Mehndi 

Mehndi ceremony is celebrated a day prior to the wedding where every female in the wedding applies mehandi which is considered as auspicious and enhances the celebration mood. Professional mehandi artists are called to apply mehandi on bride’s hands and feet which add more beauty to her and make her look different from other females. Mehandi symbolizes a sign of fertility in many cultures but generally, mehandi symbolizes the love and affection of a husband for his wife. The darker the color of mehandi, , more deep is the love of the husband and her mother-in-law. This is the reason that it is applied almost on all the important occasions like marriage, karva chaut, rakhi, teej and diwali etc.

Become a Top Wedding Planner

Become a Top Wedding Planner – 5 Tips for Staying Safe While Planning Weddings

 As a wedding planner there will be many times when you will make appointments with potential clients and new vendors whom you have only “met” via email, the Internet, or a phone call. You will also find yourself running errands at different times of the day and night in unfamiliar areas in order to do business. While most people you meet with are good and most places you will visit are perfectly fine, it doesn’t hurt to take the steps necessary to keep yourself safe at all times.

Here are 5 tips for staying safe:

1) When meeting a bride or any potential client for the first time, do it in a public place

Don’t invite strangers to your home office and don’t agree to meet in theirs. Arrange to meet at a potential wedding venue or other public place that allows you to be seen by other people but also has a quiet place for you to talk privately.

If you have an office, make sure you are not the only one in the building. If you must meet after hours, ask someone to join you and wait in a nearby room so you are not alone.

2) Tell someone your schedule

Before you head out the door, let your assistant or family member know where you are going and how long you might be gone. Check in with them if meetings or errands take longer than you thought they would.

3) Prepare your car for your busy schedule

Keep your car in good repair and always have plenty of gas in your tank so you don’t have to stop at a gas station in an unfamiliar area.

Use a GPS to guide you when you drive or check directions before you head out so you don’t get lost.

Keep an emergency kit in your car that includes a pair of walking shoes, in case you need them. 

4) Carry a fully charged cell phone

Almost everyone has a cell phone but not everyone keeps theirs charged and ready to use, be sure you do. You need it not only to keep in touch with brides and vendors while you are on the road (of course, don’t text or talk while driving), you also need it for emergencies. Invest in a charger that plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter if you spend a great deal of time on the road.

5) Resist the urge to broadcast your whereabouts

Don’t go on Twitter and tell everyone where you will be and when you will be there. You could be putting not only your personal safety at risk, but also the safety of your family and personal property, if the information is seen by the wrong person.

Be safe!

Mithai at your Indian wedding

Motichoor laddu, Jalebi and Halwa.

An Indian wedding is usually a grand and lavish celebration, and would most definitely be incomplete without an assorted platter of Indian desserts or mithai.
India consists of a number of regions, each having its own desserts/mithai - different shapes, colors, flavors and sweetness and each with its own piece of interesting history. All Indian desserts can broadly be classified into two types. The milk based desserts like rasmalai, barfi or gulab jamuns and the flour based desserts, which are usually fried and dipped in sugar syrup.

Here are some popular mithai very commonly seen at Indian weddings:

Barfi is a fudge like dessert made of reduced milk. Different varieties of barfi are can be found in almost every sweet shop. These are bite sized colorful pieces, usually garnished with edible silver foil. The presentation of the barfi has evolved tremendously and these are now available in the form of various rolls, fruit shapes and exotic flavors.

Gulab jamuns are fried milk balls soaked in sugar syrup. This mithai is said to have originated from an Arabic dessert and was brought to India by the Mughals. This is a very popular dessert served at weddings and is usually eaten alone, warm, or accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Jalebi  is also called the “celebration sweet of India” as it is a popular choice of sweets distributed on national holidays. Made of flour deep-fried and soaked in sugar syrup, the jalebi also originated in Arabia and was introduced to India by the Mughals. A variant of the jalebi is the flower shaped jangiri, which is commonly seen at weddings. These are served hot with rabri or a suitable choice of milk.

Kulfis are frozen milk based desserts or ice creams available in different flavors. The matka kulfi which is the kulfi served in an earthen pot is very popular for Indian weddings. These can also be served frozen on a stick or in floods.

Basundi is a sweetened dense milk dessert, a must have in all Gujarati weddings. This is also called rabdi in North India. 

Gajar ka halwa a delicious sweet dish prepared with carrots, milk and sugar – gajar ka halwa – is usually the first preference of dessert in Indian weddings. 

Its difficult to pick a favorite, but imagine a dessert bar with a selection of the above – all colorful and so different from each other! Sure to be something your guests will enjoy and keep going back for more!

Wedding Bouquet

Wedding Bouquet which is one of the main accessories on the wedding day.          

A bridal bouquet generally tends to be overlooked in an Indian wedding planning, as it is not considered part of a traditional Indian wedding.  Also the Indian bridal look is very detailed and heavy, completed with a number of accessories and jewelry. Adding a bridal bouquet as an accessory may not be a preference with all brides.

However, we do think it is lovely to add a bouquet – go all out and do everything bridal!

In case you do plan to have a Bridal bouquet, you must remember that it will be one of your main accessories on the wedding day. It therefore needs to be simple enough so as not to draw focus away from your outfit and not too colorful or it will clash with your outfit. Your bridal bouquet should reflect your individual style and add an extra bit of glamour to your wedding day attire.

Indian bridal wear is generally heavy, colorful and full of details and embellishments. Hence the flowers used must be monochromatic or single colored so that it does not clash with the outfit. The latest bridal trend is to choose colors, which will contrast the bridal ensemble. Indian brides can go with cream or white bouquets with gold beads or diamonds, which will complement the traditional red and gold bridal attire perfectly and look beautiful in the wedding pictures as well. Some brides also prefer bold colors like purple and deep red flowers, which look beautiful in photographs. The shape of the bouquet also helps to enhance your bridal look. Round bouquets are perfect for a lovely, classic feel whereas over arm and cascading bouquets add a little drama to your outfit. In both the cases, the flowers used should be same or of similar colors. Using flowers in multiple colors will clash against your lozenge, bangles, kalira and other accessories.

Instead of using exotic flowers for your bouquet, you can use local or Indian flowers like marigolds, which are commonly available in the market. The bouquet stem can be accessorized with brocades, ribbons, Indian brooches and peacock feathers to give it an Indian feel. Traditional Indian prints like bandhani and lehriya can also be used to wrap the stem of the bouquet. Do you plan to carry a bouquet? We would love to know! 

Wedding Invitation

The wedding invitation not only sets the tone and momentum for the happy event but also speaks volumes about the people behind it.

Apart from the invitations there are a host of other wedding stationary which when used, adds a touch of class to the whole affair and spells convenience for you and your guests.

Muslim Wedding

Pre-Wedding Rituals
Legan Chir: This ceremony takes place as soon as the wedding is fixed. In this ceremony, the groom's father sends some cash present to the bride's father.

Mangni or Engagement: This ceremony involves exchange of rings. According to muslim customs, the couple is not supposed to go out together after this ceremony until the time of marriage.

Day 1 and day 2 ceremonies: On these days first the bride's relatives go the groom's place and then the groom's relatives go to the bride's place. Both the parties carry mehendi or henna paste in a plate. The children light candles before entering the houses. Then, the dinner is served to the guest and songs are sung teasing the couple.

Manjha Ceremony: This ceremony takes place on the third day and during this, haldi or turmeric paste is applied on the bride's body which is given by the groom's family. The bride here, wears yellow clothes. After this ceremony, a married friend of the bride spreads the haldi all over her body before she takes a bath and accompanies her everywhere. This ceremony involves a lot of celebration and singing

Mehndi Ceremony: This ritual takes place at the bride's home on the eve of the wedding day or some days before it. Here, mehndi is applied on the hands and the feet of the bride. It also involves a lot of singing and dancing. After this ceremony the girl is not supposed to step out of the house before marriage.

Arrival Of The Groom: The groom arrives on the venue with a procession of friends and relatives either on a horseback or in a car. Playing of music and beating of drums accompany the arrival. On his arrival, the groom exchanges a sharbet (a sweet drink) and money with the bride's brother. The bride's sisters welcome the barat by humorously hitting them with sticks wrapped with flowers.

Wedding Ceremony
Nikah: The traditional Muslim wedding takes place with the bride and the groom sitting in separate rooms or in the same room separated by a curtain though it is not in case of all the weddings. The elders decide the meher, which is a compulsory amount of money given by the groom's family to the bride's.

Then the Qazi reads verses from Quran and asks the bride for her agreement to accept the meher and the groom as her husband. Once she gives her consent, the Qazi reads this Nikah-nama or the marriage contract to the groom. After consent is received from the groom, the Nikah-nama has to be signed by the couple, the Walis or the witnesses and the Qazi.
After this, the groom goes to the women's section and offers gifts to the bride's sisters and receives blessings from the elder women. Then, the feast is served.

When the meal is over, the bride and the groom are made to sit together with a long scarf covering their heads and the priest makes them read prayers. They are then asked to see each other's reflections in a mirror and Holy Quran is kept between them. Dried dates, which are religiously significant, and sweet dish are then served to the guests.

Then, the groom is supposed to spend the night separate from the bride, in the bride's younger brother's room. On the next morning, the bride's parents give him money, gifts and clothes.

Post Wedding Ceremony
Rukshat: This ceremony marks the departure of the bride from her house. The parents give her hand to the groom asking him to take care of their daughter.

Valimah: This is the reception ceremony, which takes place at the groom's place, which involves a grand feast and meeting of all the relatives and guests of both the families.

Chauthi: on the fourth day after the wedding, the bride is supposed to visit her parents' home.

Desai Mandap Decorations

People say “Marriages are made in Heaven” and we say “Marriages are planned on Earth” with Desai Mandap Decorations

“Desai Mandap Decorations” which is a high end wedding planner company in Ratnagiri. Its specializes in organizing wedding ceremonies and familiar celebrations such as- House Warming Parties, Anniversary celebrations, Birthday Bash!!  etc. giving ease to your enjoyment.