age for marriage in the UK is 34 for men and 32 for women compared to 1975 where the ages were 28 and 26 respectively. People are arguably taking longer to tie the knot – the pandemic could change this drastically however.

Multiple dating apps recently reported that they had the most ever number of swipes and matches this year, around the time a pathway out of lockdown was announced. 

What are the top 25 cities for people looking for love?

Here are the top 25 cities to visit if you are looking for the most enthusiastic singles:

1. Manchester
2. Plymouth
3. Liverpool
4. Brighton
5. Bristol
6. London
7. Birmingham
8. Derby
9. Swindon
10. Bournemouth
11. Ipswich
12. Belfast
13. York
14. Portsmouth
15. Nottingham
16. Exeter
17. Cambridge
18. Oxford
19. Cardiff
20. Swansea
21. Newcastle
22. Sheffield
23. Edinburgh
24. Leeds
25. Hull

Dating apps have had a 60% increase in popularity over the past 90 days, showing that romance is definitely on the rise in a post-lockdown UK.

Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali for 2021.

Asian Single Solution

British Indian Dating: Find a long-term partner your way

Finding another Indian person to date can be difficult if you look to meet through normal situations. Choices are limited if you don’t look online at dedicated Indian matchmaking services. Even if you do attend a Gurdwara or a Temple the circle of other Asians you could meet there is potentially quite limited.

Using an Asian dating service such as Asian Single Solution is a great way to connect with other similar minded people, no matter what your age.

Do British Indians date non-Asians?

As we move though the 2020s, British Indian men and women are becoming more open to relationships with those who are not Asian, providing cultural norms and expectations do not create conflictions. That might mean family pressure which still encourages many British Indians to find a partner of a comparable heritage. Using a dating application or website bio and or the About Me section is a great way to set that expectation. You could use the profile to state that you have more traditional or liberal views on life. Many dating applications no longer allow clients to specify the ethnicity of a partner. As a specialist British Asian dating service, AsianSingleSolution.com does encourage members to state their preferences.

Is Indian matchmaking easier online?

Arguably Indian dating is easier online because you have a bigger pool of people to look through and interact with, that does not mean it is for everyone though.

During the coronavirus pandemic, we saw a big spike in account sign-ups as the World closed down but the internet stayed open. This led people who wouldn’t necessarily sign up to an online dating site or app to give it a try.

A lot of those people have found is successful and therefore kept actively using the Asian Single Solution site, searching for their perfect match.

Dating online can be easier to make that first initial connection but you never truly know someone until you meet them in person. If you decide to take that step you should consider looking at our safety tips.

Our specific Asian matchmaking site uses a Golden Rules guide on how we expect our members to behave to ensure everyone’s safety online.

Controversy over ‘old fashioned’ depictions

Some British Asian men and women still like to go about things the ‘old fashioned’ way. That is appropriate providing both sides have that expectation going forward. Some older British Asian dating practices have been depicted as ‘bad’ and ‘outdated’, for example, arranged marriages, men controlling money and women staying home for work. 

These aren’t really things that happen in the modern, 21st-century world anymore. In order to meet British Asian women, men must act chivalrously as well as pursuing the art of active communication and listening.

It might be wise to talk about your expectations for each other and how you expect to be treated. If you want to meet British Indian women or men you need to reach out, set boundaries and go on dates.

British Asian Matchmaking: Where does it happen?

As we covered above, British Asian dating can be easier online however, there are some other places that you may find love and meet British Asian men or women. Before the pandemic, we used to run speed dating events across the UK for Hindu and Sikh people, we saw great success in those events. These have now started again. 

Other places British Asian men and women could find love are: Through family or friends, getting people to introduce you to single friends, at a bar, at a Temple or Gurdwara and even in a local supermarket if you’re brave enough to ask someone out in person.

For those not brave enough to ask someone out in person, it’s completely understandable, not everyone has that confidence and you should consider an online British Asian matchmaking solution like Asian Single Solution.

To all you Ghouls and Guys, hope you find a spooky date this Halloween.

AsianSingleSolution.com

We noticed a change in shift in recent years. Our members are mostly UK born and raised and we want to ask you if you regard yourself as British Asian or if you now consider yourself more as Indian.

Feel free to post further comments or feedback below.

The results are in

We polled our members about singles parties and speed dating events post the Covid Pandemic.

We asked if they were ready to return to events. We are thrilled to report that over 80% of respondents said that they were keen to get back to events as soon as Government restrictions allowed.

We have missed our regular get togethers as they provided a chance for new friends and old to get together. We also missed chatting to our customers about the service and their dating successes and failures!

The time is almost here. As such a high percentage of UK adults have received the vaccines, people feel it is “safe to go back int he water”. There is a huge appetite for events and parties and we hope to be back soon. Watch this space.

Let us know how you feel about dating post Covid. Are you ready for events to start soon.

Statements showing membership payment history are now available in the Account Details section in the Account Activity tab. You can see up to 12 months.

Details shown include the transaction date, amount, reference and the membership type and period. e.g. Premium 3 months.

You will continue to receive email receipts for all fresh membership upgrades which detail the amount of your initial payment and any recurring details. Members can continue to see full details of current membership in Account Details. If you are using Paypal or Itunes you will receive notifications of any recurring payments directly from those providers. We will no longer send additional email notifications ourselves for all recurring subscriptions as you can view these reliably in the portal.

Ok, so we are in lockdown. Things are getting pretty dreary and making everyone more fractious.

We always want to shout about the success stories but the time has come for us to reveal our top most annoying things that people do on dating sites. Don’t just worry about our feelings though, we genuinely believe you are wasting your time if you commit any of these errors. We are just a small business, we are nice, normal people and want to help. So if you doing any of these, please don’t.

6. “Here’s my number, let’s talk on Whatsapp.“

We all know the real reason people do this. They think, if they get the number then that is “an in”. I suppose it can be and if someone gives you their number then they must initially be interested. However, it can also lead to harassment.

The platform provides a safe and convenient way to chat anonymously in the first instance. Asking to leave this environment can appear pushy and impatient. All published safety advice, says “stay on the platform”.

Swap details, only when you are both keen to do so and you need to move to a direct voice call or meet up in person.

5. “Generic Messaging”.

You know the type of message, something like “hey, how are you?”. “I like your profile, get in touch if you are interested.

This shows a total lack of creativity and personalisation. It is obvious that you never read the other persons profile and are just sending the same message to everyone. i.e. copy and paste.

Read the other persons bio (profile). See what might spark their interest and go from there. Even something simple, like, “What was the last movie you watched?” is much more engaging that “Hi, would you like to chat?”.

4. “Ask me” type profile.

You are looking at hundreds of profiles and deciding who to contact. Someone writes “I don’t know what to write, it is much better to just ask me.”

Well, is it really? How can the other person possibly know, if you are a match if you put that. The whole point of the description is to help people judge if there is mutual compatibility. If you have a great photo, then everyone will want to message you but then what if the other person also put “ask me”. This is lazy and shows a total lack of personality and self belief. If you have no idea what you want then how can you expect a relationship to develop from that. Don’t do it.

As a minimum, say what kind of personality you have. Are you shy, outgoing, outspoken. Are you an adventurer or a home body.? What do you do in your spare time, for profession and what do you seek in a partner. You can of course, end with “ask me if you want to know more.”

3. People who say “I love my job”

When asked to describe their profession that means just that. Yes, that is great that you love it but what do you actually do?. Equally bad are people who say “self employed” or “I work in healthcare”. This helps nobody as this could literally be anything. We have done extensive surveys on this and people feel that being too vague is off putting. The NHS employs cleaners as well as brain surgeons. Be proud, embellish by all means but be honest and tell people what they need to know to judge compatibility. There is nothing wrong with being a cleaner but a cleaner won’t normally be matched to a brain surgeon.

2. Adding False or incorrect details.

We are the first to acknowledge that everyone wants privacy. However, this has to be balanced with honesty and integrity. We have some great Reviews and Success Stories to reassure everyone and most members join through recommendation.

Adding a fake photo is the worst but giving a false age is also misrepresentation. Over the past 15 years, I can tell you that no-one believes they look their own age. By misrepresenting your age, you are also being hypocritical because you are saying that you are being too judgemental on the other persons age.

We always protect your data. So phone number, DOB, real name are never given out.

1. Adding poor photos.

Again, we recognise that you value privacy but a dating site isn’t the place to go if you want privacy. You all have a smart phone. Please take and use clear photos. That means.

• No filters as these create false images or look silly. You are not 12 years old and don’t need bunny ears.
• No Selfies, especially those covering the face. These look so tacky and leaves observers asking why you cannot ask a friend to take a photo or why don’t you have photos from a formal occasion or social gathering.
• No Blurry photos or cropped images leaving no clarity
• No wide angle , sideways or full body shots in the main photo. This is because those browsing want to see your face clearly
• No photos in cars. I have no idea why so many people have a photo of them sat in a car.
• No photos of photos. Need we say more?
• Use natural light. Photos taken at night with dark background and flash generally look poor.

Honorable Mentions

• Asking for discounts. Please don’t. Memberships are cheap enough already.
• Not being pro-active. If you are not prepared to use search and messaging pro-actively then you are less likely to succeed
• Refusing to pay anything. Investing in yourself is a positive step and will unlock more opportunities. Even sites that seem free often hide the best features behind a paywall.
• Gathering Likes and Mail just for an Ego Boost. Please don’t do this. Respect other users , reply and be kind. Hide your profile when you are not looking.
• Asking why you were rejected. Take the hint and don’t hassle other members for answers.
• Being too fussy. Be friendly to other members and be realistic. If you are seeking an Asian partner from one religion then you already cut out 99% of your options before you even look at personality, looks and other factors. A good friendship is more important than most of the criteria you may have had in mind.
• Complaining endlessly about people not being serious. This is dating in 2021, get used to it. You have to find a connection , start building the relationship. Work on yourself and make yourself more appealing and desirable as part of the process.
• Men talking about sex and women complaining about men talking about sex. We do focus on relationships and there is a time and place for this kind of talk. That usually means get to know the person a bit and chat for long enough to gauge the direction of travel. Never talk about sex from the get-go as that is tacky. Sending uninvited naked photos is also a definite no. We expect everyone to be respectful but also accept that this is a dating site so please be tolerant. People are also more bored than ever during a lock-down. People want physical contact and that includes women too. What ever is right for you is OK. If not then block and move on. Once you take a chat off our site, it is predominantly a private matter between you, in your relationship.
• Waiting to be contacted or judging members based on who contacts you. This is a terrible and classic mistake. If you have a nice picture, you will always get lots of mail from everyone. To filter your matches, use your own search and be pro-active to contact the people you choose.
• Not checking the eligibility for this site. We aim at Asian Professionals. We don’t want to let anyone down but if this isn’t you please do not apply.