Marigold Events – Indian Wedding Inspirations

For #FashionFriday, today, in collaboration with Rani By Neha Mahajan, we bring you the latest trends in Indian Wedding Fashion for Fall 2011.

Anarkalis are still the craze: Anarkalis suits make a style statement and looks good on everyone! They were worn during the Mughal era and look regal and classy. The Anarkali cut compliments all body types and the kalis or panels of the Anarkali can be increased or decreased based on one’s style. Moreover, almost any neckline and sleeve length works with this style!  This way you can make it as traditional and classy or sexy and modern as your want. An Anarkali makes for a great outfit for a Mehendi or a Sangeet.

In Style: Short ethnic vests are in style and can be used to dress up a Salwar Kameez or transform an old one into a stylish new one. Bonus Tip: You can even wear it over your LBD for an Indo-Western look!

This Anarkali, paired with a short ethnic vest, has a lovely crimson border and beautiful antique gold embroidery.

Image Credit: World News Corner

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Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events! #FashionFriday posts feature Indian Fashion Designers, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. Continuing with our series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani, today we will feature Indian Fashion Designer Gaurav Gupta, and his claim to fame.

Gaurav Gupta might not be the most talked about or well known among the Indian designers but his talent, design ingenuity and global outlook make him one of the few Indian designers poised for international success. Born and raised in New Delhi, Gupta was resolute in his decision to become a designer. Like many of his industry peers, he attended the National Institute of Fashion Technology in the capital city. He then furthered his design education by earning a degree from the prestigious Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London from which he graduated with honors. While there, his graduate collection was awarded the Future of Couture trophy at Altaroma Altamoda, Rome Couture fashion week. He then went on to work with designers Hussein Chalayan and Stella McCartney before returning to India in 2006 to launch his own label.

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Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events! #FashionFriday posts feature Indian Fashion Designers, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. Continuing with our series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani, today we will feature Indian Fashion Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and his claim to fame.

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee or better known simply as Sabyasachi is one of the few Indian designers who has gained international recognition for his work as well as a loyal fan following worldwide. Although, his design sensibility is firmly Indian, his unique combination of prints, textures, and colors cut in contemporary silhouettes have created an inimitable style and given his collections a truly global appeal. Sabyasachi graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in Calcutta in 1999 and just four short months later launched his own label. In  2001, he won the Femina British Council’s Most Outstanding Young Designer of India Award, which took him to London for an internship with designer Georgina Von Etzdorf. The internship was a instrumental in helping the designer to broaden his world view and design sensibilities. Upon his return, Sabyasachi began retailing in all the major stores in India. In 2002, he participated in his first fashion week at Lakme Fashion Week where his debut collection earned him rave reviews from both the national and international press. Women’s Wear Daily, considered the most respected international trade magazine, called Sabyasachi the “future of Indian fashion.”

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Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events!  #FashionFriday posts feature an Indian Fashion Designer, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. Continuing with our series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani, today we will feature Indian Fashion Designer, Suneet Varma, and his claim to fame.

Early Years

Suneet Varma was born into a family of bankers and lawyers but knew from a very young age that he wanted to pursue a career in the creative arts. He graduated from the  London School of Fashion in 1986 and worked with Nicole Farhi in London and Yves Saint Laurent before launching his own label in India.

Design Aesthetic

Varma describes his style as elegant, glitzy, and super glamourous. His signature is his ability to create ensembles in silhouettes close to the body with minimal use of fabrics, although he loves to embellish his designs with appliques, sequins and crystals. In fact, his generous use of crystals on his garments led Swarovski to name Varma “the largest consumer of crystals in India in recent years”. Of this, Varma said, “If somebody wants shine and glamour and the innovative use of crystals, then they should come to me.”

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Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events! Today we are continuing our series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani. These posts feature an Indian Fashion Designer, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. This week’s Featured Fashion Designer is Manish Malhotra.

Early Years

Manish Malhotra’s entry into the Indian fashion industry was very different from those of his designer peers. Although interested in fashion from a young age, he didn’t learn his craft in school. In fact, he began his career on the other side of the fashion business, as a model while still a student in college in Mumbai. Following graduation, he put his modeling career aside to start working at a small fashion boutique where he learned all aspects of design, production, sales and the ins and outs of the fashion business. As a huge fan of Hindi films, Malhotra always had Bollywood ambitions and his dream was to one day design clothes for Bollywood movies. Read more »

When shopping for your wedding outfit, knowing your style, colors and budget is very helpful in making the right choices. That, along with the understanding of different fabrics and embroidery can help you make the best decision.

Shopping for your bridal outfit can often be the most frustrating, nerve wracking and emotional part of the wedding planning process. To help manage your sanity and budget, we are here to give some tips on what to do before you start shopping for your wedding outfits.

Read more about choosing your perfect wedding outfit on Couture Rani’s Blog.

Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events! This summer we will bring a series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani. These posts will feature an Indian Fashion Designer, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. This week’s Featured Fashion Designer is Rohit Bal.

With his tousled, blond hair and penchant for button down shirts and white blazers it would be easy to mistake designer Rohit Bal for a suave Italian expat. He is, however, one of the most formidable fashion talents in India.

Bal, who hails from Kashmir, was always interested in design and began his fashion career after earning a degree from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi. Encouraged by his mentor, Rohit Khosla, Bal launched his label in 1990 with a traditional men’s wear line and then slowly, added a woman’s wear collection which now includes bridal, couture and ready-to-wear. As a designer, Bal is known for his meticulous attention to detail. His pieces are intricately crafted and often incorporates the traditional embroidery techniques and textiles of his native Kashmir. Bal refers to his style as ‘understated opulence’ and true to that aesthetic his designs are free of rhinestones, crystals, sequins and any other extraneous “filler” embellishments. He prefers instead, to experiment with textures, shapes and volume, elements which are most evident in his couture collections.

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Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events! This summer we will bring a series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani. These posts will feature an Indian Fashion Designer, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. This week’s Featured Fashion Designer is JJ Valaya.

If the maharajas of India were still ruling the country today, JJ Valaya would be their star couturier. His design aesthetic is regal, royal and so utterly decadent that anyone in possession of his clothes would feel like a modern day rani or rajah.

Royal India is a recurring theme in Valaya’s life and work. Maybe growing up amid the palaces and forts in the princely state of Jodhpur, Rajasthan had something to do with it. Or perhaps, he feels a sense of nostalgia for a time when clothes were not just utilitarian garments but rather the work of master weavers, artisans and skilled craftsman.
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Welcome to #FashionFriday on Marigold Events! This summer we will bring a series of posts written by Gina Mathew, Founder of Couture Rani. These posts will feature an Indian Fashion Designer, talking about how they got started in the industry, and their unique style. This week’s Featured Fashion Designer is Ritu Kumar.

Given the breadth, depth and history of India’s crafts and textiles, it’s hard to imagine that India’s fashion industry, as it exists today, is only a little more than a decade old. But if there was a pioneer in this field who saw an opportunity to merge India’s unique design skills and textiles and turn it into a bona fide trade, it was Ritu Kumar.

Ritu Kumar's most recent Bridal Collection: Falaknuma showcased in February, 2011

Humble Beginnings

Her start in the industry was as humble as it was enterprising. Before she became known as one of India’s leading fashion designers, she began working in textile design setting up shop with four hand block printers in a small stall in Calcutta. At the time, hand block printing was a dying art, with many of its artisans out of work.

An Indian Designer Label is Born

It was the ‘60s and printed chiffon saris from European mills were all the rage but Ritu saw an opportunity to showcase Indian prints on the trendy fabric. Given her background in art history, Ritu spent almost two years researching the various methods of Indian hand block printing before launching a small collection of saris. The saris were a hit and thus a designer brand was born.

As her collection expanded to include other Indian garments, Ritu opened a small boutique in Delhi, establishing the first designer retail store in India. Although a formal fashion industry did not yet exist in the country, Ritu laid the ground work to establish fashion design as an independent trade apart from the mass produced, commercial apparel being churned out by the various factories and mills in India.

Ritu Kumar's Lengha with Zardozi embroidered paisley and floral designs with sequin embellishments

Ritu Kumar’s Style

Following her success with block printing, which continues to be an important element in her collections, Ritu turned her attention to the revival of India’s other vanishing arts like handloom and embroidery. Zardozi, a type of gold coil thread embroidery, had essentially disappeared as a trade before Ritu revitalized the craft and made it fashionable by using it in her designs. It’s impossible now to imagine a bridal sari or lehenga without various types of intricate zardozi work.

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Imagine trying out Indian designer bridalwear, while hanging out with your girlfriend and sipping on a mimosa on a beautiful summer day at a luxury hotel in Manhattan. This past weekend, Exclusively.In brought this kind of luxurious and pampering wedding shopping experience to New York that no South Asian Bride would ever want to miss!

Black Velvet Saree with Kundan Work by Shyamal and Bhumika

Brides could try out and buy custom fitted made-to-order Sarees, Lenghas, and Anarkalis from the exclusive collections from designers such as Ritu Kumar, Shyamal and Bhumika, Payal Singhal, Satya Paul, Archana Kocchar and more.  For Grooms, there was a very elegant collection of Sherwanis.

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Marigold Events is very excited about the glittering line up of Indian designer labels at Exclusively.In’s Upcoming Bridal Show. The designers will be offering a range of items from their latest wedding collections for a South Asian bride-to-be as well as wedding guests. Here is a guide for you lovely ladies explaining more about the individual style of designers and featuring some of their work.

Indian Bridal Wear

Payal Singhal's Blush Pink Lengha with halter blouse embellished with pearls and crystals

Payal Singhal: Known for her feminine style and fine detailing, Payal creates ultra-chic, eclectic ensembles of embellished crisp crepes and sparkly tulles. Her collection features muted / pastel colors with a touch of shimmer. Read more »

Hello Lovely Ladies! Wedding Wednesdays just got more interesting on Marigold Events. We get many questions from brides asking for wedding advice. We will be selecting and answering “Question of the week” every Wednesday on Marigold Events. Ask your question by filling out our contact form on the right.

Q. I am going to India (Delhi and Mumbai) in Feb for my wedding shopping. Can you suggest where I should shop for my bridal outfit?

A. Dear Bride-to-be: The amazing choices, affordable prices, and VIP treatment are a few benefits of shopping in India. Shopping for the bridal outfit in India gives a bride many options, which can sometimes get overwhelming. Here are some recommendations on the places to get your bridal outfit in India from:

Ogaan:
Bringing together the biggest names in Indian fashion, Ogaan makes for a wonderful shopping experience. They have stores in Delhi and Mumbai. The displays are set up very artistically, and are a feast for eyes. If you are looking for very exclusive bridal outfit, this is your go to place.

Roshan's Stone Work Lehenga

Roshan’s:
Conveniently located in South Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, Roshan’s has a great variety in bridal wear. They not only specialize in Lehengas, but have a great collection of Sarees, Salwar Kameezes, Churidars and Anarkalis. Roshan’s offers bridal wear in every budget range.
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Hello Lovely Ladies! Wedding Wednesdays just got more interesting on Marigold Events. We get many questions from brides asking for wedding advice. We will be selecting and answering “Question of the week” every Wednesday on Marigold Events. Ask your question by filling out our contact form on the right.

Q. I am having a small Sikh-American wedding in California. My fiance and I are planning our wedding on a budget and want to keep things simple but beautiful. How can I get Indian outfits in the US without spending an exorbitant amount of money? How should I go about selecting a venue? How can I save money on decor? What do most people do with their centerpieces after their wedding? I have looked at different Indian Wedding Invitation websites – is there a catch to them?

A. Dear Bride-to-be: Congratulations on your engagement! Here are some recommendations on how you can have a simple, and elegant wedding within your budget:

Look for Indian Outfits and Jewelry Online

Making a special trip to India or Indian Clothing and Jewelry Stores in the US for wedding shopping does require a higher budget. There are many Indian clothing and jewelry websites which can assist you here.

Here are some reasonably priced websites to order lehengas, sarees and beautiful Indian costume jewelry from*:

Home India: Bridalwear
Your Designer Wear
Utsav Sarees: Lehenga Section
Utsav Sarees: Jewelry Section

*Please note that Marigold Events is not affiliated with any of these websites.

Venue Selection: Questions to ask

When doing your venue research, it is important to check the following with the venue:

1. Do they allow outside/Indian catering?
Tip: Sometimes venues, like hotels, have Indian catering packages. Ask for them.
2. Can you have an outside decorator? Any special permission needed to install a mandap or for lighting a fire?
3. Does the venue rental cost include event rentals, such as tables, chairs, linen, china, glassware, flatware etc.?
Tip: Event rentals’ costs add up very quickly and will definitely increase your per person cost.
4. Can you bring your own liquor? Will you need a liquor license?
Tip: If your venue does not have arrangements to serve alcohol, and they allow outside alcohol, you can save money on liquor because you pay for what you use. You can always return the unopened bottles and it is not a fixed per person cost. Make sure that your venue does not charge corkage or bottle opening fee.
5. Will you need event insurance?
6. Which vendors will need permits and insurance?
7. Check with the venue if they will provide complimentary cake, centerpieces, votives, champagne toast etc.
Tip: Ask your venue if they will charge a cake-cutting fee.
8. How many hours will you get your venue for? Will that be enough time to do set up and breakdown?
9. If it is an outdoor venue, you should ask about a rain location.

When doing your venue research, it is important to keep the above questions in mind. Do your budget and cost calculations based on the answers you get.

Decor and Centerpieces on a Budget

If you want to save money on decor and centerpieces, I would suggest that you go for a venue that provides complimentary centerpieces and votives. You can also look into DIY Decor projects. For DIY centerpieces, I would suggest buying flowers from the whole flower stores to save money. Every big city has a wholesale flower market.

You can reuse some of your wedding decor for your reception as well. At the end of your reception, you can ask your florist to wrap your flowers for your guests to take away. Usually the rentals are taken back by the decorator. For example, if they used a big vase in the centerpiece, they will take it back.

Here is a list of Indian Wedding decor items.

Invitations: Online and DIY

The catch to the online wedding invitations is the shipping cost, which ends up being as much as the invitations. Here are some tips to remember when selecting and ordering your wedding invitations.

If you want to save money on your invitations, you can design your own. Here is DIY tutorial for making your own wedding invitations.

When planning a wedding on a budget, it is very important to stay organized and be on top of your budget. Before I sign off, here are two references for you: Indian Wedding Planning Checklist and Indian Wedding Budget. Good Luck with the planning process!

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.

• South Extension (Part I and II): Conveniently located in South Delhi, South Extension is a shopping area full of big stores:

1. Ushnak Mal: Great for Lehengas, Salwar Kameez and Chudidars. Highly recommended!
2. Nalli – Famous for South Indian Saris, especially Silk Kanjeevarams.
3. Regal: Wedding Shoes, purses and accessories. Comes recommended!
4. BG’s – Purses, clutch bags, bindis, and accessories. Very stylish!
5. Wedding Weaves – Men’s sherwanis. Amazing designs – Highly recommended!
6. Big Joes - Accessories
7. Jass Jewelers: Great for silver jewelry, accessories and gift items. Pricey, but recommended!

Shoes by Regal

Greater Kailash I: This area is also located in South Delhi, but comes with a big price tag. Worth checking out though.

1. Laffaire: Nice sarees, but a little pricey.
2. Street Hawkers: Check out the hawkers on the side of this shopping area for amazing accessories.
3. Champalal Jewellery: Beautiful diamond, and polki jewelry. Highly recommended!
4. Hazoorilal & Sons Jewellers: Nice jewelry, but a little pricey.

Diamond Jewelry by Champalal

Hauz Khas Village: This shopping area, located in South Delhi, is full of small and unique boutiques.

1. Rewaz Boutique: Amazing collection of sarees! I bought three gorgeous sarees from here for my wedding.
2. Ogaan: This is a fairly new boutique for Indian outfits.

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.

1. Roshan’s: I love the stuff here! They have the most amazing suits and lehengas at great prices. I bought my reception lehenga from here. Highly recommended!
2. Shakuntalam: Very stylish lehengas and suits.

My Reception Outfit by Roshan's

Karol Bagh: Karol Bagh is another major and oldest shopping district located in West Delhi.

1. PP Jewellers
2. Hari Shankar Sunil Kumar Jewelers
3. Beli Ram: Silver accessories and gift items. Highly recommended!
4. Janak’s: Great men’s traditional outfits as well as suits.
5. Wedding Weaves: Same as the one in South Extension.

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!

1. Surya Sarees: Amazing collection of sarees, and lehengas. I bought my wedding lehenga from here. Very unique and amazing prices. Highly recommended!
2. Champalal Jewellers: Same as the one in South Extension. Again highly recommended!
3. Rati Ram Ram Vinod: Lehenga and Sarees.

Rajouri Garden: This area is located in East Delhi and has big and small boutiques and stores.

1. Meena Bazaar: Good collection of suits.
2. Shakuntalam: Same as the one in Lajpat Nagar.

Other Places worth a mention:

1. Shapur Jat: Great for kurtis and tunics. Nice little shops for shoes as well.
2. CTC Plaza: Its a huge mall selling traditional Indian clothing and accessories.
3. Dilli Haat: If you are looking for favors and stationary – this is a great place to visit.
4. Janpath: Awesome and highly recommended, if you want custom table linen, favors etc. for your wedding reception.
5. Chawri Bazaar: Invitations and Stationary – great prices! Close to Chandni Chowk.

Planning an Indian Wedding just got easier! When I was planning my wedding, I hunted and hunted for a wedding planning website for South Asians. I was looking for a resource, where the wedding planning tools and forums were customized for Indian brides. Well guess what – now that resource is here. It’s called Indian American Weddings, and has been launched by Neha, owner of Marigold Events & Launching Frog (that’s me!) and Payal, owner of Intell Marketing.

Indian American Weddings began as a vision aspiring to make an Indian Bride’s wedding planning experience easy and enjoyable. The inspiration and ideas have stemmed from Payal and my personal experiences, when we were planning our own weddings and discovered a lack of planning resources for Indian Weddings in the US. We envision brides benefiting from a social network that would enable them to share thoughts and ideas with each other and communicate interactively with vendors.

Indian American Weddings is a unique wedding planning community for engaged couples and their families. It is the first interactive site to enable brides to network with other brides and vendors all over the country. It is, in essence, a virtual wedding expo, where brides can virtually see vendors’ products and services, communicate with them, and network with other brides – all without shelling the expenses of travel or time to a wedding expo.

In addition to the social networking aspect, the website offers to brides and couples all the tools and resources needed to help design, organize and plan the perfect unique Indian Wedding. The word “Indian” is the key – not only do we help you customize your planning to include all the Indian glamor and nuances of an Indian wedding ceremony, but we can also help you customize any other Indian event you may want to include like Engagement Party, Mehendi, Sangeet, etc.

Website’s Highlights for brides:

• Your Personal Profile Page with Photogallery: Create a detailed personalized profile of yourself and your upcoming wedding. Upload photos, and write about yourself. The wedding planning tools are linked to your profile. Your wedding planning research can be accessed by you through your username and secure password from any computer.
• Planning Checklist: Manage your wedding planning tasks and track the important details so you don’t miss a single step.
• Create your Budget: Set up your wedding budget and track all your spending to keep your wedding expenses in line.
• Create your Guestlist: It’s a Guest Database! Manage Guests, input their addresses, track Guest info (invitations, RSVPs, gifts, seating, thank you’s) – all with our Guest List Manager.
• Appointment Book: A handy tool to record all your appointments and reminders so you are perfectly scheduled for each day of your wedding planning
• Create Events and Invitations: Send out your save the dates for each of your wedding events with a click of the button and manage the RSVP’s from here.
• Planning Calendar: Your wedding planning is a calendar view and organizes all your appointments, upcoming events and due checklist items in one place.
• Research Binder: Your Wedding Planning Notebook where you can save notes, links, images of products and services you are considering but haven’t yet finalized.
• Guestbook: Post on your buddies’ walls and keep them up to date with your wedding planning. Post on a vendors wall to make inquiries or contacts.
• Get advice from other brides on the forum: Network with other brides, share tips and ideas, post questions. It’s amazing how much you can learn and share with others just like you.
• Add buddies: Friend other members of the site and them to your buddylist. See where other brides are in their planning process. Look at the profiles of your bride and vendor friends, check out their photogallery and write on their guestbooks.

There is a plethora of Indian vendors offering products and services to meet the Indian wedding market needs, however, they have always competed with families traveling to India to fulfill these needs. To these vendors, we offer a revolutionary new channel to market their products and services to a targeted customer base and form affiliations with other vendors in the business.

Website’s Highlights for Vendors:

• Free Business Page and Listing: Design your personalized business page highlighting your products & services and offering exclusive promotions and sales.
• Guestbook: Post on your buddies’ walls and keep them up to date with your services.
• Photogallery: A picture is worth a thousand words. Showcase your products and services with a collection of photos and images.
• Appointment Book: A handy calendar with customer appointments and reminders so you are perfectly scheduled for each day.
• Planning Calendar: View all your appointments in a calendar view.
• Manage Clients: A client database that manages client names, profiles, addresses, interests.
• Interact with other brides on forum: An Online vendor expo – interact with brides interested in your products and services. Make customer contact online!

The website has been beta launched, and we would really appreciate your feedback!