Lifestyle

India Inspired Wedding

By Bhavna Bhatnagar

Here it is! The first On Demand! post
About how to design and style weddings inspired by India
For all my readers who are passionate about

 

 

 

Indian styled wedding can range from subtle and simple, to exuberant display of color, finery and kitsch. Based on whether you want to go for an all out Indian wedding, or have a wedding that has some Indian influence, you can figure out the right balance while planning and designing. There are some very good online resources and event planners who can guide you through the entire process (some listed below). Infact, there are specialized consultants who would help you plan a wedding in India if you so desire! I hope you, and the readers who have mailed me regarding tips on Indian themed weddings, find this post useful.
 
 

 

So with out much further ado
And I now pronounce you, man and woman, to read further! 😉
 

 

Starting with the venue decor: Indian weddings typically have shamiana (tents). You can go wild with colors and even use saris as drapes and coverings. Find more Indian styled tents in one of my earlier post..


 
Low diwan style seating. Lots of cushions and bolsters on kilim rugs can also do the trick
 

 

 

 

Hanging tea lights or wax diyas…take your pick! The goal is to be dramatic!

 
Say it with flowers! Lots of them. Marigold flowers have a special significance in any Indian (hindu) festivities, and are specially used in abundance during weddings.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Styling idea ~ Flowers and diya (tea lights) in brass or terracotta thaals and urlis (plate and urns)

 

 
 
One of the most important aspects of the wedding – the table decor! Colors like turquoise blue, orange, bright pink, plum, red, mustard and gold work well with the Indian theme

Indian style wedding cake! Designs inspired from Indian embroidery and henna designs

 
 

 

And those little details that make all the difference!
Elephant – real and fake, is a quite popular icon in Indian wedding theme 🙂

 
Multi hued glass bangles, ornate frames for name cards, zardozi sari fabric can be used for drapes, table covers or napkins, and add a touch of exotic with peacock feathers

 

 

 

 

 
Ganesha idol…considered very auspicious during weddings, bride/groom puppets in case some one gets bored from looking at the real bride and groom 😉

 

 

 
 
 

 

Wooden elephant as a centerpiece, lanterns, wine goblets and miniature jewellery boxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embroidered fabrics…sky is the limit of how you use fabrics to add to the design

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, you have the option of choosing from exquisite Indian bridal dresses and jewellery and apply henna on your hands, and voila! you are all set for an Indian style wedding!

 

 

 

But, Indian wedding attire and styling in another post sometime…

…If you have an On Demand! request!

 

 

 
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Comments (39)

  2. Awesome post! I loved every bit of the post with perfect snaps and will definitely try some of this in home also during this festive season.
    Thanks & keep posting.

  3. Thanks so much for your note Mrs. Vicious! I hadn't realized that changing the privacy setting on my picasa albums had caused all photos on my blog to disappear! Changed the settings now…hopefully you can now see this and other posts 🙂

  4. Hi there,

    I would so love to see the pictures that everyone are raving about BUT for some reason. The text is showing up but the pictures are just black spaces. Any help would be appreciated.
    Thank you

  6. SO beautiful and SO inspiring!!!! Would it be ok if I linked you to a blog that I am writing for my event planning website about incorporating Indian themes into a wedding? And could I perhaps "borrow" that beautiful photo of the low diwan seating?

  8. I love this post!! I've been collecting wedding ideas for my cousin, who is getting married this summer in India. Pretty much everyday I've been sending her links from your blog as ideas and she's been loving them!! I referred to the Maharani Wedding website and she is now busy looking through that. So thanks for helping us to plan the bestest Indian wedding ever!! 🙂

  11. Where can I find the embroidered fabric or something like it that you have on the page? It is beautiful!!

  12. Bhavna, its a brilliantly put together post!! You've covered all the topics & such colourful pics and examples. Its gorgeous & great work!!!

  16. Here, there… Hello! Good to hear from you again :)! Glad you liked the post!

    Aww. thanks Joanna! 🙂

    🙂 Hi Linda! Hope you had a good summer break!

    Zazuta~ thanks for dropping by! And Congratulations, in advance! You must be busy prepping for your wedding right now. It would be awesome if you could share your wedding story with An Indian Summer readers 🙂

  17. I absolutely loved your blog entry. Im getting married in december to a Mexican.. so our wedding is going to quite “interesting”. 🙂

    You’ve done a great job.

    god bless.

  21. Thanks Katie! I have actually attended a bunch of inter cultural weddings…and they are so beautiful! 🙂

    Sure Morgan 🙂 It will my pleasure to find a place on your blog!

  22. Thanks Arch! 🙂

    Hi Shireena! Yes, they can be a nightmare to plan! But the colors, fun and traditions make up for the nightmare 😉

    Welcome to An Indian Summer Nitin! Thanks 🙂

  23. How beautiful! I am such a fan of the Indian culture and your post on Indian weddings is so informative and inspirational. I would love to link to it tomorrow on my blog if you don’t mind – I have a couple photos of an Indian wedding that I was planning to post and this is the perfect accompaniment. Wonderful blog!

  24. Stunningly beautiful! I think there are many ways to incorporate cultural elements that are dear to ones heart even if not from that culture. For example…if one has worked there or is traveling there for their wedding…why not?!? I agree with you Bhavna.Truly beautiful.

  25. great pics & post.

    Thats exactly what indianness means- exotic, colorful, traditional, feel good.
    Weddings, Bollywood & cricket are three great barometer of India and Creatives should take some inspirations from them, but unfortunately we are running to west & losing the rich Indian identity.

  26. This is one of my favorite posts! I love all the color here. And that deep blue cake…awwww! I want it. I really love how over-the-top some Indian weddings can be. They’re probably a nightmare to plan, but I sure love attending them.
    🙂

  30. Glad you liked it Anon!

    Thanks Pecos Blue 🙂

    Anon 2: Hmm…that is an interesting viewpoint! I think that we are moving more and more towards a global culture…with multi-cultural weddings and families. Such weddings are a beautiful example of how two unique cultures can come together and cohabit and flourish together while maintaining their unique identities and also creating a whole new set of synergized family traditions.
    And you will be surprised by how diverse and creative Indian weddings can be! :-)….not just from one state/region to the other, but even in terms of how people are embracing newer themes and ‘exotic’ cultures while celebrating their union 🙂

  32. great pictures – reminded me of my last trip to India (which included my cousin’s wedding) and made me post some pictures on my blog 🙂

  37. I really wonder about appropriating another culture’s traditions and attire to make your wedding “interesting”. Seems a little rude and self serving. I’m sure folks in India are not saying, “hey what about bagpipes and kilts for our wedding??? That sounds exotic and cool!”

  39. Wow – this is the most opulent and beautiful blog entry EVER! Thanks for sharing the view today…

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