| Null
Bazaar to Oberoi Towers |
 |
The
most exciting part of wedding planning is that it takes you everywhere,
say Bandana Tewari and Ravi Krishnan.
Their simple and colourful wedding invite says it
all.
 |
Bangles,
Bindis and Henna. It's a Mehendi with a difference (for a change the boys
are welcome!) at Nina's house on...
Bandana and Ravi Krishnan invite you to experience a celebration of their
wedding at Axirvaad, Goa on….
|
| "Ravi
could well qualify to be the most enthusiastic groom", exclaims Bandana.
"He's been helping with his inputs in every aspect of the wedding. From
the venue décor to the catering, trousseau shopping to even my make-up
trial sessions," says a beaming Bandana. Ravi Krishnan and Bandana Tewari
met at a common friend's party in Delhi and have been friends since over
five years. Ravi, a Tamilian was brought up in Australia and is currently working with International Management Group (IMG) in Mumbai. |
 |
Bandana, a Nepali, completed her college education from LSR Delhi and Jamia Millia after which she was working with Discovery channel. Three months before the wedding date, Bandana quit her job to concentrate all her creative energies on the wedding.
|
Bandana spent some exciting moments with WeddingSutra a few days before
her wedding.
The best part about organising a wedding
What we're most excited about is that some of our close friends and dear
relatives are coming from all over the world. Many of them are visiting
India for the first time, especially for the wedding. And that's a great
feeling. Thanks to the wedding, in the last few months, I've got a chance
to visit so many places including crowded streets of treasure troves,
which I wouldn't dream of visiting earlier. I may have come here only
recently, but now I know so much about Mumbai. The wonderful journey began
at Null Bazaar, now my favourite shopping jaunt and ended at Oberoi Towers,
the elegant wedding venue.
On our own but not alone
Since neither Ravi nor me hail from Mumbai, it's been quite a task to
organise the event. Our parents are abroad and Mumbai is a relatively
new city, but some of our many friends have been so helpful. Raj, one
of our good friends has moved out of his flat for a few days, so that
some of my friends and relatives can be comfortably accommodated. AD Singh,
who arranged his marriage this year, has helped us get in touch with all
the right resource providers. So your friends can make all the difference.
Wedding
Shopping
I'm not too much of a clothes or jewellery freak so I can't recommend
any labels or designer stores. My recommendations would be Null Bazaar
in Mumbai for bangles and costume jewellery, India handicrafts emporium
at Janpath in Delhi for pretty home accessories and Chimanalals in Mumbai
for their awesome packing material. If one were looking for custom-made
shoes, I'd recommend Jolly Shoes and Golden Touch at the Oberoi Shopping
Arcade. For my wedding I'm wearing a saree, which is my family heirloom.
My reception outfit is being designed by my good friend Gitanjali Kashyap.
All I know is that it's saffron in colour and the rest is left to her.
Rohit Bal, also a good friend has designed a sherwani for Ravi.
Our wedding
Its a fusion of Nepali and Tamil wedding rites and is a morning function
at The Oberoi poolside. In the past we've attended so many weddings, but
at the end of the function we never knew the significance of the religious
rites nor did we understand the meaning of the texts being recited. For
our wedding we've spent days poring over books and visiting sites to learn
more about the significance of the rites. The wealth of the information
has been compiled into a leaflet that will be handed over to our guests
at the wedding.
 A
taste of India
Tasting and sampling the cuisine has taken a lot of our time. The wedding
lunch is a South Indian vegetarian meal. The reception dinner is a fusion
of Indian states different delicacies like Soorti Undhiya, Dum Aloo, Vaghar
Rice, Rosogolla et al.
Meetings and more meetings
We waited for our families to come down so that we could involve them
in the wedding preparations too. For the last few days we've been having
a series of meetings to co-ordinate and organise the affair. A meeting
with both our priests, between the photographer and all the family members
(so they know who all have to be present atleast in some of the photographs),
between my family members and his family members. It's been a series of
meetings.
 India
kit
We're expecting over 70 guests from Nepal, Australia, USA, Japan, Canada,
everywhere. And what I've enjoyed most is making the 'India Kits' that
would greet them on their arrival. The bag contains elements of Indian
beauty and fun. Colourful bangles, rich dupattas, Taj Mahal coasters,
Nehru caps and peacock feathers are some of the ingredients of these bags.
Besides this it contains a booklet containing information on the history
of Mumbai, and a survival guide to this city. I hope these colourful elements
and the wedding affair make their visit to Mumbai truly memorable.
|
