The Perfect Sikh Wedding

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BBC Radio 4 - The Perfect Sikh Wedding

Shay Kaur Grewal on the cultural tensions faced by those wanting the perfect Sikh wedding.

Shay Kaur Grewal investigates the growing religious and cultural tensions surrounding couples wanting the perfect Sikh wedding.

Sikh weddings are big business. They are often held in glitzy overseas destinations abroad and across the UK, they can last more than a week and cater for up to 800 people. But for many couples, these lavish affairs could now be out of reach - not because of costs but because of growing cultural and religious tensions surrounding Sikh wedding ceremonies. 

Many religious leaders  see these extravagant displays as being at odds with traditional Sikh values. A recent directive from the Akal Takht, one of the five Sikh seats of power, has effectively banned destination weddings. And that's left many couples in the lurch as they are forced to weigh up old school religious considerations with a desire to enjoy the same celebrations as many of their peers.  

Shay Kaur Grewal first came to prominence as a star of the ground-breaking Channel 4 reality show The Family. It was the first UK television programme to feature the real lives of a British Sikh family. She's now found fame as one half of "Sunny and Shay", as she and her husband Mandeep are known to their listeners on BBC Radio London.

In The Perfect Sikh Wedding, Shay takes us to the heart of the community to reveal what these dilemmas around marriage say about how second and third generation British Sikhs see their place in UK society.

Presenter: Shay Kaur Grewal
Producer: Tom Fuller

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

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