South Asian Wedding Essentials

One thing is guaranteed to guide the mood of any South Asian wedding: the music. So long as the dancefloor is bouncing in unison, this most important of days can continue without a reason to worry. Thankfully, there is a vast, decades-deep back catalogue of wedding staples to draw upon if you find yourself in charge of the proceedings—or are simply looking to recreate that vibrant atmosphere elsewhere. Whether it is Bollywood hits from legendary singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan, the full-throated qawwali vocals of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the luscious orchestral arrangements of A. R. Rahman, or Asian underground fusion classics from Bally Sagoo, Panjabi MC and Dr Zeus, these South Asian tunes have acquired singalong lives of their own to soundtrack nuptials for diaspora around the globe. Hit play, enjoy the legacies of these wide-ranging genres and ensure the party starts and stays going well into the night.