From TV-themed bridal showers to light paintings, Team Viva presents some off-beat ideas to spice up your wedding
There was a dialogue in the movie Band Baaja Baarat which loosely translates to something like, “Whether it be recession or inflation, people will keep getting married and their families will keep spending lacks and crores on them. It is the business to be in.”
In fact, there is a reason why we call it the ‘big fat Indian wedding.’ We love things extravagant and larger than life, not to mention ‘experiential.’ Indian weddings form a massive part of the overall events industry of the country. Nobody wants their big day to be just like any other wedding. It only makes sense to have as much fun as you can on your big day as humanly possible. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong if one says that it is the festivities and glitz of an Indian wedding that adds experience to the word ‘experiential’.
Much like everything trends change — be it in terms of decoration, ways of celebration and even dining. If last year was dedicated to lavish bridal showers and themed decorations this year its all about TV show themed bridal showers and light paintings.
Here’s a lowdown on the wedding trends this season:
FAR FROM HOME
Frankly, destination weddings are nothing new. People have been doing this for ages — first in a bid to copy the west and then opting for a quiet getaway. But nothing beats the grandeur of exchanging your wedding vows somewhere exotic. No, we are not talking about Malaysia or in the royals of Rajasthan — those are done and tested. We are talking of white sand beaches and pristine greenlands. You can even pull off a lily and Marshall intimate wedding (pardon our How I Met Your Mother reference) with not more than a handful of your best friends before you celebrate with your family. The new ‘in’ thing is keeping things minimal.
But these are more traditional, which hold a lot of meaning to many couples. For the adventurous souls who do not shy away from wearing their heart on their sleeves, destination weddings can go as wild as their imagination. Have a Walt Disney World wedding in Disneyland or marry underwaters in the Caribbean Sea.
GOTCHA!
Well, this kind of comes with the package. Memories will fail you after some point but photographs — they will keep you young and fresh forever. Earlier it was a photographer lugging around a wedding venue taking pictures with an apprentice in tow, carrying the flash light. Then came the pre and post-wedding shoot fad. Now its time for candid photography.
Many young couples nowadays like elements of modern methods of taking pictures as opposed to merely sitting down for traditional ones. It brings a sense of natural spontaneity and realism to the composition of the image. The great thing about the candid form of wedding photography is that it captures the moment as they happen. It is a known fact that a subject could sit down for a photo and the photograph may not be able to capture the essence of his subject in the same way as when he takes the photo of the same subject candidly or without his knowledge. By not knowing that a photograph is being taken, the subjects are able to convey true emotion without being conscious of the fact that they have to pose a certain way in order to satisfy conventional rules and mores.
Then there are photo booths. Its downright silly, if you look at it but its the next cool thing to engage in, and trust us, it is more fun than you think. It is almost like an unwritten permission to explore your crazy best. And with the advancement of technology and the trends in ‘do it yourself’ style and themed weddings, there’s so much more on offer to help everyone reminisce than the standard photograph album.
PAINT THE TOWN
How about quirking things upIJ light painting might cost you a bomb but its your wedding, you can loosen the purse strings a bit. It’s a growing trend in wedding photography these days to do photos with sparklers. Whether it’s sparkler exits, or long exposure sparkler photos, brides will expect to know how doing this and will very likely ask to do on the spot. Photos spread like wildfire, and couples will absolutely love them if it is done right.
COSMOS WITH THE GIRlFRIENDS
Move over angel wings, tiaras and red velvet cupcakes. It’s time for some celebration — TV show and movie style. Bride-to-be a fan of FriendsIJ Throw her a Friends-themed bridal shower with cute memorabilias with famous quotes from the show like ‘He’s her lobster,’ or ‘It’s a moo point.’ You can even try out a Deadpool or Harry Potter style shower, too, but we would not recommend a Game of Thrones inspiration. You do not want a happy festive occasion to turn gory, do youIJ These were the shows that we could think of but if your creative bugs are string enough, you can adapt an Indian TV show or movie.
Plus, you can engage in games as well, sans the drinking and not-to-be-mentioned customised cake. You can make up a few games of your own or go with the popular ones like ‘Place the bindi on the bride’ or ‘Pass the parcel, Bollywood style’. There are no limits to your imagination here, when its just the girls.
No matter what your tastes might be, there's something for everyone to at least try. Hey, your wedding is a free passport to do all crazy stuff. Plus, there would be no one to judge because who knows, they, too, might just be waiting for you to go wild so that they can join in and have some fun. Just saying.