Pre-Wedding
Avaniyoonu
After receiving blessings, the groom must dine with the elders of his family and relatives. This dinner is known as Avaniyoonu. The bride, too, observes the same ritual in her own house.

Day of marriage
The marriage takes place during the day. On the day of marriage and before proceeding to the venue of the wedding, the groom first visits a temple and seeks his parents' and elders' blessings.

Punyaha
The groom is received by the girl's brother who offers him lemon and chandanam (sandal). Punyaha is performed and sacred water is sprinkled on the groom. The sacred water is brought from a temple. Punyaha is performed for the bride, too, but this is done at the venue of the marriage.

After the Punyaha, the groom is taken to the mandap for the marriage. Nirapara, a measuring container filled to the brim with grain, is placed on the mandap. In this container pookula - an offshoot of the coconut tree from which the coconut grows - is kept.

Aayiramthiri
Inside the house or the bride's cabin in the auditorium, aarthi is performed with a lamp that has multiple flames. It is called the Aayiramthiri and is supposed to cast off the evil eye and also purify her. This aarthi is to be performed by a maidservant or an outsider, someone who is not directly related to the bride


Wedding
Kanyadaanam
The bride's mother and aunts bring the bride to the mandapam. Then the father holds his daughter's hands and places it in the grooms hands - called Kanyadaanam. The groom and bride touch his feet and get blessings.

Thali Kettu
This is the most important ritual in a Malayali marriage. Close to the muhoortam (auspicious time), the girl sits to the right of the groom. The girl's aunt hands the thali or the mangalsutra to the poojari. The poojari, after ritually purifying the thali by showing it to the traditional lamp, hands it over to the groom who ties the thali around the bride's neck. The people present there bless the couple by showering flowers on them as the thali is tied around the bride's neck. This is considered to be the most important part of the marriage ceremony. This is followed by exchanging flower garlands, and the bride and the groom take three pradikshanas (phera) of the nirapara. Once the pradikshanas are taken, the bride and groom touch the feet of the groom's and bride's parents and maternal uncles (of both the bride and groom) for blessings. And in exchange of the blessings the newly-wed hand over betle leaf and betle nut to the elders.

Pudava Koda Pudava koda forms the integral part of the traditional Malayali marriage.Two sets of dressing materials,one set of the trditional Kerala woman's wear Pudava and Kavani which are bordered with plated gold like threads and another set of the trditional wedding saree, arranged in a Thalam ,an ornamental plate,is handed to the bride on the wedding platform after the Thalikettu and Panigrahana functions,by hte bride groom.As soon as the marriage ceremony is over the bride wears the Pudava and Kavani.Later when she procceds with the bride groom to his house the bride will be draped her self with the other dress.

Shadharmascharyatham
After the completion of Laja homa, dakshina (token gifts) are given to the priest by the couple. This is the last ceremony to be held on the day of marriage.

Post Wedding
The couple is then taken inside the house to the bride's chambers. Here the mother of the bride gives them milk and bananas to share and eat. If the groom stays over at the bride's place for the night, ladies come together to perform the Thiruvathira. This is a group dance performed wearing cream saris, around the traditional lamp.
Vidai
The vidai from the place of wedding takes place at an appointed time, according to the muhoortam. The bride, after receiving aashirwadam or blessings of the parents and the elders present, takes her leave.

Kudiveypu
The first event at the groom's house after marriage is called Kudiveypu or making a new home/family. The women of the house perform all the kriyas in these rituals. At the threshold of the groom's home, aarthi of the couple with deep (lamp) is performed. While entering the house, the bride first places her right foot into it. She holds a traditional lamp in her hand while entering the house. Ganpathi pooja is now performed. The bride then boils milk in the kitchen to herald her inclusion in her new family.

Sadya (Feast)
A typical meal in Kerala is known as Sadya. It is an elaborate affair consisting of twenty-five items. It includes rice, at least three varieties of pickles, curries and sweets. Coconut preparations also form an integral part of most of the items. Traditionally, the food is served on the floor on plantain leaves.

The wedding guests sit cross-legged on the floor and fresh green plantain leaves, duly washed, are placed before them. There is no cutlery as the custom is to eat with one’s own hands. The elaborate menu consists of a series of dishes starting with avail, a stew-like preparation of a mixture of vegetables with a white sauce. This is followed by toran, again vegetables garnished with dry desiccated coconut. The next dish is olan: the olan prepared at a wedding is with coconut milk added to boiled vegetables. Kalam is the next item on the menu: it is made of curd with an addition of unripe banana and zimikand, a tuber. Green chillies add zest to the dish.

Tamarind water and jaggery are the main ingredients of pachhari which follows. This is a sweet-sour preparation in which lady’s fingers and gourd are cooked. With a tempering of mustard seeds and an addition of coconut, the pachhari is ready to be relished. Fresh ginger finely cut like matchsticks is added to tamarind water and jaggery, which is the basis for injipuli, spiced with green chillies. All these spicy and savoury dishes are served on a bed of rice. A small bowl of pure ghee is kept on the left of the plantain leaf and added at will as the wedding guest partakes of the highly spiced and tasty items.

Fresh papadams are also served. The dessert at a Kerala wedding is either of two specialities—paladaaprathaman or chaka prathaman, both of which are made with milk. Rice is added to the former and jackfruit to the latter.


Sources - 1, 2, 3.