Sikh weddings are legal under UK law, as long as the building in which the ceremony is held is registered for the solemnisation of marriages.

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, commanded the Sikhs to maintain unshorn hair, recognizing it as a necessary adornment of the body by Almighty God as well as a mandatory Article of Faith. Sikhs consider the beard to be part of the nobility and dignity of their manhood.

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Any Amritdhari Sikh (man or woman who has undergone traditional Amrit initiation and therefore practices the prescribed Sikh code in daily life) can perform a marriage ceremony. This officiating person apprises the couple of the duties of married life according to the Guru’s teachings.

Sikhs are also not allowed eat meat – the principle is to keep the body pure. All gurdwaras are supposed to follow the Sikh code, known as the Akal Takht Sandesh, which comes from the highest Sikh authority in India.

A kirpan is a small replica sword worn around the waist under the clothes. It represents one of the five articles of faith that devout Sikhs must always wear, and which distinguish them as Sikhs. It is regarded as a ceremonial item, not a weapon of aggression, and symbolises readiness to fight oppression.

The Khanda – a double edged sword. This represents the belief in one God. The Chakkar, like the Kara it is a circle representing God without beginning or end and reminding Sikhs to remain within the rule of God. Two crossed kirpans (swords) representing spiritual authority and political power.

The Khanda, a Sikh symbol, today, is rendered in navy blue on the saffron background while the original was basanti( bright yellow) and surrmai neela ( Royal blue).

Khalsa, (Punjabi: “the Pure”) the purified and reconstituted Sikh community instituted by Guru Gobind Singh on March 30, 1699 (Baisakhi Day; Khalsa Sikhs celebrate the birth of the order on April 13 of each year). Khalsa is used to denote both the body of initiated Sikhs and the community of all Sikhs.