The Sangeet Party

Indian Weddings are not solely about serious rituals and customs, they are also full of several fun filled rituals and designed to contain a scope of entertainment. Among all the pre-wedding celebrations, the Sangeet party is the most enjoyable one. The Sangeet ceremony known as, ‘Gaun’, is celebrated on an elaborate scale making it a very grand affair.

 The Sangeet party is an Indian tradition during which the family and friends shower the bride and groom with dance, music, and laughs. The sangeet party usually takes place in a large hall elaborately decorated and involves traditional dance, known as Garba, and dandia raas, dancing with sticks.

The decoration choices for a Sangeet celebration can vary. A traditional Sangeet decoration includes long beautiful drapes in rich embroidery with mirror work adding a special touch. You can make the decoration ethnic using colors like red, orange, maroon, and purple drapes with some gold glittering touches. Flowers like roses, marigolds, orchids, gerberas, give a special touch to the decorations and roses tend to be favored.

A western take on the Sangeet decoration can include, netted drapes and the use of silver in place of gold. Flowers like baby roses, orchid, lily or carnations tend to be used in western Sangeet decorations and these days, even things like heart shaped balloons with nets are added.

Traditionally only the women celebrated this ceremony but nowadays it is a co-ed affair making it all the more fun and interesting!

pictures courtesy of dariabishop.com

Indian Weddings – The ‘Baraat’

Indian Weddings are more of a religious ritual than a social or legal affair like that in West. Indian weddings are a perfect blend of traditions, values and celebrations. The ‘Barat’ for instance, is the Grooms ceremony. It is an elaborate event where the groom enters the wedding venue with his family after participating in a convoy wherein the Groom, or Barat, sits on an embellished white horse, elephant or for the more contemporary groom, by boat or car.

The groom is adorned with a saafa (turban, normally a shade of pink) and a sehara (floral veil), tied around his forehead by his mother. In some regions, a sword is also provided to the groom and how many men do you know who wouldn’t love that!

The Barat and his party are accompanied by a Dohl player or music band in front of them who play the special drums and entertain them on the way to the venue and sometimes fireworks are sparked to contribute to the festivities. Reaching the venue, dancing and celebrating, the group is greeted by the family of the bride. The bride’s mother performs a tradition called Aarti before the groom and after this ritual the baratis are allowed to enter the venue.

The ‘Barat’ is just another example of how Indian weddings grandly portray the rich culture, heritage and ethnicity of the country. Indian marriages have many different kinds of rituals and traditions but one thing remains constant, the beautiful display of love, concern, commitment, and emotion.

Pictures courtesy of: Andrena Photo, Megan Finley Photography, Sean M. Haffey Photography, and www.sacramentoweddingplanner.com 

TOP YOUR CAKE WITH YOUR PERSONALITY

Who says you have to follow tradition? Having a fun cake topper at your wedding or anniversary is a great way to break the mold and make a unique statement that guests will remember for years to come.

A unique cake topper is another great way to personalize your wedding day experience. It can symbolize a great memory of your relationship, the day you met, how he proposed, individual or mutual hobbies/interests, or anything at all that sends a message about the two of you and your special bond.

There are no rules to showing the world about the journey that lead you both to declare your love in front of your family and your closest friends…..so why not add a little humor while you’re doing it!

You can represent your heritage…..

But above all, you can express your sweet true love. Whether it’s for the first time…..

…..or for the fiftieth!

For more fun cake toppers please visit SuperWeddings.Com

ADD A SWEET TOUCH TO YOUR WEDDING DAY

When the time for that little something to satisfy your sweet-tooth at a wedding celebration, it doesn’t just stop at cake any more….  As more and more brides and grooms-to-be opt for a different form to show their appreciation to all of those who came to be a part of the most special day of their lives, dessert stations are becoming ever so popular….

It is a spectacular way to add festive flair and instant excitement to your celebration. Having a dessert station gives guests the choice to custom pick as little or as much of exactly what they want and when they want it.  It is also functions as a little to go nite bite when the night is over.

There are so many different types of stations you can create deppending on your perrsonal stories and the types of sweets you and your sweetheart love….

Here are a few examples we thought would inspire you to have one at your wedding or your next celebration!

You can have….

Mix your own fruit chocolate Martinis.

Make your own candied apple station.

A Smores Station (My favorite!!)

A cupcake station.

Sundae/Soda-Float Station.

The possibilities are endless and only your imagination and your mood can guide you….it can only be tasty and fun after that!!!

Photos courtesy of : Jean M Wedding Invitations and Accessories, The Knot, & Dasha Wright

THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGHTING & ENTERTAINMENT

Often times, people do not consider the importance of lighting and entertainment for a perfect reception.

In order to make a well rounded party come to life, you must carefully choose the entertainment along with coordinating lighting to accommodate whichever performance you have chosen. The ambiance that you create at your event plays just as large a part as the rest of the components. Many different moods and themes can be created with the type and color of lighting you use to compliment it. Once you have chosen your preferred form of entertainment and its corresponding atmosphere, you can rest assured that the tone of your event will go off with much success!

The choice of lighting and entertainment you choose will make the difference between just an average event and an exciting and entertaining celebrating  experience!