When the people decide not to marry in the usual fashion wherein elaborate arrangements and a good sum of money is to be spent, the two most obvious options before them are to either get married as per the Arya Samaj wedding rituals or to go for court marriage in Delhi. Both these modes of marriages are perfectly legal and are carried out after their own procedures and rituals. However, the choice of either one of these will be dependent essentially on the differences between these two ways of getting married.
The chief difference between the Arya Samaj wedding and the court marriage in Delhi lies in the procedure involving the divine sanction. In the former, the couples are required to tie the knot in front of the holy fire, as per the Vedic rituals, amidst the recital of the Vedic hymns. Though there is no idol worship, there is definitely a provision for invoking the divine blessings in front of divine fire. In the latter, there is no such invoking of the divine blessings. There are no rituals of worship of any kind performed in case of marriage in courts. Only the legal procedures and formalities are performed.
The marriages solemnized in the courts do not happen at the same time. After due filing of the papers and documents, there is a gap of one month during which the courts issue notices inviting objections to the said marriage. These objections are scrutinized strictly from the viewpoint of the legal requirements. But, in case of the Arya Samaj wedding, there is no time gap and no such notices are issued. So, there is no scope for inviting the objections to the marriage in this case. The presence of witnesses and the required documents are sufficient for the performance of marriage.
Arya Samaj wedding is considered to be quite an austere move by the couple and there are no big sums to be spent. However, in case of the court marriage in Delhi, even that much of sums need not be spent. Only the payment of the court fee is sufficient. Generally, besides the factors mentioned above, people decide on which of the way to take depending on the number of people who are going to be present at the occasion. If there are quite a few numbers of people, then the marriage at the mandir is preferred but if the people who are likely to come are only the witnesses then the court marriage might be preferred. Also, the choice of the method depends on the time factor that one has.
Whatever be the way of getting married, at the end of the either of these ceremonies, a legal marriage happens which is valid as per the law. These differences are the main determining factors of the option to choose as per the convenience or urgency of the couple and other people likely to attend the ceremony. As per figures, the court marriage in Delhi is less favored an option as compared to the wedding at the Arya Samaj.