The ceremony takes place on a "Poruwa", a beautifully decorated, traditional wooden platform.
The groom's brother hands over a tray with seven sheaves of betel leaves with a coin placed in each.
As the newly married couple steps down from the Poruwa, one of the groom's family members breaks a fresh coconut.
The Poruwa ceremony appears to have existed in Sri Lanka before the introduction of Buddhism in the 3rd century BC.
Today's Poruwa ceremony has been influenced by both upcountry and low country customs of Sri Lanka.