A propar understanding of this will often remove misconceptions about the nature of marriage and its place in Hindu society. Marriage is the thirteenth samskara a person will pass through in their life. Householders are expected to give to charity, care for aged parents, offer hospitality to guests and provide a settled and well run household. Hindus are also expected to marry in order to continue the family and to care for the dead.
Couples now have a say in who they marry and are usually simply 'guided' by their families.
Hindu girls can marry when they are fifteen years old and boys when they are eighteen but the practice of this will be determined by the law of the land. Once the choice of partner has been made the priest will consult the couple's horoscopes in order to decide on the best day for the wedding. In India the wedding would take place at home but in Britain halls are usually used. Weddings are costly affairs even for Hindus. The giving of a dowry by the bride's father to the bridegroom, although illegal, is still practiced and only adds to the expense.