We Love Elephants At Indian Weddings !!

 

Elephants have always played a prominent part in Indian culture. They are considered to be very sacred and symbolize good luck and prosperity; hence they are usually a part of most Indian weddings. Elephants were a must at royal weddings in olden times and kings and Nawabs used to ride on elephants to their wedding venues to symbolize their power.

 Today, the concept has moved on from just being a traditional wedding, couples are now including elephants at their weddings not just as a part of the wedding procession, but also in other areas such as your wedding card, décor, food and wedding favors. Checkout these cute elephant cookies & elephant name card holders!

 

 

Elephants look majestic as a part of the wedding procession; especially when they are dressed in rich and magnificent fabrics and jewellery. Another common way used to dress up elephants for weddings is, by painting them. At most traditional Indian weddings the elephants are adorned with ornaments such as anklets, necklaces and colourful rich caparisons.

 

Weddings are getting more intimate and fun and though traditions are still deep rooted, the way of following them may differ. Like for wedding on the beach , the elephant could have a floral garland around its neck as opposed to a richly decorated elephant which you would have if you are having a traditional or royal Indian wedding.

Depending on your theme you can choose to incorporate elephants in various other elements. Since elephants symbolize prosperity and good luck, couples choose to have them as a part of their wedding card design. Elephants also have a deep connection with the supreme Hindu god – lord Ganesh, whose face depicts the animal. Lord Ganesh is considered to be the most powerful of the Hindu gods and Hindus pay homage to this god before starting any auspicious occasion in life.

 

Décor is yet another big area where you can incorporate elements such as floral decorated elephants or elephant place cards.

 

In what better way can you incorporate elephants in your menu than have a lovely elephant inspired Indian wedding cake! We think it’s a great idea to include it as a part of your food layout.

 

Elephant inspired wedding favors are also quite popular as they are considered to be lucky. Moreover it’s a perfect way to thank guests at an Indian wedding!

 

If you have hired an elephant for your wedding a fun thing to consider doing is a post wedding shoot with the elephant! You could also consider keeping the elephant back after the baraat and have rides for the kids or plan a fun inter-family elephant polo match before the wedding or even better would be a royal welcome for your guests where every guest arrives at the venue like a king riding on an elephant!

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Tips | Choosing Your Wedding Flowers

 

Choosing the right wedding flowers is extremely important as, the flowers will set the mood of your event and enhance your wedding décor. Though you might have preferences, there are several factors based on which you may have to make your choice. We have listed the top ten things you need to keep in mind while choosing your wedding flowers.

• The first thing would be to finalize your theme. This will give you a broad idea as to which are the flowers can you opt for keeping in mind your theme. For example if you wish to have a traditional Indian wedding, you know you would only want local Indian flowers such as Marigolds or Mogras. Similarly if you wish to have a beach wedding, you may include tropical flowers in your décor. Hence the choice of flowers would vary based on the theme.
• You need to choose your flowers depending on the size of your venue and various areas which you want to decorate. Also the choice of flowers would differ for an indoor and an outdoor venue as some flowers cannot withstand harsh sunlight or heat.

• Flowers look lovely and add a soft touch to your wedding décor but may get very expensive at times; especially if you have exotic flowers on your list, as they are not easily available. Allocating a budget to flowers is very important. The best thing to do would be to first identify which are the places where you would want to incorporate flowers like, wedding mandap, entrance, centerpieces etc. Then you can work backwards. If the cost is high you can always opt for budget friendly options such as non-floral centerpieces.
• In case you have a destination wedding make sure the option of flower you have chosen is locally available. If not, then you will have to make arrangements to import the flowers. This may be quite expensive so don’t forget to include it in your costing.
• Choose a reliable vendor as there are times when you just don’t get a particular colour in the market irrespective of the fact whether it is off-season or not for that particular flower. Hence if you have a reliable vendor he /she would find a way to source the colour and if not they will get you the next best option.

 

• Some flowers just can’t work for outdoor day events while there are others which would work for both day and night. Like for example, Mogras are not at all recommended for an outdoor day event as, they tend to get black when left out in the sun for too long. On the other hand Roses would work very well for a daytime outdoor function as well as a night event.
• Decide whether you want to go with just one type of flowers or have a combination of flowers. This will again have to be tied in with your them
• Choosing the perfect colour can sometimes be a difficult task. Remember the lighting can change the colour of the flowers especially if it is an evening function. The best thing for an evening function would be to go for white flowers and work with the lights as white flowers will take the colour of whichever light falls on it. Or another option would be to work with complimentary colours such as pink and purple. You could have pink flowers with purple lighting or vice-versa. For a day function you can opt for any colour of your choice. Also few other things to keep in mind while selecting the colour palette for your wedding flowers would be the colour of the linen, colour of your outfit and of course the theme of your function.
• Some flowers are seasonal hence make sure that your choice of flower is easily available during the time of your wedding.
• Fragrance of some flowers is sometimes overpowering and strong. Make sure you keep this in mind while choosing your flowers for the wedding. On the other hand there are a few flowers which have a very subtle and refreshing fragrance. Also make sure you don’t keep scented flowers too close to the food area as it might blend with the aroma of the food.

A few other tips to remember:  Always ask the florists for a mock set up with flowers to get the actual feel of the look. Though this can’t be done with bigger wedding elements such as stage or entrance but you can surely request to see a mock set up of the centerpieces. Make sure you account for floral arrangements for the buffet as this is one area which is usually neglected and has a completely different décor, usually done by the caterer and may look quite ghastly at times. Hope this helps put together your wedding floral décor!

Indian Wedding Décor Elements

Indian weddings can be so amazingly beautiful and colourful, it’s no wonder that Indian weddings and India themed weddings are getting increasingly popular around the world, irrespective of nationality! Although India is a diverse country regards to cultures and traditions, there are some décor elements that invoke the typical beauty and colours of the country. These wedding décor elements can be used to create your Indian fantasy wedding.

 

When you think of India, you often think of gorgeous, lush fabrics and textures. One of the easiest ways to infuse a healthy dose of ‘Indian-ness’ to your function is to include lots of colourful embellished fabrics. Fabrics in rich and bright hues like red, orange, blue, yellow and parrot green. Metallic prints and embroidery, bead, sequin and crystal work, zari work and opulent brocades all work well. Use these lush fabrics for drapes, table covers or runners, chair covers and more. You can also incorporate different sarees as a decorative element for a unique desi touch! Colourful or metallic hued cushions and diwans for floor seating also look great. Using typically Indian fabrics like bandhni and ones with batik prints, mirror work or ethnic block work looks very inviting. Warm up the space with brightly hued rugs and carpets.

Flowers are a huge part of the indian weddings and any other important function or cultural events. The sheer variety of colours, shapes and looks you can incorporate by using fresh blooms is amazing. Find out what seasonal flowers are available for the freshest florals. Flowers like marigolds, lilies and roses are always popular.

 You could hang garlands across the room, the mandap or tent and even have large urns with pretty floating candles and flowers. Lights are another key element in Indian wedding décor. Diyas, lanterns and candles can be used to create a special ambience. Cut-work lanterns in intricate designs and embellished candles look lovely.

Make use of typical Indian designs and prints for your drapes, linens, party favours, etc. Shapes like the mango or paisley prints, tribal art, lotus print, peacock designs etc. are so wonderfully Indian and also very chic. Many planners will be able to show you a range of fabrics and props for your fat indian wedding!! :)