A guide to wedding tips, trends and experiences. Marriage event reviews, Wedding venue reviews and ideas, honeymoon destination tips, photography, wedding decor and much more.

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‘Thank You’ notes for the wedding gifts you received don’t have to be bland little cards sent in standard envelopes. They can be an extension of your other lovely wedding stationery or something more in tune with your wedding style. Here are a few ideas to help you get the creative juices flowing for your thank you notes & cards:

1. Make it an extension of your wedding theme. Use similar stationery as used for your wedding invitations or other wedding stationery like the wedding program booklets, RSVP cards etc. Even if you don’t use the exact same colours, play within the same family of hues, maybe using the opposite colours to your invites. If you had a beach wedding, sun and surf themed cards are fun or if you had a formal do in a banquet hall, something regal like the royal wedding cards.
2. Since you will be sending these cards out once you are married, why not get them printed with your very own monograms of your wedded name or both your names with an embossed logo of your own creating.
3. Who says they have to be standard cards?! Get creative with your medium. You can use a wedding picture of the two of you or better yet use a snapshot with the card recipient and you at the wedding. Polaroids are another great way to convey your thanks while giving your dear ones a keepsake.
4. Another fresh idea is to create a postcard with a special event related picture and use that instead of a standard card. Use a picture from the wedding and transform it into your very own postcards. So fun!
5. If you are having a destination wedding you can get your cards made with images or colours and themes pertinent to that locale. You can also include a tiny souvenir.
6. If you don’t have a large number of guests to tackle, doing it yourself is also an option. Coloured paper in varying textures, cutouts in shapes and designs seen in the wedding and Indian touches like tiklis, brocade, mirrors etc. are some of the items you can use for personalized thank you messages. If you are good at painting, why not paint your very own covers.
7. Another thing that is possible with smaller numbers is including a small gift like a box of mithai or incense, a CD with the songs played at your Indian wedding, a set of diyas and so on.

Tell us about your unique and fresh ideas. We would love to hear from you!

The wedding is done, the gifts have been opened and all you have to do is pack for your honeymoon right? Nope, wrong… Now is the time where you need to buckle down and do one last bit of wedding work – send out your ‘Thank You’ cards. Although it’s not a very common practice in Indian weddings yet, it is definitely one that is much appreciated and a good one to incorporate.

Thank you cards or notes are little messages that you send to your guests for the gifts they have given you and for their presence on your big day. While it may seem like it will be something that you can do in one sitting, writing and sending out cards to the hundreds of guests at your wedding can take a little bit of time, especially in Indian weddings where the guest list is generally quite large! One thing that will help you tremendously is to safeguard the list of your invitees and their contact details which you prepare during the wedding invitation phase. This will ensure that you have all the details on hand when it is time to send out the thank you notes.

Keeping the envelopes ready once all your guests have sent in their RSVPs, will also save you time later. Once you have your wedding stationery in place, don’t forget buying good quality pens. It’s horrible when the ink blots or smudges run all over your hard work and well thought of words! One way to divide the work up is have your hubby take care of his side of the family and friends and you tackle yours. If a friend or a family member is sweet enough to pitch in, then the more the merrier!

If you are confused about what to write don’t worry; it just has to be a short genuine thank you from you as a couple appreciating their presence at your wedding and/or thanking them for the wedding gift. Make sure you note down who gives you what gift when you open them, this way your card can be more specific and personalized (especially if the recipient is someone close to you). You can mention something like how you will use that gift in your new place or how you can enjoy it together the next time they visit. If you are short on time or it’s just an acquaintance, just a general thank you and short message will suffice.

You can definitely send out your cards after the honeymoon is done but try not to push it beyond the first couple of months. Stay tuned for more creative ideas for your thank you cards!

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Indian brides, across the different diverse cultures and communities, wear a number of beautiful ornaments that signify their new marital status. One of the most recognized symbols or pieces of jewellery, especially in predominantly Hindu cultures, is the Mangalsutra. It is one of the many fascinating bridal ornaments seen in this culture rich nation.

Hindu weddings comprise of many rituals and sacred ceremonies that mark the beginning of the coming together of two people and their spiritual advancement. The word mangalsutra comes from mangal = auspicious or holy and sutra = thread. Generally, the groom ties the mangal sutra around his bride’s neck during the wedding ceremony signifying their marital union. It is normally done amidst the holy deities and chants and prayers by the priest. In some communities thread is used during the ceremony and later replaced by the beaded mangalsutra.

Most married Hindu women in India wear this sacred symbol of wedlock and it is called different things within different communities in Northern and Southern parts of the country (for example: thaali or maangalyam). The mangalsutra also has different variations regarding the look of this precious necklace. You will find mangalsutras made of small black, gold or red beads and gold disk like pendants, also coral beads and even multi-hued cords with varying pendants. The commonly used black beads are said to ward off the evil eye.

Modern Indian brides have a plethora of designs to choose from and often opt for stunning diamond pendants or intricately designed gold and platinum pendants added to their beaded mangalsutras. Bridal jewelry of India has evolved drastically with very sophisticated designs of traditional wedding jewellery. Keep reading for more details on the various beautiful Indian bridal jewelry, at Marry Me – The Wedding Planners.

Getting hitched soon and confused with the options available for honeymooners out there? A honeymoon is definitely a time to relax to get more comfortable with your partner and it’s very important to discuss your available options with the variety of choices available these days. Do not stress! We are here to help you identify the type of traveller you are as a couple and will help you pick the perfect honeymoon destination that you can explore together.

Before we continue with the types of honeymooners. You and your partner can ask yourselves a few important questions to get some clarity.

Imagine, you have achieved your fairy tale Indian wedding and now its time to chill, relax, get to know each other and take some time out.

1. What’s the weather of the place that you are leaving and what’s the perfect weather of the place you would like to imagine yourself going to?
2. Do you think of long empty beaches? A hustling bustling city with to be discovered nooks & corners? A touch of nature or an island?
3. Do you see yourself interacting with others on your honeymoon or is it only about the both of you’ll finding time to enjoy every moment?
4. What’s the kind of food that you like and would want on your honeymoon? Experimental or specialty?
5. How do you envision your evenings and nights to be like? Romantic walks or pub and club hopping?

Once you and your partner have a few of these answers you can read ahead to find out which category you fit into? There are broadly a few types of honeymooners and we will take a look at each kind closely.

Are you the “Adventurous” kind? As a couple do you always talk about going bungee jumping, sky diving and feel the need to play with nature? The adventurous kinds are those couples that feel a direct connection with the wilderness and enjoy staying outdoors. Afternoon dessert safaris, adventure sports, trekking or exploring a new forest with a guide.

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International Honeymoon Destination for the adventurous kinds: An African adventure at DumaTau Camp, Bostwana and you will see the best wild life ever! The destination is also know for its outdoor showers, luxury tents and loads of magosteen trees.

You can also try Osa Peninsula at an eco lodge – Lapa Rios which is located about 350 feet above the Pacific ocean which is know for its aquatic action, rappelling, white water rafting in the center of Costa Rica’s jungle.

If you are looking for an Indian destination – Madhya Pradesh  – the Taj Banjaar Tola Lodge will not disappoint you. You will most likely spot a tiger very close to the lodge.

Adventurous Celebrity Honeymooners: Marc Mezvinsky & Chelsea Clinton chose to go into the wilderness in South Africa. Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner also went on a South African safari honeymoon.

Are you the Castaway’s kind? Considering the chaos and the craziness around Indian weddings most couples that are even not involved with the wedding planning might find themselves in this category after the nights or partying and the number of wedding events. Such couples are the ones that just want to be left alone and will cross many seas to find this seclusion. Chilling on a beach with a book or marooned on a deserted island together is their ultimate fantasy. Islands, secluded resorts, spas & beaches all can fall in this category! This one can include lots of amazing food with many romantic walks :-)

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International Honeymoon Destinations for the Castaway’s kind: Maldives have many islands to choose from and one can find great activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, deep sea fishing and you might also get a chance to swim with the sting rays!

Indian Honeymoon Destinations: Andaman and Nicobar Islands can be a good try for those who do not want to travel too far and still experience the white beaches and the sound of waves without too many other people.

Adventurous celebrity Honeymooners: Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were spotted in Bora Bora in the South Pacific, while Katy Perry and Russel Brand visited the Maldives for their honey moon.

Are you the “New City discovering” type? If you and your partner love to explore unchartered terrain either in an edgy city or undiscovered wilderness the idea of this perfect honeymoon is being the only few tourists in that town. Most often such honeymooners will find themselves in a very busy cities with loads of shopping, amazing nightlife, sightseeing and nooks and corners to be discovered.

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International Honeymoon destinations for the New City discovering type: South Korea hasn’t been on most peoples travel list and regular visitors now call it the new Tokyo.  The W Hotel, home to the chic WooBar is an ideal place to show off your new acquisitions.

Sao Paulo in Brazil is also is a great bet. You can visit Sao Bento monastery and make a wish or even learn samba till the wee hours of the morning. It has been named one of the sexiest cities in the world that one can travel to.

New City discovering celebrity honeymooners: Gisele Budchen & Tom Brady enjoyed a weeklong honeymoon in Soa Paulo. Tanvi Jindal & Krishna Shete set off for a Brazilian honeymoon post their crazy big fat Indian wedding.

Are you the Classic’s type of honeymooner? You and your partner are infatuated with old school glamour? Enjoy looking at and dream of fairy tale backdrops? These types of honeymooners have loads of choices with magnificent history, castles, ruins, architecture and sightseeing to make it the perfect honeymoon.

International Honeymoon Destinations for the Classic type of honeymooners: Paris tops our list as one of the most romantic honeymoon destinations of the world. Apart from visiting and taking pictures at some of the sights & attractions in Paris, once can enjoy a picnic in the gardens close to the tower and enjoy great cheese, wine, tarts & macaroons. No matter where you stay in this city, you will surely feel royal with the French attention to detail.  Many honeymooners enjoy amazing walks on the streets of Paris and romantic dinners.

Italy is another destination that you can try out. It’s known to be paradise on earth and the architecture will surely leave you in a trance. If you are going all the way to Europe we recommended staying at a luxurious property and enjoying the amazing Italian cuisine and the great wines.

Indian Honeymoon destinations: The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, honeymooners can enjoy tailored honeymoon packages to suit your needs like firecrackers, special menus & live entertainment to suit your individual tastes.

Classic type of celebrity honeymooners: Nicole Richie & Joel Madden were spotted hand in hand on the streets of Paris, while Emily Bluynt & John Krasinski had an Italian affair on Lake Como.

Hope this helps you pick the perfect honeymoon destination for you & your partner. Do let us know where you went and what it was like!

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The custom of exchanging sweets between the bride and the groom’s family once the wedding is fixed and at the wedding is practiced even today. Earlier sweets were exchanged in cardboard boxes which you would get from the sweet shop itself. But today sweets are artistically placed in thalis covered with netted or woven fabric or ornamental boxes and displayed during the wedding rituals.

Apart from the eye appeal, these decorated boxes and thalis add to the wedding décor making it look more festive rather than just placing sweets in cardboard boxes. Also since it is usually done by family members you can get cousins and close relatives to help so that they feel involved in the celebration. You need not buy expensive thalis or boxes. Instead try and use stuff which is easily available and spice it up by using your creativity and imagination, keeping in mind the wedding theme. Useful tip – you could use fabrics like Bandhani or Lehariya as they are bright and will make the décor livelier. You could also use old brooches or earrings as motifs.

At Marry Me we specialize in Indian wedding gift packaging among other things. We would be glad to assist you with unique ideas for your wedding gift packaging.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries registered their wish list of wedding gifts at Geary’s in Beverly Hills on the 13^th of June, 2011.  Geary’s is a luxury gift store and offers a wide range of some of the best brands from around the world.

The duo visited the store and compiled a list of high end household products for their wedding gift registry. Some of the items on the list are Hermes dinnerware, Baccarat stemware and Buccellati flatware!! Kim’s sister Khloe Kadarshian had also registered at Gearys for her wedding to Lamar Odom. The wedding date mentioned on the registry is 31^st of October, 2011. Stay tuned for more celebrity wedding news from Marry Me wedding planners in India.

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Monaco is preparing for an unforgettable weekend with a galore of celebrations being planned to rejoice the wedding of Prince Albert to Charlene Wittstock.

The couple will tie the knot in two ceremonies. First will be a civil service which is scheduled for the 1^st of July, followed by an open air religious ceremony on the next day under Monte Carlo\’s blue sky in the main courtyard of the palace.

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The wedding date is out and the civil service will take place at 5pm on July 1^st in the opulent Throne Room. Unlike his parents who had a very private ceremony, Prince Albert and Charlene have made arrangements for the citizens to view a live broadcast of the wedding by installing giant screens in the palace square.

The entire country will share their joy. The newly wedded couple will make their first public appearance in the balcony of the Hall of Mirrors post the wedding. Charlene will be known as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco.

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Alain Ducasse, the Michelin-starred chef at the Monte-Carlo\’s de Paris has planned a delectable buffet, which will feature the best of Mediterranean and South African cuisine in honour of the bride and will be served with Perrier Jouet champagne. On the wedding eve the couple will host a two hour live concert by the American rock band – Eagles for more than 15,000 people in Stade Louis!!

The official ceremony on 2^nd of July will begin at 5pm. The palace gates will remain open to allow the citizens to get a glimpse of the royal affair. The four-course menu for this day is still a secret.  The palace chef, Christian Garcia, is involved in planning and preparing the wedding feast.

Post this; the couple will have their first dance at The Monte Carlo Opera, the same venue where Kajal Fabiani and Gaurav Assomull got married recently. Monaco is expecting a lot of visitors for this much-awaited event and the country is prepared to celebrate. Stay tuned for more celebrity wedding news from Marry Me – The Wedding Planners.

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Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales’s is tying the knot for the third time to a 37 year old Canadian philanthropist Karen Gordon, on the 18^th of June 2011. Karen, who is a mother of two, was previously married to Mark Gordon-the well renowned film producer.

The couple will exchange vows in a private ceremony at the Earl’s 14,000-acre Althorp estate in Northamptonshire which will be attended by family and close friends. Prince Harry and the newly wedded royal couple are expected at the wedding.

Bibhu Mohapatra the Indian born designer who is said to be Karens favourite will be designing her wedding gown in all probability. The pink dress worn by her to Westminster Abbey to Kate and Williams wedding which turned many heads was also designed by him.

Let’s see what he creates this time if he is designing her wedding gown. Marry Me\’s wedding planning team will  keep you informed about this Royal wedding!

Sweets are a must in every Indian household. Festivals and happy occasions are rejoiced by indulging in rich and sinful Indian desserts. The Big Fat Indian Weddings are known for their extravagance and will not be complete without great food and an array of desserts. Handmade and carefully crafted, the list of Indian desserts is very extensive. The ingredients used to make Indian sweets are very rich like pure ghee and khoya and most Indian wedding sweets are either milk based or flour based.

In olden times when the wedding date would get finalized, both families would celebrate by sharing Motichoor ladoo. This was also one of the standard sweets at Indian weddings. But the trend has changed over the years. Today there is a plethora of mithais at Indian weddings. Also there are a lot more variations and flavours available in Indian desserts than ever before. Like chocolate barfi, butterscotch halwa, akhrot barfi, banana halwa, dry fruit jaleebi to name a few.

Nowadays you will see live counters set up for dishing out fresh Indian desserts at weddings. The idea is to be able to serve hot desserts so that they are piping hot and cold ones cold. Also presentation is very important and caterers are going out of their way to enhance the guest experience. Quite often these days, desserts are made in mini sizes and served pre-plated as compared to before where you would be given a separate bowl along with your dinner plate for a standard and common wedding sweets like Gulab Jamun. The bite-sized desserts allow you to try out the various options on the spread. Another trend catching up at weddings is a themed dessert bar counter. Like for example a mango theme, wherein all your desserts will be mango based or a strawberry and chocolate themed dessert counter in which all wedding desserts will be strawberry and chocolate based.

Going forward, Indian wedding sweets will only get bigger and better with time. Do let us know which is your favorite Indian dessert….