Five Must Have Pieces Of Jewelry

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We very often assist brides with their shopping and find that when it comes to jewelry – they want to invest in something they can wear again. Let’s take a look at some must have jewelry pieces for your wedding ensemble, which could be worn even after!

 Ear rings

Every girl absolutely must own a pair of diamond solitaire stud or hoop earrings to achieve the simple classic look. They are delicate and elegant earrings that can be worn at any time of the day and they suit almost any face type. You could go for round or square diamonds as per your choice. A perfect choice for your wedding would be these teardrop earrings which can be taken apart to create just a solitaire stud or hoops for everyday wear.

Rings

A petite but beautiful Emerald or Princess cut diamond ring or a big flashy cocktail ring with dainty diamonds or chunky gemstones - choose something that matches your persona and style. Wear it at one of your pre wedding events and even after to add that extra oomph to any outfit!

Indian polki or jadao set

A Jadao or Polki diamond set completes a jewelry box. Exuding a certain timeless appeal and a touch of royalty, these jewels are perfect to achieve a contemporary, feminine and delicate look. And yes, you could even wear it after on that little black dress!

Pearl Necklace

A pearl necklace is a must have for every jewelry box. These give a sophisticated touch to your outfit and enhance its beauty. Pearls always remain in fashion for every age and can be teamed with almost anything for that chic Audrey Hepburn look. Pair it with your gown for your sangeet or cocktail event!

Bracelets

Bangles or bracelets are a piece of jewelry that can be worn often. Choose between the delicate tennis bracelet or even a beautifully crafted kada.

Indian Bridal Jewelry – For the hands & arms!

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Indian Bridal jewelry comprises of many traditional and intricate ornaments, with various ornaments for beautifying every part of the body, from head to toe. One of the most captivating features of an Indian bride is her hands! Tightly clasped with intricate henna patterns and various pieces of jewelry is a classic photograph in the wedding album.

So, I decided to put together a list of a few ornaments to deck up your hands and arms, as an Indian bride!

The bajuband (or armlet) is a piece of traditional jewelry, worn snuggly around the upper arm. It is found in many variations and can be worn by men and women both. It is also believed that pendants hung from the bajubandh can be added to ward off the evil eye!

In India, bangles are considered the symbols of marriage. Available in endless hues and designs, these can be worn in different combinations to match your clothes. Bangles symbolize different things in different cultures. Some brides wear red and green glass bangles as red symbolizes life and joy, while green symbolizes fertility. 

The chuda is a set of red and ivory bangles worn by the Punjabi bride. The kalire is a hanging ornament made of gold or silver, which is tied to the chuda.

The kada is a broader version of a bangle and is available in different styles, encrusted in precious and semi precious stones. Brides often opt for a single, broad, encrusted kada rather than numerous bangles.

The hath phool also known as the panja, this is a unique piece of jewelry that sometimes adorns the hands of an Indian bride. It consists of one or five rings, which fit over the fingers and a bracelet, which is worn around the wrist, both joined together with chains of gold or beads. It is usually worn on both the hands and lies on the back of the palm. The ornament is traditionally made of gold, but can be customized with gemstones to match the bride’s clothes.

The arsi ring is, traditionally, a thumb ring with a tiny mirror for the bride to peep at herself and her groom. In the Mughal era, the arsi ring was a flat, jeweled mirror fitted on a thick ring and supposedly worn by brides so they could sneak a look at their bridegrooms' faces!!

The Art of Mehndi

Mehndi is the traditional art of designing one’s hands and/or feet with intricate decorations with the use of henna, which is nothing but a natural dye. It is much like a temporary tattoo. In fact, Mehndi is a vital part of Indian rituals and customs. That said, the big fat Indian wedding is definitely not complete without the Mehndi ceremony. The main idea behind the application of Mehndi on the Indian bride’s hands and/or feet is to make her feel like a princess!
A Bit about Mehndi

Mehndi was traditionally used as a form of decoration mainly for brides. Over the years however, the application of Mehndi or henna has become popular with everyone and is applied on occasions other than weddings like on Diwali and Eid. Its color ranges typically from reddish brown to dark brownish black, depending on the preparation.

Application of Mehndi

The paste of henna is generally applied on to one’s hands and/or feet using a plastic cone. At times, mehndi artists also use a paint brush, but this method is not so common. Once the mehndi is applied as a design on the hands and/or feet, and it has begun to dry up, it is dowsed with a mixture of sugar and lemon juice. The application of this mixture helps to bring out a stronger color, if so desired.

Types of Mehndi

There are many different styles of mehndi, depending on the region from which they come from. The most popular types are Arabic, Pakistani, African and Indian, the designs of which are easily distinguishable from the other.

Arabic Mehndi contains less details and intricacy, while the color is very dark. In fact, vines and leaves with beautiful flowers are the trademark of Arabic Mehndi.

Pakistani Mehndi on the other hand, is the most detailed and intricate of the lot. It thus goes without saying that the application of this type of Mehndi is time consuming.

Indian Mehndi can be identified because of the presence of either a big dot or figure drawn on the center of the palm or on the back of the hand. Further, one’s finger tips are always completely colored when applying Indian Mehndi.

African Mehndi although rarely chosen for Mehndi application is also very pretty. One can differentiate this kind of Mehndi from the rest due to the presence of intricate geometric figures and dots.

Significance of Mehndi

The application of Mehndi is associated with a good number of things. One such notion goes that the darker the color of the bride’s Mehndi, the more her husband-to-be will love her. An interesting aspect of Mehndi application is the incorporation of both the bride and groom’s names in the Mehndi design. Until the groom has found both the names, it is said that their wedding night will not commence. Lastly, a custom followed in relation to the application of Mehndi states that a bride should never step out of the house until the Mehndi ceremony has come to an end.

Mehndi Celebration

An Indian wedding as most know already takes place over a good number of days and comprises of many pre-wedding functions. The Mehndi celebration is one of them. This ceremony usually takes place at the house of the bride or a place chosen by the bride and her family and the entire function is usually hosted and funded by the bride’s family. Nowadays, the entire location is decorated with flowers and music is played during the entire function.

The Mehndi celebration is quite a fun affair. The bride and the women attendees choose their own Mehndi designs at the party and then sit down during its application. Professional mehndi artists are called in for the ceremony. The groom too is sometimes present at this ceremony and the couple-to-be are given Indian sweets, more commonly known as mithai in India. Guests leave with a gift at the end of the ceremony.

Brides are advised to choose the type of Mehndi that they wish to apply to your hands and/or feet in advance, so as to avoid any hasty decisions. If you happen to be getting married soon, all you bride’s to be can look forward to the joyous Mehndi function. And, don’t forget to get creative when choosing your design!

Luxury Wedding Invitations for South Asian Weddings

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.

Kerala Wedding History

Kerala – a southern state of India is mainly known for it beautiful beaches, backwaters, stretches of lush greenery and the coconut groves, which add to its splendid beauty. The beauty and splendid aspect of nature has also extended in the lives of the people residing in this state. They observe every festive occasion or social customs very religiously and at the same time with great enthusiasm. Marriage ceremony in any part of the world is associated with harmony and happiness and wedding ceremonies observed at Keralite homes are no exception to that.

Population of the state of Kerala mainly comprise of the major three religions – Hindu, Muslim and Christian. Depending on the religion of the people, the customs and rituals of their marriage also differ. But it will be difficult to compare whether the fun and excitement associated with the marriage ceremonies surpasses one another!

Hindu Weddings

In traditional Hindu families in Kerala, in the very initial stage parents exchange the horoscopes of the boy and the girl. If their horoscope matches then Pennu Kannal ceremony is arranged which is generally held at the girl’s house. In this ceremony the prospective groom and bride meet each other and they are introduced to each other’s family members and close relatives. It is during this ceremony the consent of both the boy and the girl regarding their matrimony alliance are taken. If both the families are willing for the alliance then through Nischayam the engagement ceremony is observed at the bride’s house. This ceremony is also associated with exchange of wedding rings. Here elders of both the families fix the date and auspicious time of marriage with an astrologer and formally announce it in presence of the invited relatives and friends.

Traditionally Hindu marriages in Kerala are observed in temples or wedding halls. During the ceremony vedic mantras are chanted. The Hindu marriage ritual gets complete after the groom ties the Thaali or Mangalsutra around the neck of the bride. The occasion when the new bride enters her husband’s house is termed as Grihapravesham which is held on an auspicious time of the day.

Muslim Weddings

Wedding ceremony in Islamic communities is known as Nikah. The marriage rituals of Muslims are conducted by a priest known as the Maulvi who reads out certain verses from the Holy Quran during conducting the rituals of Nikah. In Muslim communities they believe Nikah can be arranged anytime and they do not fix any auspicious time for it. At the very initial stage family members of the prospective bride and groom meet and carry out necessary discussions. Once it is over, the boy and the girl are allowed to meet each other. If both of them agree for the alliance then a customary ritual known as Valayidal is observed where golden ornaments are gifted to the would be bride.

Later on the date of the Nikah is fixed between the members of the two families. Then members of the bride’s family visit the groom’s house to gift gold ornaments. On the day preceding the marriage, Mailanchi or ritual of Mehendi is observed at the girl’s house. The wedding ceremony is observed either in a mosque or at a marriage hall. A Nikah is complete after Ijab-e-Qubul or the process of proposal for marriage and its acceptance is followed.

Christian Wedding

In Kerala, wedding ceremonies in Christian families are conducted in a church. The marriage rituals followed in Christian weddings involve some simple procedures which include exchange of marriage vows and the wedding bands between the bride and the groom. Before fixing the date of marriage both bride and groom and their families meet for several times. After fixing the wedding day, the families have to notify it to the church. Once the church grants the sanction, both families start preparation for the wedding. The bride and the groom attend the church on the fixed date for their engagement ceremony which is also known as Manasammatham. At this ceremony the bride and groom exchange rings.

Traditional Kerala Marriage

The key traditional Kerala marriage rituals involved

• Nirapara - filling a large rice measure with paddy
• Nilavilakku - lighting a traditional, oil-burning lamp
• Thalikettu - tying the thali around the neck of the bride and
• Pudava koda - gifting a pudava by the bridegroom to the bride.

We look first at today's Kerala marriage functions among the Nairs (a major Hindu community). Next we look at the interesting backgrounds of the key rituals. The modern day function is a mix of traditional and new rituals.

Kerala Marriages Today

The bride, along with her close relatives, visits a temple on the morning of the wedding day (or the evening the day before). She might light the wicks on the temple lamp-pillar (pic left) and pray to the deity to make her married life a happy one. This would appear to be a new ritual in today's world of durable, long-term marriages. Such was not the case with Nair marriages of an earlier time.

Marriages are typically held in large halls that accommodate a large audience. The audience would consist of relatives and friends of both the bride and bridegroom. Arranging this function is the responsibility of the bride's parents.

The function would be held on a raised platform at one end of the hall. The nirapara would be filled with paddy in a traditional manner by the bride's parents. The nilavilakku would be filled with oil and the wicks would be lit. There would also be thalams, plates filled with a small lamp and other symbolic articles. The bridegroom and bride would be led to the stage by girls bearing these thalams.

When the bridegrom and bride are seated on the stage, the former ties a thali around the bride's neck. The thali was traditionally a golden yellow string with a gold pendant hung from it. The pendant was a small one, made in the shape of a banyan leaf. These days, a gold chain is typically used instead of the yellow string.

In modern day marriages, there would be an exchange of rings and garlanding of each other by the bride and bridegroom (see the garlands in the pic left). These are new rituals that were not there in the traditional Kerala marriages.

The bridegroom then formally presents the bride a pudava i.e. a mundu in earlier days and a sari these days (pic left). This was originally the only ritual in traditional Kerala marriage among Nairs. In some localities, the bride receives the gift standing up while in other localities both the bride and bridegroom would still be seated.

The bridegroom and bride would then rise and walk around the stage signaling the completion of the function. Several other minor rituals are also observed, few (if any) of them really traditional. We would now look at the significance of the key rituals.

Nirapara and Nilavilakku

Nirapara means a "filled measure". Para is the largest measure, a wooden container, used traditionally to measure paddy. This measure would be heaped up with paddy and a bunch of coconut tree flowers would be inserted into the heap. The large measure and heaped paddy stand for prosperity (in the traditionally agricultural community).

Nilavilakku is a large brass lamp on a stand that has a cup at the top. The cup is filled with oil and wicks are placed in it with one edge projecting out of the cup. This projecting end is lighted and it would continue to burn by drawing the oil. The lighted lamp represents agni - the god of fire - who should witness all auspicious occasions.

Tying the Thali

Traditionally, the thali was a yellow string with a banyan-tree-leaf-shaped-pendant hung on it. This was tied around the neck of a girl before she reached the age of puberty.

It was tied by a member of certain castes or a family acquaintance. This person did not become the husband of the girl. Instead, he was given a gift for the service and sent away.

The tying of the thali, known as kettu kalyanam, was celebrated on a grand scale. There would be a large shed, mani pandal, to accommodate sumptuous feasts, singing of folk songs and traditional games. The celebrations lasted four days.

Considering the heavy expenditure involved, all the girl children in a family typically had their thalis tied at the same function.

Pudava Koda

Among the Nairs, the traditional marriage function was a simple one, involving just one ritual, the Pudava Koda. Pudava means a cloth that Kerala women wore traditionally.

The bridegroom arrived at the bride's house with a few of his closest relatives. He handed over a pudava to the bride in the presence of a few close relatives of the bride. This ritual made the bridegroom and bride husband and wife, and was the real marriage.

The Nair marriages of those days were not all that durable. The woman continued to stay with her family and could end the marriage at any time. There was also the fact that Nairs were warriors who often had to leave for distant locations to fight for their lords. Many would not return.

The decline of Asian marriage

Nowadays more Asian women are rejecting marriage and pursuing a single life, which willcreate serious social problems, according to an article in The Economist on August 20, 2011.

Marriage rates are falling in Asia, says the article, partly because people are postponinggetting hitched. People in Asia now marry even later than they do in the West, with the meanage of marriage in the richest places—Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong—being29-30 for women and 31-33 for men.

A lot of Asians are not marrying at all, notes the article. "Almost a third of Japanese women intheir early 30s are unmarried; probably half of those will always be. Over one-fifth of Taiwanesewomen in their late 30s are single; most will never marry. In some places, rates of non-marriageare especially striking: in Bangkok, 20 percent of 40-44-year old women are not married; inTokyo, 21 percent; among university graduates of that age in Singapore, 27 percent."

Women are retreating from marriage, partly because, for a woman, being both employed andmarried is tough in Asia, says the article. As the primary caregivers for husbands, children and,often, for ageing parents, Asian women are carrying a particularly heavy burden. "Japanesewomen, who typically work 40 hours a week in the office, then do, on average, another 30hours of housework. Their husbands, on average, do three hours." And it is always hard forAsian women who give up work to look after children to return when the offspring are grown.

Also, more education has also contributed to the decline of marriage, because a single life mayappeal more to Asian women with the most education than the drudgery of a traditionalmarriage.

While the flight from marriage in Asia shows the greater freedom that women enjoy these days,the article cautions, it will create social problems. The decline of marriage is beginning to causehuge demographic problems, as populations age with startling speed. "Fertility in East Asia hasfallen from 5.3 children per woman in the late 1960s to 1.6 now. In countries with the lowestmarriage rates, the fertility rate is nearer 1.0." And as marriage socializes men, less marriagemight mean more crime.