Event Planning

The the event planner creates programs that address the purpose, message or impression that their organization or client is trying to communicate.

Event planners work long and non-traditional hours to plan and execute all details related to a variety of meeting formats including seminars, conferences, trade shows, executive retreats, incentive programs, golf events, conventions, and other programs.

Successful event planners develop the following skills:
Verbal and written communications
Organization and time management
Project management and multi-tasking
Self-starter and team player
Understand Microsoft Office applications
Detail and deadline-oriented
Calm and personable under pressure
Negotiation
Budget management
Staff management
Marketing and public relations
Interpersonal skills with all levels of management
Successful event planners will develop the following knowledge:

Venue selection
Catering
Production
Entertainment
Gifts
Transportation
Lodging
Conference Services

At Desi Tent Hire we ensure you to manage the event at our Best and give you the Best of all.
We believe in forming long lasting relationships with our customers, you can be assured that from your initial enquiry, through the free site visit and quotation to the erection of the marquee and throughout the event itself we will provide a level of service difficult to beat.
Our after event service is equally important, carefully and promptly removing our equipment after your function. We also welcome the inputs from our clients and try to customize our services which lead to customer satisfaction. Most of our work comes from previous client referrals and repeated sales.
Desi Tent hire has efficiency in providing and managing asian wedding services like Asian wedding tents and marquees, Asian Wedding Lights, Asian Wedding Stages, Asian Wedding Furniture, Asian Wedding Catering and Asian Wedding Sweets. We cater to different budgets events so we have wide variety of equipments to choose from depending upon your budget. You would find our services most competitive in the market.

We are based in Leicester so offer our services around Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Rugby, Birmingham, Hinckley, Peterborough and Coventry. We have provided our services to most of the Asian Weddings in and around Leicester.
You can contact us by email at marketing@desitenthire.co.uk or call us at 0787 8519 963 | 0798 5577 051

Home – Desi Tent Hire

Want the desi meetha tadka in your Wedding?

Now You dont need to worry when Desi Tent Hire provides you the best Desi Sweets for your Special Day.
Desi Sweet Centre (Pure Vegetarian)
All your sweet requirement fulfilled at our Desi Sweet Centre. Visit our photo gallery and be prepared for the best quality, at the most affordable price.
http://desitenthire.co.uk/dsc.html
Now Desi Sweet Center gives you the delicious Indian Sweet For any Special Day in your Life. Its for People who really cant Celebrate without that Sweetness. We promise you to give the same Indian sweet taste and give you the best quality.
We are based in Leicester so offer our services around Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Rugby, Birmingham, Hinckley, Peterborough and Coventry. We have provided our services to most of the Asian Weddings in and around Leicester.
You can contact us by email at marketing@desitenthire.co.uk or call us at 0787 8519 963 | 0798 5577 051

Home – Desi Tent Hire

How to plan the Wedding you want?

You still Thinking? Come straight to us @desitenthire

Home – Desi Tent Hire

Desi Tent Hire believes in providing the best services to you on your wedding day. We provide excellent wedding stages, mandaps with pillars, Mehndi stages, wedding backdrops & red carpet for walkway to make your wedding truly special and memorable.

We provide highly skilled Asian wedding stage decoration as a wedding planner, we can go out of our way to make your dream come true and memories to keep on your wedding day. We will be more like a friend to you, according to your preferences and requirements we shall provide you with inputs.

We cater to a wide variety of clients from people of Asian, English, to Caribbean origin.

You can always share your ideas and theme and we will give you the best as you want.

Our Specialization: Weddings, Parties, Seasonal Events, Corporate and Catering Marquees, multipurpose tents for storage and events.

Desi Tent Hire is a premier tent and marquee contractor with over 3 years of experience in providing a first class service to its clients. With our extensive range of marquees, tents and wedding accessories we are brilliantly placed to service all the marquee needs of personal and commercial shows, concerts, corporate and school events. Our other expertise is providing marquees for weddings and celebration parties.

We believe in forming long lasting relationships with our customers, you can be assured that from your initial enquiry, through the free site visit and quotation to the erection of the marquee and throughout the event itself we will provide a level of service difficult to beat.

Our after event service is equally important, carefully and promptly removing our equipment after your function. We also welcome the inputs from our clients and try to customize our services which lead to customer satisfaction. Most of our work comes from previous client referrals and repeated sales.

Desi Tent hire has efficiency in providing and managing asian wedding services like Asian wedding tents and marquees, Asian Wedding Lights, Asian Wedding Stages, Asian Wedding Furniture, Asian Wedding Catering and Asian Wedding Sweets. We cater to different budgets events so we have wide variety of equipments to choose from depending upon your budget. You would find our services most competitive in the market.

We serve clients from Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Rugby, Birmingham, Hinckley, Peterborough, Coventry, etc and planning to expand our horizons with best services in entire UK.

Home – Desi Tent Hire

We are based in Leicester so offer our services around Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Rugby, Birmingham, Hinckley, Peterborough and Coventry. We have provided our services to most of the Asian Weddings in and around Leicester.
You can contact us by email at marketing@desitenthire.co.uk or call us at 0787 8519 963 | 0798 5577 051.

Bride’s To-Do List

– DesiTentHire

Consider the jewellery you are wearing in other wedding & pre-wedding events.

Most brides want thier wedding cermony look to be their highlight, so ensure that your wedding jewellery is different to what you wear on your other wedding events.
Ways to vary your jewellery at your wedding events:

1. Headpieces: vary your headpieces between: jhoomer, Pakeezah jhoomer, matha-patti, tikka, nothing. E.g. If you are wearing a jhoomer on your wedding cermony, consider wear a matha-patti on your medhi.
2. On a pre-wedding event consider wearing just earrings & a head piece, as you are the bride do go for quality to set you able all but as ur buying less ur budget can be used to opt for better quality items! E.g. just big earrings and a tikka OR earrings and matha patti (this is really nice, as only the bride wears a matha-patti but by wearing only with earrings gives the matha patti a modern twist and looks geat for a pre-wedding cermoy!)
3. Size, Quality, Colour… of course.

Tell your chosen retailer what you want. All reputable retails will want to sell you what you want instead of pushing sets onto you. Tell the retailer what you want and if they are not interested, consider going elsewhere! It is not always possible to get what you want, but at the very least you deserve to be served by someone who will at least try.

Be open to suggestions. I know I said decide what you want, but be aware that good retails know about latest fashions. So take photos of your outfit, show them to the retailer and ask what they would suggest. We recommend showing photos as you can e-mail them to online retailers, such as us, but also it’s a lot safer taking a photo out shopping that your actual outfit (one bride sadly damaged her outfit while out shopping, it’s easily done!)

Purchase the set of your dreams. Having done the above we hope this leads you to buying the perfect set for you

– DesiTentHire

Wedding Decorations

– DesiTentHire

When you say “I do,” what are you hoping your surroundings look like?

Outdoor Wedding

A lot of brides-to-be hope for a beach wedding, which can be great way of getting married. You could aim for an actual on-the-sand ceremony, or you could do something like this — have your wedding within the comfortable confines of a beachfront hotel. You won’t accidentally get some uncomfortably large man sunbathing in an uncomfortably small swimsuit(or, heaven forbid, in nothing at all!) in your wedding pictures, but you still get the sunshine and refreshing salty air of a beach wedding.

Above, the decorator used a classic arch and just covered it with flowers. For draping the seats along the aisle, the decorator used tulle and gathered it underneath pretty purple and white arrangements. Of course, one caveat to beach weddings would be the wind.

OutDoor Wedding

Of course, many brides also dream about a garden wedding. This gardens can have a cool dome that the decorator can rim with flowers. The decorator can also cover all the pillars, including the ones placed alongside the aisle, with flowy chiffon. Pink and white flower arrangements sit on top each aisle pillar and the couple’s initials — A and M — are laid out artfully with red, pink and white rose petals in the middle of the aisle.

Outdoor Wedding

The flowers used for the above wedding ceremony were all purple phalenopsis orchids. Setting aside how expensive that probably was, they sure do make a big visual impact. The florist used the flower both in the arrangements framing the head of the aisle and in the aisle arrangements. And they had a nice backdrop there — water!

Outdoor Wedding

The aisle in this wedding was draped with organza and gathered with red roses, white orchids and lemon leaf. There was no aisle runner, but the edges of the aisle were scattered with pink and red rose petals. The half trellis at the head of the aisle were decorated with branches, white phalenopsis orchids and red roses. Love the branches look!

– DesiTentHire

Asian Bride’s wedding dress

In an Asian community, especially in our subcontinent wedding is the most special and memorable day in a woman’s life. Teenage girls start dreaming about their wedding as soon as they get into their marriage age. They want to look out of this world and remembered by everyone all their lives. The most important thing is their wedding dress which is the BRIDAL DRESS of a bride.

Bridal dress of a woman makes her look different from others. Women around the world has become very fashion conscious. They have started to feel the importance of fashion designers.Designers who are expertise at bridal fashion. They choose designers rather than getting into the hassel of choosing the cloth, colour combination, embroidery and stitching.These fashion designers not only help them look good but also be remembered. Bridal dresses are of different types like gharara, sharara, lehanga choli and mermaid cut lehanga etc. Woman usually selects the type according to the fashion trends.

The embroidery and motifs being used make the wedding dress gorgeous and beautiful. These include dabka, tilla, sequins; bead work; Kora, naqshi, cut-glass and other various ornamental works. To make it really look of this world some woman use Swarovski crystals along with real gold threads just to make it PRINCESS DRESS. These ornaments add up elegance and beautify the bridal dress.

In this fast pace of time, woman want the best on her wedding day and she being the bride is the most important aspect of the day. Bridal dresses available are of different costs. One can choose according to their budget.

Indian Wedding Dresses and weddings are well known all over the world. The traditional outfits and ceremonies are part of our society and ethics. Bridal dresses are complimented by the beautiful jewellery worn by the bride. The jewellery is also selected according to the colour combination of the dress. Jewellery designers are also available to design all sorts of jewellery according to the dress type.

The advancement in Indian fashion industry has brought about awareness among the people and they have become conscious in their wearing trends. Special dresses on special occasions have become important for all classes of people. In the same way, wedding day and the bridal dress has become a status symbol for people.

–DesiTentHire

Now Thats an Asian Marriage

Desi Tent Hire

Family Arranged or love marriages, in both the cases certain rituals
are to be followed when you are an Asian.

How It Works….
The entire marriage takes place keeping many small but important points in notice.
from basic selection or card layout to final goodbye to the bride, its loads of peoples
involvement with respect to their services and love for the bride and the groom.
Asian or indian Wedding starts with the bride and the groom selecting each other with
family involvement, garlands exchange, talks between new couples to check their compatibility
likes and dislikes.

Which further enhances to selecting the wedding venue and layout for the
invitation cards.Finding a perfect Asian dress to make the beautiful bride look eccentric
and the groom to look electrifing.
A quality photographers and videographes are required to capture the precious moments, for a
once in a lifetime occasion, perhaps the biggest for two families.
Bridal make up with traditional hena or mehndi is used for the brides hands and legs
with a wide range of designs and patters.

Asians are known for their delicacies when it comes to food department, it thereby gets mandatory
to get nothing but the best. Every father wants to have the best wedding for his daughter
regardless of amount of money spent or tears shed.
For a bride its the most important day of her life.
Exchange of rings and the girl belongs to the boy. According to the indian rituals
the groom has to put a holy chain called ‘ mangalsutra’ in the brides neck, this
symbolises the girl is now married. Also the man has to put ‘sindoor’ for the bride.

They tie a knot with ‘dupatta’ and walk around the fire ‘Agni’, keeping it as a witness
for their new life, as now the girl is the boys responsibility and vice versa.
they walk around Agni 7 times with chanting of ‘mantra’s and shloka’s’ with vows for 7 lives together.
The couple can now be officially announced ‘Married’.
now the bride is taken by the groom, at grooms house as a new member of the family
with groom handhelding his love.

One of the Most Famous indian Wedding Style is :

London-based Indian-born steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter Vanisha.

Glimpsing a fairytale wedding

It is one of the biggest events on the Indian social calendar this year. The only trouble is, it is taking place in France, and journalists are strictly banned.

Plenty to smile about for the bride and groom
It features 1,000 guests from all over the world, 20-page-thick silver-cased invitation cards and five days of events staged in some of the France’s most famous settings.

And, of course, there is Bollywood song and dance.

This then is the mother of all weddings for the daughter of one of the wealthiest Asian men in the world.

The host is London-based Indian-born steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal.

The bride is his daughter Vanisha.

The bridegroom is Amit Bhatia, a Delhi-born investment banker, now based in London.

Mr Mittal owns a steel company with an estimated worth of $6.4bn. Only last April he paid out nearly $127m for a London mansion, making it the most expensive house in the world.

‘Finest chateau’

The wedding is expected to cost more than $55m – that includes expensive gifts for family and friends – according to accounts in Indian newspapers.

The groom dances to the bride in the Jardin des Tuileries
The guests have been put up by the host in a five-star hotel in Paris.

Mr Mittal has hired the 17th century Vaux le Vicomte, described as the “finest chateau and garden” in France, for the marriage of 23-year-old Vanisha, who has a degree from London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and her banker fiancé.

The chateau was built for Nicolas Fouquet, King Louis XIV’s finance minister.

“There will be an Indian marriage party here on 22 June. We are smaller than Versailles but from the point of beauty we are number one, we think,” a spokesman at the Vaux le Vicomte, some 55 km from Paris, is quoted as saying.

The newspaper says the festivities will “light up Paris… and the gardens of Eiffel Tower have been cleared for the mother of all firework displays”.

‘Papa, buy me the Eiffel’
Headline – Outlook magazine

The engagement ceremony took place on 20 June at the Palace of Versailles, once the home to Louis XIV, France’s Sun King. There was a lavish dinner for the guests at the Jardin des Tuileries on the right bank in Paris.

Can can girls

The highlight of the engagement ceremony was a cocktail party for the guests who were then taken through the palace.

Mr Mittal and his wife, Usha, according to reports, even played themselves in an hour-long ‘drama’ which enacted the love story of Vanisha and 25-year-old Amit at a glittering function on the banks of the Seine.

Vanisha and Amit with his parents
The domestic drama was a Bollywood production.

The script was written by leading movie writer Javed Akhtar, set to music by music director Shankar Mahadevan and choreographed by dance director-turned filmmaker Farah Khan.

At the Palace of Versailles, guests to the wedding were also regaled by can can girls, evoking the heydays of the Moulin Rouge, according to India’s The Telegraph newspaper.

There were reports that some top Bollywood stars, including Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan, would entertain the guests at a ‘surprise’ Bollywood theme party at the wedding.

The bridal trousseau has been designed by some of the top Indian designers, including Suneet Verma and Tarun Tahiliani.

One of the top chefs from the eastern Indian city of Calcutta, where Mr Mittal was born, was flown to Paris to prepare Indian food for the guests.

Munna Maharaj, Calcutta’s top caterer-turned-restaurateur, has a reputation for rising to the challenge of a big event. According to one report, he once prepared more than 120 dishes for some 15,000 guests.

The expensive wedding invitation card has also become the talk of the Indian media.

The card contains romantic poems, including some written by a Mittal family member.

Lakshmi Mittal – father of the bride
Here’s one verse:

“From the chateau steeped in history,

We enter a world of maharajahs and mystery,

A gilded palace from Bikaner brings,

A lavish feast fit for a king.”

“There is just a hint that the Mittals see themselves as maharajahs on a par with the ancient royal houses of Rajasthan..,” is The Telegraph’s comment.

The Indian media is agog with ‘leaked’ and ‘unofficial’ reports from the wedding.

Mr Mittal had earlier issued a statement making it clear he would not be inviting the media to cover the wedding.

‘Papa, Buy me the Eiffel,’ headlined a report in Outlook, one of India’s leading magazines, alluding to the extravagance in Paris.

“The steel magnate summons all the romance of Paris to gift his daughter-and his guests-a fairytale wedding,” the magazine said.

Its a depicting summary of an Asian wedding, which sounds beautiful.
however you will need perfect wedding photgraphers, lightsmen,lensmen,make up artist, fashionista’s , etc
or a reputed wedding planner to give you the ultimate once in a lifetime memory.

By Desi Tent Hire

Planning an Outdoor Wedding?

“Outdoor Wedding, sounds interesting”

By DesiTenthire

When planning your outdoor wedding, one needs to keep a keen eye on the location

or the venue of the wedding, to avoid unwanted or unpleseant surprises of nature.

A detailed study should be done about the area or the plot and its advancements or

disadvantages.

1.YOUR GUESTS

Okay, if you’re getting married in San Diego, you can count on perfect conditions, but failing that, your event may be hotter, wetter, or colder than many guests would prefer. If you’re having a lot of out-of-towners, particularly, include information about the weather possibilities on an insert with the invitation along with the accommodation recommendations. (I went to an outdoor wedding in Dallas in July; 111 degrees that day, and boy were the people from Colorado and La Jolla dressed wrong!) If it’s hot, provide iced bottles of water when they arrive, and hand fans, and if you have a tent, rent fans. If it’s chilly, have a tent, warmers, a hot beverage when they arrive, and lap blankets.

2. THE WIND

Wind can affect many things: the temperature, making it hotter or colder; the bridesmaids’ dresses; everyone’s hair; and whether the ceremony can be heard. Test beforehand. It can be as simple as moving the tables around a corner, or across the park to a more sheltered area. Plan decorations and tablecloths you can anchor attractively; choose weighted fabrics for the attendants; warn them about the hair thing; and consider the need for a sound system and mike clips. If you’re renting a tent, make sure it’s wind-worthy.

3. YOUR ADAPTABILITY

If you think you can manage with the winds or hot sun or breeze around, you might try it, however if you get rashes easily or are afraid of something, even allegergic to something, you needs safety and precaution before you pick this step.

4. DECORATION

I’ve seen even cloth tablecloths blow in the wind, turning over glasses, candles and centerpieces. Wind, bird poop, the shades of night falling … Be xtremely realistic when planning your decorations. Actually test them outdoors.

5. CHECK THE FACTS

It’s from a poem, okay? but that’s where you’re going to be. Don’t fantasize about how “romantic” the place is; go take a look. Think realistically about beer bottles and cans on the beach; getting the lawn mowed and weeded; planting seasonal flowers; bugs, flies, snakes and spiders; the sounds of barking dogs and (uninvited) children; or, for that matter these days, drugs dealers in the park. Have a visit with your eyes open. Then do what you need to do, or resolve it’s “good enough” and don’t worry. The world of nature isn’t going to shut down just because it’s your wedding.

6. SAFETY

You’re in love. You’re planning your big day. However, you must limit the things you have to worry about if you’re going to enjoy yourself. A celebration in a park by a lake would be nice, or by the pool at your aunt’s mansion, or even at the beach, but in actuality, if there are going to be children there, and drinking, there’s also going to be the chance for a real tragedy. Which brings up – all ages will likely be there, and must be considered. Can you really picture your great-grandmother standing in the surf with her hair blowing, stepping over man-o-wars while picking sand out of her teeth . for long? Can the kiddos go that long without a restroom? Many people can’t stand up for a long time; others need protection from extreme heat and cold.

7. FOOD

Can you say “food poisoning?” Mayonnaise (and food items with that as an ingredient) can’t sit out in the hot sun for more than an hour or so. Avoid perishable dishes. Wind can make it hard to get the grill lit. Ice cream won’t do when it’s 90 degrees outside, nor will hot hors d’eouvres last long when it’s 50 degrees outside.

– DesiTenthire

Cricketing Wedding Bells

How they met their match – DesiTentHire In a cricket crazy nation every bit of news on cricketers makes it to the front pages. Almost everyone knows which batsman hit a ton and who was out for a duck. But what most cricket fans want to know is which cricketer is married and which one is a bachelor. Another point of interest being the love lives of our cricketers. This is front page news. Azharuddin caused a scandal by walking out of an arranged marriage and settling down with a Bollywood actress. Javagal Srinath’s marriage broke up and Sourav Ganguly’s touched breaking point when he was photographed at a temple with a film star. Wives/girlfriends of cricket heroes share the same news space as any film star. Cricket and romance are inseparable. But two of the recent marriages (Rahul and Laxman) were both arranged by their parents. Regardless, every bit of the news was devoued with great curiousity and intensity. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s whirlwind amour with the dimpled Bollywood star Sharmila Tagore was the stuff paperbacks were made of. Keeping in mind the current mood ShaadiTimes digs out how some cricketers found their real life matches. Sachin Tendulkar – Anjali Sachin is married to his childhood friend Dr. Anjali who is six years older than him. But the age difference did not deter Sachin from proposing to her. The two met through common friends and before they knew it, they decided to tie the knot. The daughter of industrialist Ashok and Annabelle Mehta, Anjali is a practising paediatrician. Friends say that Sachin and Anjali met through mutual friends and fell in love. It is also a well-known fact that Sachin is a very private person who guards his marriage as his private property. Sourav Ganguly – Dona For Dona, Sourav is still the next-door neighbour (in the real sense because only a boundary wall separates the two houses in Behala, Kolkata), her best friend with whom she fell in love later. She says that she fell in love with the man, not the cricketer. However, ask her who proposed to whom and when, and she immediately replies that its too private a matter to be disclosed. Dona was in class XII when things became serious between them. But the couple had to do everything to keep it a secret not only because their parents were conservative, but also because their fathers, who were best of friends at one time, had suddenly become sworn enemies. Dona and Sourav eloped and got married. “I realised that I couldn’t stay away from her any more and I didn’t care what the elders felt”, Sourav said in an interview. Later, of course, their families patched up their differences and organised a lavish wedding reception for them. Rahul Dravid – Vijeta This is the girl mamma picked for him. Breaking millions of hearts, Indian cricket team’s Mr Reliable Rahul Dravid married Vijeta Pendharkar, a doctor by profession in Bangalore on Sunday. Dr Vijeta did her MS (General) in November 2002 from the Government Medical College here. Her mother Jayshree Pendharkar is a dietician and her father is a retired IAF officer. VVS Laxman – Shailaja The latest to get hooked for life is VVS Laxman. He tied the nuptial knot with computer science student G R Shailaja at a simple ceremony at Jewel Gardens in Secunderabad at 53 minutes past midnight on Monday, February 16, 2004. Shailaja, the bride-to-be, is an MCA student and a close relative, “It’s an arranged marriage and the girl is our close relative from my husband’s side. Marriages are made in heaven”, Laxman’s mother Dr Satyabhama informed. Virender Sehwag – Arti Set to open a new innings of his life, opener Virender Sehwag got engaged to Delhi girl Arti Singh at a solemn ceremony. A simple and reserved person off the field, the 24-year-old star cricketer was impressed with Arti’s down-to-earth nature and will tie the nuptial knot on April 22, four days after the Indian team returns from Pakistan, family sources said. The ‘prince of Najafgarh’ was stumped by the ‘homely’ maiden from Delhi, who was also the ‘unanimous choice of our family’, they said. Arti, who belongs to a middle-class Jat family, is in her early twenties and currently pursuing a diploma course. And whilst the married players are ‘out of bounds’ for most young girls, the most eligible bachelors of the Indian team – Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan remain the centre of female attention. Yuvraj is, perhaps, dating a Bollywood actress but marriage is not on cards for him for some years, at least that’s what he says.

 

–DesiTentHire

Planning Marriage, think about it!

Lets Plan Our Marriage

–DesiTenthire

Different wedding traditions in India have very many similarities too, despite linguistic and cultural differences that exist. This is not surprising if you look at the way the Indian wedding customs evolved over centuries and their significance to the new couples’ life ahead. In fact, the traditions are centered on showcasing individualities of different groups.

Cards

They say if marriages are made in heaven, wedding cards make them known. What better way to make them known than sending out beautifully crafted wedding cards? But think of this, when it’s you that has to choose a wedding card design, you will know how hard it really is even if budget isn’t a constraint. So it is curtains for the good old postcard style of wedding cards.

Take a brief look at the varieties of India wedding cards you can just pickup off the shelf. Wedding cards are usually foldable even in their simplest forms, these days and your choice begins here. The off white art paper used for making these have slight silvery shade overall with a raised image of Lord Ganpati on front top. You will see lots of floral or traditional patterns for borders either embossed or printed almost always in golden color. However, if the paper is in magenta or maroon, the only color that matches is golden, definitely not silver.Recent trend is to have wedding cards in flip top style but here there is no choice of particular color and anything goes as long as it matches with your overall wedding theme. However, bright colors don’t go well with flip tops and more so when you choose to have silver threads to wrap them.Scroll wedding cards, made authentically to the historic style are the current rage. Here the thing you need to lookout for is the choice of cloth and its color. And choose the one with a wrapping thread; say for example crimson red thread in case of leafy green scroll fabric. You can order scroll borders to have zari laces or nothing at all.Hand painted and hand made wedding cards are quite popular but they not just cost you more but also take quite some time to make in big numbers. But, it is here, alongside gold and silver wedding cards that you get full control over their looks and feels. Your freedom with hand made wedding cards never ends with choosing just one design as you can have each card made differently; the choice of paper & color, sizes, calligraphic fonts and what not? You can also draw ideas from scrapbooks, have little things stuck on the front, little mirrors and the similar things.India wedding cards don’t have distinct designs or customs for different religious affiliations, if card makers show Sikh or Muslim wedding cards, for example, just ask them whether you can have a similar design for Christian cards and see how he replies.

Pre-Wedding Ceremonies

If you did not know already, here it is- Indian weddings used to be a week long celebrations which only ended after seeing off of the groom’s party with the bride. While, bidaai (seeing off) is the only thing left out after the wedding it is the pre-wedding ceremonies that really are spell binding to everyone.

Much of the traditional pre wedding practices remain only as ceremonial customs today, however, three prominent of them are still in full practice in Indian and Pakistani weddings. Since pre-wedding ceremonies mark the beginning, they are held by both the parties at their respective places.

Sangeet, an event that heralds the beginning of wedding, is actually a fun filled music session. The family members assemble and sing and dance to the tunes of rather amateurish musician members of the family. Often sangeet (Indian for music) ceremony breaks out into undeclared competitions within the family members and the loosing side is often made to pay the wishes of the winning side. Naturally, the competing groups are male and female groups.

The next important pre wedding ceremony is Haldi (turmeric paste). The term may sound odd to new ears but definitely not after watching the ceremony unfold. Bride and groom are completely washed with turmeric paste following a rather ceremonial rubbing off of turmeric by their respective family members and relatives on their hands (palms in some families.) But what does it signify, after all, is the total cleansing of bodies as turmeric is said to have antiseptic qualities in addition to leaving a brightly glowing skin after a bath. So, what better way to begin your romantic journey than having a confident, glowing skin?

Mehndi (henna paste), also called as mehendi, is used to decorate the bride however, it is not uncommon for grooms to have mehndi. Mehndi artists or trained relatives draw intricate designs or floral patterns over their arms with palms receiving the maximum attention. If designs are on one side, the brides may want to have their grooms’ name pasted but hidden cleverly within the patterns on the other. Mehndi takes almost a full day to completely dry out so as to render its full resplendent color which only means they need their maids of honor and best men for everything round the clock by their sides.

In a way, you can say these aren’t just pre wedding ceremonies but beginnings of weddings. Baraat, (march of grooms’ party to the wedding venue) may be said to be the last pre wedding ceremony or the beginning of actual wedding in India.

Sari Dresses

Ask an Indian bride or her Maid of Honor how easy or hard it is to choose wedding saris and most certainly they would tell you it is the toughest part of wedding preparation for a bride’s party. Is it really so? We will see in this article.

Customarily, an Indian bride receives six saris in all, each of them designated to be worn on particular occasion that demands a certain protocol; and out of which five will be from the groom’s parents and the other one from her parents. If this is confusing enough, read further.

The first sari that the bride wears is the one presented to her by her parents at the first leg of the wedding whose rituals run till kanyadaan. This is because; it is assumed that till kanyadaan the bride still belongs to her family of origin and so the protocol. Immediately following kanyadaan, groom’s parents present her a set of five saris to symbolize the gesture they make her to welcome into their family. The top of the five should be worn immediately and till the end of all the rituals. The third sari is worn by the bride on the wedding evening or reception party hosted by the groom or his parents.

Now let’s simplify things a little further; all these saris are more or less based on red color or its shades although other brighter colors such as deep yellow or darker greens aren’t discouraged. The preference for red or any bright color is not customary but basically because of their beauty. The first three of the six saris are for wearing on the day of wedding, so they got to be of top design and value with attaching highest importance to the second one. What follows next is the choice of border and pallu colors besides choosing the patterns of zari embroidery. Normally Zari will be in silver and depending on individual budget you can have gold embroidered saris. Where and what pattern you need for zari is for individuals to decide. There is another kind of exquisite saris called Pitambara which is not so popular these days because of their bulkiness. Pitambaras are completely made from gold without the touch of silk or any other fabric. However, the first and the third saris can be lesser to the second one in comparison.

The last three saris are for wearing on subsequent days to temple and other closing functions. Obviously, the choice depends on your budget and thorough knowledge of protocols.

Customs

All weddings set forth tiny institutions regardless of cultural grounds on which they are done. When it is Indian wedding, the emphasis is more on upholding this aspect and all else, it is believed, will fall into place.

The customs on which Indian weddings are held bind the new couples to commit for each others’ well being, in every aspect of life, till death does them apart. It is really interesting to know how this works and what place the love enjoys in a wedlock.
The Indian wedding customs begin with Kanyadaan in a majority of cases, but for Brahmins and Kshatriyas it is Upanayana, preceding kanyadaan, which marks the beginning. Upanayana is a custom to recognize the attainment of manhood (read maturity) and that the man is ready for higher responsibilities for example running a family.

Well, Indian wedding customs stand on two principles which begin with the groom accepting the bride as his equal partner for life and for all aspects. The oath ‘Dharmecha, arthecha, kaamecha’ by the groom promises to the bride that he will see her as an alter ego (saha dharmini) in his ‘Duties, Professions and Pleasures.’ The groom takes this oath immediately following a sequence of rituals leading to ‘kanyadaan’ – acceptance by the bride’s parents for the marriage. Even though acceptance on the day of wedding appears ceremonial, it is customary before solemnization. Kanyadaan also signifies that the bride no more belongs to her parents’ family.

What follows kanyadaan is exchange of garlands between the couple and tying up of nuptial knot (mangal sutra) by the groom. Mangal sutra is a gold necklace studded with black beads of semiprecious stones and one or two traditionally designed pendants. It is this mangal sutra that ensembles a married woman in India and married women will never remove it for any reason as long as their husbands are alive. For a bride, wearing mangal sutra is a matter of pride and promise of protection made to her by her groom.

The final solemnization custom is through what is known as sapta-padi which plainly means seven-steps and it stands symbolically for all the steps the new couple takes jointly in their new life ahead. The seven steps are taken by the couple by going round a holy fire which again symbolizes that the couple had vowed by the fire to stay together till death.

Different Indian religious groups, not excluding Muslims and Christians, may have slight differences but all Indian wedding customs are built around this.

Summary

To get a better insight of India wedding traditions, it is necessary to understand the core wedding customs first. By customs, Indian wedding signifies an important event for the groom’s family which assumes the lawful parenthood of the bride, meaning that, she becomes a member of their family in entirety but more specifically for three critical aspects of that family. Thus the bride becomes an equal partner in groom’s familial responsibilities (Dharma), profession and properties (Artha) and personal pleasures (Kaama.) Given this background, it is the responsibility of brides’ parties to host the wedding party and the reception is hosted by the grooms’ parents as a way of thanking the other parties.

 

DesiTenthire