First off, congratulations. Meeting the family is always a big deal, specially in India. But I guess meeting a family is the same anywhere, from the larger perspective. It really depends on what kind of family they are, and the best person to tell you that is your would-be-husband. And the next best would be the extended family you could meet before you meet the parents – like his siblings or cousins.

P.S. A bindi and a salwar kurta might be a nice touch.

every family is different indian or not, your finace, will know best as to what if anything you should take note of, but i’m sure being yourself is the best plan, thats why he likes you and being someone you aren’t around his parents will probably only cause tension.

that said, no shorts, or short sleeves, nothing overly tight or revealing. at least until you get the lay of the land.

Namaste and congratulations on your engagement!! I don’t know where you’re from, but you’ll find that Indians are amongst the friendliest of all nationalities, particularly when you’ve taken a special interest in their culture. I quickly learned that they are always eager to help and for the most part, carry a very good disposition.
You’ll also be subjected to lots of festivals and celebrations and the foods are quite typical of spicy Asian dishes…yum!!
Any part of India is beautiful, however I strongly suggest that you travel throughout the northern area including (but not limited to) Jaipur, Rajasthan, Orcha, Agra, Delhi, Varanasi and if you have time, try visiting Nepal as well, where the new year has just started.
Always festive and comical in its own nature, you’ll soon realize that India is a muse full of lights, sound and spirit found nowhere else on the planet!! No matter what you do or where you’ve been, nothing can prepare you to the experience you will encounter in India!!Happy Diwalli (Celebration of lights where candles are lit and set to sail)!!

Congratulations!

I have a few questions to ask you too.
Where do your fiances family stay?
Will you be visiting cities other than the one they stay in?
Will you be getting married on this visit to India?

I think the replies so far have covered most of the points.

We are a very friendly people :P We are also pretty curious. We have large extended families and are usually pretty close to them. The generation before ours is still a bit conservative. We love to eat and have a huge variety in our food. A bit spicy but it can be toned down on request.

A good idea, i think, would be to check if he has any cousins close to his age in the country that you stay in. Try and meet with them or at least talk to them. Ask them about all the questions that are worrying you. They will understand where you are coming from and you’ll find them helpful.

If he doesnt, catch hold of some of his Indian friends. Sit them down and ask them some of the questions that you have. You’ll at least get answers to a most of your general questions. Most Indians have childhood friends lurking around :P See if he has any staying in the country. They too would be a good source to answer your questions of him and his family.

I hope you have a wonderful trip to India and enjoy your stay.

Congratulations!

Stay healthy: Drink bottled water, keep eating of roadside stalls(incase the option comes) for later trips.

Get some small gifts for siblings, etc.

And finally do visit some places atleast near where you are going. Take your pick from Cultural, Nature, Beaches options.

Hi NullNull,

Congratulations on your engagement! Be prepared for a little cultural shock – But trust me it would be worth it!

Where is your fiance from? As you would soon find out that different states in India have different ways about going through the process of meeting up!

Here are some common tips you could use!

1. Indian families, though tend to be nuclear these days ALWAYS ( as a rule ) look for a bride who could adjust well within the family. So it would probably be a good idea as to know a little about his traditions and sound Ms. Know-It-All!

2. Preferably dress Indian. Though thats not a necessity. But make sure you look stunningly beautiful! :)

3. Try to engage in small talk with his parents and show equal interest in his siblings.( I guess it is the same old story anywhere in the world)

4. Be prepared to answer a few questions about your family. Sound pretty well knit!

I guess that would do the trick – As mentioned in the previous entry – Do talk to a few Indians about the little things you would like to know!

Once you are here, make it a point to visit a couple of Indian states! It would be refreshing for sure.

All the best

Regs
KayKay

Congrats on your marriage. My advice is don’t drink the water.DON’T! You will get so sick. Good luck.

Hi, congratulations on your engagement! I apologize for not having been able to respond yesterday but here I am today. My dad is Indian and when I went to India I found most people to be very friendly…watch for taxi drivers though, some are very nice and some are just there to earn extra money off of people unfamiliar with India. Parties are the best and you’ll experience a ton of them! Just be yourself and sound as though you are educated and of sound mind and they’ll love you. Happy Diwali!

Hi, congratulations on your engagement! I apologize for not having been able to respond yesterday but here I am today. My dad is Indian and when I went to India I found most people to be very friendly…watch for taxi drivers though, some are very nice and some are just there to earn extra money off of people unfamiliar with India. Parties are the best and you’ll experience a ton of them! Just be yourself and sound as though you are educated and of sound mind and they’ll love you. Happy Diwali!

very first question is which part of India does ur husband live in india. So basically there are so many diversities in different parts that you cant say for sure that the way u can manage a family from north india u can do the same for a south indian family. One reply to IndianDancers statement dont drink the water : Water here in india is sweet if u live in hills. U will find it dirty if ur living in Delhi or any other metro.
Overall India is a good country that still holds the relationship b/w father and son, Sister and Bros and all other…..

kayKay has explained good enough btw (he must be lookin for a non indian bride :) ) and u r intelligent enough to know for sure what they could be expecting as well as what u r expecting from them :)

Congrats.. Post your details on how the trip was!

Hi Nullnull,

Love your photo. Nothing like new tech commenting on old tech :) And congratulations on getting married.

On India, life is definitely different. I was there in ‘97, and it was a trip around the world backwords. Indira Ghandi airport shutdown one day we were there ‘cause some crazy Indian Air Force pilot was doing acrobatics (loops, rolls, etc.) over the airport! Yikers! Anyway, as a rule, the Indian people are very hospitable. I’m guessing they’re not expecting you to pay a dowry? Maybe this custom has changed since I was there… hopefully. I heard stories about women being ditched if they didn’t bring enough dowry. I hope that’s not true, and perhaps one of the other folks on the site from India can clear this. I haven’t read all the other responses, so forgive me if I repeat anything.

When you get to the airport, act like you know what you are doing and where you are going. If you’re white like me, you’ll get swamped with people that want to handle your bags (for money, of course) and give you taxi rides. Hopefully your fiance will be merciful and meet you there!

I’m coming up short in the memory department for anything else that might concern you… go see the Taj Mahal, for sure. And be prepared to witness crushing poverty – people sleeping on the medians in streets and such… the train station in Delhi had ungodly numbers of giant rats swarming over the tracks… yech! Bring a strong stomach, ‘cause you will invariably have bout with a bug. Other than that, good luck.

Peter Gibbons (Gregg)

Congratulations !!!

Am not Indian but I have friends in India, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

But one think that you have to remember, that they are closed to their family, especially their parents.

I don’t know where are you come from, but for sure Indian’s family is like all Asian family.

Where we really need an “approval” from our parents to marry someone.

Don’t worry too much, be yourself, and please learn something from their culture.

I bet you, you will stunned with their culture, it’s lovely.

They are friendly especially if you shown your interest to their culture. Be friends with your fiance’s friend and top of that the siblings.

Make relationship with your fiance’s mother…; remember “Mother” is the most important person in Asian culture.

Try to have a sari…ask your fiance to help you find it (I have one…and will wear it if my best friend getting married…)

Listen all the advice that you’ve received from the people who posted their comment.

BTW, be carefull with the food, especially if you are not used to eat hot food.

Good Luck NullNull….be yourself and respect their culture.

Envy you….