Orissa Wedding And Its Rituals

On the east coast of India, along with the Bay of Bengal lies the amazing state of Orissa, the locals there are knows as Oriyas. The Oriyas like to live a simple and plain life with minimal pomp and show, which gets reflected in their festivals and in their weddings.
The weddings in Orissa are very similar to Hindu weddings.

In a typical Oriya wedding, one can find many similarities with a Hindu wedding. An Oriya wedding is also a prolonged event that goes on for several days the basic rituals are also similar. One thing that is different when it comes to marriages in Orissa as compared to other marriages in India is that the mother of the grooms in Orissa doesnt attend the marriage; neither does any of the aged female in the grooms side. Even in the Oriya category, there are two types of Oriyas; one is the Brahmin Oriyas who perform the wedding rituals during the day time, whereas the non-Brahmin Oriyas conduct the marriage ceremony during the evening or the night time, just like most Indian weddings.

Like all other Indian marriages, Oriya marriage is a long and extended affair but it is a lot more simple and free from any sort of hassles and complex rituals. In a Orissa wedding, the bride and the groom are made to sit together next to the holy fire aka mandap where the pandit recites various chants and mantras followed by saptpadi, where seven mounts of rice are kept each signifying the saptakulaparwata and the seven hills after which the pheras are taken by the bride and the bridegroom. After the pheras are performed, the haatha ghanti takes place, where puffed rice is offered to the holy fire as a lajja by the bride and groom, where they face each other and the brides brother places the hand of his sister in the grooms hand and puts puffed rice in their hands. Once these are complete, the kanyadaan takes place in a nicely decorated madap, which is basically performed by the father of the oriya bride where he hands over his daughter to her groom.

Besides these rituals, special attention is given to the attires of the bride and the groom. The bride wears a rich red, orange or pink colored lehnga and is adorned with gold jewllery and flowers. The groom, on the other hand, adorns a dhoti or a jor i.e. a white silk cloth draped around him. For grooms in Orissa, dhoti is considered as the best and most preferred attire for a wedding.

There are many big and small pre as well as post wedding ceremonies in Orissa like – Jayee Anukolo, Mangan Tradition, Jairagodo Anukolo, Diya Mangula Puja, Barajatri & Baadua Pani Gadhua to name a few. Each ritual has its own procedure and importance. Hence its pretty evident that like a regular Hindu marriage, wedding in Orissa is an elongated process that goes on for several days.

Once all these ceremonies are performed and the bride bids farewell to leave for her grooms house, there is a custom called the astha mangala where after eight days of the marriage the newly wed couple is invited to the brides house for a delicious treat. Both are served nicely cooked food by the brides family. The procedure to conduct a wedding in Orissa is not much different from other weddings in India and its a pious occasion for both the bride and the groom and their families.

Few useful links:
http://www.jeevansathi.com/
http://www.jeevansathi.com/matrimonials/bengali-matrimonial/

Why Use Calligraphy For Wedding Occasions

A wedding, along with the other events related to it, is a formal occasion. Thus, all official documents required for the wedding such as wedding invitations, thank you notes and programs should all be done and written in formality. When it comes to formality, Calligraphy never ceases to qualify not only as a formal method of writing but it also exudes beauty and elegance which makes it more perfect for all wedding occasions.

There are school or academic programs and curriculum that includes calligraphy as a course. It may also be taken as a hobby or a diversion. For these reason, it is safe to say that most people have background in this well-known art of writing. But not all with a hint of how to hold a pen properly can make the perfect calligraphic output. It still requires a talent and skill combined with numerous practice to achieve the best result. If you are a talented bride who wish to utilize calligraphy in your wedding invitation but has doubts if you can come up with the best output, it is commendable to simply hire one of those vendors who offer calligraphy services. If you really would like to do calligraphy on your own to save money, then you need to have some serious skills and make sure that no amount of ink drops or smudge on your invitation and envelopes for not only are they unsightly, they will also cost additional money and time.

Should you decide to actually settle on hiring a calligrapher, be sure to consider the following: if the calligrapher has tools and supplies of his own, the samples of the calligraphers previous works, your budget and the calligraphers service cost. To find a calligrapher for you, you can ask recommendations from friends and family, from artist shops and through online searches. If you have found one calligrapher, it may help to ask for his or her previous clients and give them a call to ask about the workmanship of the calligrapher, if your money would be worth it and if could finish the invitations on time.

Keep in mind that the standard charging is per envelope and ranges about two dollar apiece. When providing the envelopes, make sure also to provide some extra pieces should there be accidental mistakes while writing. Aside from writing calligraphy on the wedding invitation envelopes, you may want the same effect for the wedding programs, thank you note envelopes and place cards.

When purchasing supplies for the wedding calligraphy project, select those that ideally match the writing and is perfect for the wedding occasion. Ecru, buff, eggshell and ivory are best used in wedding calligraphy. Paper made with cotton fiber is known to bind excellently with any ink. When it comes to the ink, a wedding invitation is printed and written with black ink. Calligraphic writing is made even more beautiful and perfect if done with a matching ideal pen such as a quality set that includes different nibs or tips that can be detached or interchanged. At the first sign of wear, the nibs must be replaced as this will only result to a scratchy lettering.

How To Choose Your Wedding Shoes

All women want every aspect of their wedding day to be perfect, and although its your wedding dress that will probably be your biggest buying decision, your wedding shoes are no less important. There are so many aspects that need to be considered, and as youll only have your big day once (if all goes according to plan), its important to get them just right, from the heel height and the style to the colour and the fabric.

What with all the excitement, and it being such a long day, its most likely that on your wedding day your feet will swell up. Therefore its a good idea to try on your wedding shoes towards the end of the day to replicate these conditions, as feet tend to swell up as the day goes on anyway.

No matter how much you fall in love with a pair of shoes at first sight, its important not to impulse buy on such an important item of footwear. Before you buy, here are some of the aspects you need to think about:

Comfort is key
Although of course you want to look fabulous on your wedding day, you really dont want painful shoes to ruin your enjoyment. Make sure you find a pair that dont pinch or squash your toes under no circumstances try to squeeze into the wrong size just because you love the style. If youre not sure of your width fitting its really worth measuring yourself as it may be that you need wide fitting shoes. If so dont worry, there are some beautiful wide fitting bridal shoes available that will be sure to keep you comfy.

Find your style
There are so many different styles of bridal shoes available so its really a matter of what best complements your dress and personal style. Court shoes and sandals are both popular, or for the best of both worlds you could choose a slingback that will give you the look of a closed-toe shoe with the adjustability of a sandal at the heel. If you have a traditional wedding dress, a lace up Victorian style boot is a quirky option that will keep your ankles supported on such a long day.

Get the height right
The height of your wedding shoes is so important as you will need to get your dress altered to the exact length to suit your shoes. Whilst a high heel is glamorous you need to consider how easy they are to walk in you dont want to be stumbling down the aisle! Plus youll find a large heel puts more and more pressure on your toes as the day goes on and you need to be ready for the evenings dancing. A medium heel or low kitten heel is a safe bet, but theres no reason why you cant wear a flat ballerina pump instead. If your husband-to-be is a little on the short side, wearing flat shoes will ensure you dont tower over him in your wedding photos.

Contrasting or complementary colour
Its traditional to match the colour of your shoes with your dress. If you go for this approach make sure you get an exact match, be it pure white, ivory, cream or any other variants on the classic bridal colour palette. However, if youre going for more of a contemporary look you could go for a colour from the wedding theme instead. As well as looking more funky, it may mean that you get to wear your shoes more often, rather than relegating them to the back of the wardrobe when your big days done and dusted.

Fabulous fabrics
Silk or satin covered shoes are a traditional choice for brides, but white or cream leather wedding shoes are another versatile option. For brides on a budget theres no reason why you cant wear synthetic shoes as long as theyre comfortable.

Wedding Shirts And Indian Salwar Kameez To Dress Up For A Special Occasion

We live in a country where weddings are larger than life; and to dress impeccably for a wedding is expected out of both men and women. This is why some exclusive wedding shirts and Indian salwar kameez must be a part of your wardrobe. We help you choose the right one, based on your needs.

Wedding shirts for men:
Wedding shirts are very important attire in any mans wardrobe. Whether you are a groom looking for wedding shirts to go inside your suits or are the grooms brother or best friend, your outfit will make a stark difference to the wedding reception and the pictures captured will serve as memories you cherish forever. Hence, picking the right wedding shirts is important, and special care must be given to the colour, cut and detailing.

If it is a church wedding it is much easier because you cannot go wrong with the standard tuxedo wedding shirts. These are stylish tailor made wedding shirts which are fixed with cuff links and collar studs. These wedding shirts make sure that you stand equal to the bride who will be in her lovely gown. Grooms wearing custom dress wedding shirts with embroidery or custom accent have become the fashion nowadays. There can be various accents like the plain interior cuff and custom made plackets, collars or cuffs on wedding shirts.

For functions prior to the wedding like the Mehendi or a pooja, you do not have to necessarily wear a tuxedo shirt. A plain neutral or light coloured shirt with broad collars for a cravat or a tie makes good formal wedding shirts. You can also think of stylish shirt accents with side pleats and French cuffs as wedding shirts.

Try and avoid wearing shirts with textured materials or pin stripes as wedding shirts. When weddings are held during summer wedding shirts made of linen can be used. Whatever the fabric you are using for your wedding shirts, it has to look fashionable and classy.

Indian salwar kameez for women:
While many women do prefer sarees, salwar kameez are far more common for special occasions. The Indian Salwar Kameez has become the most favoured costume among the numerous costumes available in India, and it is not uncommon to see foreigners sporting smart Indian salwar kameez designs these days too. Traditionally it is supposed to have started its journey from the Indian state of Punjab. Now the Indian Salwar Kameez comes in different variations and styles and it has become an integral part of the wardrobe of any woman.

Churidar Kameez is the most favourite variation of the Indian Salwar Kameez. It is almost like the Indian Salwar Kameez but the difference is that the woman wears a churidar instead of the normal pajama. Churidar is the slimmer version of the salwar giving more emphasize to the ankles and knees and has a slimming effect. Kurta or Kurti Kameez is the other variation which is very famous among the youngsters now. Kurti or Kurti means a shorter kameez and women prefer to wear these Indian salwar kameez without the dupatta (the cloth used to cover the bosom). Many well-known brands are coming out with this kind of Indian Salwar Kameez because of its demand.

Basic Steps To Crafting A Useful Wedding Planner Binder

To create a wedding planner binder, you ‘ll have to tag your dividers, insert your dividers, insert lined paper for each section, attach back compartments to your dividers, insert transparent book sleeves, prepare self-adhesive business card holders, utilize sticky flags for imperative service providers, and add finishing touches to your binder as desired.

Utilizing binders in your wedding planning can help you efficiently organize your wedding notes, service provider details, as well as other necessary paperworks to make your wedding preparations much simpler and your wedding day more successful. Eventhough other specialized wedding planner kits are available in many bookstores, customizing your own wedding planner binder can help serve your special wedding planning needs and provide you more room for your wedding details. To make a wedding planner, follow these very simple guidelines:

Tag your dividers

To begin with, get your subject dividers and tag them clearly according to your basic wedding needs. These usually include the church, pastor, soiree location, attire, flowers, food vendors, cake, entertainment, photographer and videographer, wedding band, invitations, favors, wedding party gifts, registry, and transportation. You can add additional divisions or remove other sections depending on your own wedding preparation needs. You may also divide your binder sections into sub-sections for a more structured planner. For instance, under the attire portion, you may break it down by bride, groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and parents, if included.

Insert your dividers

When putting in your dividers, ensure that each tab is noticeable and readable; otherwise, some wedding plans might be left out during your preparations. To do this, do not conceal or overlay the labels with each other. As much as possible, do not put the same colored tabs alongside each other to avoid confusion.

Put in lined paper for each section

Once the dividers are in place, insert lined paper where you can jot down your notes and ideas, and various details about your vendors, such as contact details. Allot around 15 to 20 sheets of paper depending on the needs you foresee. You may also insert more sheets, including a few sheets of bond paper, at the back section of your binder so you can quickly find and put these sheets into other sections when you need them.

Attach back compartments to your dividers

Back compartments are essential for placing photos, vouchers, and other items that are vital to your wedding preparations. Go for vinyl sleeves, which last longer than brown envelopes that can easily get torn. You may choose to stick these sleeves or purchase adhesive back pockets for more convenience.

Insert clear book sleeves

Other things that are too big to fit in your back pockets may be contained in clear book sleeves. Insert clear book sleeves in each of your dividers or at the back of your wedding planner binder so that they can easily be removed and moved into other sections. These are most important for items such as service provider packages and arrangements, wedding gown and attire pictures, cake pictures, ceremony venue and reception layout, and more.

Prepare self-adhesive business card holders

Especially when attending wedding fairs and meeting potential suppliers, you should be obtaining business cards from the different vendors so that you’ll have more contacts and choices for your wedding. Organize your business cards by placing them in the right section in your planner. Utilize self-adhesive business card holders that easily stick to your lined paper to make business cards conveniently accessible when you need them. You may insert some of these business card holders in your back compartments so you can easily find one to use as you meet other vendors during your wedding preparations.

Use sticky flags for notable suppliers

Purchase a few sticky flags and use them to name notable suppliers. These sticky flags are also functional when there are important things you need to address first.

Decorate your binder as desired

Finally, you can add finishing touches your wedding planner binder in any design you want. You may choose the same theme or motif you are opting to utilize for your wedding. Do not forget to write your contact details in your binder just in case it gets misplaced. An excellent spot would be on the first page of the binder.

To ensure you’re making a really useful and efficient wedding planner binder, it should be able to carry all your important notes, plans, and supplier details in a very harmonized manner. The more organized and less cluttered your binder is, the more stress-free your wedding preparations will likely be. That will help make your wedding day a great success.

Using the right accessories will certainly help you make the best wedding planner binder.