Indian Weddings Blog

Check out the recent wedding photo competition entries at  OZShaadi facebook page.  View and vote for your favourite wedding photo.

While you are at it, submit your own wedding photo in the competition for a chance to win fantastic prizes – $150 coles myer gift card for photo with the most number of votes and $50 coles myer gift card for photo with second highest number of votes.

View competition terms and conditions at OZShaadi facebook page.

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Wedding Photo Competition – www.facebook.com/OZShaadi

Indian Wedding Directory – www.ozshaadi.com.au

Amanda Bajada and Kane Dutt Sharma

Featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, Kane Dutt Sharma and Amanda Bajada’s  Melbourne wedding is a goood example of a mix culture wedding.

The couple had their catholic wedding in a church at Moonee Ponds and went to India for their second traditional Indian wedding.

Click here to check out the photos and read the entire story here

I like this wedding story.  Rhitu’s  choice of traditional silk sari draped over the shoulder and a wedding veil is so elegant and  vintage.  It reminds me of my own wedding.  Read her story and be inspired to chose vintage, traditional sarees over the trendy lehenga choli’s with lots of zari work. The  beauty of a sari is that it can be worn again.

Other wedding stories from the Knot website:

• Sheila & Aaron
• Varuni & Minesh
• Sonia & Vivek

Engagement Date: 18 February 2011

Wedding Location: Sydney, NSW

Wedding Outfits:  I wore a lehenga ordered from the USA, and David wore a classic black suit.

Recommended Wedding Resources/Suppliers:

I would warn any bride to stay away from Desi Entertainment for your DJ.  They played all the wrong music (we had specifically nominated a number of songs which they didn’t play, and played weird 80s music) and their equipment didn’t work.  Further, the Dj they sent didn’t know how to fix the equipment so my friend had to.  On top of all that, the owner of the company was extremely rude and unprofessional when I complained and refused to provide any compensation.  The amount of money they cost is not worth it for the lack of service – please stay away from them for the sake of your sanity and planning.

On the other hand, I would highly recommend Faye Cahill for your wedding cake – the cake itself was delicious (most of our guests commented on it in the following weeks) and she made customised cake toppers which matched our outfits which were wonderful!  On top of that she was totally lovely and professional – highly recommend.

The inspiration for this blog started with my indian wedding plan. I got married in January 2010 at Cardinia Cultural Centre, Pakenham.

Engagement: New Year’s Eve lunch at BhoJ Indian Restaurant, Docklands with family. Organised in a few days so was a success, great location. I personally found the food a bit sweeter than the spicy indian but the location made up for it.

Wedding: 3 January at Cardinia Cultural Centre, Pakenham. 10am wedding ceremony followed by lunch.
I was very happy with this location and service. Highly recommend it. They were very helpful, professional and accommodating given that it was their first indian wedding. The;r chefs cooked indian vegetarian food to our liking. We had the whole venue for our use and the guests enjoyed the canapes outside overlooking the lake. The kids loved the space as well.

Outfits: These were bought in India. I wore a traditional red saree and then changed into another saree for the reception. Husband wore a traditional kurta for wedding ceremony and suit for reception.

Mandap: I did not want to spend $3500 to $4000 on an indian mandap for an hour and half wedding ceremony. So, we opted for a modern indian look with decorated canopy on a stage. We saved money and were happy with it!  By Balwyn Events.

Decoration: Table flower arrangements, mandap, red carpet and chair bows. Used Balwyn Events, much cheaper than others.

Photographer: Chose an e-package where we professionally developed the photos, worked out much cheaper. Recommend Hilton Stone, this was his first indian wedding and he did a fantastic job!

Music: Our own collections.

Cake: By The Cake Place. Robyn was fantastic in catering for a vegetarian and mud cake option. The first layer was a light vegetarian fruit cake, followed by orange and lime mud cake…YUM. Loved the decoration and the cakes! Recommend The Cake Place anytime.

Car: Husband’s new car!

Engagement Details
We really did not have an engagement ceremony. However, it was only a ritual that was done at home with close relatives.

Wedding/Reception Details
Our wedding was at the beautiful Concord Hall. We had around 300 guests and it was a memorable function with all my relatives and friends with me on my special day.

Wedding Outfits
My partner and I are Indians. I got my ‘lehengha’ (bride’s dress) desined & tailor-made from India. It was all handworked in golden and silver thread, beaded and double dyed in orange-red shades. My partner wore an off-white achkan, again handworked and designed in India.

Recommended Wedding Resources/Suppliers:
Wedding arrangements could be challenging at times. However, if you meet the right people, it could surely be the most memorable moment.

The best part of weddings is to capture them in the most ‘UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS’ forever. We were lucky to have a great photographer who actually made this possible for us. I highly recommend him for all wedding shoots. His work can be viewed at www.IndianWeddingPhotography.com.au and you will agree his style of photography is distinct from any other photographer.

Now you say there is nothing indian about this royal wedding. Yes but you can take inspiration from it.

Kate’s wedding dress was regal and nice, appropriate for a future queen. Why not consider traditional indian wedding sarees for your wedding? There are so many options with beautiful silks and brocades that cover the body instead of the bollywood flesh showing outfits.

Her bouquet was simple but elegant. Perhaps, you might consider a less garish garlands.

Her veil was weightless and showed her beautiful face and hair. Why not have a similar red veil for your indian wedding. Hairdressers complain that heavy veils are harder to keep on the head and not to mention the discomfort from having to carry it for at least 4 hours in an indian wedding. I say be stylish and comfortable.

Kate looked like Kate! Her make-up was elegant. Her eyes were more made-up than her lips and cheek. Perhaps consider that. Make yourself recognisable to your groom rather than cover yourself in heavy make-up. Chose either the eyes or lips to focus on.

Jewellery – kept to a minimum and heirloom pieces. This allowed her wedding dress to be admired. Why don’t you chose traditional gold jewellery or look alikes instead of matching chunky bollywood jewellery, the same as the indian wedding outfits.

See the photos…for more inspiration.

If you have more links showing Kate’s outfits better, please do share on this blog.

The concept of  an indian garden wedding is just beautiful. I was considering one myself. As I explored the idea further, I realised that you will need a back-up plan. But as any good wedding planner would tell you, a back-up plan is a must for those unexpected instances.  Melbourne’s unpredictable four season weather is certainly one the reasons.  For example, in summer, there is extreme  heat and flies and in spring and winter, the cold and wet weather. An indoor wedding ceremony option is a must as a back-up.

Check out some of these garden weddings. Some of these ideas whilst simple is very easily achievable on a budget. For inspirations, check out the wedding galleries in Photos by Jay of:

• Rohan and Rennie’s Indian Wedding at the Sheraton Resort in Fiji Islands.
• Neerav and Deepa’s Wedding in Goa, India. I love the garden mandap.
• Tim and Priya’s Wedding in Sydney.

Enjoy and please do share other inspiration ideas.

Reshma Prakash & Shyamal Deo’s indian wedding story.

I found this beautiful indian couple’s wedding story in the Life & Style section, Wedding of the Week – Melbourne in The Age (online edition). The couple are Fijian Indian.

Their wedding was as elaborate as you can get. They fused the Australian and Indian cultures for their wedding. Check out the indian bridal saree and makeup. I love the henna and how she wore her saree and duppatta (veil). I wish they could provide some recommendations for other couples. Reshma and Shyamal, if you do come across this entry, please think about sharing your recommended suppliers and story in detail on my blog. I would really appreciate it.

I like Reshma’s bindi arrangement and make-up. Her make-up enhances her natural beauty. I would have loved to see a full length picture of her saree but from what I can see it is a yellow gold toned with red border saree. Her veil (duppatta) is separate. Some brides choose to use the saree duppatta as veil. It appears that her saree was not that heavy which I think is an excellent choice. Reshma would have been quite comfortable in her bridal outfit. Some indian bridal wear is very heavy like weighing 5kg! Her bridal jewellery is also very elegant. Another excellent choice!

The groom’s sherwani and turban is as traditional as they come and has bling with it as well with the encrusted jewels. Shyamal definately loves bling.