High school sweethearts, Jasmine and Gautam, met (and were eventually engaged!) on a tennis court. Their beautiful wedding took place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC.
A wedding planner once told me, “Your wedding invitation is the first impression of your wedding.” That thought has stuck with me, and I truly believe, that your wedding invitation should be put together with great thought, and be a reflect what your wedding will be like. The trends in wedding invitations change every year, and it can be hard to keep up with them. One of the hottest wedding trends these days are luxury boxed invitations. Marigold Events (ME) had the opportunity to talk to Puneet Gupta (PG), who designs these kind of boxed couture wedding invitations.
ME: What is your background? How did you get started with designing wedding invitations?
PG: I am a NIFT graduate and have had a love for design since my childhood. After having worked as a design consultant for various Indian & International brands in the lifestyle and fashion industries, I finally decided to use my design capabilities, technical expertise and love for beauty to launch a luxury line of bespoke wedding invitations and favors. Since then, there has been no looking back and with every wedding invitation we produce, this passion for designing has grown stronger and my love for print novelties is getting deeper. Read more »
An Indian Wedding Planning Checklist can be a really long one, especially if you are having a multiple day celebration. While it is imperative to be organized, it is also important to relax and keep your cool throughout the process. Brides can sometimes get overwhelmed with all the various details they have to handle in order to make their big day memorable: from venue, caterer, decor, cake, to invitations, bridal wear, and jewelry; throw in keeping up with the latest trends.
Image Copyright: Rani By Neha Mahajan
While your wedding planner can take care of your venue, caterer, decor, cake, photo, video, and day of coordination; how does one get her wedding shopping done? Should you go to India, or should you look for clothing and jewelry vendors locally? If shopping in India, It is overwhelming to get all the shopping done, while trying to maneuver through a new city, and especially if you do not have family in the city you are visiting.
Enter Neha Rani Mahajan. Neha offers a wonderful personal shopping experience to South Asians based abroad in Delhi, India. Born, and raised in Cherry Hill, NJ, Neha spent many summers in India while growing up. A graduate of Penn State, Neha moved to New Delhi in 2007 after getting married. She planned her own wedding in Delhi while she was in the US, and has many years of first hand experience shopping in India. Not only does she keep up with the latest trends, she also understands what an Indian American bride is looking for. She says, “When Indians from abroad come to Delhi, they have a long shopping list and a very limited time. Throw in the mix: haggling with the vendors, communicating in Hindi, and an unfamiliar Indian business culture. My goal is to give the South Asian brides abroad, a stress free, and relaxing shopping experience.”
Shopping in Delhi is fabulous! It is full of cute shopping areas with nifty stores. Yesterday I was shopping around in Greater Kailash I, N Block market, and found this amazing gift and home accessories store called Kassmi. Kassmi has some amazing collection of accessories and gifts, which can be used as wedding favors, gifts, as well as wedding trousseau.
[ad#Google Adsense]
They have an amazing range of products, hand crafted using brocade and zardozi or dabka work, like trays, jewelry boxes, coasters, photo frames, lamps, corner tables, umbrella stands, planters, and lots more. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Smita Kasliwal, one of the owners of Kassmi, and talk to her about her work.
[ad#Google Adsense]
Zardozi work is very intricate, gold thread work, which never goes out of fashion. Brocade and Zardozi are usually used on sarees, salwar kameez and lehengas, but Smita has taken these fabrics and hand embroidery to a more unique level, by using it to design home accessories.
[ad#Google Adsense]
I found the stuff at Kassmi beautiful, practical, as well as reasonably priced. I really liked their coasters and I think that would make for a gorgeous and a very practical wedding favor. Kassmi take appointments at their store. I highly recommend shopping at this store as it has stuff in every budget range.
Next week I will be giving away a home accessory that I picked up from Kassmi. Please note that the views presented in this blog post are my unbiased views and this is not an endorsement.
I love shopping in Delhi! When I got married, I did all my shopping from there and really enjoyed my experience. The amazing choices, affordable prices, and VIP treatment are just a few reasons why you would go there for your wedding shopping. In this blog post, I will talk about the various shopping districts in Delhi and some of my favorite stores shopping for wedding trousseau.
[ad#Google Adsense]
Shoes by Regal
[ad#Google Adsense]
Greater Kailash I: This area is also located in South Delhi, but comes with a big price tag. Worth checking out though.
Diamond Jewelry by Champalal
[ad#Google Adsense]
Hauz Khas Village: This shopping area, located in South Delhi, is full of small and unique boutiques.
Crescent Mall: This mall is full of designer labels and is located on Mehrauli Road. Very exclusive collections by Manish Malhotra et al!
Lajpat Nagar: Located in South Delhi, this area is full of big and small stores. Don’t forget to check out the street hawkers for some amazing accessories.
My Reception Outfit by Roshan's
Karol Bagh: Karol Bagh is another major and oldest shopping district located in West Delhi.
Chandni Chowk: Chandni Chowk is the oldest shopping area in Delhi. Located in North Delhi (Very close to Lal Quila), it has a charm to it. Got to be careful of “eve-teasers” and the traffic, but otherwise if you are looking for great prices – it’s a must check out!
Rajouri Garden: This area is located in East Delhi and has big and small boutiques and stores.
Other Places worth a mention:
