A Colourful Dream

i'm thinking of keeping a bright and colourful colour palette for my wedding and just love these photos above by Karen Wise. check out more photographs from Priti's colourful wedding in india here.

i hope i'll be able to convince a tent walla to give me exactly this when time comes...still undecided on the dates (had a fight with my boyfriend) and so a bit gloomy but these pics have lifted my mood and it can only get better from here:)

now i have a question...to what extent are the husbands to be involved in this whole wedding planning? it takes two to marry...does is also take two to plan? or can i go on doing this on my own (ha)?

traditionally in india..the wedding ceremony and dinner are paid for by the bride's parents, so i would assume that it is the bride's side of the family that take all wedding decor related decisions. hmm.. yes i think thats how it works.

Face Paint and Bindis

image above from www.simihairandbeauty.com

face painting used to be an integral part of the indian bridal makeup. it was done on the forehead starting from a bindi and running above each eye brow. over the years it has been substituted with stick on crystals, bindis etc. i'm am not particularly sure i like that. i think i would still want to get the traditional painted look...which is simple and small and not jazzed up with crystals.

have you seen the namesake? you can see the painted look in the movie...shown in both the traditional (when tabu gets married) and contemporary style (the daughter in law)....here are some pics to refresh your memory.

of course this is exaggerated. i think i'd want just simple dots running across my eyebrows done in liquid sindoor or face paint.

punjabi wedding ceremonies

the punjabi (hindu) wedding ceremonies can be performed either in the arya samaj or the sanatan dharm way. i have no idea which one is going to be followed in my wedding but i shall soon find out. see the list of ceremonies that are performed according to arya samaj here and according to sanatan dharam here.

oh did i mention that my boyfriend is an Agarwal (agarwalla actually) which means we belong to different castes. I am a Kshatriya where as he is a Vaishya and so when we get married we'll have to take care of the rituals and ceremonies for both the castes.

so here are some of my fundas on the caste system etc...i'm a cultural history buff and love to google/wikipedia all 'origins' related questions that pop up in my head every now and then. once i start it becomes tough to let go and so i'm going to bore you with some of my findings and fundas here.:)

i am aware of the hindu caste system and accept it as a part of our history but i, in principle do not practice or promote it in any way and wouldn't like to do so, although i find the theory of ancient categorisation into 4 varnas truly fascinating! you may read more about it here.

i am also a Proud Punjabi (PP) maybe even a FPP(fiercely proud punjabi). i think punjabis the world over rock and know how to enjoy their lives to the fullest. i typed in a few words and i found more reason to think and believe like i do already:)!!

more on the punjabi wedding customs and rituals here.

these images above are from an old blog entry from my other blog AND ANOTHER where i talk about textiles, my love for all things indian, home interiors and design inspirations.

:)

indowestern dinner outifts

i love these jacket/bandh gala style kurtis..teamed with pants like the one above with a bit of western styling these could make excellant cocktail/dinner outfits. ummm i'm thinking in shades of emerald green/teal/peacock blue. what do you think?

both images above from http://www.asianfashionblog.co.uk/

:)

"the wish list"

lets begin with my wish list here....

a) i love ritu kumar bridal attire for her attention to detail and traditional styles. they are sober and elegant and not too in your face which i think i very important to me. they are also very expensive....but a girl can dream right??

b) priyanka chopra's long hair ;) mine are short and curly (very curly ringlets..all natural)

c) sabyasachi's clothes (image above)...all of them and especially his genius in styling!

d) cartier trinity ring....have always wanted it to be my wedding ring..:)(i'm putting no real pressure on my boyfriend for this though:)

i'll be adding to this list now...i love this exercise...its a good way to mentally sort oneself out!

Hello There!

hi i am kanika.
i am a professional textile designer and design soft furnishings for the home.
my boyfriend and i have been dating for the last six years now and we think its time for holy matrimony!! yay!!
so yes thats why i am here using the online resources to plan my own wedding...when thats going to be is still undecided but i must start planning as i don't want to be rushed. since i work full time i'm not going to have much time on my hands as the d day approaches and so i wish to begin well in time:)
as soon as i enter indian weddings on the www.google.com i am taken to a world of indian weddings happening all over the world but india!! so there are websites and blogs from UK, from Canada, USA and some very few not so helpful links from india. i wish to take this blog forward in that direction as i plan my own wedding and provide a space where one may find everything one needs to plan a wedding in delhi. :)
welcome aboard!