Sensentional wedding venues

From elegent to edgy...simple yet classy.. Every couple wants their wedding to be unique and memorable. Some of the brides want scenic or classic style like a country club wedding or some may want lavish wedding decor in the hall. Here are some unique locations for the wedding/reception.

1. On the waterfront- Beaches, river, marina or lakes are the location where you can create a perfect wedding in less decor and low budget.

2. Extreme weddings- You might have read the news about rare and extreme weddings ,couples who tied the knot after mountain climbing, skydiving etc. You need a specific venue if this is your vision for your big day.

3. Castle wedding- A perfect fairy tale or castle wedding can add romance to your wedding.

4. Casino- You can envision a lavish wedding ceremony in the casinos. Casino can also add the element of fun and entertainment for your guests.

5. Museum, historical monument or sites- For the couples who desire distinctive architecture  and cultural ambiance in their wedding. Also the displays or exhibits will add on to the list for entertainment for the guests.

6. Ferry-  Using some beautiful space for the wedding, get married where harbor provides exceptional backdrop for your wedding photography .

7. Chartered plane- Tie the knot in the air. Chartered plain is good option for unique, small and intimate ceremony

8. Vineyard- Experience the rural beauty and the scenery of the vineyard with some fresh flowers. There is no need of excessive decor for the wedding.

9. Farm/Farmhouse- Natural things like colorful flowers, fruits, vegetables and green leaves can set the tone for the wedding.  A rustic decor such as wooden sticks, stones will bring the charm and novelty to the wedding decor .

10. Botanical garden- Botanical gardens always provides beautiful view with the flowers, trees, hurbs and shrubs. Many botanical gardens rent the space for the outdoor weddings. This can be perfect destination for the wedding photography.

11. Golf course - Outdoor scenic beauty of the golf course can be a unique location for wedding photography.

Novel floral arrangements

The right table decor creates the right atmosphere for the ceremony. Don't stick to the traditional bland flower arrangement for the table or boring flower vase designs.With the same common flowers ,bring some creativity to the table. Here are some inexpensive yet innovative ideas. 

Tipping tips

TIP- To insure prompt service. Tip can be given after the service or before the service to insure a good service. Amount of tip will vary as per the service and the size of the event. There is no such  rule about tipping. Here are some guidelines to follow when , where and how much to tip because at the end nobody wants to look cheap and of course the people who makes your day special deserve some gratitude and it can be monetary or simple thank you or just a nice smile.

Hotel waiters and bartenders- 10-15% of your total catering  and 10% of total liquor bill (unless its added to the contract)
Valet and car parking attendees- Rs 30 to 50 per car (based on the expected number of cars and the venue
Limo, car or bus service- 15% of the total bill if not added to the contract
Photographer and video- 15% of the bill (Tips is optional for photo and video. Generally it should give at the end of the day)
DJ or band- 10% of total bill is distributed.
Taxi or car driver- Rs 100 to 300 per day depending on the service and distance covered.
Wedding planner- 15% of the charges of the wedding planner or gifts
Entertainment- 10% to 15% of the total
Florist- Rs 100- 500 depending on the job

Checklist before talking to florist

Floral decor is one of the most important factor for your wedding decoration. Flowers can set the tone of your wedding.  Flowers have huge involvement in wedding right from the barrat to the bidaai. Make a check list when and where you need flowers to make your wedding beautiful and vibrant. below are some tips:

Decoration

Garlands for decorations
Wedding arch
Wedding Aisle
Mandaps
Sashes for wedding chairs

Wedding ceremony
For puja
Garlands for bride and groom
Garlands for family to welcome them
Flowers for bride's hair
Bouquet for bride and groom


Reception
Flower centerpieces for reception
Flowers for reception area
Flower decor for cake
Flowers for place card tables
Boutonnaiers

Baraat and Bidaai
Garland for groom
Rose petals in aisle for bidaai
Decoration for doli or car

Wedding invitations - Do's and Don'ts

Do's

1. Order your RSVP's 6months and invitations at least 4 months before the wedding day.
2. Do keep the extra invitation envelopes in case of any addressing mistake.
3. Before sending any invitation, do weigh fully sealed invitation to know how much postage it needs. Always put the right stamp on the invitation card. Keep a separate budget for the invitation postage.
4. Do use all the names of the guest if possible. It is more welcoming to use correct names of the guests who will be coming with your invited guests.
5. In formal invitations always put the date in words eg. (June Nineteen Two Thousand Twelve )
6. Do mail all invitation 4-6 weeks before the wedding day. In case of peak season of weddings or festivals always send invitation 8 weeks in advance. International and long distance invitation should send in advance eight weeks.
7. Make sure to enclose hotel information, maps or itineraries for out  of town guests.

Don'ts 
1. Don't count invitation for per person. Most of the time family receives just a one invitation card.
2. Do not misspell the name of your guest on the invitation card.
3. Don't label the invitations. always write the names of guests by hand even for the large number of invitations.
4. Don't mention anything related to gifts and presents in the invitations.

Serving food at weddings

Consider the case below before setting the food for any wedding!


In any wedding, only appetizers can be enough as dinner but still people spend most of the amount on the catering. Choosing right kind of food and beverages at your wedding or reception is a tedious task because you will have to consider your choice, your partner's choice, guests preferences etc. So recent trend of having a different food stations at wedding is growing very fast.

Buffet-
Food station is bit different from the buffet. Buffet is simply having one or two tables where guests can stay in the line and gather their choice of food in the dishes. Sometimes these table may get crowded if you expect large number of guests.Guests will have to serve themselves ,sometimes server may not be available.
Pros-
1. Guests will get a chance to see the food before selecting and taking it.
2. Opportunity for networking among the guests.
3. Buffet style is good option if you are expecting large number of guests.
Cons-
1. Tables of food may be crowded so time consuming.
2. Buffet will not work if you want to give royal treatment to your guests.

Food station-

While food stations are arrangement of distinctive types of food, cuisines on several small tables where guests can choose and take food as per their choice.Stations can be used to encourage mingling and which is good option for your cocktail reception. Guests can go and get their food from servers or chefs. Sometimes food station is a live action by chef.
Food station can be separated by the name of cuisine such as Indian cuisine, Italian  cuisine or French cuisine   or it may be separated by main course, appetizers, drinks and desserts.
Pros- 
1. Food tables will be less crowded or may not be crowded as compared to buffet. 
2. Opportunity for networking. 
3. Food is more organised by cuisine or food type so making choice is easy. 
Cons- 

1. Tables of food may be crowded so time consuming.
2. Guests will have to go to multiple stations for food.

Sit down dinner-
Third one is very different option from these two options of buffet and food station. Sit down dinner is more formal way to serve the food to your guests. It is most traditional way. Here you can limit the food options but you will have to provide exceptional  food service to make your guests feel special.
Pros-
1. Sit down dinner is more formal and family style dinner.
2. Less chance of over crowding.
Cons-
1. Limited opportunity for networking.
2. Food portion and variety may be limited and choice will be less.
3. Not the best option for large gatherings. 

What are the latest fashion trends of celebrities for wedding outfits?

We are always curious and excited about what is the latest fashion trend in Bollywood. Bollywood stars are not only performers and entertainers and but for some they can be an inspiration. Fashion and style of these bollywood celebrities encourage us to follow them.It could be a westernized saree worn by Priyanka Chopra in 'desi girl' or a traditional saree of Vidya Balan.  Here are some photos of bollywood stars who came for bollywood actress Esha Deol's wedding.

Unique Wedding Hors D'oeuvres.

Any Indian wedding is incomplete without food. Choosing the right caterers and right food is one of the biggest decision.  Bite size delicacies is the latest trend which gives the opportunity for your guests to mix and mingle during cocktail reception instead of having stuffy sit down dinner.
 Here are some unique wedding appetizers that I would love to have for any wedding that I plan!

Tandoori chicken/Potato crisps - Marinated chicken with combination of veggie and mango chutney served on fried wafer. Potato is substitute of chicken for veg appetizers.

Aalo tikki - Boiled and fried patato and mix veggie balls

Vegetable puffs- Baked pastry sheets with any kind of stuffing veggies, chicken or any sweet jelly. 

Cigar spring rolls- Stuffed  and fried mix veggies and eggs into pastry sheets.

Caesar salad whole grain cups- Bakes whole grain bups with salad of caesar dressing.

Eggs-Boiled egges with the geed york or potato and cheese stuffing.

Marinated shrimp

Taco in ice cream cone-Taco salad withGuacamole dressing and sour cream in ice cream cone.

 

Mozzarella balls and veggie skewer 

Venue ideas for corporate summer party

After this extended spring season get ready for the summer !! The economy is getting better, businesses have started to grow and companies have started to make profits.So why not to allocate some budget for summer party? Throwing a summer bash or mid year parties by the company can be one of the smart way of employee and client retention. Party planning starts with the venue selection.

 Choose your venue carefully- Your Venues should be fabulous so every one can enjoy it.
1. Planning a summer bash I always suggest or prefer outdoor venues.
2. Consider the attendees profile. Who is coming for this party only employees or their family?
3. Consider the budget for the party.

Here are some venue ideas-

City and state parks- If your employee and coworkers are with the family so you can go with this option. Plan your party in the city or at the state park. This way you can keep family interested and entertained.

On the water- Take your attendees on the boat parties or on the cruse. There are many one day cruises that you can select.

Island or beaches- If your company or business is on coastal area this can be a good option.Also all employee and their family will enjoy this venue. there are lot more you do do with this venue. Ferry rides. beach volleyball, kids play or simply a beach picnic.

Cricket or baseball stadium- Depending on your employee's interest you can plan a party in the cricket or baseball stadium.

Parties at backyard - If the company or business is small  then you can plan summer parties in your backyards. Where company head or employees can prepare food such as barbecue. This is good chance to build the rapport between coworkers. 

Wedding attire by Neeta Lulla

Esha Deol tied the knot with Bharat Takhtani on June 29,2012. Esha looked resplendent in red Kaanjivaram saree designed by famous designer Neeta Lulla. These Neeta Lulla's creation could be your inspiration. 

Yellow and green lehenga for Mehndi ceremony.

                                                 

 Hema Malini looked stunning with an  off white sari with diamond jewelry.

Ahana Deol looked pretty in pink.  

Infuse a bit of America into your wedding !

If you are in America and having wedding in July why not go with red, white and blue theme at any season.  There are many ways to incorporate red, white and blue colors in your wedding theme. These colors looks great.A little red, white and blue inspiration for your big day to celebrate!