“Women hold up half the sky” — Chinese Proverb

As wedding bloggers, we get to experience the happiness of women on the biggest day of their lives. But for many other women and young girls, just getting through everyday life is a struggle. Which is why The Sari-Clad Bride team is extremely honored and thrilled to present our readers and partners with an amazing opportunity to change the lives of women and girls around the world during Women’s History Month!

Our friends over at The Jolkona Foundation have teamed up with Women@Google and The CRAVE Company to launch their 2nd annual Give2Girls campaign. From March 1-31st, these generous sponsors will match any gifts made to the Give2Girls campaign, dollar for dollar, up to $6,000!

Honor the women in your life (or yourself!) by making a donation to the Jolkona Foundation’s Give2Girls campaign. Choose from over ten different projects. Here are some examples of donation impacts:

• $250 to provide a safe birth & prenatal care in India
• $25 to support girls education in Tanzania
• $40 to provide education to girls in Afghanistan
• $25 to support homeless women in Seattle
• $125 to provide business training to Peruvian Women
• $64 to train two women farmers in Kenya
• $15 to provide healthcare to Nepalese Women

Give a gift of any denomination to the Give2Girls campaign today and earn yourself some blessings and good wishes towards a better, brighter, and happier future.

Click here to donate!

Jolkona.org is a new non-profit that leverages technology to connect donors to innovative micro-giving opportunities in your community and around the globe.  Their goal is to inspire more people to give by showing donors that small donations make a real impact.  For each project you donate to, Jolkona will send 100% to the partner non-profits AND the non-profits will then upload feedback to your account to report back exactly how your donation made an impact.

“March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate women who struggled to unlock doors so that women today can open the doors and improve their lives. Experts now agree that helping to empower and educate women is an effective strategy to help fight poverty around that world.  Investing in an educated, healthy, skilled, and empowered girl today means she will have the tools to reinvest back into her family, her community, and our world….” (Jolkona)

Donate now!

mintphotography.com

As we all know, photography is a very important element of all great weddings. After all, your wedding pictures will be the memories of your union which you will reminisce over at old age and share with your grandchildren someday. You want to make sure you capture the moments that made your day all so special. The recent press release from Tina of Tina Shah Doshi Photography provides great insider information as to what goes into beautiful wedding photography. She explains that, it is not only about choosing the right photographer but the little things the couple should do which are essential to create lasting memories. The Sari-Clad Bride is very excited to share her tips with you! So read on ladies! Read more

Zoya Couture Invitation Suite

Who are you?
Arti Anand
ZOYA Couture
1-866-611-ZOYA (9692)
zoyacouture.com

What do you do?
Wedding Invitations (Custom Design and Ready to Order), Event Stationery (Place cards, table numbers, Menus, Programs, Signage), Marketing Collateral.

Where are you based?
Washington, DC – but we often work with brides around the nation. Samples are mailed, design and proofs discussed over phone and e-mail, and final orders sent via FedEx.

When and How did you get started in the South Asian wedding industry?
I grew up around weddings! My parents owned a South Asian wedding decor company and I spent my weekends helping them with the creative design and set-up. I had been doing freelance graphic and web design for several years before I decided to apply it to the wedding invitation industry.

Why do you do what you do?
I love weddings – there’s something magical about them. While South Asian weddings in particular are so glamorous, most couples in the States have a hard time selecting invitations that marry their South Asian heritage with their modern, chic lifestyle. I love working with couples to find their individual styles and translating that to invitations that they have envisioned.

Do you work exclusively on South Asian weddings?
Not exclusively, but a majority of our brides are of South Asian descent.

What are some mistakes you see most South Asian brides (and families) make?
Playing by the rules. Throw the rule book out! Brides and families begin their discussions with how they’ve seen other people do it, or how things have been done for generations. Don’t be afraid to get creative and try things differently. Create a wedding that’s beautiful to you, as its yours to experience and remember.

Do you only cater to certain budgets only?
We try our best to work with all budgets, but find that most of our brides are generally looking for exclusive, luxurious invitations that no one else has seen or done before. From silk folios to engraved coins – our creative brides always find unique ways to make their invitations stand out!

Describe a particularly memorable wedding you’ve worked on.
The invitation suite captured in the attached image (captured by Regetis Photography) is for a South Asian destination wedding in Puerto Rico in early 2010. It has been so much fun working with the extremely creative couple and their wedding planner. They have great style and will be reflecting this design theme throughout their wedding day materials. We’re excited to see how the events come together!

What’s your number one wedding tip?
Enjoy every minute of it. Wedding planning can get stressful – but don’t let little setbacks bring you down. Remember that at the end of the day, the purpose of the day is to be united with the one you love! Best wishes with your wedding planning!

Giving parting gifts at a wedding or bridal shower is tradition. Gifts are usually exchanged among the bride and groom’s families beforehand and wedding guests are parted with sweets (mitai, pita, etc) after the ceremony. If sending your guests home with just sweets is a little too cliche for you, here are some great ideas to personalize your special day and help your guests remember it forever!

Sweet-scented Sandalwood Fans from Wrap With Us

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Henna/Mehndi

Henna or mehndi (if you already didn’t know) is a dye used for skin decoration. This is done by applying a paste made from the leaves of a flower plant also known as Henna, Hina, or Mehndi plant. The dye can be bought in a paste or powder form. Although it can be worn for any occasion, it is a century old tradition for the bride-to-be (and sometimes even the bridegroom!) to wear mehndi. For wedding ceremonies, it is usually worn on the hands and feet but sometimes extended over the forearms and legs. Here are a few essential tips that you must consider before putting on your bridal mehndi:

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The perfect bridal shower

Although the traditional Mehndi night is more or less the Desi version of a bridal shower, westernized versions of bridal showers have become a popular addition to South Asian-American wedding culture. The Sari-Clad Bride understands the responsibilities that come with planning a bridal shower so here are our guidelines to make your shower-planning a breeze:

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Kolkata–the “it” place to shop in India– has been a wedding shopping destination for years.  Brides from all over the Western world and South Asia go to Kolkata to do their wedding shopping.

Here are the Sari-Clad Bride’s top shopping destinations in Kolkata;

Park Street courtesy of India Mike

Courtesy of James Nichloas Sears

• Park Street: For major wedding sari shopping for the bride, mother of the bride, sisters, and close family that you need to gift saris, you can rely on Park Street for a one-stop shopping experience.  On the Sari-Clad Bride’s recently Kolkata shopping spree, Park Street was her favorite destination. In two days on Park Street, we bought over 30+ beautiful saris from stores such as Sarovar, Savera, Rangoli,  and several other stores.  Additionally, you will find stores for designers kameezes along Park Street. Just a simple stroll down Park Street will cover all your bases for wedding sari shopping! Read more