Traditionally newlyweds opt for honeymoons that are composed of sun, beaches, and the ocean–however, The Sari-Clad Bride suggests that you try something a little different– Toyko, Japan for a honeymoon.

The Sari-Clad Bride had the opportunity to explore all of Tokyo’s Treasures March 2008 and enjoyed Japan thoroughly.  The following places are must see locations while in Japan:

• Kamakura located in Kanagawa is a city approximately 31 miles south west of Tokyo that houses shrines and Buddhist temples dating to approximately 1200 years back.  One of these is that of Amida Buddha (pictured below).  This amazing structure is a major tourist attraction and one that you should not miss while visiting Japan.  The Sari-Clad Bride loved the historical site, but would also recommend walking up and down the streets near the statue of Amida Buddha.  The streets leading up to the shrine are composed of local trinkets available for purchase such as samurai swords, decorations for the home, along with souvenirs.  Also, do not miss out on trying the local food on the streets–especially the delicious rice cakes!

Kamakura

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INSPIRATION
Read more about Karisma’s wedding here.

Gorgeous Karishma Kapoor on her wedding day

A modern take
We love the simple halter top and intricate skirt on this lehenga–perfect for a modern bride’s reception look.
Where: Silkthreads
How much: $1495.00

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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

One of our favorite beauty bloggers and makeup artists, i♥makeup, has provided The Sari-Clad Bride with a few tips on packing up your beauty and skincare products for your honeymoon. Enjoy!

Okay ladies, the big day’s over, and now you’re ready to jet off on your honeymoon with your hubby dearest. Most of us tend to give our clothes, shoes and accessories too much importance and forget skin/hair care essentials. Here’s a quick list of what you should definitely have ready.

Make-up Bag Essentials:

1. Foundation/Concealer/Powder: Since you’re going to be relaxing more, don’t worry about full-coverage foundation. Instead opt for a tinted moisturizer like Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer–it gives you the right amount of coverage, gives your skin that extra boost of moisture, and includes SPF 20.

lauramercier.com

If you feel you absolutely need concealer, my favorite one that goes on flawlessly is Benefit Erase Paste. It’s strong enough to cover anything, from pimple scars to undereye circles; Benefit’s got you covered. Go over the tinted moisturizer to finish off your look with Make Up For Ever Duo Mat Powder Foundation. It goes on like a dream, stays on the whole day, and also gives you that extra bit of coverage. Now, I know there are some of you who love their foundation and aren’t willing to let go that easily. To you ladies, I bring Revlon Custom Creations Foundation. I know you’re probably wondering why am I recommending this one. Well for starters, this has 5 shade settings in every bottle, which range from light to dark within each color family. It’s a perfect honeymoon essential because your skin will change in tone if you’re out in the sun all the time, and instead of cursing at your skin for not matching your foundation anymore, you have up to 5 shades to play around with to match you perfectly. Finish off with powder after.

2. Eyebrows: Us desi women tend to think that we don’t need to fill in our eyebrows. That is the biggest myth around town. Some are blessed with dark eyebrows, but some of us have to rely on eyebrow fillers. I love using brown eye shadow to give my arches a natural look. I would recommend M.A.C Espresso Eyeshadow. Now, the great thing about Espresso is that it triples as a great crease color, and it makes a gorgeous eye liner when you lined with a damp eye liner brush. Even if you decide you want to go the au naturel route make sure you fill in your eyebrows, they give your eyes so much more depth and instantly make them bright. Read more

Honeymooning in Hawaii!

After two years of being married, my husband and I were able to finally pencil in a honeymoon with our busy schedules!  With both of us graduating from college, moving around the globe, and settling into our new lives together, it was virtually impossible to take a honeymoon when we had just gotten married.  Regardless, our belated honeymoon in Hawaii was nothing short of perfect.

When I first decided on Hawaii, I did not know where to start–there were so many options, so many different islands, so much to see!  I did need something that would have a packaged flight and hotel together and on a time crunch, thus I opted to use Priceline.  I have been using Priceline.com for years for my flights, but this was the first time I had purchased a package deal, and was very much pleased.

My hubby and I landed in Oahu on a Friday afternoon and were whisked away to our hotel on Waikiki Beach by VIP Transportation.  (If you travel to Oahu, I would definitely recommend using this transportation service–they’re reliable, and very nice!)  We checked into our hotel and headed straight to the balcony, and the view was absolutely stunning.  While I have grown up on the beaches of California, Hawaii was just absolutely breathtaking and at that point California beaches did not even phase me the slightest bit. Read more

The Sari-Clad Bride recently had the opportunity to go shopping for gold in New York City –exact location: the infamous Jackson Heights a.ka. Desi Central! There are probably twenty or more jewelry stores in this Queens neighborhood and competition is fierce. The Sari-Clad Bride was on a mission to help her friend, Syeda, shop for bridal jewelry for her last-minute wedding the very next day (look out for a post on planning a quickie wedding, coming soon)!

We discovered a few jewelry shopping basics;

• Bridal sets prices depend on karat, weight, color, intricacy of design, and whether all-gold, semi-precious and precious gemstones.
• Gold sets with gemstones are usually more expensive.
• This summer, the price of 22-karat gold varies between 32.5 dollars per gram to 36dollars per gram–depending how well you could bargain (in which case, taking along a particularly annoying Auntie might help!).
• Tip: Pay in cash and you won’t have to pay taxes, which can be a hefty sum, considering the thousands of dollars one set costs!

Here are some traditional, 22-karat bridal sets our friend, Syeda, tried out.

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Pohela Boishakh

Every year, on the first day of the year, Bengalis all over Bangladesh and India celebrate Pohela Boishakh–the Bengali New Year.  This day is filled with food, songs, new saris, etc.  However, one tradition that I learned about during my recent trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh was that of ‘Hal Khata’.  Hal Khata, which literally translates to ‘New Notebook’ in Bangla, is a custom in which jewelry buyers pay up all their debts to jewelry stores on Pohela Boishakh.  In order to show their appreciation, jewelry stores invite their customers for a feast on Pohela Boishakh, which occurs mid-April of every year.

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