Wedding Hair Styles

Every bride wants to have a hairstyle on her wedding that is trendy and that'll create a long-lasting impression. Although buns are the classic wedding hair styles, for the reception you can try out trendy hairstyles that make you look beautiful and feel great.
Bridal Hair Style Tips:
1. It is always a good idea to have a trial run of the hairdo before the actual ceremony as you want to make sure it suits your face shape and body type. It might cost a little more but it will help in reducing anxiety of how you will look on the wedding or reception day and make you feel relaxed and comfortable.
2. If you have curly hair and you want to temporarily straighten them, a trial run is a must as in most cases the temporary straightening does not last for more than 2-3 hours and it would end up making the hair look wavy or frizzy.
3. If you have short or medium length hair you can still opt for the dramatic hair styles with hair extensions.
Here are a few ideas for indian bridal hair styles that you might want to try for your desired dream look on your wedding day.

Wedding decorations

The wedding stage or hall decorations impart a memorable charm to the wedding ceremony and play an important role in making your wedding unique. Wedding decor includes the mandap decoration, reception stage decoration, backdrop, table and seating arrangement and the hall and entrance decorations. Most weddings in recent days have floral decorations, which have become quite common and can be expensive especially in summer. The same beautiful effect can be obtained with beautifully draped curtains, mirror hangings and lights or diyas in the backdrop adding to the ethnic touch.
Colours are a crucial aspect of the wedding decor which if not appropriately chosen can make even the most elaborate wedding decor look gaudy and cheap. So ensure that the wedding decor colours for the mandap, hall, entrance and backdrop are consistent and also elegantly contrast the bride and groom's dress colours. Light colours like pink, sky blue, pale mauve, light yellow are very popular, however these days bold colours like violet, orange combined with the correct lighting are also quite eye-catching. Lighting helps accentuate the grandeur of the wedding. Make sure the lighting on the reception stage is not so bright as to make your eyes squint.
If your wedding is in a hall, having chandeliers will add to the elegance. If you are planning to accommodate a lot of guests in the wedding hall make sure the hall capacity is enough and that the air conditioning is powerful. You don't want the wedding venue to be overcrowded and stifling hot especially in the summer months. For winter months, outdoor locations such as parks, gardens or pool-sides are the best wedding reception venues if you have a large number of guests.
Table or seating arrangement decorations for wedding reception decorations have recently become very popular. Bow-tied chairs are common and couples are also opting for unique center-pieces for the tables such as candles or flower arrangements. Here are some beautiful wedding decoration pictures to give you some ideas for the perfect wedding.

Wedding gifts

Weddings are a once in a lifetime occasion for the happy couple and to make it all the more special you want to present a memorable wedding gift. Choosing a wedding gift requires you to consider many factors such as budget, your relationship with the couple or one of them (for example whether you are family, a distant relative, best friend, just a friend, neighbour, colleague, boss etc). So here are some unique wedding gift ideas that will add some more joy to the wedding celebration. The ideas can also be used for wedding anniversary gifts.

Gifts from neighbour, colleague, boss, friends or a distant relative:
1. A gold/silver coin is the most common gift since time immemorial.
2. If you are only gifting the bride, a small pair of gold earrings makes for a good wedding gift
3. Gift certificates from high-end stores such as Shopper's Stop, Westside, Lifestyle also make for a great wedding gift for the couple if they live in a metro city.
4. A pair of his and her watches from a nice brand.
5. Gift baskets (chocolate, dry fruits or the more trendy spa gift baskets or aromatherapy candle baskets).
6. Any woman adores her jewellery, so a beautiful jewellery box will be a very practical gift for the bride (personalized jewellery box adds that special touch).
7. For the groom, a personalized wallet, watch or belt or a gift pack comprising these three together makes for a good gift.
Any of the above accompanied by carefully crafted bouquet of flowers with a personal message is sure to extend a warm feeling to the couple.

Gifts from family or best friends:
Other than the wedding gift ideas mentioned above, close friends and family can also opt for the gifts below.
1. A personalized gift such as an accessory (bags, belts, or watches) engraved with the couple's names or initials.
2. One of the very first photos of the couple from your personal album enlarged and encased in a beautiful photo frame with your personal message at the back will not only send a smile on their face but also touch their hearts. They will surely treasure and cherish this gift.
3. If you know a local high-end restaurant where the couple loves to dine, you can give a gift certificate for a wonderful dinner in the restaurant.
4. If you know the bride/groom's hobby, hobby themed gifts always add a sparkle to the eye of the receiver. For example, if the groom likes to listen to music, a collection of CDs of his favourite artists or if you know that the bride is fan of a particular TV show like F.R.I.E.N.D.S, a collection of DVDs of all the seasons of Friends is sure to bring a smile on her face as she unwraps your gift.
5. If the bride and groom enjoy a couple of drinks, a bottle of champagne with a gift basket is a great gift
6. If the bride or the groom is an art aficionado, a painting or a sculpture symbolizing togetherness is also a good gift but needs to be carefully chosen

Bridal saree trends

With fashion trends changing every season, why should bridal wear be left behind? Bridal dress trends also change every wedding season.

In 2008, the embroidery sarees and the fish-tail lehengas were the wedding season must-haves. The embroidery could be delicate or with heavy golden or silver zardozi work that would just take your breath away with it's intricacy and creativity.

Last year 2009 saw two trends, the heavily sequined sarees and ghagra cholis were the 'in' thing for the first half of the year adding the high-voltage sparkle to the wedding and the reception. In short, bling was in. The second half of the year saw the focus shifting towards the designer net sarees. It could be an all-net saree or just a net pallo. These sarees lend the modernly elegant yet traditional touch especially for the reception.
If the start of 2010 is any indicator of what trends are to come this year, velvet border sarees are gaining popularity. A decade ago gorgette and lace sarees with a velvet blouse were extreme popular. Looks like velvet is all set to make a royal comeback this year. An almost plain gorgette saree with a heavily sequined velvet border embedded with ravishing sequins adds to the stylish look. This saree can be paired with a corset blouse or a sleeveless blouse for a modern yet beautifully charming look or with a full sleeved blouse for that traditionally royal look. Aishwarya Rai was recently spotted flaunting a beautiful shimmering velvet frill border saree at an award function. This trend is sure to catch on!

Auspicious colour of bridal saree

Red or maroon is the auspicious colour for Marwadi and Punjabi weddings.





In Maharashtrian weddings, it's Green or Yellow (the saree is usually Paithani - which means it has a heavy golden Jari border).






In Gujarati weddings, the bride usually wears a white sari with red bandhini border called Panetar.

Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes can be quite extravagant or simple, yet elegant. Nonetheless, a wedding isn't complete without a wedding cake! In major cities in India like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Pune, Goa, Hyderabad etc. Monginis caters wedding cakes. The choices are limited though. Sweetpassions also offers a variety of wedding cakes in Chembur.
Here are some pictures of yummy wedding cakes to drool over...