5 Wedding Day Details That Matter

 

 

Sure, there are a lot of finer details in putting up a wedding ceremony but here are 5 wedding day details that matter but are tend to be ignored in all the hotchpotch of a wedding.

 

1. Your Entry & Exit
   Your wedding day is of course all about you. Entries and exits are so important and constantly evolving with Asian weddings. Remember to always pick or agree your walk-in music with the DJ beforehand because it can really set the tone for the rest of the ceremony. If you want more of a silent ceremony then go for something calming and perhaps instrumental, whereas if your event is more of a party then go for something upbeat or even a little funny.

Similarly exits are also changing. No longer are brides expected to hug 25+ family members as she completes her vidaai. Instead couples are opting for more of a western-style celebration where the bride and broom walk out to cheers greeted with rose petals or confetti. It’s your last chance to drive home your sense of style – make the most of it.

 

2. Stationery
   Signage is key at any event. Be sure to wow your guests as soon as they walk in with a welcome sign, or perhaps a seating plan and personalized place cards. If the bar’s going to be open then why not opt for a drinks menu or get some personalized napkins or coasters to dish out with your drinks. Your chosen stationery will help you tie everything together and make your theme and style statement visible to your guests.

If you’re having any quirky additions at your event such as a photo booth then think about having specific signage for this or maybe even a cardboard cut-out of the bride or groom or some well-known face. Think about what will set your celebrations apart.

 

3. Favours
   Favours are your main chance to thank your guests for their attendance. Your chosen gifts will largely depend on the type of guests you have. If you have a younger circle of friends and family you could potentially opt for alcohol miniatures or even a fun game, which will help everyone break the ice on the table.

If you want to play it safe then food is always a good option. Whether you go for cupcakes, macarons, biscuits or even chocolate bars, they’re sure to be a hit. You can personalize your boxes, wrapping or even get stickers made to match your theme.

 

 

 

 

4. Guestbook
   

   Photo Courtesy: pinterest

   Your guestbook is something you can take away with you and enjoy for years to come so think about what you will enjoy looking through as a couple. You may want to opt for a traditional book or perhaps have one big board which your guests can sign, which you can thang up in your house. Alternatively, more quirkier options are things like date suggestion jars and wedding advice cards.

Not only is it important to consider what you’ll be using as your guestbook, but think about where it will be placed. Your table will need some kind of decoration and signage to entice people to it. Keep it classy with some candles and petals, or even a photo frame or two. Remember space is a good thing – you don’t need to fill every inch of your table with items.

 

5. Cake
   If you’re having an evening reception or post ceremony celebration you’ll want to have a cake. While there are many alternatives to a traditional cake (which we’ll talk about in a later post) there are so many things to consider when choosing yours. You need to think about the size you need; while a 4-5 tier plus cake might look stunning, do you really need it? Or can you afford it? Perhaps you may just need one cake to cut and can have a separate serving one. The design of the cake is also key, ensure it is in keeping with your style.

As well as design, there are so many different flavours you can experiment with. Our personal advice is to keep it simple and ensure it is something that will appeal to most. For example, you can never go wrong with a classic victoria sponge.

 

Bora Bora Boracay!

Are you a beach lover? Your idea of a perfect romantic getaway is to be sipping champagne while surrounded by crystal clear waters and white glistening sands? For all the tropical honeymooners out there, be informed that nothing could be more perfect than waking up on a bright, sunny morning in the charming Philippines. Boracay is one of the last undiscovered Asian beach escapes. A small island at 4.5 miles long, Boracay is small enough to navigate by rented bicycle or bike!

The Beaches

Even with it’s small expanse, Boracay has several world famous beaches to boast. White Beach, among these, is Boracay Island’s longest, most iconic and commercial strip. This place is a very important one on the Boracay bucket list. Voted one of the best beaches in the world, White Beach truly is a self-sufficient paradise, with 4 kilometres of white, pristine sand speckled with resorts, shops, and restaurants.

Yapak Beach, also known as Puka Beach, is famous for its numerous puka shells. The beach is known for its seafood, swarmed with restaurants serving the catch of the day. One great feature about Yapak Beach is that it’s not as commercial as White Beach, so it’s less crowded and leaves more opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the island. There are several other less commercial beaches around the place, ideal for the offbeat souls who like to steer away from the crowd.

Things to do

Boracay is an adventure-lover’s dream come true. Reef walking, scuba diving, parasailing, skimboarding, stand-up paddling and many more beach sports can be explored in abundance. Apart from that, you can do cliff diving, zorbing and ziplining, ATV rides, mermaid swimming, and loads more to satiate your appetite for adventure.

However, if you’re the kind who wants a vacation in the literal sense of the word and just wants to take it easy, then pick a less strenuous activity like swimming, golfing, or sailing or just recline by the beach and indulge in a glorious massage. There’s something for every type on this wondrous piece of land.

D’ Talipapa

The seafood paradise of Boracay, D’ Talipapa is a wet market that is surrounded by restaurants that offer cooking services for the fresh catches that you’ll find here. For those of you who don’t know the fast growing trend of “paluto” (meaning, “cooking service”) in the Philippines, you’re in for an experience you’ll cherish for a lifetime. Just seeing the range of seafood and fresh produce this market boasts will make your eyes pop out and mouth drool. And the best part? You get to have it tailored to your exact taste. So, get your tricycle ready and make your way to this food fantasy land.

Boracay will steal your heart in more ways than one. The breathtaking sunsets, the carefree sailing, the crazy nightlife, the sweetest locals, the happy-go-lucky tourists, the delectable food, the romantic setting, the natural beauty… the list goes on and on. However, the most striking quality about this wonderland is that you can create your own adventure and enjoy your stay in your own customized way no matter what your preferences are.

Are you convinced yet? Then come on over lovebirds, to the Philippines’ best kept secret.

Keep Calm and Hire a Wedding Planner

Weddings are supposed to be a dreamy, romantic time for couples; a countdown to the first day of the rest of their new lives; a memorable time that they want to cherish because they know they’ll never get it back. Sounds like a fairytale doesn’t it? But, then comes the contemplations, the selections, the decisions and endless discussions. And then comes the stress. About picking the venue, the invites, the centrepieces, the cake, the colour of the suit, the flowers, the menu, the favours… aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh. Feel like running away yet? Well, there are better (less drastic) solutions. Hire a wedding planner. Believe me when I say that this has more advantages than just wiping the sweat off your brow.

Here’s the holy trinity that a planner expertise’s in managing:

Your Money

Contrary to popular belief, a wedding planner is not an added expense, and hiring one will actually save you some moolah. You may be new on the wedding scene, but planners do this for a living. They have access to special industry discounts with pastry chefs, florists, caterers, bands, and almost anything else you’ll need for your wedding. Besides, a planner is aware of industry standards and will get you the best of every service within your budget. This is a sure-fire guarantee to reduce at least 20% of your wedding cost.

Your Time

A wedding planner can most certainly help you go easy on the pocket, but more importantly, they save you time. They definitely can’t make the decisions for you, but they can (sure as heaven) help you with them. One phone call, and they can have the options, budgets, and everything else listed out for you, and all you’ll have to do is make the selections. Basically, this means you’ll have everything handed to you on a platter, and you won’t need to invest odious amounts of time (which you could have spent creating sweet memories with your better half) in selecting the table overlays. In addition to this, they can assist you with some hard decisions about the wedding theme or the layout of the banquet hall during times when you’re lost and save you some sleepless nights.

Your Stress

Weddings are supposed to be a happy day for the bride and groom. However, a recent survey suggests that a large number of couples didn’t recall enjoying the actual day of their wedding as they were so stressed about whether the guests enjoyed their meal or the photographer got the perfect shot of the ceremony. Most newlyweds divulged that they were so caught up with the planning that they were fizzed out and quite done with their wedding by the time the actual wedding day arrived. It’s heartbreaking to read such testimonials, especially since things could have been different for these pairs had they entrusted their D-day preparations to the professionals.  Wedding planners tend to be well organized, and they can instantly give you the information you need on anything you might need to know to ensure you haven’t missed out any details.

There are several myths surrounding wedding planners, and the most important one is the insecurity that the planner will take over the wedding, and the couple won’t have a say in the most important day of their life. The truth is, the planner only makes the necessary arrangements and provides the tools for you to make effective decisions. Above all that, they can be a great support to you during the most demanding time of your life. They ensure that your engagement period is fun and enjoyable, and something you’ll remember with a smile. On that happy and thoughtful note, here’s to a good life!

Get Shot before You Tie the Knot!

Weddings are affairs you want to remember for the rest of your life. However, the wedding day isn’t all that’s important. It’s the journey to the wedding—the build-up to the wedding day, the fun and frolic during the wedding preparations, the stress that was caused—that remains with those involved. Pre-wedding photo shoots are a very important part of the build-up. Most to-be-weds wish for their wedding album to illustrate their love story, and a pre-wedding shoot is like a prelude to this.

Courtesy: Shaadigrapher.com

Besides the fact that a pre-wedding photo shoot is breathtakingly romantic, it’s also perfect for confirming how your wedding shots will look. To put it simply, it’s the perfect opportunity for you and your better half to get acquainted with your wedding photographer and understand their style. It’s also great for the photographer to learn about their muses, about how you work the camera, what your likes and dislikes are, whether you’re naturals or cute and awkward, and so forth. In addition to this, you’ll have an amazing tribute to your love story that you’ll cherish forever.

Courtesy: Sandeep Gupta Photography

The way we look at it, there are only advantages to a pre-wedding shoot, which is probably why they’ve become quite popular among pre-wed beaus and belles. Natural settings such as beaches and parks are preferred over concrete structures, while some love bugs even prefer to shoot in the comfort of their own homes. Not only are natural backdrops the perfect settings for a shoot, they also prove to be excellent cost-effective solutions to already mounting wedding expenses.

Courtesy: Reggie Menacherry

India has a wealth of natural beauty for the perfect pre-wedding venues. Be it the serene backwaters of Kerala, the glorious palaces of Jaipur, the lush gardens of Bangalore, the exquisite beaches of Goa, or the historical testaments of Delhi, India has something to offer to every starry-eyed couple. Some famous pre-wedding hotspots are the Neemrana Fort in Jaipur. The monument represents a glorious age and is symbolic of strength and tenacity in both good times and bad, what marriages are about. Similarly, the Palolem beach in Goa is a breathtaking backdrop for romantic souls, so is Cubben Park in Bangalore.

Courtesy: Soumen Nath Photography

Courtesy: Hiro Photography and Cinematography

Courtesy: Anup J Kat Photography

Courtesy: Shaadigrapher.com

Another popular trend these days is to have a themed shoot. You may be a princess being rescued by her white knight or Kajol running through poppy fields into the arms of her Shahrukh Khan, the possibilities are endless. Some trending themes are those based on hobbies, vehicles, sports, coffee, one of the elements (water, wind, fire, earth) and fairytales. There’s just so much room to play around with multiple ideas and have some fun and unwind before your big day.

In short, pre-wedding shoots are a great way for your photographers to earn your trust. Besides, it gives you a little time together to talk about how wonderful the D-Day is scheduled to be and the different elements that will lead to it. You could also utilise these shots for your wedding website and save-the-date invites. Just think of a pre-wedding photo shoot as a fun practice session before the real deal. It’s fun, relaxed, happy and a true reminder of why you’re tying the knot in the first place. So let your photographer take the reins on this one, and remember to say cheese!

How To Choose Bridal Jewellery That Flatters Your Face And Skin

*This blog has been re-blogged from http://www.bollywoodshaadis.com and written by Ms.Vriti Malik.

Jewellery is undoubtedly the most important part of a bride’s look on her wedding day. It is also the trickiest to choose, keeping in mind not just the current trends and personal taste, but also one’s face shape and skin tone. Yes, the bridal jewellery must be bought with complete attention to such details that you might ignore otherwise. To pick out the perfect bridal jewellery for your D-day, allow us to be your guide, and help you through your journey of buying the perfect wedding sets.

Understand Your Face Shape

It is important to understand your face shape, before you begin with your jewellery shopping. We are going to tell you about neckpieces and earrings styles that will flatter your face shape because maang tikkas are comparatively simpler to choose. To select a perfect one, keep your forehead in consideration. If you have a broad forehead, then safely go for a heavier maang tikka with a matha patti. If you have a small forehead, pick out a small tikka, and go for a small crystal bindi along with it.

Round-shaped face

Right kind of jewellery will help you to offset the roundness of your face. Pick a long necklace that extends below the neckline, along with chandelier earrings. Lay your hands on earrings in different shapes and cuts, like square or oval. Teardrop earrings would look best on you.

Better Avoid: Steer clear of round-shaped earrings, and even round cut diamonds or gemstones.

Oval-shaped face

Neither round nor long, this face shape is one where lots of versatility can be explored. You can flaunt long and short necklaces with equal aplomb. Play around with different styles of earrings, especially big hoops and danglers. While going for danglers, pick the ones that are angular in shape.

Better Avoid: Extra-long earrings are the only unsafe bet for you.

Rectangular-shaped face

Image Courtesy (R): Tanishq

Complement the length of your face with contrasting jewellery style. Choker-style necklace will look perfect on you, combined with short or round earrings. Even button earrings are a great choice. Basically, go for earrings that are soft and round.

Better Avoid: Do not ever go for hard angles like rectangular and square earrings.

Heart-shaped face

Image Courtesy (L-R): Indian Wear, Azva Jewellery

Since your chin area is narrower, go for shorter necklaces and chokers that lend a bit of roundness to your face. Danglers and teardrop earrings will give an elongated look to your face, and also ensure that the jawline does not look too sharp. Long cylindrical and triangular danglers are the ones you should be looking for.

Better Avoid: Stay away from small earrings and studs.

Understand Your Skin Tone

Skin tone does not only refer to being fair or dark. What we are talking about here is whether you are a warm-toned or a cool-toned person! Depending on this, the jewellery style that would suit you, will obviously differ.

Cool tone

If your veins appear bluish in colour, and your skin has a rosy undertone, then you are cool-toned person.

Diamonds are truly your best friends. Apart from that, choose metals, like platinum, white gold, silver, and Cubic Zirconis (CZ). They will look stunning on you.

When you wish to adorn a gemstone, look no further than white pearls, blue sapphires, ravishing rubies, exquisite amethysts, and striking deep emeralds. Also, do not shy away from embracing bright colours like pink, red, and purple that will make you look vivacious.

Warm tone

If your veins are greenish in appearance, and your skin has a golden sheen to it, then you have a warm skin tone.

Embrace yellow gold, kundan, or copper on your special day.

Talking of precious and semi-precious stones, go for colours like brown, yellow, orange, coral, turquoise, and olive. Golden pearls will also look great on you.

Image Courtesy: Tanishq

Some More Handy Tips:

• If you do not wish to attract attention to your broad shoulders, avoid wearing brooches or an armband.
• For any particular look, pick jewellery in one colour. Do not pick a red bracelet with blue earrings. It will end up looking tacky.
• If your outfit is too sparkly, then go for subtle jewellery.
• Do not let a piece of jewellery converge with another accessory or clothing. For instance, a necklace should not cover your studded waist belt, but rather end a few inches above it.

The Wedding Day Survival Kit

While everyone hopes not to have any emergencies on the wedding day, its always better to be safe than sorry. Here’s a list of all those ‘just in case’ items you would require, to make sure that your dream wedding goes on without any glitches.

You never know what disaster can choose to strike you at an already stressful moment. So in addition to your regular make-up and other absolutely necessary things, the ‘Emergency Wedding Kit’ can include:

• Bobby Pins
• Safety Pins
• Ponytail Holders
• Tooth-Picks
• Band-Aids
• Aspirin
• Hand Towels
• Ear Buds
• Tissues
• Lip Balm
• Clear Nail Polish
• Scissors
• Needle & Thread
• Buttons
• Scotch Tape
• Spot Removers
• Tweezers
• Cotton Swabs
• Drinking Straws
• Breath Mints
• Hair Spray
• Nail File
• Eye Drops
• Strong Glue
• Energy Bars
• Soda
• Miniature alcohol bottles

These are a few we could think of. You can add more, depending on what you think would help you sail through the big day smoothly. Now be prepared and keep the panic attacks away!

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!

Wearing a Neeta Lulla designer dress to your Wedding just got easier!

Fashion designer Neeta Lulla is popular among celebs, the celebrity fashion designer is now entering the cost effective wedding wear segment with a “budget friendly wedding” line.

Her new label ‘N Bride’, is a fine balance between haute couture and Prêt à porter for consumers who are focused on fashion aesthetics.

The USP of the brand is its ability to fuse western and ethnic silhouettes, prints and designs catering to varied tastes. This line is aimed at a budget-friendly wedding.

Lulla says it is important to cater to the big middle class, which is going to be the next big consumer of luxury.

Couture needs to be democratic and the vision is to make every garment a limited edition piece.

Priced between Rs 30,000 to Rs 1 lakh, the collection will be available at fashion stores like Aza, Ensemble, Angasutra, Label24 Dubai, Vesimi Dubai, Bibi in London and Pernia’s Pop Up as well as the flagship The House Of Neeta Lulla store in Juhu, Mumbai.

Article Source: Fashion United

Something very strange made this couple call off their Wedding…

This one trumps all levels of weird ( Although I feel that is only because we are used to the others ) as the groom and the bride called off their wedding over a debate on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This story is about an ex-couple, natives of Kanpur, in conversation began to talk about the current economic scenario in India.

The girl, a current government employee, obviously passionate about the subject blamed the current administration for what according to her was a sorry state of affairs. The groom would not have it, a businessman and a Modi supporter, he was quick to come to the government’s defense.

Now normally, a debate would turn into an argument, an argument into a fight, in this case, they called off their wedding! WTF!!!!

This adds to the increasing list of ‘bizarre’ reasons for which weddings have been called off in India.From bride’s IQ to groom’s fairness, from groom’s side demand of non-veg meals to bride’s objection on “naagin dance”, we have recently witnessed the most bizarre reasons for cancellation of marriage but we do not know what level of weird this is! 😀

All we can say is we wish them the best individually, they really really stood their ground on this one didn’t they? What do you think?

This Gujarat businessman is changing India, one year at a time!

Remember Gopal Vastapara ? I doubt it, considering all the horrible stuff we hear that is going on around the world, very rarely are the good things in the world remembered.

Let’s refresh our memory, Gopal Vastapara got his son and his daughters married last year. You are probably thinking ( Is this guy for real, what is so great about that)… read on to find out!

Gopal Vastapara is a businessman from Surat in Gujarat who is blessed enough to enjoy the best life can offer but when he decided to get his son married, he decided he still had not achieved everything.

Pursuing his keen drive for philanthropy he decided to organize a small sombre ceremony for his sons wedding inviting only close friends and family and decided to spend a large part of the money on organising a lavish mass wedding ceremony for a 100 girls, all who came of economically  backward families and who he christened as his daughters.

The girls were married on April 28 at a function in Chamardi village located in Amreli district of Gujarat.

The humble Mr.Vastapara said,”“We decided to get our son married in a very simple function and instead use the money to help 100 girls from poor families by arranging their marriages. Our motto is Sarva Dharam, Sarva Samaj (All religion, all communities). The girls who will get married are from various castes and include six Muslims too,”

Not only did the girls have the liberty to invite whoever they wanted, but Mr.Vastarpara also provided each happily married couple with all household essentials required by them to start their new life together.

The massive ceremony saw 60,000 people attending and all of the Rs 3 Crores were paid by Mr.Vastapara.

If that wasn’t enough, all Mr.Vastapara asked for in return was that each couple pledge to save a girl child and save the environment.

In a society where infanticide and dowry still blatantly exist, Mr.Vastarpara stood as a shining light to show that love for humanity should come from within.

Now the best part, Last year was just the beginning. Mr.Vastapara has pledged, that he will be sponsoring such mass marriage ceremonies for at least 10 more years if not more!

Take a bow Mr.Vastapara, we hope you keep inspiring!