I am all about the decor, however, when it came time to plan my brother’s wedding–it was the aspect that was least budgeted for.   My father, the traditional Bangladeshi man that he is, insisted on food being his main priority and it was decided that that is what most of the budget for my brother’s wedding would go towards.  Needless to say, thousands and thousands of dollars were spent on food, while my ideas for decor seemed frivolous to my father.  When I contacted decorators for stagescapes and tablescapes that I *loved*, their ridiculous pricing seemed even more absurd to my parents.     My mother then insisted that we find someone cheaper to do the decor, a simple florist.  Then, it hit me–why not do all of the flowers and a simple stage myself?  I have always had a knack for creativity, crafting, and am a perfectionist and decided I would do  it all myself.

DIY Centerpieces and Stages seem like a tough task at first, but when you choose simple designs and easily accessible flowers–the task at hand becomes a lot easier.  I would suggest  that as a bride you do not do it all yourself, but if you have a creative bridesmaid, cousin, aunt, friend–give her the task of giving you a great visual display at your wedding!

When it came to the centerpieces, I wanted to use flowers that were the same color my sister-in-law would be wearing at the reception and when I found out it was a salmon–that as my the color of my flowers.  My mother and I loved traditional roses and they actually are a lot cheaper than other flowers such as hydrangeas, orchids, etc.  When we had our decision made, we headed straight to the Flower Mart in Downtown, Los Angeles.  Buying flowers wholesale in bulk can save you lots of money.   Also, to avoid costs always buy domestic flowers instead of imported flowers.  Domestic roses, I learned, have a scent and are cheaper while imported roses do not even have a scent and cost much more! My total cost ended up being $10 for two dozen roses–what a bargain!!

Ordering the flowers was the easy part… next came the vase.  Should we do taller centerpieces? Square vases? Circular vases? Shorter vases?  My mom and I wanted to keep it simple and chose a shorter vase that looked very clean and elegant  The centerpiece was quite easy–I suggest you have helpers that can assist you in de-leafing flowers.  We cut the flowers at a length that was perfect for the vase,  tied them with plastic ties (you can purchase these at your local Home Depot, or use flower ties–I find plastic ties easier and they stay tighter), and placed them in the vase.  Also, add Sprite or carbonated water to make your flowers last longer.  Lastly, add a special touch that makes your centerpiece stand out.  I had bought gold glitter sticks from Wal-Mart and cut them and placed them in the centerpiece.

And Viola! The final product of the centerpieces:

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A reader recently asked:

Hi there! My question is regarding Indian themed wedding furniture (bride and groom’s chair/swings, etc). Do you guys have any insight on that? On google, there are list of vendors and rental places that seem to be either outside of the U.S or in New Jersey. Any suggestions of places closer to home (NY)? Thanks in advance!

Well dear reader, there are so many ideas to choose from, where shall we begin?! Back in the day, it used to be that there simply was a stage with some pillows for the bride and groom to sit on, along with a hundred of the bride’s sahelis (girlfriends) . Today’s wedding planners and decorators can offer you so much more than that. From simple sitting arrangements such as a ‘dais’ or ‘piri’ for the gayer holud/mehndi ceremony to just two  royal thrones for a wedding stage to more elegant arrangements such as a swing or a curved wedding throne or love seat – the choices are endless. Although most of the time, the  venue of the ceremony most certainly will be able to provide the furniture required, bringing in a wedding planner or decorator for this particular service just might be worth it!

Borrow some ideas from the following examples to create your own special wedding stage.

traditional bengali gayer holud stage

another take on a bengali gaye holud stage

mehndi stage

bengali gaye holud stage with swing

wedding stage

A non-traditional color-schemed reception stage

wedding stage (photo: contemporary creations)

wedding stage for a hindu ceremony (photo: contemporary creations)

moguel-era inspired wedding stage (photo: 2create designs)

contemporary reception stage (photo: 2create designs)

floral-themed wedding stage (photo: 2create designs)

We have recently covered some wedding planners/decorators under our vendor spotlight such as 2CreateDesigns, Contemporary Creations, and Planning Elegance, who are exceptional at mandap/stage setup as well at providing the necessary furniture. We will soon bring you more vendor spotlights within the New York Tristate area. So stay tuned!

Glass bangles (churis) are a symbol of femininity all over South Asia. There’s been a tradition of giving out  ’churis’ as wedding favors to all female  guests, but that trend has been dying down over the last few years.  So, here’s a quick and pretty centerpiece idea; buy some pretty but cost-efficient bangles and put them on a rack or in pretty baskets during your mehndi/henna/holud event. It will add a cutesy tone to your event decor and guests can also take them home as wedding favors at the end of the night!

Here’s a list of sites to go to for cheap but pretty glass bangles;

http://www.pardesifashions.com/Jewelry/BangleGalleryG1.aspx

http://www.shopbeachcombers.com/storefrontprofiles/deluxeSFshop.aspx?sid=1&sfid=39600&c=630778

http://www.desistore.com/bangles.html

http://www.kkbangles.com/index.php

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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The weather outside might be frightful but your fall or winter wedding decor can certaintly be delightful! Mallavika Shah of Contemporary Creations shares her tips on how to recreate a crisp autumn themed or winter wonderland wedding.

• Use warm, earthy yet bright, rustic colors as the essence of your fall wedding.

photo: contemporary creations

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The Sari-Clad Bride team went to their first Dulhan Expo on Sunday, October 4th the Marriot in Melville, New York and was amazed by all the creative ideas they found and wonderful people they met! Dulhan Expo is the biggest South Asian bridal show on the east coast and is organized by Sumit and Shikha Arya. The Aryas been organized 29 successful events so far. This particular Expo had over 60+ vendor booths; photographers, makeup artists, decorators, wedding planners, caterers, banquet halls, entertainers, etc, making it a great resource for South Asian brides (apart from us, of course!). We spoke to a lot of these vendors and picked out our favorites. Stay tuned for vendor spotlights on some amazing companies and personalities. But, for now, here’s a quick look at the Expo.

Stylish Events (top) Tablescapes (bottom)

beautiful centerpieces on display by Stylish Events

stunning bouquets on display by Stylish events

Table player (top) DJ Magic Mike (bottom)

Italian-Indian fusion cuisine by Diya

House of Deepali (top) KS Event Planners (bottom)

Makeup by Ayesha Khan by Singhar by Ayesha

Partybooths.com

House of Talent studios

AA Films Studios (Top) BNB Photography (bottom)

exquisite belly dancing by Dance Soul Company

Bolly Arts entertainment (top and bottom)

The Sari-Clad team hard at work! Jennifer (top), Farah (bottom)

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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