Category: Wedding

Patola Silk Sarees Look Different

The Patola Silk Sarees are one of the finest varieties of handloom silk saree from Gujrat. Patola means queen of silks and the sarees are woven with great clarity and precision making it well known all over the world for highly delicate patterns. Depending on the complexity of design and length, a patola saree may take 4-6 months for completion. Woven by master weavers on a special type of silk called patola silk, geometric designs with folk motifs and flaming colors are characteristic features of patola sarees. Each patola saree reflects the skill and imagination of the weaver and is exclusive by nature. Patan and Surat are famous destinations of patola sarees.

Way back in 12 th century some salvi weavers from Karnataka and Maharashtra arrived at Patan and with the patronage from royal and affluent people of Gujrat the art of patola sarees flourished. The sarees became symbol of status and part of wedding brocade dresses and from then on are regarded as best pure silk bridal wear. Depending on the pattern of weaving there are two types of patola sarees – Rajokot patola and Patan patola. While the Rajkot sarees are single ikkat and vertically resist dyed, the Patan variety is double ikkat pattern and horizontally resist dyed. The double ikkat type of weaving is perhaps the most intricate type of textile weaving in the whole world. Both sides of the saree have the same design and can be draped in either way making it unique combination of art silk sarees and printed silk saris.

Simple traditional handlooms are used for weaving and the dyes are natural colors, extracted from vegetable. Animals, flowers, human figures and birds give the basic design. Nowadays chemical dyes are also used to make some geometrical designs. Some ikat sarees are enriched with kundan and zardosi sequins for special occasions. The typical feature of the fabric is the brocade like heavy texture. The pallavs or anchals are elaborate and the dazzling borders are adorned with warm colors and rich motifs.

The double ikat sarees with motifs of parrots, flowers, elephants and dancing figures are primarily used by Jains and Hindus as wedding brocade dresses. Geometric and floral designs are preferred by Muslim communities like Vora as they regard it best pure silk bridal wear. Plain dark colored body with motifs of women and bird are special variety of patola sarees cherished by Maharashtrian Brahmins and known as Nari Kunj.

Patola sarees have evolved from the days of Sultanate and royals and confinement of Gujrat to be acclaimed as one of the finest piece of fabric and work of art that is a treasure collection especially for women all over the world. Handloom silk saree and khadi silk apparels from India has their own appeal to various class of people allover the world as they are used by various fashion designers as base for their work. It was very difficult to get hold of an original patola saree as they are woven by handful of weavers and are not abundant as Indian south silk sarees or printed silk saris. However, with the arrival of various online shopping portals, finding a patola saree has become easier. These portals have huge collection of traditional brocade sarees and special patola sarees with zardosi or kundan sequins and even offer matching blouse piece.

The Proper Wedding Etiquette For The Grooms Parents

Weddings are wonderful experiences of two lovers who want to signify their commitment to bond, intentionally, for the rest of their lives. In Western countries, wedding ceremonies are symbolic and overwhelmingly romantic, making the event really expensive, as well.

Weddings are lifetime dreams of every woman. Some men also dream of being involved in one, though, the extent and magnitude is not that great compared to girls’ longing for it.

Because weddings are ceremonies that have evolved through the years to emerge as formal occasions, a lot of symbolic gestures and actions are required from the participants. From the bride to the groom, to the maid of honor and best man, Western culture has come up with universal wedding etiquette for every person in every wedding.

This article will inform and acquaint you to the minimal responsibilities given to the groom’s parents in every wedding. You will be surprised that the role of the groom’s parents are nothing much and intense compared to the role provided to other participants in the wedding.

Role of the Groom’s Parents

The groom’s parents are often fall at a loss when asked about the role they will be playing in the wedding of their beloved son. In movies and in real life, it is always assumed that parents of the bride get more emotional during weddings.

The assumption is true and is a well-accepted fact. However, the groom’s parents should not be seen as parents who should not be shedding tears during weddings. Of course, they should also. It is because they are also sending their beloved offspring or son away.

The groom’s parents will surely not be familiar of their role in their son’s wedding, especially if they had not participated previously in a wedding for a daughter, another son or other siblings. Here are some points and tips for the groom’s parents who wish to accomplish their role in the wedding well and with flying colors:

o The first wedding etiquette to be followed by the groom’s parents is to initiate contact and communication with the bride’s family. Introducing themselves to the bride’s parents is the groom’s parents’ first and utmost responsibility. It would be a really, really great gesture to start up good relations between the two families.

o It is a role of the groom’s parents, as written in wedding etiquettes, to host and pay for the wedding rehearsal dinner. The event should not necessarily be expensive. Simple salad potlucks or simple dinners can do. The groom’s parents should also not hold back if they want to impress the bride’s family by throwing out elaborate or exotic dinners in the finest restaurants.

o To get along with customary wedding etiquettes, the groom’s parents can also participate in the planning stage of the wedding. However, the role is almost always limited to just providing timely, appropriate and accurate guest list. The groom’s family and relatives should not be overlooked at this very important event.

Wedding etiquette for groom’s parents during the wedding

The father of the groom’s responsibilities during weddings are often overlooked. It is because they are just always tasked to escorting the mother of the groom, and that role is still conditional if they are in good relations—that is, they are not divorced.

The groom’s mother can be busier. Women are very particular to dresses and that is where the groom’s mom should first strike.

The groom’s mom should leave the role of dealing for the bride’s dress to the bride’s mom. She should also not mind the dresses for the maid of honor or bridesmaids. The groom’s mom should only compliment the gowns to be worn by the bride’s mom and bridesmaids, not overdo or outdo them.

The groom’s parents are expected to follow customs and traditions during wedding ceremonies. They will be led by ushers as where they should be seated in the wedding venue.

Other important roles for the groom’s parents

It can be funny, but in the Western or modern culture, the groom’s parents are mainly involved just in funding or shouldering wedding-related bills.

Among the other things the groom’s parents should pay for are the bride’s wedding ring, the clergy fees in the church, transportation expenses of groom’s men, gifts or tokens for groom’s men as well as lodging costs if necessary, gift for the bride and the bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages.

Wedding ceremonies are just that—ceremonies. The marriage will not principally depend on the wedding, but a good one will make a good start for the couple. The groom’s parents should be as supportive as ever for their beloved son is embarking on a new life.

Top 5 Different Types Of Wedding Photography

When you begin your search for a wedding photographer, youre going to run into a lot of terminology discussing styles that you may not have heard before. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they simply hire a photographer and thats the end of it. Unfortunately, if you dont know what type / style of photographer youre hiring, you may not get the look in your wedding photos that you had been hoping for. By doing just a small amount of research youll be able to hire the photographer that shares your vision of the perfect wedding album. Here are the different types of wedding photography that will be available to you.

Artistic

This type of photography can be given to interpretation. Photographs may be saturated with color, given special effects or may even be hard to decipher as wedding photographs. You may want to find a photographer that utilises this style if you plan on hanging one or several of your wedding photos on the wall.

Candid

While professional photographers do utilise candid photography, its most often the type of picture-taking that you see from amateurs (unless the photographer has bought along a ‘second’ to take care of these particular shots). A bit of a point and shoot approach that doesnt have subjects primping and posing. This type of photography is most often used for more casual weddings.

Contemporary

This type of photography may be a combination of all the other types or a type that utilizes whatever style of photography is currently in vogue. Look through some popular photography magazines or even bridal magazines to see what’s popular.

Documentary

Photographers using this style attempt to convey a true feeling of the wedding and reception through their photographs. Looking through the wedding album will allow you to relive the day as it happened without the use of words or captions. This type of photography is also called photojournalism.

Formal

Sometimes called traditional, these are posed shots where everyone is looking at the camera. Group shots of the wedding party, the couple with their families and the couple on their own are popular.

Its very important that you convey your wishes to any photographer that you are planning on hiring prior to your wedding day. You aren’t gong to get a chance to have them retaken another day (hopefully!). Ask your potential photographer for references and look at their sample albums – many have galleries online to peruse. If they don’t seem to be understanding exactly what you want, move on to the next. Many professionals have a range of styles in their arsenal and should be able to give you several different types of photographs in one album. If the person you are interviewing can’t give you the look that you desire, chances are the next can. Get the right wedding photography for your wedding and you will have photos to cherish forever

The Best Groom Speech For An Intimate Wedding

Writing a groom speech can be tedious and complicated for many. However, there are available resources online to help you draft your own groom speech effectively.

If you wish to make your wedding a very intimate event, with some of your families and friends attending and witnessing your matrimony, then it is best to make sure that you find the most suitable groom speech for the occasion.

More often than not, the groom gets overly excited about the upcoming event that he finds it hard to come up with his own written speech to be used while exchanging his vows with the bride. Before this happens, make sure to find the prefect speech for you days ahead of your wedding. That way, you will be able to avoid the common agony of having to struggle writing your speech, and trying so hard to make it perfect for your future wife, while pressed for time.

Finding Available Resources

All you need to do is search for some of the available e-books in the Internet. There are boatloads of them available that you will be surprised how tons of variations there can be for what you truly wish to say to your beloved bride. As a matter of fact, there are even pre-written groom speeches that you may browse through and tailor-fit to the speech you, yourself has made.

Making Your Speech As Natural As Possible

Or better yet, you may also try using such resources to guide you in writing your own groom speech. That way, no matter which method you will choose for writing your own speech, there is no doubt that you will be pleased with the final speech you will deliver on your big day. Really, crafting your own piece of speech does not only entail having to put words and phrases together.

Choosing Words Comfortable To Your Lips

It is very important that you also make sure that the words you will choose to speak on your wedding will come out very comfortably from your lips. That way, your speech as the groom will come across very natural and will not let the guests sense even a tinge of insincerity in your speech. Practice is the key to make your speech sound so casual and yet so full of sincerity. In the end, you will agree that writing your own speech as the groom is not difficult at all. All you need to do is browse through the countless reviews available online so that you will hit upon some tips and guidelines that you will need to come up with the perfect groom speech.

Make sure the speech you are formulating is following a direction, in the sense that you can steer your speech to the direction you would want it to take. Really, getting done with your own groom speech is now as easy as 1, 2, 3. That is why; if you happen to be in the queue of people getting married, immediately search for the perfect web site of wedding speeches weeks before your wedding preparations. That way you can be sure that you will be able to get the best available resources online on how you can craft the perfect groom speech for your wife.

Importance Of Mehndi In Indian Culture

Mehndi holds a lot of cultural significance in Indian traditions. Be it weddings, Karva Chauth or other occasions, mehndi plays an important role in all the ceremonies and festivals of India. In todays era of modernization, the new styles and designs of mehndi are coming up, adding glamour and fun to it.

Weddings being the most important day in ones life, mehndi has become an ornament for the soon to be brides. There is, in fact, one whole ceremony dedicated to its celebration popularly known as Mehndi Ceremony or Mehndi Ki Raat. Besides this, the phrase Haath Peele Karna as often heard from elders of the family is a rasam of mehndi directly synonymous to marriage. This significance maybe attributed to symbolic meaning of mehndi i.e. fertility.

Mehndi Ceremony is among the pre wedding rituals in Indian weddings performed a day prior to the marriage. Just as Haldi ceremony symbolizes cleanliness, mehndi signifies beautification. Mehndi-Ki-Raat is usually a private affair with close relatives, friends and family members, celebrated amidst lot of dancing and feasting. This ritual is often combined with Sangeet ceremony and so is primarily a womens function. The atmosphere is imbued with dholak beats and singing of traditional songs while mehndi is applied on brides hands and legs by mehndi experts. The brides mehndi interweaves the name of her would be husband and he is expected to find his name in the pattern. The female relatives of the family also apply mehndi on their palms to take part in the celebrations. This ceremony is performed by families of both the Indian bride and the Indian groom.

Even the color of mehndi is given high importance in Indian culture as the darkness of the color signifies the degree of husbands and mother-in-laws love. It depicts love and affection between the couple as it is believed that the longer it retains, the more auspicious it is. The bride is traditionally not allowed to work in her husbands home until her mehndis color fades away completely.

Mehndi is applied on all the important occasions, festivals and vrats(fasts) in Hindu culture. It is important in festivals such as Karwa Chauth, Rakhi, Diwali etc. It is also considered as a shagun mostly denoted by the pattern of large dot in the centre of the hand with four smaller dots at the sides.

In order to make this conventional trend of henna application more exciting, fashionable and fun filled, there is a vast variety of mehndi designs available today. Arabic Mehndi, Rajasthani Mehndi, Crystal Mehndi, Tattoo Mehndi, etc along with the traditional Indian Mehndi are among the most popular styles of mehndi currently. Mehndi designs majorly consist of floral patterns, religious symbols, etc. while adding beauty and uniqueness to each design applied.

Henna or Mehndi is also known worldwide for its medicinal properties. It was, in fact, used as a cosmetic in earlier times due to its therapeutic features. Mehndi is widely adopted around the world as a conditioner and dye for hair by both men and women. It is a natural dye that renders a beautiful color on hair and creates a lustrous look. Also, mehndi is popular for its cooling effects, thus, used in hot climates in India and other countries. It can also help in lowering body temperature and soothe headaches, fevers, burning feet and even hysteria or a violent temper. It can increase the luster of nails, is effective in muscular rigidity and even in Jaundice.

Henna is in vogue these days with much experimentation happening on ways of its application. It is now prominently used, especially in the West, to make tattoos on different parts of the body. Tattoos are made on arms, wrists, around the navel, the shoulder or the back. Henna is now being used for body art as well.

Few useful links:
http://www.jeevansathi.com/