Tarun Tahiliani, Vandana Mohan, Ojas Rajani unveil bridal trends at the WeddingSutra Masterclass, New Delhi

Interactive sessions on all things bridal and beautiful – under one roof – clicks with the capital’s brides-to-be

Delhi dulhans, thank you for your overwhelming response to the WeddingSutra MasterClass! We, along with our partner, Shangri La’s Eros Hotel, put our best foot forward to welcome our guests, who included over 60 brides-to-be and the who’s who from the wedding and fashion industries. The hotel provided impeccable hospitality, and the elegant decorations by top wedding decor companies such as Ferns N Petals, Tab Events, MB Events and Olive 9 Events added a further festive vibe to the atmosphere.

Bride-to-be Sakshi Mittal who works in HR at Snapdeal won the ‘Early Bird’ prize by reaching the venue well before the registrations commenced at 9.30am. She got a chance to be styled by Tarun Tahiliani in a creation from his ready-to-wear summer collection, and enjoyed a makeover by make-up guru Ojas Rajani. Other ‘Early Bird’ brides won stylish accessories by Outhouse.

The event commenced with guests browsing a curated collection of WeddingSutra Favorites: Invitation cards by Ozel Design, photobooks by Canvera, jewellery by Aetee and Outhouse, gifts by Wrapstar and chocolates by Zeba Kohli of Fantasie.

Tarun Tahiliani encouraged brides to trust their own judgement when figuring out what will suit them best. “You are all mature, educated young women. Lots of ‘experts’ will tell you about the must-knows and must-avoids, and while it is good to hear the experts, always listen to your inner voice when you do the complete dress rehearsal with make-up applied, hair styled and wearing your bridal ensemble with all the jewellery and accessories. Then ask yourself if what you see in the mirror is something you love?”

Wedding planner extraordinaire Vandana Mohan, of The Wedding Design Company, helped brides to dream a little – by visualising what they want and what will make them and their loved ones truly happy. “You can have a dream wedding or theme celebration anywhere provided, of course, the theme blends with the venue you have chosen and represents how you want to celebrate,” explained Mohan. She gave the example of the gorgeous chandeliers in the Shangri-la Ballroom, the venue for the Masterclass. “When you work around your theme at such a venue, it will be a waste if the stunning chandeliers are not the highlight of the decor. Also wedding destinations are chosen for various reasons, but let your personalities as a couple rule the decision. If it is Goa you choose then let everything be about the Goa vibe. Colours and clothes should be chosen keeping the weather in mind. For example, if you want to don heavy, traditional ensembles for most functions, it is better to choose a venue that is more suited for a grand, traditional celebration.”

She further added, “Whether you hire a wedding planner or not, it’s always a great idea to involve your loved ones. For example, one bride I knew didn’t want to bother her aged grandparents with any responsibility. But at one point she just told her grandmother that she was responsible for her wedding jewellery. The grandmother was thrilled and touched that there was something she could do for her granddaughter on her big day.”

She concluded by sharing, “We as planners make dreams come true. But these are dreams that you must realize with your whole family, for it’s the intimate moments and togetherness that makes a wedding. The ‘Big Fat Indian Wedding’ maybe everything we all envisage, but ultimately, it’s all about love, family, friends and lots of bonhomie!”

Executive Chef Neeraj Tyagi, of Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel, treated guests to a pre-lunch session and shared interesting updates about what was trending in wedding cuisines. He also described the revamped Food & Beverage offerings at the hotel, and introduced his culinary team. “They are my core strength and manage every detail at the back end,” he declared proudly. He then extended an invitation to everyone to savour the elaborate spread put together by his team and showcase the food inspired by all five of his new outlets– Tamra (Multi-cuisine), Sorrento (Italian), Shang Palace (Chinese), Grappa (Bar) and Mister Chai (Indian Street Fusion).

The beauty and hair sessions got brides asking many questions. Celebrity hairstylist Rod Anker spoke about the peculiarity of Indian hair, and how to play around with what you naturally have. “Go ahead and experiment with different hairstyles for different seasons, just as you wear different clothes in summer and winter,” he quipped. “If you are building up to the big day, remember that too many products or treatments may not be the need of the hour. Instead, opt for a good diet and healthy regime alongside targeted treatments which give your hair that shine, body and bounce.”

Clockwise from left: Dr Amee Daxini, Chef Neeraj Tyagi and Rod Anker of Rod Anker Salons 

Dr. Amee Daxini’s session focused on the importance of a good cleansing routine where she spoke extensively on the concept of a skin’s pH balance, harsh cleansers and how they harm your skin. She highlighted that Dove is mild because it is pH neutral, and invited the brides-to-be to put their favorite beauty bars through the Litmus Test. Dr Daxini also shared how some brides wanted to get more information on different skin treatments, while others were confused if certain advanced products would work for them or not. “What finally matters is not medicines and procedures, but discipline and belief in yourself and your doctor,” she remarked.

A bride-to-be takes the litmus test with Dermatologist Dr Amee Daxini

Make-up whiz Ojas Rajani tapped into on-trend make-up ideas , specifically the ‘no-make-up’ look which is gaining popularity among Indian brides these days. “It’s amazing to see how much attention brides are giving to make-up and hairstyling, unlike a few years ago when the focus was mainly on clothes and jewellery,” she shared. Her tip for brides wanting to ‘go natural’? “Don’t convince your make-up artists to go too light. After all, it’s your big day and you need to shine and stand out in real life as well as in your wedding photos.”

Brides-to-be listen to Makeup maestro Ojas Rajani with rapt attention

Vinayak Das and Snigdha Sheel of Photo Tantra showcased their Canvera photobooks and talked about what stays with couples much after the wedding celebrations are over – their memories in the form of handy photobook-style wedding albums. They also shared their experience about how they find today’s brides much more photo savvy. “They make an effort to find a good wedding photographer, and unlike earlier, there is more time allocated for bridal portraits, be it capturing the behind-the-scenes ‘getting ready’ moments to full-length fashion-editorial style shots.” Vinayak and Snigdha had a word of advice though for all for future brides. “Today, many style blogs and city portals attempt to come with lists such as of ‘The top 10 candid photographers in the city’ and the like. However, couples should not take these as the ultimate reference. Instead, they should opt for more credible wedding-specialist sources like WeddingSutra when it comes to deciding on their wedding photographer.”

And they enjoy the Masterclass together!

The event wrapped up with guests demanding an encore… which we will announce soon. WeddingSutra thanks all our partners for making this MasterClass a hit – Alok Chakravarty, Director of Sales & Marketing, and his teams at Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel, brand partners Dove, Lakme Absolute and Canvera, and event partners Tarandeep of Master Sound, Raksha and Manoj Chawla of Mansa and Abhinav Bhagat of Abhinav Bhagat Events.

From left to right: Parmeet Singh Nayyar, General Manager of Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel New Delhi, Tarun Tahiliani and Parthip Thyagarajan of WeddingSutra.com 

15 lucky brides-to-be win gift hampers from Dove

Photos Courtesy- Photo Tantra