Wedding decorations for Sangeet ceremony

Sangeet ceremony is one of the most popular and widely celebrated amongst the pre-wedding ceremonies in Hindu, North indian and Punjabi weddings. Sangeet ceremony is usually held after the Mehendi ceremony. It adds the fun dimension to any wedding and consists of music, dances, frolic, traditional wedding songs, choreographed and practiced bollywood style dance performances reflecting the bride and groom's life and how they fell in love. Sangeet ceremonies give the families a chance to get together and celebrate a colourful evening together and have a blast. It is important that the wedding decorations for the sangeet ceremony reflect the very colourful nature of the evening. Below are few simple wedding decoration ideas for sangeet or wedding reception decorations:
1. Tie colourful and decorative sarees or elaborate and colourful curtains and drapes around the venue. Use simple lights to highlight the colours of the curtains
2. Poolside wedding decorations look gorgeous as the reflection of the colourful wedding decorations in the pool adds to the beauty
3. If the venue has a few trees, try hanging christmas lights or even christmas tree ornaments from the trees. These wedding decorations give a dramatic and fairytale effect to the venue
4. If the venue has small shrubs or an open lawn area, transform it using lawn lights to create the illuminated magical effect
5. Transform the pool or even a water fountain by using colourful underwater lights
6. Finally, decorate the stage keeping in mind the theme of Sangeet, with a musical instrument like flute, table or a dancing couple

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Bridal mehendi designs

Mehendi or Henna is an integral part of Indian weddings and festivals. Mehendi is usually applied to the skin with a plastic cone or a paint brush. Mehndi ceremony is often one of the most important pre-wedding rituals celebrated by the bride's family especially for the bride. Mehandi ceremony is usually held at the bride's house or in a banquet hall a few days before the wedding ceremony. Traditionally, the Mehendi was meant to serve as an ice-breaker on the wedding night. The Mehandi artists hide the groom's name in the intricate mehndi designs and the groom has to find it on the wedding night. To get the dark colour of the Mehendi, the mehndi is kept wet by applying a tea and sugar mixture and covering the hand with plastic or tissue to preserve the heat and left overnight.
Mehendi designs have evolved overs the years. Arabic mehandi (henna) is very popular at weddings. So is Glitter mehendi where the space between the mehndi design is decorated with shiny glitter. Temporary stick-on henna or mehandi designs are also available in the market. Mehndi tatoos are also extremely popular as they are temporary. Floral tatoo henna designs are also quite popular in the west.

Mehendi Designs

Kundan Jewellery

Kundan jewellery is the traditional Indian gemstone jewellery and is one of the oldest forms of jewellery made and worn in India. It is the jewellery worn by the royals and is believed to have originated in Gujarat and Rajasthan but it flourished in greatly in the Mughal era as it received royal patronage. Even today, it remains an integral part of traditional wedding trousseau for a bride.

Process
Kundan is a method of gem setting in a jewellery piece, consisting of inserting gold foil between the stones and it’s mount, usually used to create elaborate necklaces. Meena Kundan, also known as Bikaneri or Jaipuri jewelery, is popular variation in Kundan, where in enameling with vivid colours and design (Meenakari) is on the reverse, while the kundan setting in the front so that a piece of jewelry has two equally beautiful surfaces, enamel at the back end and Kundan set gems in the front. The city of Jaipur in Rajasthan has traditionally been the centre for kundan jewellery in India.

Kundan care

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  When replacing the jewellery after use, wipe it with a suede cloth to restore its shine.
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  If space is an issue, place the jewellery in between layers of cotton wool and seal it in a good plastic bag.
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  Do not clean the jewellery with soap and water.
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  Keep a pouch of desiccant with the piece to protect it from tarnishing due to excessive humidity. Dampness causes the silver in the setting to tarnish and the enamel to crack.
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  Handle the silk chord used to adjust the length of the necklace with care. Never wet the chord as it causes the zari in it to discolour.

Tips for Buying Kundan Jewelry

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  Old, solid gold ornaments are sometimes filled with shellac. It is important to determine this in order to not be overcharged.
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  In trying to differentiate between an old and a new minakari piece, remember that the older the piece, the more intricate the design and more brilliant the colour. 
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  To identify imperfections in a diamond, look for tiny, rents or fissures and specks. If the diamond has any of these, it is flawed. Note also that a real diamond can never have scratches on its surface, if it does, it is not a diamond.
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  Genuine kundan-set crystal has a mellow, opaque appearance. Artificial kundan-set crystal is transparent and it glitters. This is due to the fact that glass has been used instead of crystal and colored tinfoil under the stones to create the illusion of color.
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  New cord in an old piece should not make the buyer suspicious. It could have been replaced to hold the ornament together.