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Indian Shaadi Games

We looked at some typical and traditional Indian wedding games earlier and now it’s time revisit some more fun ideas for wedding games that can elevate your wedding festivities from ho-hum to memorable. Wedding games go hand in hand with fun events that your guests and you will remember for years to come. Sometimes, however well planned a wedding is, there may be a lag in entertainment or even worse, awkward moments between families and friends who don’t know each other very well. It is wedding games to the rescue!

Games for Indian Wedding Functions

You can plan these game ideas for the bridal shower, mehendi function, cocktail party or simply modify for the event you have in mind:

The Couples’ Quiz – This game is for all the couples in the room. Have your compere announce quiz questions first for the women and then the men about their partners. Answers are hidden and then tallied. The couple that knows most about each other wins. This one is a great one for big Indian wedding gatherings; rope in all your aunts and uncles and watch the ice-break and laughter begin.

Find the Bride / Groom – This one can be really fun for both the bride and groom. Take a saree or another long piece of cloth and cut some holes through it. If the groom is playing first, make the bride and some other women stand behind the saree with just their hands poking out of the holes made. The groom has to go around holding all the hands and guess which one belongs to his bride. If he guesses correctly he gets a prize and applause and if he’s wrong he has to do something to woo and ‘win’ back his bride to be. Switch later for the bride to play or play with couples.

Memory Game – The memory game is a fun one for bridal showers and mehendi functions or where there is a large group of women especially. About 30-45 minutes into your party, the bride has to exit the room and guests are given pieces of paper and pens. They have to then list everything that they think the bride has worn like her clothes, jewellery and accessories, their colours and styles etc. Give the guests a few minutes to write down as much as they remember; those who can remember as many details as possible, win!

Untying the Knot – One of the more popular Indian wedding games, untying the knot is a fun way to test the wedded couple’s patience and see how well they work together. Sometimes the groom’s sister or someone else ties a long string around the couple’s hands and ties in into knots. The couple has to then work together using just one hand each to get the string untied. Sometimes a yellow thread and a piece of turmeric are tied.

Write to us about the unique games you plan to have at your wedding celebrations!

Flowers can be incorporated in various ways in your wedding décor to make it interesting and lively. Rather than having the usual arrangements you can use flowers differently and get creative. The flowers need not be exotic or out-of-the world. Even simple flowers if used creatively can add a lot of weight to your wedding décor.

The trends have changed over time. Wedding décor is now moving away from the traditional arrangements to innovative ones. Like instead of having just flowers, you can incorporate the use of elements like crystals, beads, diamante buckles, using unconventional vases, feathers, twigs, candles etc. Your wedding décor can vary from a few flowers to a lot of them. It totally depends on what kind of an ambience you want to create. Paying attention to smaller details will make the difference. Depending on whether your function is indoor or outdoor, the choice of flowers and décor may vary.

You could do tassels of flowers using a combination of flowers and crystals or beads instead of just vase arrangements. These can be hung at various heights. Round ball floral arrangements are also pretty! These look lovely and can be used in various ways; either hung or can be placed on top of tall vases or even as centre table arrangements. You could even do floral chandeliers or even frames.

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Floral ladis are common at Indian weddings. Even urlis with aromatic flowers and floating candles look enchanting and can be usually spotted at Indian weddings. Rangoli is another place where you could use fresh flower petals instead of powder. The latest addition is floating floral rangoli. This usually has a plastic or an acrylic base with petals stuck in artistic manner depicting Indian motifs.

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A carpet of fresh petals would be perfect for an outdoor wedding. Apart from the pews and altar, another interesting way to spice up your décor would be to use petals to mark the aisle. You could either do a passage of petals or maybe a design with arches and curves or may be even the initials of your names in the aisle. You can also place rectangular vases filled with flowers on either side of the aisle to mark the walk way. Do check with your wedding decorator in India which flowers are seasonal so that your wedding decor can be more cost effective.

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Tips to remember; keep topping up the arrangements with water to keep them fresh. Also to avoid them from wilting, keep them out of direct sunlight.

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Saif Ali Khan, son of the Nawab of Pataudi and one of Bollywood’s renowned actors will tie the knot with his long time girlfriend, actress Kareena Kapoor sometime next year. The couple has already started planning for their wedding. According to media reports, Kareena has chosen the veteran designer Ritu Kumar to design her trousseau and wedding ensemble.

Ritu Kumar is a well-known name in the Indian fashion fraternity. Having been in the business for over 20 years, she has dressed the likes of late Princess Diana and designed the wardrobe for three winning Miss Indias for their participation in international beauty pageants – Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen and Diya Mirza. She also shares a great relation with Saif’s mother – Sharmila Tagore. Sharmila Tagore has walked the ramp for Ritu Kumar on several occasions and was even photographed for her coffee table book on Costumes and Textiles of Indian Royalty in the 90’s. Since Kareena will be marrying into a royal household, which firmly believes in culture and has kept it’s legacy alive, the designer who would design her wedding ensemble needs to be able to recreate the look and Ritu Kumar is just the one! Her signature style includes the use of distinctive colours paired with traditional fabrics and intricate embroidery.

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Though not much has been revealed about the outfit, Kareena’s in-laws want it to look traditional. The outfit which Sharmila had worn at her wedding, was originally her mother-in-laws wedding outfit which was passed down to her; and now Sharmila will keep the tradition alive by passing on her heirloom dupatta to Kareena. This will be incorporated in Kareena’s outfit. Reportedly Kareena is flying in and out of Delhi for her fittings. Also in all probabilities the designer will be designing outfits for the guests.

We are looking forward to this wedding as it is one of the most awaited Bollywood weddings. Stay tuned for more from Marry Me – Wedding Planners in India!!

Wedding shoes complete your bridal look for your big day and are a very important part of your bridal outfit. Here are some tips to keep in mind while selecting your wedding shoes.

Wedding shoes have to be as glamorous as your outfit and both have to complement each other, but at the same time they need to be highly comfortable. This is very important, as you would be wearing them almost all day long, maybe not in the case of an Indian wedding but definitely all through the reception. This is something you must keep in mind while selecting your wedding shoes.

The shoe should also be in sync with the wedding theme like for example, in case of a traditional Indian wedding theme you could choose a nice embellished slipper while for the reception you could go with a stiletto. Like wise for a beach wedding, heels are a complete no-no! Instead go with bling flats! They look super cute too!! Also, if it is a garden wedding, stilettos may not be a good idea – instead consider wedge heels maybe?

We suggest you buy your shoes at least two months in advance, so that you can wear them and walk around at home to avoid any shoe bites or uneasy feeling on your big day.

It is also very important to ensure straps are well fitted. And don’t forget to check the sole of your shoes.  It should not slip on smooth surfaces; and the most important – the heel! The height of the heel and the style is important – whether it’s a pencil heel or a block heel. Keep in mind; pencil heels may get painful if you have to stand for many hours. Of course you want to look and dress your best on your big day but surely not at the cost of comfort; because if you are not comfortable it will reflect on your overall look and you definitely don’t want that!

One more thing that we suggest, which we actually even do on a night out – always keep a spare pair of shoes with the same heel height as backup.

Last but not the least; make sure you have good packaging as you would want to preserve them.

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“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company
than a good marriage.”

– Martin Luther King.

It is romantic and deep quotes like these that make weddings all the more special. Wedding speeches are meant to be a little snippet of the occasion at hand, the people who have just entered wedded bliss, families, friends etc. Whether it’s the groom’s speech, the father of the bride or the best man, wedding speeches should be short, sweet and from the heart with a little touch of humour. Nowadays, a lot of brides like giving a speech too and it is definitely a great way to express your overwhelming emotions on a big day such as this. A few handy tips:

Start jotting down stuff as soon as you think of, hear or read something you would like to include in your speech. Scrambling to find the right words at the last minute is not pleasant.

If you really do want to give a speech but are petrified of public speaking, consider doing a double act with your groom. A sweet, witty double banter type of speech is always a crowd pleaser and if you stick to words that match your personalities, you will be comfortable too.

Another way to calm your nerves is to simply go first before the others. Then you can finish, relax and enjoy the other speeches and the thoughts behind them.

Indian weddings are emotional and vibrant affairs where smiles and happy tears are always in plenty! So it’s fine to let your emotions come through in your wedding speech. It need not be a long, lengthy discourse but a brief speech that is genuine.

Look online for inspiration as well as quotes and dialogues that you can pepper your speech with. If you find the ready lines a little corny, there’s a simple enough fail-proof format to follow and personalize:

1) An opening line that draws attention.

2) Thank your family and friends.

3) Something appreciative about both sets of families – how thankful you are to your parents for everything or how your in-laws have raised such a great guy and so on…

4) A cute or funny story about the two of you; the sweeter the better to captivate the audience! For example anecdotes about how you guys met, your first impression of him, what you love about him etc. Or even a really personal and heart-felt message to your husband is perfect.

5) You can include a general appreciative note about your guests like how great they all look and how happy you are to see them here.

6) End with a closing line thanking everyone or a toast. You can even introduce the next speaker.

Lastly, relax, you are the bride…and this one day you can do no wrong!! Stay tuned for more interesting reads from Marry Me – Wedding planners in India.

What is an Indian wedding without flowers? Not only do they add a special touch but they also beautify and enhance the ambience. There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to selecting your wedding flowers; but there are a few things you need to consider before finalizing on the wedding flowers.

The selection of flowers majorly depends on your budget and the theme of the wedding. Every flower has a different significance. Selecting flowers which complement your theme and fit in your budget is very important. A good thing to do would be to browse through as many bridal magazines, books on décor and may be even gardening books for ideas and tips. When choosing the colour, consider whether the flowers have to contend within a room, marquee or outdoor area.

Budgeting is extremely important as some exotic flowers may be very expensive. Once you have your budget in place, you can choose your flowers. You need not go with only one particular flower. You can choose a combination of exotic and commonly available flowers which go with your theme. Also use of different types of flowers will add colour and texture to the décor. If you are on a tight budget, you can even restrict the use expensive flowers for the bridal bouquet only. Though nowadays, most flowers are available all year round if you need lots of exotic flowers, make sure they are available in off season or can be flown in to suit your requirements keeping in mind the quality.

It will be easier to pen down a list of must-have flowers and another list of wish to have flowers. After accounting the must have flowers, if your wedding budget yet allows you to add on a few more, the wish-list flowers can go first without depleting the flowers that you must have. You might get into a dilemma to select between essential flowers versus nice-but-not-necessary ones. This happens all the time. Give your wedding planner a realistic figure of your wedding budget. This will help them figure out alternative options to fit your wedding budget. If you do this well in advance, it will give them enough time to source unavailable stuff. Also if you have a small wedding budget, the key is to get creative. Centerpieces usually from a major part of the expense; try adding a combination of other elements to reduce cost. Also seasonal flowers always cost less.

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According to Hindu customs, mehendi is one of the solah shringar or sixteen adornments of an Indian bride. It is considered to enhance the beauty of the bride and is applied at every festival and auspicious occasion. It is an age old custom followed by Indian brides and was originally used as a form of decoration for brides.

The bridal mehendi designs are very intricate and exclusive with beautiful motifs. The motifs include paisley, flowers, leaves, elephant, dhol, shehnai, kalash, peacocks, lord ganesh etc. All these motifs are related to the wedding and are considered to be auspicious. Apart from these motifs the design also contains an image of a bride and groom. The groom is drawn either on a horse or with a shera as this is how he would come to the wedding traditionally. Also the grooms name is carved within the designs and then he is supposed to find his name as a part of one of the rituals. This signifies that the groom is now incorporated in the bride’s life. The designs vary depending on the length. All these motifs are carved in a continuous manner with different patterned fillers. The designs are very intricate with very little spaces and hence look magnificent when completed.

The bridal mehendi cone is different and is made with immense care. It is a mélange of many different ingredients in various proportions to get the deep colour. The ingredients include eucalyptus oil and clove oil which helps for better color. Once the henna is applied, it has to be left overnight for the colour to get darker.  Usually a concoction of sugar syrup and lemon juice is applied once the henna has dried as this prevents it from peeling off and also helps in enhancing the colour. According to a tradition Indians believe that the colour of the mehendi is related to the affection of the husband; deeper the colour, greater the affection.

The tradition has been in existence for many years. It started as a function where women of the household would apply henna to the bride –to-be, but these days it’s a popular pre-wedding function which is celebrated on a big scale with various themes and entertainment. Also artists are customizing designs to complement the bridal outfit!

Your guest list is very important and forms an integral part of the wedding preparations. It may get very stressful to compile an ideal guest list as you wouldn’t want to leave out any one but at the same time you have to remember that a lot of factors can affect your guest list. The major ones are the capacity of the wedding venue and your wedding budget. Depending on your wedding budget you would select the venue and depending on the capacity of the wedding venue you will have to draft your wedding guest list. Also you need to make sure you balance the cost per head and the number of people. If you are trying to cut down on your wedding guest list, then restrict your list to the people who mean the most to you. By doing this, not only will it be an intimate wedding with guests you personally know, but also you could include more choices and spend that money on something else which means the most to you. Maybe go all out with your décor, your dream-wedding ensemble or whatever means a lot to you!

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A simple way would be to first determine the total number of guests you can have. Also consider the number of guests that your fiancée and his/her family will have from their side. Then you can start off by dividing the total number between your family and your fiancées family. Once this is in place, you could start to list guests under various tabs like family, close friends, work colleagues, acquaintances and distant relatives.  Now, if after drafting the complete list you feel it’s too long then you need to start striking out names. This would be easy if you follow the tip mentioned above on listing guests under various tabs. You would first start striking out names under the acquaintance tab and the distant relatives tab as you may have met them only once or twice in your lifetime. Another way would be to have two lists, one of “must invite guests” and the other “like to invite”. Depending on RSVPs you could then move guests between the two lists. As soon as you start receiving RSVP’s and you know if someone from the “must invite guest list” is not coming you can add some one from the “like to invite” list.

We hope the tips mentioned above help while making your wedding guest list!

Everything is over the top for Kim Kardashian’s wedding!!  Vera Wang  to create the magical outfit, an entire fleet of ultra-expensive cars to shuttle guests — including white Rolls Royce Phantoms and Maybachs and a ten tier wedding cake from Hansen’s Cakes. Wow!

Without doubt, Vera Wang was the first name that came to Kim’s mind when she was deciding on the designer for her wedding outfit. Though it’s out in the open that Vera Wang would be designing the outfit, Kim got the entire staff at Vera Wang to sign confidentiality agreements to keep the design undisclosed. Moreover, Wang is reportedly designing two outfits for Kim.

The couple’s wedding cake is the talk of the town. Kim and her fiancée Kris Humphries recently visited Hansen’s Cakes to book their wedding cake.

The couple tried a lot of flavours, but narrowed down on a ten-tier white cake with chocolate-chip icing and black and white decorations. Kim wants her cake to resemble Prince William and Duchess Kate’s wedding cake!

What’s more is, Kim was given access to shop at the Melrose store during the out of shop hours and was recently spotted shopping at \’Agent Provocateur\’- a luxury lingerie shop.

E! will air the wedding planning, preparation, and all the details in two parts in a special show titled Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event. Kim thinks it would probably be the biggest TV wedding of all time. We can’t wait to see it!!