Weddings with Panache
Text: Shanaz Ramzi
Photography:
Marriages have featured as the most important event in a person’s life in practically all civilized cultures, since time immemorial. In our part of the world, especially, wedding ceremonies have always tended to be elaborate affairs spreading over quite a few days and involving at least three to four formal occasions. Regardless of whether a person can or cannot afford to indulge in the festivities and celebrations associated with marriages, the prime concern has invariably been to put up the best show possible.
But, when one compares the grandeur and style of today’s weddings to that of the finest of those of yesteryear, one finds that they are far removed from anything witnessed before in terms of conceptualization and execution. And, although admittedly, such weddings are confined to the moneyed classes, the trend is fast catching on so that even middle-income groups are now coming up with economical ways of introducing imaginative and artistic touches to wedding festivities.
But, for those who have no budget constraints, or at any rate have greater financial leeway than most, weddings have become nothing short of dream sequences from Hollywood or Bollywood blockbusters. In fact, many prospective couples actually model their entire wedding receptions on the lines of weddings picturised in popular movies. To make all this possible and in fact, choreograph the wedding from start to finish, wedding planners are hired, who take on most of the responsibilities of the wedding household.
Some, such as Meinu Baigmohamad, Aayesha Valika and Yumna Ali Khan, three friends with a highly creative streak, who have teamed up as wedding planners, even see to the artistic arrangements inside the wedding household, and take care of the decoration of banisters, lighting, etc. They take over all responsibilities, from designing exclusive wedding invitation cards to suggesting where to sit, how to make an entry and which photographer to use, sometimes even guiding the bride as to what combination she should wear at the wedding!
Another renowned wedding planner is Yasmeen Katchi, who has been decorating stages for weddings for over two decades now, but, in recent years, thanks to the demand, has begun to look into all other aspects of the ambience as well.
Of course, not everyone gets everything done by wedding planners, as they come with a hefty service charge. Many people prefer to get just some aspects, such as stages or flower arrangements, giveaways or ‘mehndi thaals’, done by wedding planners, so as to cut costs but still give stylish and aesthetic touches to their events.
Hence, depending on the budget and the inclination, artistically appealing weddings today could have professionally done stages varying from simple ones with just floral arrangements in vases or on the scaffold, to elaborate stage settings which include an artistic backdrop, props, carpet, furniture and myriads of fresh flowers. Some people go all out and even have landscaped stages with waterfalls and simulated garden scenarios. Needless to say, the more elaborate the stage, the more the expenses.
Anisa Khan, another wedding planner, says that she can detect the difference in people’s tastes over the course of the last eight to ten years. Almost a decade ago, she feels, the demand was for relatively simple stages. “However, over the years, the trend has become to compete with balls and every couple wants their wedding to look different and more striking than any other.”
According to Khan, these days most receptions arranged by her include floral arrangements; a decorated stage; candles; giveaways; and a compete table-setting with napkin rings, matching ribbons around the glasses and fabric on chairs. So, when planning a grand wedding nowadays, in addition to all the trousseau expenses, one has to be prepared to keep aside a substantial sum as ‘style’ expenses.
Concurring with the view that not just stages but weddings have become very glamorous and elaborate affairs in the last few years Baigmohamad says “So stylish have weddings become today that more and more people are using the services of wedding planners to organize their events. They want sit down affairs, complete with round tables and fancy linen. There is a lot of stress on coordinated stages, entrances, ‘takhts’ and marquees.”
In fact, so creative have weddings become nowadays, that all occasions tend to have themes. Often, the bridal outfit becomes the basis of the theme of the wedding ceremonies. Hence, if the attire for a reception is eastern, then an ethnic or Mughal theme prevails for which ‘bara daris’, ‘jharokas’, and ‘dyas’ lining the length of the pathway leading up to the stage could be used. Non-traditional weddings have varied themes, such as a black backdrop with stars on them, simulating a galaxy, or a gazebo to give a modern, dramatic touch. Similarly, ‘mehndis’ could have an ‘ajrak’, ‘chundri’ or ‘jamawar’ theme.
Recently, among the most stylish weddings organized by wedding planners was a Rajasthani mehndi, complete with a procession of camel carts laden with ‘mehndi’ and professional Thari dancers. Another opulent wedding entailed a Greek reception. Decorated with golden organza curtains boasting a typically Grecian print, and complemented by stone urns, candelabra and green heart-shaped wreaths hanging on gold organza backed chairs, the event transported guests to another country altogether.
Not surprisingly, to assist wedding planners in organizing such grandiose functions are a host of other businesses, both big and small that have acquired new dimensions and professionalism that were missing say, a decade ago. Their services are also hired individually by people who don’t want to spend mullah on wedding planners, and want to deal with them directly. Among these are the ubiquitous ‘phoolwalas’, who now not only provide flowers for all occasions, they have become savvy enough to do exquisite stage and ambience décor all on their own – of course with the necessary guidelines provided by the clients — leaving one convinced that an event manager is behind the affair.
Even the ordinary caterers, realizing that people now want artistic touches in their wedding decoration, have begun to concentrate on ambience decors, and now supply different colours and textures of marquees; carpets; lounges; wooden chairs and elaborate centre tables; nephrons; lamps; mirrors; carved doors; arches; lights; centre-pieces; candelabra, and what not. In fact, they have a host of different options to suit different occasions.
With ‘mehndis’ now becoming as important as the wedding day itself, people have started making them stylish affairs as well, so much so that an entire cottage industry has developed with people specifically catering to ‘mehndi’ accessories. Creative ‘mehndi thaals’, ‘mashals’ for girls and boys to hold, bridal canopy, ‘doli’, ‘rangolis’, candle-stands, ‘jamawar’ partitions, dowry boxes, baskets, giveaways and mirrored trays are just a few of the items that can now be spotted at elaborate mehndis, which are all being especially made for the event.
Seeing the demand, many enterprising women have also started the business of making and supplying such items from their homes. A case in point is Shamim Munir who operates under the name of Home Decor. She supplies quaint ‘mehndi’ platters, complete with sweet meats, flower bracelets and henna. She also offers unique trousseau or dowry containers and hand-made boxes for distributing ‘mithai’. Naheed Ansari is yet another enterprising lady who does entire ‘mehndi thaals’, giveaways, fancy fruit baskets, and gift wrapping for in-laws.
And of course, ambience is not all that has changed in the weddings of today. Bridal outfits, down to the shoes, have become one-of-a-kind and are often made to match the attire of the groom, as well as the colours of the stage. And, gone are the days when mama’s jewellery used to be worn by brides. Today, the stone-studded jewellery is delicate and intricately designed to complement the bridal outfit. Bridal make-up too, has become the job of an artist of sorts, so that the bride is made to look either like a model out of Vogue, or an eastern diva, depending on her preference. As make-up artist Shamaine says “Doing a bride these days is a lot of fun as there is so much innovation in clothes and jewellery, that it leaves a lot of scope for the make-up artist to display their talent.”
Yet another avenue to show off skills at the wedding time is dancing, which has become an integral part of weddings today, especially at the mehndi function. Whereas, in the days of yore family and friends used to practice songs for months prior to the wedding, and the tambourine and ‘dhol’ were an intrinsic part of every wedding household, today it is a different scene altogether. Choreographed dances are now held with DJs providing the music, and special clothes are stitched for all those participating in the dances so that the visual effect is nothing less than what one sees on the Indian cinema screen.
And, not to be forgotten is portrait photography – another art that has acquired unprecedented dimensions, thanks to the demand at the wedding time. These days, designer photographers are available who can take creative portrait shoots of the couple, either in their own studio or wherever the couple so desire. A host of backgrounds are offered, particularly at the studio, where the sets are so elaborate that the photographs look like they are from a Dev Das movie.
While many may think it is sheer extravagance to waste so much money on decor and pomp, not to mention clothes and make-up just for a few hours, one must admit that today’s weddings are a sight for sore eyes. And, simultaneously, they support an industry of sorts, creating employment for a large number of artistic people now involved in catering to the burgeoning needs of elaborate weddings. Although, undoubtedly, the higher end of the spectrum providing such services is beyond the budget of a vast number of people, there are now so many affordable counterparts available in every category of service, that it is possible to cut corners and still have a stylish wedding.
Photography:
Marriages have featured as the most important event in a person’s life in practically all civilized cultures, since time immemorial. In our part of the world, especially, wedding ceremonies have always tended to be elaborate affairs spreading over quite a few days and involving at least three to four formal occasions. Regardless of whether a person can or cannot afford to indulge in the festivities and celebrations associated with marriages, the prime concern has invariably been to put up the best show possible.
But, when one compares the grandeur and style of today’s weddings to that of the finest of those of yesteryear, one finds that they are far removed from anything witnessed before in terms of conceptualization and execution. And, although admittedly, such weddings are confined to the moneyed classes, the trend is fast catching on so that even middle-income groups are now coming up with economical ways of introducing imaginative and artistic touches to wedding festivities.
But, for those who have no budget constraints, or at any rate have greater financial leeway than most, weddings have become nothing short of dream sequences from Hollywood or Bollywood blockbusters. In fact, many prospective couples actually model their entire wedding receptions on the lines of weddings picturised in popular movies. To make all this possible and in fact, choreograph the wedding from start to finish, wedding planners are hired, who take on most of the responsibilities of the wedding household.
Some, such as Meinu Baigmohamad, Aayesha Valika and Yumna Ali Khan, three friends with a highly creative streak, who have teamed up as wedding planners, even see to the artistic arrangements inside the wedding household, and take care of the decoration of banisters, lighting, etc. They take over all responsibilities, from designing exclusive wedding invitation cards to suggesting where to sit, how to make an entry and which photographer to use, sometimes even guiding the bride as to what combination she should wear at the wedding!
Another renowned wedding planner is Yasmeen Katchi, who has been decorating stages for weddings for over two decades now, but, in recent years, thanks to the demand, has begun to look into all other aspects of the ambience as well.
Of course, not everyone gets everything done by wedding planners, as they come with a hefty service charge. Many people prefer to get just some aspects, such as stages or flower arrangements, giveaways or ‘mehndi thaals’, done by wedding planners, so as to cut costs but still give stylish and aesthetic touches to their events.
Hence, depending on the budget and the inclination, artistically appealing weddings today could have professionally done stages varying from simple ones with just floral arrangements in vases or on the scaffold, to elaborate stage settings which include an artistic backdrop, props, carpet, furniture and myriads of fresh flowers. Some people go all out and even have landscaped stages with waterfalls and simulated garden scenarios. Needless to say, the more elaborate the stage, the more the expenses.
Anisa Khan, another wedding planner, says that she can detect the difference in people’s tastes over the course of the last eight to ten years. Almost a decade ago, she feels, the demand was for relatively simple stages. “However, over the years, the trend has become to compete with balls and every couple wants their wedding to look different and more striking than any other.”
According to Khan, these days most receptions arranged by her include floral arrangements; a decorated stage; candles; giveaways; and a compete table-setting with napkin rings, matching ribbons around the glasses and fabric on chairs. So, when planning a grand wedding nowadays, in addition to all the trousseau expenses, one has to be prepared to keep aside a substantial sum as ‘style’ expenses.
Concurring with the view that not just stages but weddings have become very glamorous and elaborate affairs in the last few years Baigmohamad says “So stylish have weddings become today that more and more people are using the services of wedding planners to organize their events. They want sit down affairs, complete with round tables and fancy linen. There is a lot of stress on coordinated stages, entrances, ‘takhts’ and marquees.”
In fact, so creative have weddings become nowadays, that all occasions tend to have themes. Often, the bridal outfit becomes the basis of the theme of the wedding ceremonies. Hence, if the attire for a reception is eastern, then an ethnic or Mughal theme prevails for which ‘bara daris’, ‘jharokas’, and ‘dyas’ lining the length of the pathway leading up to the stage could be used. Non-traditional weddings have varied themes, such as a black backdrop with stars on them, simulating a galaxy, or a gazebo to give a modern, dramatic touch. Similarly, ‘mehndis’ could have an ‘ajrak’, ‘chundri’ or ‘jamawar’ theme.
Recently, among the most stylish weddings organized by wedding planners was a Rajasthani mehndi, complete with a procession of camel carts laden with ‘mehndi’ and professional Thari dancers. Another opulent wedding entailed a Greek reception. Decorated with golden organza curtains boasting a typically Grecian print, and complemented by stone urns, candelabra and green heart-shaped wreaths hanging on gold organza backed chairs, the event transported guests to another country altogether.
Not surprisingly, to assist wedding planners in organizing such grandiose functions are a host of other businesses, both big and small that have acquired new dimensions and professionalism that were missing say, a decade ago. Their services are also hired individually by people who don’t want to spend mullah on wedding planners, and want to deal with them directly. Among these are the ubiquitous ‘phoolwalas’, who now not only provide flowers for all occasions, they have become savvy enough to do exquisite stage and ambience décor all on their own – of course with the necessary guidelines provided by the clients — leaving one convinced that an event manager is behind the affair.
Even the ordinary caterers, realizing that people now want artistic touches in their wedding decoration, have begun to concentrate on ambience decors, and now supply different colours and textures of marquees; carpets; lounges; wooden chairs and elaborate centre tables; nephrons; lamps; mirrors; carved doors; arches; lights; centre-pieces; candelabra, and what not. In fact, they have a host of different options to suit different occasions.
With ‘mehndis’ now becoming as important as the wedding day itself, people have started making them stylish affairs as well, so much so that an entire cottage industry has developed with people specifically catering to ‘mehndi’ accessories. Creative ‘mehndi thaals’, ‘mashals’ for girls and boys to hold, bridal canopy, ‘doli’, ‘rangolis’, candle-stands, ‘jamawar’ partitions, dowry boxes, baskets, giveaways and mirrored trays are just a few of the items that can now be spotted at elaborate mehndis, which are all being especially made for the event.
Seeing the demand, many enterprising women have also started the business of making and supplying such items from their homes. A case in point is Shamim Munir who operates under the name of Home Decor. She supplies quaint ‘mehndi’ platters, complete with sweet meats, flower bracelets and henna. She also offers unique trousseau or dowry containers and hand-made boxes for distributing ‘mithai’. Naheed Ansari is yet another enterprising lady who does entire ‘mehndi thaals’, giveaways, fancy fruit baskets, and gift wrapping for in-laws.
And of course, ambience is not all that has changed in the weddings of today. Bridal outfits, down to the shoes, have become one-of-a-kind and are often made to match the attire of the groom, as well as the colours of the stage. And, gone are the days when mama’s jewellery used to be worn by brides. Today, the stone-studded jewellery is delicate and intricately designed to complement the bridal outfit. Bridal make-up too, has become the job of an artist of sorts, so that the bride is made to look either like a model out of Vogue, or an eastern diva, depending on her preference. As make-up artist Shamaine says “Doing a bride these days is a lot of fun as there is so much innovation in clothes and jewellery, that it leaves a lot of scope for the make-up artist to display their talent.”
Yet another avenue to show off skills at the wedding time is dancing, which has become an integral part of weddings today, especially at the mehndi function. Whereas, in the days of yore family and friends used to practice songs for months prior to the wedding, and the tambourine and ‘dhol’ were an intrinsic part of every wedding household, today it is a different scene altogether. Choreographed dances are now held with DJs providing the music, and special clothes are stitched for all those participating in the dances so that the visual effect is nothing less than what one sees on the Indian cinema screen.
And, not to be forgotten is portrait photography – another art that has acquired unprecedented dimensions, thanks to the demand at the wedding time. These days, designer photographers are available who can take creative portrait shoots of the couple, either in their own studio or wherever the couple so desire. A host of backgrounds are offered, particularly at the studio, where the sets are so elaborate that the photographs look like they are from a Dev Das movie.
While many may think it is sheer extravagance to waste so much money on decor and pomp, not to mention clothes and make-up just for a few hours, one must admit that today’s weddings are a sight for sore eyes. And, simultaneously, they support an industry of sorts, creating employment for a large number of artistic people now involved in catering to the burgeoning needs of elaborate weddings. Although, undoubtedly, the higher end of the spectrum providing such services is beyond the budget of a vast number of people, there are now so many affordable counterparts available in every category of service, that it is possible to cut corners and still have a stylish wedding.
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