Sri Lankan Wedding Traditions & Sri Lankan Bride's Dress

Sri Lankan religious and cultural traditions feature a second reception after the couple's honeymoon. The family of the groom gives these receptions. It is known as a homecoming, and signifies the bringing back of a bride by the groom. Brides left their homes and joined the groom, a practice still widely held in rural areas and villages. Nowadays, most wedded couples opt to build their own homes, though at times there is a period of living at the groom's home until enough resources are saved for the move into their own homes. Grooms are known to live with their bride's family at times.
As with many similar Asian traditions of culture, Sri Lankan grooms and brides change into different types of dress at the conclusion of the reception. Like in the British tradition, this change of Sri Lankan bridal dress is named the going away dress, which is worn when the wedded couple are about to exit to their Toronto honeymoon. The Sri Lankan bridal dress is much more formal than the western tradition of dress, not unlike the bridal clothing, but can be of different colors and styles. This practice of changing the bridal dress to the going away clothing spans almost all Sri Lankan religions and cultures.