An Indian wedding is not one playlist. It is a sangeet that needs to fill a floor, a baraat that needs a beat, a couple's moment that should feel like only the two of you, and a vidaai that lets everyone cry a little. Below are real, well-known Bollywood songs for each of those moments, listed by film and year. And one more idea: an original song written about the couple's actual story, for $39.90, delivered in 24 to 48 hours. We start with that one, because it is the example.
Listen: "Teri Kahani"
What a wedding song has to do
A wedding song's only job is to make a specific moment feel like itself. A sangeet song has to pull aunties and cousins off their chairs. A baraat song has to keep a dancing procession moving down the street. A first-dance song has to shrink the room down to two people. And a vidaai song has to hold a goodbye without rushing it. "Teri Kahani" is the couple's-moment kind: built from their real details, so the words belong to them and no one else. That is the one thing a famous song, however beautiful, cannot do. The film's songwriter did not know their story.
This is why so many couples now use both. A Bollywood track everyone recognizes for the dancing, and a written song for the private moment that is only about them.
8 Indian wedding songs, by the moment
Here is a simple way to choose: pick the famous song when the crowd already knows every word, and have one written when you want your own names and story in the lyrics. These eight are real, well known, and sorted by where they fit in the celebration.
- "Gallan Goodiyaan" — Dil Dhadakne Do (2015). Composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with lyrics by Javed Akhtar, this is the modern sangeet standard. Filmed as one long unbroken family dance, which is exactly the energy you want when the whole family is on the floor.
- "London Thumakda" — Queen (2014). Amit Trivedi's bright, brassy wedding number, sung by Labh Janjua with Sonu and Neha Kakkar. Easy to learn, impossible to sit through. A safe first pick for a group sangeet performance.
- "Nagada Sang Dhol" — Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013). Sanjay Leela Bhansali's garba anthem, sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Osman Mir. The go-to if your sangeet has a dandiya or Gujarati streak.
- "Ainvayi Ainvayi" — Band Baaja Baaraat (2010). From the film literally about wedding planners, composed by Salim-Sulaiman. A playful, danceable track that works for the sangeet or a lighter baraat.
- "Chaiyya Chaiyya" — Dil Se (1998). A.R. Rahman and Gulzar's Sufi-folk classic, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. Nearly thirty years on, its drum-driven build still turns a baraat into a moving party.
- "Kesariya" — Brahmastra (2022). Pritam and Arijit Singh's slow, saffron-warm love song. For couples who want the big, tender first-dance feeling that the whole room can hum along to.
- "Raataan Lambiyan" — Shershaah (2021). A soft ballad by Tanishk Bagchi, sung by Jubin Nautiyal and Asees Kaur. Gentle and romantic, made for a bridal entry or the couple's slow dance.
- "Din Shagna Da" — Phillauri (2017). A Punjabi folk song made popular again by Jasleen Royal. Quiet and tender, it is the current favorite for the vidaai, the moment the bride leaves home.
The lyrics
The lyrics
Teri Kahani
Chhat pe woh pehli shaam
Do pyaali chai, tera naam
Rishton ne milaya tha humein us din
Maine bas haan kehne ki socha tha
Par teri pehli baat pe jo hansi aayi
Wahin se yeh safar shuru hua tha
Chai thandi hoti rahi
Baatein garam rahin
Teri kahani, meri zubaani
Ek chhat se shuru, ab puri zindagani
Gendhe ke phool, woh sharmaana tera
Likh di kismat ne jo, woh kahani hai mera
Teri kahani
Do parivaar neeche intezaar mein the
Hum upar waqt bhool gaye the
Tune kaha — "dar lagta hai mujhe bhi"
Bas usi sach pe hum jud gaye the
Patang udti rahi shaam mein
Hum baandhe gaye us dor se
Teri kahani, meri zubaani
Ek chhat se shuru, ab puri zindagani
Gendhe ke phool, woh sharmaana tera
Likh di kismat ne jo, woh kahani hai mera
Teri kahani
Log kehte hain — arranged tha, pyaar kahan?
Unhe kya pata, hausle se banta hai yeh makaan
Ek mulaqaat di thi humein gharwalon ne
Mohabbat humne khud kamaai, saalon mein
Teri kahani, meri zubaani
Ek chhat se shuru, ab puri zindagani
Gendhe ke phool, woh sharmaana tera
Likh di kismat ne jo, woh kahani hai mera
Teri kahani
Chhat wahi hai, chai wahi
Bas ab kahani — hamari hai
Common questions
What are good Bollywood songs for an Indian wedding?
For the sangeet, "Gallan Goodiyaan" from Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and "London Thumakda" from Queen (2014) reliably fill the floor. For the baraat, "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se (1998) and "Ainvayi Ainvayi" from Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) keep the procession moving. For the couple's moment, "Kesariya" from Brahmastra (2022) and "Raataan Lambiyan" from Shershaah (2021) are current favorites. If you want lyrics about your own story, a custom song is the most personal route.
Which song is best for the vidaai?
"Din Shagna Da," the Punjabi folk song made popular again by Jasleen Royal in Phillauri (2017), is the modern favorite for the vidaai. It is quiet and tender, which fits the moment the bride leaves her family home. Many families still sing the traditional folk version alongside it.
Should we pick a Bollywood song or have one written?
Pick a Bollywood song when a track already belongs to the couple, or when the crowd knows every word. Have one written when you want your real names, cities, and story in the lyrics. A custom song from Songbond is $39.90 and arrives in 24 to 48 hours, with unlimited revisions, so many couples do both and keep the written one for the quiet moment.
Give them a song that is only about them
A Bollywood hit says how love feels in general. A song about this couple says how they met, the city they call home, the promise they are making today. If you want the second kind, have a custom wedding song written for the couple for $39.90, delivered in 24 to 48 hours, revised until it is right. Tell us their story. We will write the rest.
From the same series: LGBTQ wedding songs and elopement songs.
