Category: Wedding

Although weddings in India are increasingly becoming modern Bridal saree and wedding saree still rule the hearts of lots of Indian girls .The saree Indias national dress makes a lady look ethnic, graceful and elegant. Apart from India, sarees are normally worn in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

It really is normally produced of silk, chiffon or cotton with intricate embroidery around the borders. Should you be about to obtain married there are plenty of details you may have to take care of but its equally crucial to take time out to seek out the right bridal saree and wedding saree. The important to acquiring the perfect bridal saree is usually to look at assortment obtainable.

The decision of cloth will ascertain the general appear from the saree. A silk saree with heavily embellished borders will add for the richness in the attire. The borders are usually decorated with gold threads, silver threads, stones, sequins, kundan or zardosi. For anyone who is having a summer wedding a silk saree might make you really feel as well hot, instead put on a lighter fabric like georgette or chiffon.

Currently numerous contemporary brides are deciding upon vibrant colours including magenta, gold, dark blue, pink, green and orange. But if you want to become completely classic go for red simply because this color is known to bring happiness and superior luck. You may also experiment with all the length in the saree. Commonly the common length of a saree has long been around four meters but you might go to get a longer flowing saree for that extra oomph .When deciding how heavy the embroidery on the saree should be dont forget to keep your budget in mind.

Some sarees are heavily embellished the entire length with semi precious stones, zari or zardosi .Although this might look like it’s going to add extra weight. You may often go to get a lighter saree using a heavily embellished Pallu but fewer decorations on the insides. Should you do not wish to invest thousands of rupees on a new bridal saree and wedding saree you are able to normally seek out your mothers old wedding saree and revamp it. The blouse may be paired having a new lehanga or even a saree. You are able to restyle it through giving it a far better fit, stylish sleeves along with a deep neck.

The surface ornamentation including the existing zari borders and motifs is usually employed on a new fabric altogether .You could include new embellishments to your mothers current saree, provide it with a brand new color combination or much better nevertheless your mothers bridal saree and wedding saree can be converted into a beautiful shalwar kameez, churidar or lehanga using a combination of other fabrics and crystals. The options are really endless and also the value of the ultra-modern style will bring might be priceless. So dig into your mothers trousseau to determine if something catches your fancy.

Bear in mind the most popular look this present year is simplicity joined with elegance so usually do not overdo it with fake jewels. Subtle zari embroidery will enable one to put on your saree time just after time at weddings, mehandis and formal dinners etc.In case you dont wish to put on your wedding saree immediately after marriage you may often convert it perfectly into a shalwar kameez or perhaps a western costume.

Whatever you choose Indias bridal saree and wedding saree is undoubtedly an outfit that will always make a bride shine and look really ethnic.

Jewish wedding ceremonies and receptions are rich with culture and traditions that celebrate the young couples new journey together. These traditions can differ greatly between Orthodox and non-Orthodox synagogues, but there are several customs you can expect at almost any ceremony. The decision of how many traditions to include in your ceremony and reception is up to the couple and their families, but we have explained some of the most popular here.

The Bdeken. Before the wedding ceremony begins, the father of the bride, father of the groom and all the groomsmen will lead the groom to the brides room. There the bride will be waiting with her female family members and bridesmaids. When the groom arrives, he places the veil over the brides face to set her apart from the other women and to signify that he is interested in her spiritual beauty more than her physical beauty. It is also said, this tradition began in biblical times after Jacob was tricked into marrying the wrong woman. The groom is said to place the brides veil over her face to ensure she is in fact the woman he expected to marry.

The Procession. This is the first place guests will notice a difference between a Jewish ceremony and a Christian one. Both the bride and groom will be accompanied by their parents when they walk down the aisle. Normally, the procession starts with the rabbi, then the grandparents, the groomsmen, the groom and his parents, the bridesmaids, a flower girl, a ring bearer and finally the bride and her parents will walk down the aisle. At the end of the procession, it is common for the bride to circle the groom seven times to signify her commitment to him.

The Chupah. Instead of an alter, the bride and groom will be married under a small structure called a chupuah or a canopy supported by four poles. This dates back to the biblical story of Abraham and Sarah and is said to symbolize the couples new home which is always open to guests.

The Ceremony. Jewish wedding ceremonies are divided into two parts the Kiddushin and the Sheva Brachot. During the Kiddushin, a greeting is said to the guests, then the rabbi blesses a cup of wine from which the bride and groom both drink. This is also the time when rings are exchanged. The bride and groom will place a ring on the others right index finger, as that is thought to be connected to the heart. Often, the couple will move the rings to traditional ring fingers after the ceremony ends. In the Sheva Brachot, seven blessings are said for the bride and groom. This can be done by a rabbi or family members and friends can each say one blessing.

Breaking the Glass. Nothing signifies a Jewish wedding more than sound of shattering glass at the end of the ceremony. Some believe it symbolizes that the marriage will last as long as the glass is broken. Others say it honors those who are suffering and is a reminder of the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. After the glass is broken, you will hear a lively round of Mazel Tov come from the guests, which means good luck.

The Hora. This is another iconic part of all Jewish weddings when the bride and groom are hoisted up on chairs while the guests joyfully sing Hava Nagila. The tradition is said to have derived from a time when members of royal families were carried on chairs.

The Mezinkle Tanz or The Krenzel. This happens when the last daughter in the brides family has been married. The mother and father of the bride sit on chairs in the middle of the dance floor and the mother is given a crown of flowers to wear. The guests will dance around the couple and kiss them as they go by.

Should you choose to include some of these great traditions into your wedding ceremony, consider putting an insert in your program that explains what the guests will see. Likely, there will be at least one or two guests who are not familiar with Jewish wedding customs and they will enjoy the ceremony much more if they understand the rich history behind what they are seeing.

As darkness sets on the island of Zanzibar, excited shouts, music and the ululating of women fills the air. Dressed in their most colourful and stylish outfits, donned with heavy gold bracelets and chains, their hands and feet decorated with flower patterns made from traditional henna, the women anxiously await the arrival of the star of the evening: the bride. As the live band in the expansive hall draws the crowd to a climax, the bride makes her grand entry.

She enters amidst shouts of ‘Bibi Harussi, the bride, has come!’ as the women let out their high-pitched sounds of joy. Her mother, friends, sisters and aunties follow in her footsteps, dancing and singing, literally escorting her in. Her sight catches the breath of many: it is the most important appearance this young woman will ever make in her life. She has now officially entered womanhood; she is a married woman, a changed person, and the results of days, sometimes weeks, of beauty treatment, culminate in her moment of entry. She majestically struts in, all bright and shiny, showing off her glittering gown, her astonishing hairdo and make-up and the intricate henna patterns on her arms and legs.

The grand entry of the bride represents the climax of a Swahili traditional wedding. Such weddings are held among the entire Swahili population of Eastern Africa, including the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, and the Tanzanian and Kenyan coasts. Swahili weddings incorporate a deeply rooted culture and religion, which can be traced back to the Arabic roots of the Swahili population.

Although a Swahili wedding can differ according to local tradition and the depth of a families’ wallet, the basics remain the same. If a young man and woman want to get married, first, a dowry payment has to be made. This involves elaborate negotiations between both families. The dowry, usually a sum of money or gold, or furniture for the newlyweds’ house, is given to the girl. Secondly, the girl has to consent to the marriage. On the wedding day, before the actual wedding vows are taken, she is asked three times if she has consented to this marriage. If she says no at any one time, the wedding is immediately called off. If she agrees, the vows are then taken with witnesses present, one of which has to be her father or a representative of her father.

For those who are not able to afford elaborate wedding celebrations, a simple ceremony incorporating these things makes for a valid marriage. Swahili culture however deems marriage one of the most important events in a person’s life, and it is therefore expected that a wedding be celebrated in style.

When wedding negotiations are over, a wedding date is set and preparations can start. Two weeks before the wedding day, the bride receives a ‘Sanduku’, the Swahili word for suitcase. It is literally a sizeable suitcase filled with every imaginary item the girl could need for her personal use in her first year of marriage. It includes clothes, shoes, underwear, make-up, toiletries, materials for making dresses, bed sheets, perfume, and even toothbrushes and toothpaste.

A week before the wedding, the girl is taken to a secluded place where she can prepare herself, receive all kinds of beauty treatments and can ask her female relatives, especially her godmother, all the questions she has about the life she is about to enter. For a young Swahili woman, her wedding day symbolises the transition to womanhood. In her culture, this comes with responsibilities, such as a husband and later on a family, but also with rights; she has come of age. She can now wear make-up, gold, beautiful dresses, do her hair, attend weddings -something unmarried girls are not allowed to do- and generally be a woman in her own right.

One of the most noticeable differences between a traditional Swahili wedding and its Western style equivalent, is that the bride and groom are not together when the wedding vows are taken, and they are even separated during much of the festivities. This is based on the religion of the Swahili people, Islam, which does not allow men and women to celebrate such an occasion together. Reason being that the women would not be able to celebrate freely; that is removing their headscarves, dance their sensuous traditional dances and be generally free when men are watching.

During the official ceremony, or Nikkah, the groom is normally in a mosque; his wife to be is in the same area -but not in the same room- if space allows, for instance if the mosque compound harbours another building or secluded area where the bride can sit. It does happen that the bride is not anywhere near the groom when they say their vows. She could be at her parent’s home, or any other place that is deemed fit.

When the wedding vows are taken, it’s time for the bride to come out in her moment of glory. She makes her entry in front of the female wedding guests, and takes her place on a stage in front of the crowd so that she can be admired and people can take pictures with her. A while later, the groom joins her and after elaborate congratulations and picture opportunities, they leave together as man and wife, leaving their guests to celebrate and eat sumptuous amounts of food.

When attending a Swahili wedding, it’s quite obvious that the women are in charge here. The air in the hall where the festivities are taking place is heavy with the perfume of all the women present, their outfits a feast of colour, their gold dangling in abundance. A wedding celebration is a Swahili woman’s party time; it is her chance to get dressed up, show her latest fashion outfits, wear her gold and dance until morning; a chance to get away, if only for a while, from the chores of daily life.

There are usually several other functions following the official ceremony and the ‘showing of the bride’. A smaller party with close relatives can follow, or a religious celebration where prayers are recited to bless the couple. Sometimes a mock ‘fight’ is staged; if the party is at the girls’ parents house, the husband has to ‘break down’ the door to get his wife; and usually, he has to ‘bribe’ the male relatives of the bride to let him in!

With the official wedding day over, the celebrations can go on for several more days. The husband then takes his new wife to all his relatives to introduce her – in Swahili tradition; a bride becomes part of the husbands’ family after marriage. She remains a bride until she gives birth to her first child. Her ‘bridal’ days are then officially over. But by then, she will have probably gone for countless other weddings to enjoy the party!

Indian subcontinent is popular for its big fat Indian weddings. Here, weddings are not just about a couple getting married, it is also about the extravagant celebrations of two families coming together and joining in for a union, along with the bride and the groom. A bride needs to look absolutely stunning on her D-day. So no wonder every bride wants to find those perfect bridal lehengas for her wedding. But with so many shops both in the market and in the online world, there are just too many options and it becomes difficult to find one. So here are few tips to help you out:

First of all, start early, at least 2-3 months before your wedding. If you are a bride, you would understand that bridal lehengas are something which will be a lifetime memory. So you would want to find the perfect one and trust me, this quest for the best lehengas takes a lot of time. You would need to find the lehengas which will suit both your tastes and your budget and then you will have to get it fitted or stitched. All this takes time. So start early.

Now fix your budget. When you will go out in the market, looking for the bridal lehengas, you will come across a mind boggling variety of lehengas, each with a different design, cut and price tag. So to narrow down your search market, you should start with eliminating those who are out of your budget. Therefore sit down and decide exactly how much you want to spend on your wedding trousseau. But dont mind if you are on a tight budget. You would be surprised by the lehengas you can find with some basic skills like shopping, bargaining, creative imagination and a good tailor.

Next thing is to decide what fabric you want to wear. Yes, this is even more important than choosing the designs and cuts. Figure out which fabrics suits you well, makes you look like a princess and still lets you feel comfortable. Although looking your best is important, also consider that you will stand and bend many times in the whole day, while following all the rituals. So to make sure you are comfortable and still looking like a diva, go for different lehengas for different occasions. Fabrics like silk, organza, georgette are popular for bridal lehengas.

Now you can come to another important part of your search for those perfect lehengas- the cuts and designs. Some of the popular cuts and designs are lehengas with straight cut, fish cut, A-line cut, flared lehengas and lehengas with panels. There is also a huge variety of what work you want on your lehengas like heavy embroidery, zardozi, gota etc. You should choose the cut which flatters your body. For example, fish tail or mermaid style lehengas look best on brides who have a curvaceous or hourglass figure. Similarly, if you have a peach shape, an A-line lehengas will provide that perfect silhouette. Again, bridal lehengas with lots of panels or with vertical embroidery work make the bride look slim. Now if you are petite, you should avoid heavy embroidery work as it will overwhelm your petite frame and you will appear in all heavy work.

An outdoor gazebo can be a beautiful complement to an outdoor wedding. A gazebo can quickly transform any setting into a more elegant setting fit for a wedding. Consider using an outdoor gazebo to complement a wedding help in a backyard, at the beach, in a field, or in a garden. A gazebo will not only provide a powerful focal point which will direct guest attention to the ceremony, it will also help to cover and disguise flaws that may be present at your wedding location. Even a simple gazebo can be transformed into a magical and beautiful structure by decorating the gazebo and tying it in with the overall wedding theme.
Flowers are one of the more common methods for gazebo decoration. Flowers will help to unite the gazebo with the wedding theme and colors. They will also lend an air of outdoor elegance to an otherwise plain structure. Consider having the florist construct elegant garlands of flowers which will easily attach to the outdoor gazebo in a variety of decorating combinations.
One may also want to consider creating decorations from other common decorating items such as: tulle, ribbon, fabric, or leaves. A fresh coat of paint before the ceremony can also bring a fresh new life to an older, faded outdoor gazebo.
Some brides will choose to integrate lighting into their gazebo decorations. This can be especially stunning when the ceremony will be held in the evening. Twinkle lights are one of the easiest and most affordable lighting options to consider for gazebo decoration.
If the site that is being considered for the wedding does not already have a gazebo, it is possible to bring one in for the event. Many companies offer rental of gazebos. Other options include purchasing or constructing an outdoor gazebo for the event specifically or borrowing a gazebo from a friend or family member. If having a gazebo is a priority, it will be possible to locate or acquire one for the ceremony.
When creating a decorating plan, consider testing ideas before the ceremony. A trial decoration of the gazebo can be completed before the event to troubleshoot potential problems and create solutions.
An outdoor gazebo can be a beautiful addition to an outdoor wedding. Decorating this structure to complement a wedding theme can be both entertaining and affordable. All beautiful decorations require are creativity and preplanning. Even an old gazebo can be made beautiful for a wedding ceremony.