Old Indian poets have been known to have written endless poetry about the charms and powers of the bindi to draw lovers together.

Placed in the centre of the bride’s forehead, the bindi is the only accessory that heightens all of the brides features and draws instant attention to her face.
While the term ‘bindi’ originally meant ‘a drop’, today, the term encompasses a wide range of forehead ornamentation in a variety of colours and designs.

While intricately hand-painted bindis, which are drawn over the arches of the eyebrows, are known for their traditional nature, there’s a lot more that can be done to make the traditional patterns absolutely stunning.

For instance, one can opt for the designer one-of-a-kind bindis that use organic colours and shimmers to make the bindis more vibrant. But if you’ve got worries about the colour spreading and merging, you do have the option of choosing sticker-bindis, which are studded with kundan work and semi-precious stones.

Consider using the Maang-Tikka style bindi if you’re planning to have a regal bridal ensemble, and you intend to use antique jewellery. The Maang-Tikka, like the jhoomar jewellery, is meant for the forehead and extends into the hairline. The main beauty of the Maang- Tikka lies in the pendant that extends to the middle of the forehead and plays the dual role of a bindi.

These bindis come in a variety of styles, with intricate work that is often embedded with precious stones. The diamond Maang-Tikkas are extremely elegant and chic; a brilliant bindi choice, as most jewellery is essentially based around the Maang- Tikka.

If you’re more inclined towards simple bindis, consider using a single decorative style of bindi, which comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Available in all sorts of materials like plastic, crystal, stone, vinyl, among others most bindis have sequinned embellishments, and are dusted with gold powder. Some designer bindis also have beads and hand-printed designs. In addition to these bindis, each community has culturally specific bindis that are used on special occasions.

However, while choosing a bindi, try to find one with a hypoallergenic adhesive, as this base prevents allergic breakouts. Also, remember to wear your bridal bindi a few days before the wedding, to see if you have any allergic reactions to it.

Photo credits : Image 1 – Regan Raj : Image 2 – Creative Couple : Image 3 – Simon photography : Image 4 – Simon Photography : Image 5 – Sowmya Photography

Every wedding comes with a gamut of tasks: running around to find a quality caterer, a great wedding photographer, a dreamland wedding venue, deciding on décor, finalizing invites, an Aunty to call, an Uncle to ‘not’ call, the list goes on and it’s almost always the whole nine yards with a few extras thrown in. Boom! Boom! It’s Action Time!

Now, with so much going on, what a young bride and bridegroom can easily forget to do is enjoy themselves and soak in all the attention they probably will begin to get as soon as a date is announced and even randomly so.

Fresh As A Flower

To stay fresh and lighthearted from the time your wedding planning stages begin up until your wedding day, all you need to do is focus on ‘the macro-manage’, not ‘the micro-manage’(that’s what us wedding planners are there for).

First Comes First

For the macro-management bit, you will need a checklist and this one should be together based on priorities, and not preferences. For example, you don’t need to be dwelling over the details of a dress, when a venue is not is not decided upon.  What comes first has got to come first, priority over preference really.

Seal out your budget and try to fit everything within available bandwidths. Then, move on to zeroing in on a professional and experienced wedding planner. Contrary to popular belief, wedding planning services aren’t expensive at all. In fact, when you the find the right wedding planner, you will realize that service charges will be fair and the service itself extremely necessary. When we sit down to plan a wedding we spend time with the couple, we get to know them a little better, find out everything about their likes and dislikes, tastes and preferences. We focus on what are the most important things for the couple, put it all down on paper and start executing plans of action within predetermined frameworks.

With a wedding planner firmly in place, look at deciding on your venue and décor. As far as we are concerned, nothing hogs the limelight more than a wedding venue and décor does. Yes, people will talk about how beautiful or handsome you looked on your wedding day, but they will talk twice as much or maybe even for an eternity on how beautiful or exotic your wedding venue was. Now you know why people crave for destination weddings? No surprises there.

Note: Don’t break a sweat over a décor details, leave it to the professionals. Hint on the path you want to take with this one and allow us to lead the way.

Planner, venue and décor checked, push towards finding a caterer; your wedding planner should have some suggestions in this department or you can bring to the table who you think is best.

Tip: If you went to a friend’s wedding and liked the food, try getting in touch with that particular caterer.

Dress For The Occasion

With some of the core areas taken care of, you can look at what you may want to wear for your wedding. This is where a thousand opinions may come in, your mommy dearest asking you to pick just that one saree or an uncle from the Army asking you to wear a ridiculous scarf around your neck (this is in the case of the bridegroom). But really, here, listen to your heart; it after all helped you decide on who ‘the one’ is going to be. You can bring in a good mix of what is trending, what is comfortable and what your personal statements are. The key here is not to look overdressed but to also not look a little too casual with your attire; it’s your wedding after all.

Invites: Trendy or Conservative?

Almost everything ticked off, a wedding invite can be looked at. Your wedding planner may know just the people for the designing of an invite. Make this one count, it is not a must to stick to conservative looking invitations. Here too, you can hint on the path you want to take and your wedding planner will have it done.

Tip: If you have a décor theme going on for your wedding, your wedding invite can reflect just this.

Photography: Who’s Clicking Who?

With almost everyone positioning themselves as photographers, worse still, wedding photographers, deciding on who is going to be that one guy or girl to shoot your wedding can be tricky. But going by our experiences in working with photographers and about-to-be married couples, it would do you a whole lot of good to work with a snapper who has got enough and more wedding shooting familiarities against his name. Someone who is professional, yet someone who you are comfortable around will help do the trick. As wedding planners, we always look at providing our clients with the services of some of the best wedding photographers around.

Tip: No matter how talented your neighbor’s kid seems with a camera, do not entrust him with the responsibility of shooting pictures for your wedding.

That’s about it, with priorities fixed, looks like you can get married and ‘knot’ just now.

Credits to Vijay Issac

The history of henna is as rich and colorful as the beautiful patterns that it makes. The use of Mehendi for cosmetic purposes originated in Egypt where people dyed their hands and nails. It has since been practiced in over 60 countries around the world for over 5000 years. Henna powder comes from a plant called lawsonia inermis. The leaves are dried and crushed into a powder. By mixing the powder with Tea tree oil, Lavender oil (or any essential oil that contains tannins) and lemon juice you get a paste which is put onto the skin. As people discovered the cooling properties of Henna , applying Mehendi on the skin and hair served as a natural coolant especially for people living in hot regions. When applied to the skin, it stains the top layers.

Mehndi was introduced to India in the 12th century, by the Mughals. At first, it was only used by the rich and ruling families. Eventually, it was liked and used by everyone. As more people started using mehndi, the recipes became more refined and the patterns more intricate.

There are actually many uses of henna – It can be used as a deodorant because of the cooling effect that it has on the skin. It can also be used as an antiseptic and an astringent and applied to bruises and sprains, and is also often used to color hair and beards. It also acts as a natural sun block

In India of course the Mehendi is synonymous with weddings and even festivals, and vrats such as Karva Chauth. The Mehendi ceremony is an exciting pre-wedding ritual. The ceremony has been prevalent since ages and has become an integral part of the wedding celebrations. Whats’ more, Mehendi is one of the sixteen adornments of the Hindu bride and her beauty is considered incomplete without it.

The Mehendi Ritual is held before the wedding and according to rituals the bride is not supposed to step out of the house after this ceremony. The Mehendi ceremony itself can be a private affair with family and close friends. However, today a number of families opt to have a grand celebration inviting guests in large numbers for the Mehendi ceremony as well. To apply the Mehendi a skilled Mehendi expert is called who applies Mehendi on the bride’s hands, arms, feet and legs. Owing to Bangalore’s cosmopolitan nature combined with the increasing number of South Indian families opting for a mehendi ceremony these days, bangalore is home to many skilled Mehendi artists.

Symbols and Symbolism in Mehendi – The intricate patterns that adorn the hands and feet speak volumes and are home to mysterious tales and messages. Let’s demystify some of the common designs.

Palm – Designs range from the sun, flower or Mandala usually are an indication of opening and offering.

Back of the Hand – Patterns generally symbolize closing and protection.

Basic Patterns and what they mean-

Point (Bindu) – The Supreme Reality

Seed (Bija) – The mysterious matrix in which everything emanates and merges. All symbols begin with the seed.

Triangle –

Pointing up (Shiva) – Signifies active male principle. Resting on its base it represents fire, and the ascent to heaven.

Pointing down (Shakti) – Signifies active female principle. Reflects all that is feminine-water, fertile valleys, and grace descending from heaven.

Six Point Star (Satkona) – Signifies union of feminine and masculine principles.

Square (Catuskona) – Stability and order. Implies honesty, dependability, and shelter.

Diamond (Vajra) – Enlightenment.

Pentagram (Pancakona) – The 5 sections symbolize elements of fire, water, earth, air, and heavens.

Circle (Cakra) – Whole, perfect, infinite.

Mandalas – Concentric forms relating to a center point. By concentrating on a mandala the viewer penetrates the many layers of reality and moves towards an inner truth.

Flowers – Joy and happiness.

Lotus Flower – The awakening of the human soul. Grace, beauty, sensuality, femininity, and purity.

Sahasrara ~thousand-petal lotus~ uniting the soul with the ‘Divine Source’

Sun, Moon,and Stars- Deep and lasting love between lovers/partners.

Vines – Devotion and perseverance, invoking both tenderness and vitality.

Peacock (Mayura)~ Companion while separated from a loved one.

Swan (Hamsa) – Success.

Scorpion (Bicchu) – Romance, its sting is analogous to Cupid’s arrow.

Water – Human emotion.

Raindrops (Bundakis) – Love and affection of a woman.

Waves (Lahariya) – Deep passion and ecstasy.

Combining the rich tradition of the Mehendi ceremony with the prospect of having a fun get-together with close family and friends is an oppurtunity most families these days make use of. With a legacy of over thousands of years the “Mehendi Ceremony”, “Mehendi ki Raat” or “Henna Night” is definitely here to stay – so choose among Rajasthani Mehendi , Arabic mehendi or even Crystal Mehendi and add to it a large measure of music and dancing- you can opt for the traditional Dholak beats or the various numbers that good old Bollywood has to offer and you’ll have yourself a night your guests won’t forget.