Category: Wedding

Along with cupcake wedding cakes, gourmet popcorn and candy buffets are the up and coming trend for weddings. Make your own popcorn buffet and dazzle your wedding guests!

Your Wedding Theme

The first thing you want to do when planning a gourmet popcorn buffet for your wedding is to coordinate the buffet with the rest of your wedding. There are a wide variety of popcorn flavors and colors available for you to work with for your popcorn buffet. For a fun and whimsical look you can use a variety of colors or if you are looking for a more upscale appearance you can select two or three colors of popcorn, perhaps to coordinate with your wedding colors.

The Popcorn Containers

Going along with your wedding theme, the containers you select to store and display your popcorn in for the buffet go a long way in completing the overall theme of your popcorn buffet. If you are going for fun and whimsical, apothecary jars in various shapes and sizes will work well. For a chic and sophisticated look, pedestal candy jars are great.

Use an odd number of containers for your popcorn buffet to maintain balance for your overall buffet. Also make sure each container has a scoop to go with it so your guests can scoop their popcorn favors. For your guests’ individual containers it will be best to use clear or frosted containers so all of the popcorn colors show through the container. You can decorate the favor containers with craft paper, stickers, and labels you can print from your computer.

How to Determine Popcorn Quantities for Your Wedding Buffet

When determining how much popcorn to supply for your wedding buffet remember that one cup of popcorn is roughly equal to one ounce of popcorn. One cup of popcorn is a good serving size for an average person. Also take into consideration the size of your individual favor containers. Make sure you have enough popcorn on hand for each of your guests to fill their container and a little extra to account for any extra-hungry guests!

The oathing stone tradition goes far, far back into the Celtic spirit. The ancient Celts were often seafaring groups of tribes, who by the time they had reached the British Isles, had a very firm and strong relationship with the sea or at least the waters surrounding their homes. Celtic tribal people were, like many tribal folk in those times, severely tied to spirit of place. In fact many of the old tribal names are descriptive of a particular place or natural feature such as a lake, river, valley or mountain. In the Celtic world view, Spirits were associated with each of these places, often tied directly to the tribe. In many cases, these spirits were regarded as ancestral spirits of the forebears of the Celts living there now.

It was important to seek blessing and it was important to state intentions in the form of an oath. This often took place at these sacred locations, special to the various tribes. So, it was not uncommon for a couple to not get wed in the eyes of their people and their chief, but also in the eyes of their ancestors to help gain their blessing and protection for the new adventure before them.

One of the origins of the wedding vow is this process of oathing the stone. In ancient times, vows were given at the very place and some physical object was used to help transfer these oaths to the spirit energies present in this sacred location. Sometimes a stone was used. Other times a piece of wood or some other natural object. This them would be gifted to the sacred place in some fashion. Perhaps thrown into the lake by both the bride and groom, laid reverentially upon a cairn of similar vows in a glade, niche or hollow. Perhaps thrown over a cliff into the sea far below.

As Celts became Christianized, such traditions, while allowed in the early Church, began to be cracked down upon and treated as idolatry and pagan worship. Yet with the Celts (and many other tribal folk, really) old ways died hard and what became a serious obligation of honoring one’s lineage and ancestry, slowly changed to a quaint and novel custom.

With the emergence of the New Age type of perspective, such traditions have been slowly coming back into favor and the meanings have subtly changed to be declared an honoring of the spirit of place, or a charm for luck and prosperity. In ancient times, it would be extremely bad form to neglect one’s ancestors on such a propitious day as a day of wedding. The Oathing Stone was but one way of honoring them.

In the more modern version of this ritual, the officiant (minister/priest) will be presented the stone by a member of the wedding party. The Best Man, The Chief Maiden perhaps or a parent of the Bride or Groom. The officiant will hold the stone and invite the groom to lay his hands onto the stone, and therewith give consent to in the presence of all of his ancestors both living and dead to bear witness to the words of power that he will speak. The words of his personal commitment to the woman he loves by the vows he brings forward. The same invitation is made to the Bride. Once both are holding the stone, they each recite their vows to one another.

Once complete, the stone is placed in a place of honor for the remainder of the ceremony. After the ceremony is complete, the newly married company release the stone back to the elements by whatever means is felt as being the most appropriate. Some people may toss it into the sea or the lake or river. Others may lay it upon a mountain or a man made cairn. Still others may wish to keep the stone and add it to the garden of the new home they make together or in a prominent location within their home.

If you are serious about your Celtic roots, this tradition is a great piece to add to your wedding ceremony and indeed to other of life’s little and great ceremonies, like naming your children, their coming of age, celebrating all the important times in their lives and yours, marking the passing of loved ones and so forth.

Oathing the Stone, while by today’s standards is a quaint little custom, it was in ancient days, a very serious part of many Celtic Tribe’s spiritual life.

Slainte!

In the Agarwal matrimony, the wedding is fixed for a fixed day, alike other communities. The auspicious day is fixed according to the date of birth of the bride and the groom, as well as the Hindu calendar. The priest calculates the favorable days for the wedding celebrations.

The Engagement
It is the formal announcement of wedding in Agarwal Matrimony, where the bride and groom exchange rings. The families of the groom shower the bride with gifts like sari, jewellery, fruits, money, etc. similarly the groom is also gifted with clothes, money and fruits.

Music Festival
Music is an inseparable part of the celebrations in India; hence a day is secured for Sangit in Agarwal matrimony. It is a celebration prior to the wedding, when the women of the family sing wedding songs for the health and prosperity of the couple. In the wedding songs, the women also joke about the future in-laws, the wedding night and many other things associated with the marriage. The family members of both the bride and groom sing and dance all night.

Mehendi
The girls and women of the family decorate their hands, forearms and feet with the henna design. The henna is left overnight to achieve the dark colour, which is the sign of prosperity. The bride is applied most beautiful henna design, which make her stand out of the crowd.

Haldi
A thick paste of turmeric and other ingredients like sandalwood and oils is applied all over the body of the bride and groom in their respective homes. Turmeric is believed to enhance the beauty, and remove skin blemishes. The turmeric also enlivens the skin.

Another ritual is performed to protect the bride from the evil eyes, and also removing bad omen.

The wedding
After visiting the temple, the groom arrives in procession to the wedding venue, sitting on a horseback or on a float surrounded by the guests. The groom enters the wedding venue and waits for his bride to arrive. The bride reaches the wedding venue, beautifully dressed in the traditional wedding attire. The bride and groom are made to seat on chairs similar to throne. The bride is accompanied by her family and close friends.

The couple sits on the throne while the guests enjoy the feast and music in Agarwal matrimony. The bride and groom are not expected to talk to each other, but time has changed, and the bride and groom are also included during the wedding dance and feast.

After the wedding feast in Agarwal matrimony, the priest, bride & groom and their parents sit for the whole night to perform the wedding rituals. During the detailed wedding, the bride is offered clothes and jewellery, and is accepted as the part of her husbands family.

The bridegroom puts vermillion in the hair parting of the bride, and then they take seven steps, also known as Saptapadi. During the seven steps, the bride and groom take a vow in each step, and are officially declared as husband and wife. The groom ties a string around the neck of the bride as a sign of protection. After all the rituals and emotional moments, the bride bids adieu to her parents, and leave her paternal home with a heavy heart.

Reception
The bride is given a warm welcome at the grooms house, where a grand party is organized in her honor. The relatives, friends and other acquaintances come to greet the couple, and present them gifts. The family prays for the well being and prosperity of the couple.

This way the wedding in Agarwal matrimony accomplishes, and a new life for the couple starts.

Planning a wedding can be very hard work and one of the first things to do is to sit down with your partner to discuss the kind of wedding you would like and can afford.

Start researching suppliers within your price range. You can do this by visiting wedding fairs, reading magazines and searching online wedding directories.
Create a list of things that need to be done and delegate tasks to friends and family so you wont be overwhelmed or stressed.

Since the average cost of a wedding is now more than 20,000 remember to track your spend carefully. This can be done by creating a detailed spreadsheet of all your wedding costs. Allow for contingencies just in case there are extras that you havent thought about.

Here is a 12 month timeline to help you plan for your wedding:

12 months
Set your wedding date and create a budget
Hire a wedding planner (optional)
Decide on the style/theme
If you are having a religious or civil wedding arrange asap
Create your guest list
Book your reception venue and entertainment
Choose your bridesmaids, best man and ushers
Look for wedding outfits for yourself plus wedding party allow time for alternations and fittings
Book your photographer and/or videographer
Decide on your honeymoon destination and book airline tickets and hotel
Check your passports and renew if necessary. Research if visas etc are required
Choose your cake maker and cake design
Look for accessories
Look and choose wedding rings
Book florist, hair and make-up stylist
Organise your gift list
Send out Save the Date cards (optional)

6 months
Finalise your guest list
Order your wedding invitations. Other items you may wish to order include order of service booklets, place cards, menu cards, favours, table numbers, table plan and thank you cards
Book transportation for wedding day
Buy gifts for best man, bridesmaids etc

4 months
Send out the invitations include a list of local hotels for guests who require overnight accommodation
Confirm your honeymoon booking

3 months
Give caterers your estimated number of guests
Make final alterations and fittings for wedding outfits
Buy or order a guest book for the wedding reception
Organise a hair and make-up trial appointment

2 months
Sort out your seating plan for the reception
Delegate organisation of hen and stag parties to your bridesmaids and best man

1 month
Finalise details with wedding suppliers
Make necessary arrangements for name / address change, if required
Write speech
Discuss final details of the day with wedding party

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.