Want to plan your wed ding in style but don't know how? Fret not. The recently launched The Great Indian Wedding Book, by 100 Communications, incorporates ideas and tips from the country's top trousseau and jewellery designers, wedding planners and wedding photographers and cinematographers. Here are a few tips to help you plan your big day:
Keep it personal
In earlier times, families used to personally visit and invite guests to weddings. As technology dominates today's lifestyle, accompanied by a serious dearth of time, the wedding invitations have gained significance as the first portrayal of the wedding and the accompanying gifts reflect the concern for the guests, making them feel special... This year, hand embroidered silk boxes are in vogue, which not only carry the invite but can also be used to store jewels or bangles by the guests later. Meaningful additions like layered effect, a bow, ribbon, feather or a sparkling Swarovski crystal make the invites even more attractive. It is best to go traditional with gifts like condiments. Send the all-time beloved kesar, Kashmir kahva, or cardamoms with these invites. Each invitation should be packaged in a way that it looks like an ingenious piece of art and makes the guests feel loved and ready to have a good time.
-Gurpinder Balcon, runs a firm that designs wedding invites
Plan your shoot
Curated, styled photo shoots are extremely in vogue and many couples are opting for specially stylized shoots, akin to fashion shoots, with a stylist, set designer, makeup artist and hairstylist to make their story eternal.
I recently did a gorgeous shoot for a young couple in Udaipur, inspired by the Maharanis of yester-years. The bride wanted a quirky retake on royalty. Dressed in fun harem pants and a bold colorful jacket, we recaptured the iconic Basanti in the frame along with her fiancee...
The couple should reserve some special time for their portrait shoot. Brides put so much effort planning the wedding but allocate such little time to capture and immortalize it. Even during the wedding, specific time should be designated so that the photographer can capture the couple at their best.
-US-based Mili Ghosh, a wedding photographer and videographer
Brides, it's okay to experiment
Red is a very debatable colour choice for a wedding outfit for the modern bride. Light hues like that of peach and smoked salmon find solace in a sareegown or a structured jacket and skirt combo.
The entire appeal always aims at making an everlasting statement on your big day. Our most adventurous wedding creation has been the Gothic inspired outfit we fashioned for the Avantika-Imran Khan wedding in Phuket. Crafted out of black satin, organza and net, it was one of the most edgy and innovative trousseau creations.
The bride shouldn't weigh herself down with oodles of embroidery and embellishments. The fabric has to be flowing and easy on her and the whole look should enable her to move around with ease. Also, the make-up should enhance her looks and not overstate them.
Go for old
Opt for the cherished personal heirlooms, each gemstone of which has a saga to reveal.
Translate the family treasure that has been passed down from one generation to another, into a memorable piece for your big day and add to the beauty of the entire affair... For instance, a brooch created from an heirloom choker, sarkhej and an emerald necklace has been one of our legendary creations.
The scope for dismantled and reassembled jewellery is tremendous and the bride must incorporate one of these for her big day.
Serve with style
No dish, however traditional it may be, can afford to look commonplace in the backdrop of a royal wedding affair. An everyday dish should in fact appear to be exceptional in every aspect. Increasingly, wedding menus are selected by the well-heeled, jet-setting younger generation, either by the couple themselves or their friends, so `going international' is the new buzz phrase... Clever innovation is the need of the hour for these instances -I have combined something as commonplace as sookhe matar (green peas sauteed with masalas) with white truffle shavings, to improvise a traditional dish in a way that would take even a well-travelled gourmet by surprise.
The presentation of a dish makes as much of a style statement as the flavour and the ingredients used. Stylish innovations include making Golgappas special by serving them with a host of juices (plum, pomegranate and orange for example), apart from the usual sonth and jaljeera. Ultimately, people may remain faithful to traditional choices, but they'll always talk forever about the unusual variety served.
- Setting the stage
The stage has always been a key highlight of the wedding or reception decor. Until a few years ago, families wanted the stage for the couple to stand-out prominently and in some cases, saw it as the only space that truly needed to be decorated.
However, now our focus is on integrating the stage into the design in a manner that it merges seamlessly with the overall theme and decor, yet ensures that none of the limelight on the couple is lost...From the temples of the holy city of Varanasi to the lime-washed towns of the island of Santorini, from colourful sets inspired by Bollywood to re-production of the magic of Broadway, we have designed them all...
While a sprinkling of flowers can be found above or behind the couple, in our events flowers will always be found holding it on their own across the entire venue.
BDST: 1849 HRS, Aug-11, 2014
