night wedding, outside..

i'd love this for a mandap. it could be transferred to your backyard after the wedding for late night barbeque parties..

simple, pretty, and practical! (the guju way of course..)

from style me pretty

fashion designer: rocky s

we finished most of the kankotris this weekend! woo! and now it's procrastination time..

i wish i did a bit more research into india's fashion designers; i would have gotten some interesting ideas for my reception outfit. anyway, this is rocky s. - a designer with a retro contemporary style. he not only designs for commercial sale, but for bollywood movies. (which ones, i can't tell you. i tried to do a bit of research, but came up blank..) his collections span indian wear, western wear, bags, and home decor. here are some of my favourite pieces from rocky s' website:

	i really like the colour combination and the border on this one. pink pops so well off the beige.
	the top on this lehenga is AWESOME! it looks like boning, but i don't think it is.. probably just well placed embroidery? anyway, i really like the top. it can hold its own without trying to compete with the skirt.
	the detail on this is so nice. i really like the fact that the embroidery is the same colour as the rest of the purse.
	wouldn't these be really awesome for a mehndi night? (and if you accidentally drop a bit of mehndi on it.. you wouldn't notice cause they're so dark.)
	(not from his website; it's from his 2006 collection) this jacket would be really nice to wear at this time of year. i love the fringe and the puffy shoulders! the rest of the outfit on the other hand.. brings the attention in a very awkward place. i don't know about you, but i'm really not into wearing something that mimics a body part you don't find on women.. :|

last picture from nirvana woman

terrarium centrepiece

plants are usually a lovely contemporary look for centrepieces. these lightbulb terrariums are so chic looking.. it would be nice to place a group of these in the middle of a table to double as favours.

they could certainly start some interesting conversations. i can see it now.. a hipster sitting there discussing how this centrepiece idealises a consumer's relationship to nature. perhaps interpret how nature can co-exist with a ubiquitous technology modern humanity cannot live without. or how consumerism has become the most common connection to the natural world.

anyway, back to reality.. they're really simple to make.. i think the hardest part is just emptying out the bulbs without resulting in bits of glass embedded into your palms.

i really like these. so cute!

from etsy - tiny terra

decor mehndi

i wish i was as creative as these people.. mehndi patterns on things i wouldn't have imagined!

mehndi on vinyl.. what a ridiculously awesome idea.  this is advertised as wall decor, but you could easily use this as part of a centrepiece.. an alternative to the doily mirrors.

use the vinyl with some mehndi pillar candles instead of regular candles.. or a vase decorated with mehndi patterns, and you've got an interesting combination!

personally, i'd use the vinyls as chargers. probably not for all the tables, but at least the head table.. or i would paint both sides and hang them at different lengths from the peak of the tent during all the pre-wedding festivities.

searching for other mehndi items, i found mehndi cookies with exotic flavours to boot.. YUM!  i would totally use these if i could get the icing to be as perfect as she has it.  probably not for the mehndi night cause there will be enough going on that icing cookies would be at the bottom of my list.. but maybe for a geet gavanu?  i just re-read the exotic flavours list.. tumeric?  coriander..?  err.. it's worth a try i suppose.

from etsy - janisuka, etsy - mehndiart09, etsy - decoCookie

petal tossing cones

here's an interesting idea for the mangal feras.. cones to hold the flower petals and rice that's tossed as the couples circle.  so simple, and very creative.

i find there are times when a few people dominate the flower petals stash while the bride and groom are making their rounds around the fire making it hard for others to participate.  this would make it easy for others to make sure they take part. place them in nicely decorated baskets placed at the front corners of the mandap, et voilà! added decor piece.

i have a stack full of scrapbook paper, so i can EASILY make these.  or convince the my little cousins to help me make these.. *evil grin* :)

from the knot blog

girly mirrors

i don't think i'd ever put this in the house.. but i think this would be great for centrepieces. especially if you're trying to go for a vintage or classic feel. place this mirror on a table and place a large pillar candle in the middle or a group of different height candles.. et voilà!

or if you don't like doilies, then maybe something more contemporary?

making these are ridiculously easy.. if you're willing to put in a bit of effort for your centrepieces that is.

from paper n stitch

why didn't i think of this?! - part 2

for our sagai (engagement), i kind of sort of had a garden theme. it was at the hilton garden inn, in the garden room, and i was wearing yellow and green. (i realise it's a horrific colour combination, but i still love it.)

anyway, for centrepieces, i made 192 mini-cupcakes and over 200 gum paste flowers. with help, i also made mini cupcake stands to hold the cupcakes. to top it off stole 15 colourful butterflies from a 1 year old's birthday party (with permission from the birthday girl's mother of course..)

because we wanted our families to get to know each other better, i had assigned seating. yes.. i basically forced our families to sit together :) my place cards were floral cards from staples with labels stuck on them. not too exciting, but it did the job.

anyway, there's a point, i promise.. i found a placecard idea that would have fit with my theme beautifully! these little pots with something growing in it! it wouldn't have been as cheap as my staples placecards (would have probably cost about $1-1.50 per person), but it would have been far more interesting. only problem would have been customs. you wouldn't be able to take these back into canada (or any other country for that matter).. you know soil and seeds and all.

i guess i could have still done the pots, but instead of seeds and soil, stick a fake gerber on each. eh, i still prefer the plant idea. (a gift that grows as your relationship grows.. awww indeed.)

from toast and tables

if a guest goes missing..

here's another alternative to the traditional guest book.. fingerprint your guests!  actually, it's an interesting keepsake after the wedding.. at least if a guest needs an alibi, they have one.  eh.. yeah, not funny.  anyway, i only like the idea as an interesting piece of art to stick on your wall.  it is pretty to look at.

i'm not a big fan of inking guests though.. and then expecting them to enjoy the finger food during cocktails.  bleh :S

from etsy listing: lovliday

bubble balls

unbeknownst to me.. crate and barrel has a spin-off of sorts with more affordable and awesome looking items!  i have fallen deep, deep in love with these bubble balls. i wanted to incorporate them as part of the centrepiece, but it's just not working price wise cause it's FAR too costly to ship to canada :( *sigh*

i'll definitely have to order a few after the wedding as i can't see myself falling out of love with them!

inspiration board

a big thing around wedding blogs are inspiration boards. basically it's piecing together ideas you've found anywhere and everywhere to create your wedding vision. so.. i've created mine!



as much as i love the patterned flower petals, it wouldn't be practical.. since the groom has to walk down that same path before the bride.  and it's not just the groom, it's the bride's mother and the groom's family.   however, if loads of people mess it up, then does that mean it will just almost even itself out into a straight aisle of petals?

the cake stand is awesome.  cakes are interesting.. cause the less people you're feeding, the smaller the cake, right?  plus cakes are ridiculously expensive!  so the more people you need the feed, the faster the price rises.. so why not get a two or three tiered cake and raise it on a dressed up pedestal?

from home india, dinaz noria, raise the cake, mayra, nisie's enchanted florist, aisle talk, jessica's country flowers, martha stewart weddings

initially..

we both want a monogram for the wedding.  there are so many different routes to go - classical, romantic, contemporary, or cutesy?  here are a few i came up with..

i like this because it's classy and simple.

a hint of cuteness.

it's pretty while incorporating his last name.

the reason i actually like this is his last name is hidden in the heart. the way our initials intersect creates a k. it's totally not obvious and one of those things that you'd have to point out to the majority of people (if we choose to do so..)

this is the same as the one above except not as much cuteness and the k is a focal point.

so much fun. i really have no other words to describe it.

this is just plain and simple and i actually kind of like it.






what to do.. what to do.. i'll just let him decide.

engravable guestbook

my brother and bhabhi's photographer provided a 16" x 20" photograph with a large matt and frame. the purpose of the matt was for guests to leave their congratulatories on - it basically replaced the traditional guestbook. it's nice because they're faced with everyone's best wishes every day since it hangs in their bedroom. the biggest issue was the pens i bought for people to write with. i got the silver and gold liquid pens. since the picture was sitting on an easel, the pen would slowly stop working as you write. then someone shook the pen and the ink went all over their picture :S eek.. the photographer was good though; he replaced the picture for free!

anyway, going on the same idea without the pen issues, here's another idea for a "picture frame guest book": it's an engravable frame! it's gorgeous and something you wouldn't be embarrassed to hang. (unless someone were to write an inappropriate message or draw a lewd picture :S)

frozen treats (for adults..)

this idea i love! not necessarily for the actual reception, but for the pre-wedding events.  it would be fun to have a few different kinds of alcohols and bottles to do this with and dual purpose: keeps it nice and chilled on a hot summer day!  not that the alcohol won't already do this, but the way it's presented would help keep the events fun and lively :)

from marthastewartweddings.com

loooooong distance..

it's hard enough trying to remember every single detail about an appointment. try relaying information to three people who don't live in the same city as you. three people who are in three different cities at any given time!

so far the biggest challenge for mandaps is "do you have a picture? my fiancé and parents all live in different cities.." to which the response is always a long explanation about protecting ideas and not wanting others to get a hold of theirs. typically their ideas aren't really anything too unique to begin with. bleh. makes me want to bang my head against the wall some days.. actually most days. some vendors even say, "well they should trust your judgement.." uh yeah, they'll agree to spend thousands of dollars based on "i think it's nice.." (well, not to say my parents haven't done so in the past..)

anyway, i'm going a little nutty. it makes me wonder, had we booked a hall in ottawa and sorted out all details from toronto, would i have ended up looking like a worn out wild woman by the end of it all?

funky mandaps

i just found pictures of mandaps and decor by dinaz noria.. a designer and wedding planner in hyderabad (india). they're GORGEOUS! this one's my favourite:


i love how the seating closest to the mandap is so casual and comfortable looking. it looks so open. *sigh* i wish..

to think these pictures are from 2007.. imagine the stuff she's designing now!

ice cream goodness

this is not wedding related, but wouldn't this be the cutest thing for a little kid's birthday party? (no.. i'm not thinking about having kids.. YET!)

from eatdrinkchic.com

creative reply

this is a cute idea for an rsvp - ask guests to respond in a creative manner on the sheet you provide. AND can double as something for people to look at during cocktails. it would be a risk that you wouldn't get a single creative reply.. but there are lots of fun uncles and aunties out there that would take advantage!  i can see a few of them even writing out a silly poem: "roses are red. violets are blue.  we wouldn't miss your wedding.. even if you wanted us to."  for those who aren't able to make the wedding, this would be a great way for them to share their best wishes on a personal level.
from feteny.com

suck it up..

i love these straws! these would be so much fun for a party. heck, i'd use these at work. how about for a reception? they would really work well to bring together the colour scheme in such a minor detail.  it's the little things like this that have a tendency to stick out in people's minds.

ballin'

i *heart* pomander balls!! they're so cute. i wouldn't put these on chairs like they would traditionally be placed. i'd use these around the house for decor. outside on the porch? down the staircase? not sure how it'd look on a 9 foot ceiling with fabric swags.. doesn't hurt trying though.

variyali packs

an after meal staple for us is variyali, which is used as a digestive and breath freshener. for weddings, they're typically put in little plastic ziplocs and left on each table (or handed out after dinner).

this personalized sugar packet idea would be awesome for the variyali packs! rather than printing on the glassine envelopes themselves, you could print out labels and use them to close the packages. having to do over 500 of these, the labels would probably be the most economical and less time consuming choice.