The latest trend in indian wedding is wearing a western style wedding gown according to the Time of India reporting in Delhi Couture Week. Increasingly brides want something different showcasing a combination of western/indian wedding, especially so if you live overseas and with more cross-cultural marriages.
Check out this beautiful Western Yet Indian Wedding Dress
Dear OZShaadi readers,
Thanks for your positive feedback. We have launched an indian wedding directory for suppliers of Indian, South Asian (including Sri lankan, Malaysian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) weddings. Please spread the word and invite your recommended suppliers to be part of OZShaadi community.
There are many options for selecting a wedding gift registry. You have department stores, boutique, online, and travel gift registries. Also, it is no longer considered impolite to ask for money as gifts, especially when the couple may already have most of the traditional house hold gifts.
Firstly, decide what is important to you as a couple. If you already have a home established, then you may consider, a honeymoon fund. If not, then make a list of all items required for your new home and life together. This is a fun and exciting process!!
If you are a lucky couple who have everything, request your guests to donate to a charitable fund.
For wedding gift registry, some considerations that you may wish to include are:
Your guests should not feel obliged to go with the wedding gift registry.
Some wedding gift registries include:
Two gift cards to consider are :
Bridal Lehenga or Bridal Saree?
Brides, check out the 2011 Bridal Fashion from Indian Fashion Police. This website details prominent indian bridal designers. There are soooo many beautiful choices to make.
I also discovered Fashion Inquisitive blog that has runaway collections from around the world. Just fabulous…what better way to spend a wintery night with a hot chocolate admiring and getting inspired from the fashions of the world. Do check out the Lakme indian fashion entries.
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!
These are some images from the Melbourne Flower Show. They provide great inspiration in planning your wedding flower arrangements, table settings and decor.
What is included and who pays?
Wedding budget needs to be discussed upfront when planning a wedding. This will make choices easier and help keep financials tight.
Indian weddings can be expensive but does not have to be. There are many ways to reduce costs, example:
With all the money saved, you can enjoy your Honeymoon!
Camera
Wedding photos provide memories for a lifetime. Choosing a photographer that suits your requirements and budget is very important. In my personal experience, the one thing that couples do not think about is the “time” factor required in achieving those precious photos. Again, this depends on your style. Some tips that I have gathered over time are:
Interviewing the photographer is very important. One photographer came without any decent work as examples and only mini proofs. While he was the cheapest, I chose to pay a bit more to someone who can provide my with examples of his work which I will eventually get. This is my personal experience. Do you have any similar experiences to share?
* Image by aussiegall – Flickr