Wedding Articles

Planning a Wedding 6 Months Ahead

Reserve or Buy Tuxedos and Suit

At this point of wedding organization, the male attire will need to be planned. Decide on what type of formal wear is wanted, whether it is tuxedos, black tie or suits. What type of formal wear is chosen will depend on the type of wedding celebration. It may be a very formal, classic reception where a tuxedo is best suited or a relaxed buffet party reception where a smart suit is well suited. To tie in with a theme, the male attire may have a certain color for the cummerbund, bowtie or corsage.

It does take some time to pick out the best outfit from the many styles, fittings and colors. These outfits can be rented or bought depending on the budget.

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Pick the Wedding Cake

The wedding cake is the centre piece of the decor and theme of the wedding venue and provides a popular photo scene. It needs to therefore tie in with the theme and colors of the wedding. The cake will need to be ordered up to 6 months in advance in order to give enough time for it to be made a decorated accordingly.

There are bakeries which specialize in wedding cakes and decoration. To get the wedding cake right, go to the baker and talk about what you want, from the design, filling and icing. A good bakery should provide samples to taste.

The amount set aside for the cake depends on how many guests are expected as the price will depends on the size of the cake as well as the design and type of cake. Some bakeries will charge for delivery and may expect a deposit.

Find the Wedding Rings

The hunt for wedding rings should start up to 6 months in advance to allow for sufficient time to shop around and put orders through ready for the big day.

A wedding ring is a highly symbolic and is a piece of jewelry which will endure a lifetime. It is advisable to buy from a jeweler which specializes in wedding rings as there will be a better selection.

Wedding and engagement rings can be bought as sets, but if this is not the case then a wedding ring should be chosen to complement the engagement ring.

The ring should be made from a durable material such as gold and silver, with platinum growing in popularity in recent years. The rings can be sized professionally by jewelers so they are the perfect size.

Get the Bridesmaids’ Dresses

By this point in time, the bride’s dress should be picked out and ordered so the bridesmaids’ dresses can be organized. The bridesmaids’ dresses can go together with the bride’s dress by being a simplified version, or they can be contrasting by being completely different. This will depend on the style and theme of the wedding.

Buy the Bridal Jewelry and Accessories

Shop around for the shoes, gloves and additional accessories for the wedding. Try the dress with shoes and accessories to make sure they all go together.

Register for Wedding Gifts

Wedding gifts were traditionally a way for friends and family to help newlyweds set up their new home.
Many retailers offer a registry service for your wedding gifts. Remember that the wedding gifts do not have to come from one place. Today, registrations can be done online as well as in-store, making it easy for guests who are far away to give the gifts.

Plan the Honeymoon

The honeymoon should be one of the best holidays you experience, so it is worth allocating a portion of your budget towards this. Decide together on what type of honeymoon is desired.
It could be a relaxing break, lying on a tropical beach in the sun. Goa attracts many tourists for its beaches and has a unique, alternative atmosphere where east meets west. More mainstream locations include the Caribbean or Hawaii. Australia offers much more than just beautiful beaches with many water activities such as surfing and snorkeling amid the tropical reefs.

A more active holiday may be preferred such as skiing. Hitting the slopes of the Alps or the Rockies may bestow an exciting experience.

For an unconventional trip with variety, consider a city break. It could be the lights of Las Vegas with its infamous casinos shows and nightlife. The hustle and bustle of Cairo’s bazaars may appeal for those wanting to see one of the great wonders of the world.

Or for something completely in a league of its own, an African safari will offer an interesting and unforgettable experience.

If your budget can not accommodate exotic locations, do not rule out European destinations. Booking your honeymoon in Spain, Greece, Dublin or even the capital of romance Paris can be just as memorable as a far away location.

Once the honeymoon location has been decided, check if any visas or inoculations are needed.

Planning a Wedding 10 Months Ahead

This is worth noting when looking for a venue as many offer catering and may not allow outside catering. Some venues may recommend a particular caterer. It is therefore important to inquire about catering policies when searching for a venue.

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Planning a Wedding 1 Year Ahead

Planning a wedding can be an overwhelming process with so much to organize and oversee. The average time for planning between the engagement and the wedding is 12-18 months. It is highly advisable to plan and book well in advance.

Read more...

Welcome to Mandap.org

In this blog we will try to explain and clarify common misconceptions about Indian Weddings traditions, various cultural terminologies used and some beautiful tips and ideas to organize your wedding the Indian Way!

Indian Muslim Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Nikah

Also known as Nikaah, the Muslim ceremony is often celebrated with the signature splendour which is customary for Indo-Asian weddings. Witnesses and religious counselors are invited from both parties Bride and the Groom to complete this event.The wedding ceremony or Nikaah often takes place in a banqueting hall with close friends and family to witness the event. During this ceremony, a legal contract known as Nikaahnama is signed by the bride, groom and key people.

Wedding Mehendi

The celebrations often start with the Mehndi ceremony, where the bride to be has henna put on her hands and feet is a decorative pattern. The guests are all close female friends and relatives. The celebrations usually carry into the night with songs and dances performed by guests.

Wedding Baraat

he actual wedding starts with the musical ceremony known as the Baraat to announce the arrival of the groom.The newly weds get their first chance to sit together during the Prayers and Aarsimashaf. Their heads are covered with a nuptial duputta and prayers are read. During this ritual, a copy of the Quran is placed between the bride and groom and the couple are only allowed to look at each other through mirrors.

Wedding Pranks

It is common practice for girls on the brides side to play pranks on the grooms side during parts of the ceremony.

Wedding Rukhsati

The event of Bride leaving the marriage place usually a banquet or a hall with her husband is called rukhsati.The wedding ceremony ends tearfully with the bride leaving her parental house with her husband in a tradition known as Rukshat. The bride is then welcomed into the groom’s parental home by her mother in-law who holds the Quran over her head as she enters the threshold.

Wedding Valima

The Valimah is a welcoming party thrown by the groom’s side. Intended as a gesture to welcome the bride into the family.

Indian Wedding Traditions

Popular and commonly practiced Hindu Wedding Traditions and Ritiuals

The Hindu religion comes from across a number of regions, each with cultural variations to wedding ceremonies. There are, however, fundamental similarities in all Hindu weddings.
The purpose of the Hindu wedding is to perform the dharma, obligations to society and family, prajana, which is to bring children into the world and shradh which refers to the rituals.

Misri for Indian Wedding

Also known as the sugar ceremony, this is an engagement ceremony in which the blessings of Lord Ganesha are prayed for. Seven married women represent the seven forms of God and make Ganesha symbol on a pot of sugar. The Ganesha symbol looks similar to a swastika, but in a clockwise direction.

Prayer known as a puja is carried out by the couple and their parents to complete the request for blessings.
The families of the bride and the groom exchange garlands of flowers, rings, fruit and gifts. As the fourth finger is considered to have a direct link to the heart, the rings are placed on these fingers. These are placed on the right hand of the groom and the left hand of the bride.

Indian Wedding Sangeet

This is a pre wedding party with food and music for friends and family. The bride and groom may have individual sangeets or a combined large celebration.

Nav Graha Puja for Wedding

This is a puja which takes place days before the wedding to ask for blessings from the Gods which govern the planets. This is considered important as astrology has been an important influence throughout the history of the Hindu religion.

Wedding Sagri

This is a ceremony for the females from the grooms family to get to know the bride by visiting her with gifts.

Wedding Mehndi

This is the henna party where the bride and some of the guests have their hands and feet painted with henna paste. The henna stains the hands with the patterns which are painted on and is considered lucky and an illustration of the strength of love in the imminent marriage.

Ghari Puja for Wedding

This is a religious ceremony which takes place the night before the wedding in the bride and groom’s home. The ceremony represents the couple leaving their old life and embarking on their new life together.
The Pithi is usually performed at this point, which is a beautification ritual. The bride and groom are washed with a tumeric paste.

Wedding Bharaat

On the morning of the wedding, the groom leaves his home for the wedding traditionally mounted on a white horse with his family and friends around him. When they arrive, they are greeted by the brides family who shower them with rose water and petals.

Wedding Swagatum

To welcome the goom to the wedding, the mother places a red dot, known as a tikka, on his forehead. A pot filled with yogurt, honey, seeds and ghee is placed on the ground for the groom to step on in order to close the ceremony.

The actual wedding ceremony itself takes place in a mandap, a canopy, with a sacred fire burning inside it. A series of rituals to signify the union of the couple, complete the wedding ceremony.

Madhuparka

– the groom’s right foot is washed by the father of the bride.

Sankalp

– Holy mantras are chanted and the bride’s parents pledge their blessings. It symbolizes them givining their daughter away.

Kanya-agaman

– the bride enterers, usually led by a maternal uncle to the mandap. The groom is shielded and is unable to see his bride until he expresses his acceptance of her to the pundit. The couple then sit together with the groom on the left.

Pad-Pakshalan

– The brides parents wash the feet of the couple with milk and water and then connect the couple together with a length of raw cotton and threads. This is later tied together by the pundit to reinforce their bond as husband and wife.

Hasta-melap

– the brides right hand is placed in the grooms right hand as traditionally the brides parents are giving her away to the groom.

Agni Puja

– a sacred fire is lit by the pundit in a copper bowl

Shilarohana

– the bride puts her foot on a stone to correspond with the vows they take to be strong as a couple throughout married life.

Laja homa

– rice is placed in the sacred fire while the bride prays for her husband to have a long life, prosper and to be happy.

Mangalfera

– the couple walk around the fire four times. The groom will lead the bride three times to represent duty, karma and wealth, and the bride will lead the round representing salvation.

Saptapadi

– these are the seven symbolic steps the couple will walk around the fire to remain life-long partners and friends. Oaths are taken in the presence of the guests to unite the couple as husband and wife.

Pradakshina

– the couple circle the fire three more times with a further prayer.

Saubhagya Chinha

– the bride is blessed by the groom by him placing vermilion powder on her forehead and giving her a wedding necklace known as a Mangal Sutra.

Haridaya-Sparsha

– the couple place their hands over each others hearts while stating vows. They are then blessed by the pundit to complete the wedding ceremony.

Chathurthi Karma

The couple feed each other four times to represent the development of their skin, muscle, bone and soul.

Blessed flower petals and rice are thrown over the couple by guests at the end of the ceremony like confetti. As the couple leaves the farewell to the bride is a moving moment as she is leaving her family to build a new life with her husband and his family.
A coconut is positioned under a wheel of the wedding car, so it can be broken on its departure. This was done in the past to ensure the vehicle which was transporting the newlyweds was roadworthy.

There are post wedding ceremonies which take place to welcome the bride into the family. Salt is used in the ritual of Datar to symbolize her entering the family as it can blend well into any food.

Hindu brides customarily wear heavily embroidered red and white saris. The red implies fertility and the white the innocence and purity of the bride. It is common for the bride to change during the wedding from a modest sari from her family to a more heavy sari from the groom’s family.
The Groom usually wears white or cream traditional outfit which may be embroidered with gold thread. Some north Indian Hindu grooms wear a turban with strings of flowers hiding his face from view. This is to protect him from the evil eye of on-lookers.