The ceremony will be held in a Sikh temple called a Gurdwara (or Darbar). Conduct and etiquette differs from a Christian church, and this page will attempt to answer any questions visitors may have. When entering the Gurdwara, one is expected to remove their shoes and cover their head as signs of respect towards the sovereignty of the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy book). Men generally use handkerchiefs or bandannas. Women generally use dupattas, similar to long scarves or shawls. Some scarves and handkerchiefs will be provided. After entering the main hall, all people, irrespective of their status, sit on the floor as a sign of equality and the Guru Granth Sahib is always situated on a higher level. One may enter or leave the congregation at any time. Men and women generally do not sit together but on separate sides of the room, both at an equal distance from the Guru Granth Sahib. Gurdwaras are open to all people of all religions and are generally open 24 hours a day. The pinnacle point of the ceremony is when the lavan, consisting of four stanzas, is read. The four stanza of the hymn describe the progression of love between a husband and wife, which is analogous to that between the soul (bride) and God (husband). After the recitation of each stanza, the groom, followed by the bride holding the end of a scarf worn by the groom, walk around the Guru Granth Sahib in a clockwise direction while the hymn is recited.  After the ceremony, visitors congregate to the Langar hall where food is cooked and served by volunteers. As in the main hall, visitors sit on the floor as a sign of equality. Only vegetarian food is served so that no person may be offended and people of all status and religions can sit together to share a common meal, irrespective of any dietary restrictions. Mehendi is the traditional art of decorating the women's hands and feet with henna to celebrate the wedding. The Mehendi party will be during the week before the wedding. See this page for more details. For more information, please visit the following sites: http://www.sikhs.org/wedding/ http://www.sikhworld.co.uk/page1.html http://www.faithandmedia.org/pdfdocs/guide-sikhism.pdf (PDF file)