The list of licenses you require to factor in when planning your Wedding / Sangeet ceremony :)

 

People often ask me, what is the most important aspect when you plan a wedding for your client? What do we as clients need to account for?

Before any wedding function takes place, there are a set of licenses which one requires to acquire to ensure a glitch-free wedding.  Most hotels provide clients the list of licenses, which they would require to be submitted to them 24 to 48 hours before the function begins. There may be slight differences in the list provided, depending on the agenda of the function.

Let us hypothetically consider a sangeet function which has everything in it, A closed door invite only event. It is a wedding ceremony filled with loads of fun and frolic with Live Entertainment and a DJ Party to follow.

The list of licenses you would require are:

• Rangbhoomi License
• No objection Certificate from the Additional Collectors office
• No Objection Certificate from the Local Police Station
• No Objection Certificate from the Traffic Police Department
• No Objection Certificate from the Fire Brigade
• Police Commissioners Note

The above licenses come as a cluster of licenses common for any event.

For the DJ at your event, you require:

• Phonographic Performance Ltd License: For any music apart from music by Yashraj Films.
• Novex: This license is acquired for any music used at the event which is by Yashraj Films.

If you are having any Live Performance at your event, then you require:

• IPRS: It stands for Indian Performing Rights Society Ltd. It is issued for any Live Entertainment you plan to have at your event.

Other Licenses Required:

• Liquor License
• Public Works Department License: You need to get this when you have a generator at your wedding function.
• Foreign Artist Permission: Whenever you have people from another nationality performing at your event, you require to submit their documents i.e passport and visa copy to the authorities.

Documents you will require to get these licenses:

• Floor Plan from the venue
• No Objection Cerificate from the Venue
• Letter of Application to different licensing departments on your wedding planner’s company’s letter head along with an affidavit on a stamp paper.
• Visa and contract copy between the artists and employee company if you have any foreign artists performing. It would be preferable in this case to get artists on a business visa and not an employment visa.

More often than not, it is advisable to ask the hotel what licenses they would require for the event and accordingly proceed.

So given above are the list of licenses required for your wedding, we are here to respond to any queries you may have, please feel free to post your feedback in our comments section 🙂

Would love to hear from you!

Your’s Truly,

Barkha

Wedding App! What’s that?

As the world gets more tech savvy, why shouldn’t your wedding as well? In the last few years, wedding websites have become all the rage, with introductions about the bride & groom, programmes, etc. But wouldn’t it be great to have something more interactive and current, all in the palm of your hand?  Enter the wedding app!

Wedding apps can be customized for Android,iOS and Windows Phone, integrated with your wedding website, and have possibilities of multiple useful features.  They especially make sense with everyone traveling and a multitude of coordination to be done with the guests involving transportation and timelines. Here we list some of the exciting features you can incorporate in your wedding app.

Meet the Guests!

Send out invites asking your guests to download the wedding app and sign into the guest book. Your app can build a fun directory with quirky information about each guest, enabling everyone to get to know each other in advance, plan the pre-wedding bachelor / bachelorette, tell funny tales and instances about the bride and groom and let the wedding fun begin months in advance!

Keep things organized via the Instant Messenger and RSVP page

The guests can use the app to RSVP and inform you about their travel plans. They can also message you through the app, to be constantly in touch about any changes. Apps can offer customizations to form groups in the messenger module, enabling guests to interact with each other and plan things out via the app.

Gift Registry via the Wedding App

Why get burdened with a zillion gifts you’ll end up never using or giving away? Create your gift registry online, using e-commerce sites and link them back to your app, allowing your guests to spend their money intelligently and getting you a gift you’ll actually use and appreciate! It’s a win-win for everyone.

Countdown to the D-Day

Your wedding app can integrate with your phone’s calendar and store the event into people’s schedule. What’s more, the app can display a countdown to the big day, building excitement with animation and trivia. You can also have reminders springing up before the different functions planned, ensuring people are up-to-date and on time. 

Turn your wedding into a vacation!

Let’s face it, while your wedding is definitely the most important day in your life, it can sometimes turn into a bit of a drag for your guests. So why not turn it into a fun sightseeing trip for everyone? Let your app report the expected weather for the day, the history of your venue, amazing places to visit nearby. Add information about travel, local transport, interesting trivia and maybe even form a group for guests with similar interests to plan a small excursion between events? Feeding in your detailed programme with timings into the app will enable guests to plan their day, and manage some fun on the side! No more lost wandering aunties who missed the bus because they thought you said 6pm instead of 4pm… It’s all there on the app, with built in reminders!

Live stream your Wedding!

You know the excitement of watching a cricket match live, and then realizing you’re on the screen for everyone as well? Recreate the hype at your wedding by having your videographer upload a live stream onto the app, available for all your guests to see! Moreover, it enables all your invitees to view every aspect of the wedding, even if they were unable to attend. 

Create a live photo album

It takes months of asking and begging all friends and family to send you all the pics they took at your wedding, and even then you almost never manage to get all! Have no fear, your wedding app is here! Create a live photo sharing environment, with everyone on the app being able to share any pics they take directly from their phone to all other guests, and most importantly, you! You can build in fun photo props into the app for guests to modify their pictures and create virtual photo booths and photo strips. And why not link it to your social media page for direct uploads?

The possibilities of development on your wedding app are endless. While there are customizable designs and templates available which are relatively easy and quick to build, one can always build completely new models and customized modules as per their requirements. Contact your wedding planner to help you build an app that your guests will be talking about and trying to copy for years to come!

A Bride Chose Her Wedding Lehenga Through FaceTime and the result will leave you speechless…

There is no doubt that most girls are crazy about weddings! What they are more excited about is their wedding outfit.

Every to-be bride wants to look the best on her D-day in her wedding lehenga. And so these pretty damsels browse the internet, check out each and every place that they possibly can and then arrive at a decision 🙂

But this has not been the case with Kiah.What is so special about her Lehenga?

She chose it over FACETIME. Yes, you read that right! Moreover, she didn’t even try it once (obviously!). This has to be the rarest of rare cases where the bride is doing the most important shopping of her life through video chat? Well, we still can’t believe it, but this is how she did it!

Actually, Kiah was in New Zealand when she did her bridal lehenga shopping. And the one and only time she tried it was before the big day.

Thankfully, her lehenga turned out to be super-amazing and she looked like a princess in it.

Kiah walked down the aisle with her love Ron and their wedding was truly mesmerizing and was beautifully captured by Design Aqua Studio.

This is the very lehenga, which Kiah chose over FaceTime. Kiah always wanted to don something in pastels for her wedding.

So, she opted for a pastel pink coloured lehenga with beautiful golden work on it by Aashna Behl. She just looked as natural as any Indian bride can manage to.

It was her mother who played the significant role in choosing this stunning bridal outfit as she was the one who FaceTimed with her to shop this in Delhi while Kiah was in New Zealand. Kiah teamed up her look with beautiful Kundan jewelry by Bishan Singh Jewellers in Chandni Chowk. The beautiful bride completed her look with minimal makeup from Chandni Singh Makeup Artist.

Well, it’s really a brave step for any bride to choose her lehenga over FaceTime without even trying it once, but Kiah, it worked for you and we wish you all the very best for the future 🙂

Article Source : http://www.bollywoodshaadis.com

9 of the funniest wedding matrimonial ads you will ever read!

India is considered a rather weird place as far as dating and marriage are concerned, we Indians are quite expectant when it comes to settling down and it becomes a comedy of errors when we try to fit expectations within a small matrimonial column.

You’d still have simple parents looking for the perfect son or daughter-in-law. The thought is novel. It’s perfectly fine to go for arranged marriages if it’s your cup of tea.

But some matrimonial ads are just plain hilarious and idiotic, check these out!

Lol, Twitter chalega?

Who wears jeans in the house??????

Hahaha we wonder how that went

Hahahaha, how pissed off is this parent!

Are you convented?

LOL, I dont know what to say about this

We wonder what an Innocent Divorcee is?

Lol! Bechaare

Last but not the least, This is Shashi Tharoor’s matrimonial ad! 😛

 

 

 

Balle Balle all the way! Why Punjab is a great Wedding Shopping Destination

The balle-balle land has quite a lot to offer with regards to shopping. Punjab is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of handlooms and handicrafts. Everything available here carries a stamp of its rich culture.

Almost all tourist places in Punjab, from Amritsar to Ludhiana and Chandigarh, provide shopping opportunities and have a lot to offer in terms of traditional and rich crafted ware.

The kind of stuff you get here is colourful, authentic and traditional.

Jutties

Footwear with beautiful embroidery and impressive patterns using a wide range of fancy materials, like beads, pearls, coloured threads, small mirrors and seashells, are a must-buy in Punjab.

Phulkari

A form of craft in which artistic embroidery embellishes a shawl, saree, dupatta or the entire dress, generally used for special occasions like weddings and other festivities. A special kind of thread is used for phulkari, which is called ‘pat.’ The designs used are varied.

Parandis

Parandis are attractive hair ornaments, worn at the end of a braid. These parandis are woven out of attractive silk threads, clustered together artistically, in a  variety of designs and patterns.

Mentioned above are just a few things traditional to Punjab and can be used for wedding trousseau, placed on the shagun thali or just give a piece of handcrafted stuff from Punjab as Wedding Favours!

So next time you are there, be sure to check these out! 🙂

This beautiful place is all you need for your Pre-Wedding Photoshoot!

Planning for a pre-wedding shoot can be stressful, to say the least. From the locations to the attire to the make-up and everything else that comes with it.

What if we told you, there exists a place where you can choose any location you want whether it is Morocco or Rajasthan, all you need to do is turn up with your better half and your photographer!

I am not talking about Narnia but I can say it is just as magical, I am referring to THE PERFECT LOCATION, at Mathura Road near Badarpur-Faridabad Toll Plaza.

Image Credit: The Creative Lens

This 3-acre open-air location is equipped with a contemporary make-up room and 2 dressing rooms, providing one the comfort of an indoor studio, while shooting at an outdoor location.

Image Credit: Amit Puri Photography

Image Credit: Emotive Lens 

Image Credit: Hitched and Clicked

As you see from the photos, some of the best wedding photographers have worked here and most echo the same sentiment, your photographer gets ample amount of time to plan and visualise the shoot and create the perfect frame.

Image Credit: Hitched and Clicked

Makeup /dressing room is a big bonus for the client as this facility is not available usually except in an indoor studio.

The variety of backdrops and sets with unique/antique/vintage props gets their creative juices flowing.

Image Credit: Design Aqua

Image Credit: Snapsoul

They always have an appropriate solution to the “I want something Unique”. They love to interact with and help the photographer in their creativity.

Rathik Bansal is the man to reach if you would like to add this magic to your pre-wedding photoshoot as well and can be reached at  +919911632255.

So what are you waiting for, call THE PERFECT LOCATION for the PERFECT PRE-WEDDING PHOTOSHOOT!

4 Wedding Hacks everyone should know about which can help you save money!

Wedding’s as we all know can be an expensive affair, especially here in India with an industry worth 1300 crores annually.

There are ways, however, where you can save on the precious greens and stick within a budget, we tell you how.

1.Get a Wedding App

A wedding app does not cost much, our sister concern provides customized wedding apps to clients for as low as thousands. With features such as a conversation wall and invitations section, push notifications and an agenda section. This wedding app converts into your very own social media network and guests carry your wedding in their pocket. With the amount of time people spend on whats app and facebook these days, it should be a piece of cake to get your guest’s attention.

Where this allows you to save is it helps get rid of printing invitations and conducting RSVP’S, which with the number of guests invited more often than not proves to be expensive.

2.Hire a Wedding Planner

Now you may think, wait a minute, is this a post about increasing expenses or saving them?

It is most certainly about saving, the reason a wedding planner can help you save more than spending is because being within the industry they have an exact idea of how much one should spend where and on what.

It is easy for them to identify why something is not needed purely basis the experience gathered over years!

3.Have a dessert bar instead of cutting a wedding cake!

Mooh Meetha karvana is a tradition, and in line with that tradition, having a dessert bar is quirky and fun, and can be a great alternative to an expensive layered wedding cake.

It also allows you the liberty to have an assortment of desserts and is usually part of the caterer’s package.

This is just repackaging something that already exists to look a lot better than it already does 🙂

4.Rent your jewelry

Although it might make you cringe at first, it is not a bad option if you are not too big on owning jewelry but need to spend on it for the wedding.

There are beautiful sets available which can make you look stunning, to say the least, and there are many suppliers who rent them out for a small fee!

Ask your wedding planner’s how this works.

All we recommend, what is most important is, Just Have Fun!

We hope you enjoyed reading, keep checking in for more ideas!

Our favourite picks for your Sangeet and Wedding Music!

With wedding season in full swing, it is time to dance till you drop. This post is about our picks of songs you can use to make your wedding/sangeet as memorable as can be!

Let’s begin with some high energy tracks for your Sangeet:

The “Gulabo” song (the movie Shaandar) is perfect to start with. This peppy yet not too jarring song will act as the instant mood setter for the evening.

The “Galla Gudiya” song (the movie Dil Dhadakne Do) with its punjabi dance masti flavour will be great for performing in a group or for a couple like chacha-chachi or mama-mami performing on stage.

The “Kar Gayi Chul” song (the movie Kapoor and Sons) has a hint of mischief and flirtatious fun. The young cousins of the bride and groom can get the guests grooving for the fun-filled evening with the help of this song.

The “Chittiya Kalaiyan” song (the movie Roy) is a foot tapping number with appreciation for feminine beauty and is a instant hit with all the women. The pretty bride or her cousins dancing on this number makes for a great idea.

“Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hain” song (the movie Khoobsurat) will heighten the enthusiasm quotient among the relatives and guests. Even if there’s no performance planned on this song, it will definitely attract enthusiastic and spontaneous dancers on stage or on the dance floor.

With the excitement hitting the roof, the next best suggestion definitely is “Dj Wale Babu Mera Gana Chala De” and when it plays no one will be able to resist the dance floor!!

Sunny Leone’s “Baby Doll” song definitely deserves mention here. With a solo or a young girls group performance on this, the Sangeet hall will definitely be buzzing with high octane energy.

The “Afghan Jalebi” (the movie Phantom) song with its peppy foot tapping Arabic theme music, is an instant hit with the crowd and a cousins performance on this number will definitely make the energy levels hit the roof.

The “Tu Meri” song (the movie Bang Bang) buzzing with energy is perfect for the young crowd to get their groove on.

The “Badtameez Dil” song (the movie Yeh Jawaani Hain Deewani) is needless to say meant for a power packed performance by the bride and groom’s friends and cousins. Such a song will get the foot tapping and hearts racing.

For the Mumbaiya tapori fun song, we have the “Tu Mere Agal Bagal” song (the movie Phata Poster Nikla Hero). Performance on this song will definitely be hilarious to watch.

Our picks for the best romantic songs!

The “Sab Tera” song (the movie Baaghi) is a very soothing romantic number which will be heart warming if performed by the bride and the groom.

The “Pehla Nasha” song (the movie Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander) is an evergreen song loved through out generations. This song creates an ambience of love like no other song.

The “Samjhawan” song (the movie Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya) is again an enchanting love song perfect for the new couple.

The “Pehli Nazar Main” song (the movie Race) of Atif Aslam with its melodious and scintillating rhythm, makes it a good choice for a close dance by the couple.

The “Rabta” song (the movie Agent Vinod) sets a soothing Sufi love environment. It can be used as a dedication from the bride to the groom. Also a popular song for Bridal Entry.

The “Teri Or” song (the movie “Singh is King”) will look very romantic if performed by any couple on stage.

The “Dheere Dheere Se Meri Zindagi” song (the latest album with Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor) is a remix of an evergreen romantic song of the 1990s. It will make for a cute dedication from the groom to his bride.

Do let us know which one is your favourite 🙂

Disclaimer : We do not claim to own rights to any of the music spoken off in the above post and adequate licenses need to be acquired to use the same on your big day.

9 Evergreen Traditions That Make An Indian Wedding The Most Beautiful Celebration In The World!

This article has been written by Namrata Arora for BollwoodShaadis.com

Indian weddings are colourful, bright, and loaded with traditions, they’re occasions of sheer joy. Each and every culture showcases its unique customs that are a delight to witness. Even just imagining a wedding without these beautiful traditions is quite a difficult thing, let alone actually not having these traditions be a part of them at all.

So, we thought of compiling a few Indian wedding traditions that should carry on for generations to come and without which, weddings will definitely not be as much fun as they are now.

#1. The Mehendi ceremony

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It’s all about applying intricate henna designs on the hands and feet of the bride. Not only the bride, but all her friends and the ladies in the family get it applied on their hands. It is said that darker the colour of the mehendi, the more love and affection the bride will get from her hubby dearest and mother in-law. The venue is decorated with flowers and curtains. This function is one for which the bride and her friends eagerly wait as this is practically their last night together to have fun, dance, sing, and let their hair loose with each other. Also, there is something enchantingly serene about this night that makes it a memorable one.

#2. The Chooda ceremony

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Can any Punjabi bride imagine her wedding to take place without having the chooda ceremony? We do not know what it is, but somehow, a marriage seems incomplete without those beautiful red and white ivory bangles. Many non-Punjabi  brides love wearing choodas as well. Seriously! And for her friends’ delight, it’s the kalire ceremony that follows and decides who gets married next!

#3. The Sehrabandi

bollywoodshaadis

The sehrabandi is the ritual in which the groom’s sister ties a sehra on his head after completing a specific puja. It is one of the most emotional moments between a brother, who is getting married and his sister. In North Indian weddings, it is one of the most sacred and followed pre-wedding traditions.

 

 

#4. The Joota Chupai

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The jiju’s relationship with his saalas and saalis is incomplete without the joota chupai tradition where the bride’s siblings hide the groom’s shoes while he sits for the marriage ceremony. They then return the shoes in exchange for money. It is the best way for the two to bond and become closer amidst having some fun and also some serious bargaining!

 

#5. The Bidaai

This is one of the saddest yet happy and emotional event of the entire wedding, when the bride has to say her final goodbyes to her family and friends to go to her new house. Though it gets everyone teary-eyed, it’s one of the most cherished traditions amongst all

 

#6. The Kalash

weddingsonline

When the bride enters her new house, she has to gently kick a small kalash full of rice with her right foot before she enters. This marks the beginning on her new life in her new house, and brings prosperity and good luck in the house. It is also synonymous with Goddess Lakshmi entering the house.

 

#7. Post-wedding games

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These are major stress busters for the newly-married couple after a hectic and long day. The friends and family members of the groom arrange for post-wedding games that the newlyweds are supposed to play. Games range from opening multiple knots on the thread tied to each other’s wrists prior to the wedding, or searching for a ring in a thaali full of coloured water. It is a great way to break the ice and bond with each other for the bride and her new family.

 

 

#8. Tossing of the bouquet

lenaherveybaycelebrant.com

For a Christian bride, who does not have functions like the mehendi or the sangeet for her and her friends to connect, tossing of the bridal bouquet is one such moment where she gets to do that. It is special to her friends as it is believed that whoever catches it, gets married next!

 

#9. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

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Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolises borrowed happiness; and something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity. This custom is for the Christian bride, and it symbolises wearing something on her wedding day that has been in her family from generations as it is considered to be lucky and auspicious.

 

 

About the Author: This article has been written by Namrata Arora for BollwoodShaadis.com

Wedding Gifts – What ‘NOT’ to gift

 

While the concept of gift registry is catching up fast even in India, it can still be difficult to decide on a good wedding gift for the lucky couple. If a registry does exist, it’s always safe to stick to the list to ensure you get the couple something they actually need, rather than something you thought would be good for them. However, if you still do feel you know the best, we’ve compiled a short list of things to stay away from while deciding their wedding gift.Fresh flowers / fruit baskets

Fresh flowers / fruit baskets

While it’s extremely common to gift bouquets at engagement or wedding ceremonies, do take a moment to step back and think about it. The couple themselves are too busy during the days of celebrations to sit back and appreciate the gift you got them, and by the time they actually do get some time to breathe, all they’ll be left with are rotting flowers from you. Or worse, fruits or food items that have gone bad. It’s a lot of money and prettiness that goes to waste without being appreciated, and more often than not ends up being left behind at the venue or given away quickly.

 Re-gifting your own gifts

Yes, I know it’s tempting. You ended up with a pretty ugly vase or dinner set, or a china-doll that feels a little too creepy to display, or maybe you just don’t have any space in your cramped house in Mumbai. But before you re-wrap that gift and decide to pass it on, just think about how you felt opening it to begin with. Gifts are a blessing from you to the happy couple, an indication of your wishes to them, do you really want that to be a hand-me-down? Nobody likes to receive unwanted gifts, or gifts showing traces of re-packing or use. Be original, and put in a bit of thought into your wedding gift!

Religious gifts

Religion is a very personal belief, and just because religious idols or Pooja thalis seem pretty and acceptable to give, they might not be the best gifts unless you are very sure of the couple’s beliefs. Moreover, religious gifts become difficult to refuse or pack away keeping in mind people’s sentimentalities. Best to steer clear of this area to ensure no awkwardness when the gifts are opened.

Art work

Art again is a personal choice, one that can vary significantly from person-to-person. What is beautiful to you, may not be as meaningful to another, and may end up as an item to store away somewhere. Unless you know about the couple’s choice in art, or know of their favourite artist and manage to get your hands on an original / replica, it might be safe to stay away from gifting any paintings on their wedding.

A gift requiring space in the house

This is something we can’t stress enough. Be aware of the couple’s expected lifestyle post marriage. Are they moving to another city? Will they be staying in a big house, or a small apartment? Is it already furnished? A big gift at the end of the day requires space and is difficult to transport, so make sure the couple has the requirement and the ability to use that gift. If the house is already fully furnished, appliances may end up duplicated. Huge show pieces for a small apartment will end up as a huge headache for the couple. And nobody manages to take big gifts with them while moving out of the country.

So the next time you’re invited to a wedding, be a little considerate and put yourself in the couple-to-be’s shoes before you decide what to gift them. After all, your gift is supposed to be something they cherish, not something they have nightmares about!