Matches are made in heaven – but weddings are planned and made here on Earth. And it doesn’t get bigger or more elaborate than an Asian wedding.
Weddings have always been gala social events and it doesn’t get any bigger than Indian weddings. For Indians, weddings have been an age-old industry replete with customs and traditions that ensure participation from the entire community and beyond. The shehnaiwalas, palanquin bearers, priests, jewellers, caterers, decorators, florists – all walks of life get assimilated in the great Indian wedding.
With the wedding months around the corner, this is the season when doting families leave no stone unturned to ensure their sons and daughters have an event to remember.
Keeping up with both tradition and modern trends, the Asian community in UK engage with a wide range of experts and specialised services for the near-week-long celebration around the weddings. Wedding planners, designers, jewellers, food specialists, photographers, decorators, honeymoon travel agents – all come together, partnering the would-be couples in this gala event.
Times have changed and place too, but the Indian weddings remains the same in essence. Not just the union of two hearts but a pulsating economy of its own. The Indians in UK continues to retain the same tradition and spirit and in certain ways outdoes their counterparts living in India. Asian weddings are big business in Britain, with the market worth of over £300m a year and the figures are rising.
According to Parag Bhargava, Senior Partner at Suman Marriage Bureau, “parents are leaving the decisions to individual couples for putting together the arrangements for weddings.”
“The young couples prefer to share their costs and customise their weddings,” Parag said.
Synonymous with vibrant and heavy costumes, exotic jewellery, a plethora of food, music, dance and mischievous traditional ceremonies; an authentic Indian wedding in UK can span from two to three days and hence elaborate (and expensive).
Bridal Jewellery and Costumes
Asian wedding span over four to five days, with every ritual calling for a different look replete with customised jewellery and appropriate costumes.
Bridal jewellery is the focal point of every occasion and meticulous planning goes behind ensuring a different look for every ceremony.
Traditional jewellery designs are making a come-back this season with a focus on multi-layered neclaces, heavy kundan work, judicious use of gemstones to contrast the costumes on different occasions.
Pacchi, pearl and mirror-work are in. Large jhumkas and rings are also tuning out to be big hits for the Asian bride.
In comparison to the traditional jewellery that seems to be setting the trend in Asian weddings, the wedding costumes are not looking that traditional anymore.
Indo-Western attire is in. We are seeing brides breaking the traditional stereo-types and adopting pastel shades like ocean blue, mint green and beige are replacing the traditional maroon and bold reds. There is a lot of use of hand-embroidered gold intricate designs and broch eques.
Floral designs are back in the lehangas, sarees and gowns, along with bold floral hair accessories and make-up that has an element of pink.
Off -shoulder and cold-shoulder blous also the favourite for the global, modern Indian brides. While the wedding day is reserved for the more tradition look, the modern Indian bride is using the other functions to make a style statement.
Using subtle variations of colour and mixing it up with the right accessories like dupattas and shararas, she is going for a versatile and sometimes minimalistic look.
The Asian groom is not to be left too far behind in matters sartorial. While the sherwani still rules the wedding day, the tone is definitely less formal with brocades, embroideries and prints are being used to match the bride’s look.
The stylish Asian groom is investing in the right accessories in the form of a brooch, a regal pocket-watch and turbans. Shoes are becoming critical to the final look with designer mojris making their appearance to match heavily embroidered attires.
Wedding and Beauty
Every bride would like to make this special day more beautiful through her radiance and her exquisiteness. Professional bridal make-up services guide and support the would-be brides in making the right make-up decisions.
The best ones don’t just match your complexion and features, but understands her personality and ensures that the bride is not just exquisite, but also normally comfortable.
They work through the entire process from an initial consultation to a trial run, culminating on the day itself to ensure the bride remains her beautiful best.
The other important service provided by bridal beauticians is in the intricate art of henna or mehndi. This ritual signifies deep personal and symbolic meaning for our brides. The best henna professionals create a unique and perfect design customised to the bride and the occasion.
Henna services are also provided to other members attending the mehndi ceremony. It is believed that the intricacy of the design brings love and prosperity on the wedding day and in the couple’s marital life.
Halimah Abubacker, the Creative Director of Halima beauty says “social media and product awareness has created a demand for that Instagram look. Requests to look like a certain blogger is coming through to us. I have been in this field for over twelve years, and an elegant bridal look with flawless skin and beautiful gleaming eyes still seem to steal the show.”
“I prefer keeping the eyelashes natural. A Bollywood queen look is still the favour of the day; with longer hair and heavy make-up,” Halimah said.
Grooms are also deploying the services of professional make-up artists. “With facials, pedicures, manicures and general grooming, the metro-sexual groom is not embarrassed to invest his time and effort in these services,” said Halimah.
Wedding Venues and Destination Weddings
The perfect wedding venue goes a long way in making sure that the wedding remains memorable for the couple, their families and the invited guests. South Asian weddings typically have intricate rituals performed in front of a very large number of guests. So not all venues can live up to the requirements.
In UK, fire restrictions render many UK venues inappropriate for Hindu weddings. Mandaps and intricate floral decorations, the wedding drape or back-drop, the party lighting and abundance of fresh flowers can put a heavy pressure on many venues.
No Asian wedding is complete without fresh flowers. Of late, the floral decorations including centre-pieces and the general décor are being co-ordinated with the overall theme of the wedding. The Event’s lighting is also being creatively used to set the mood of the wedding. Pinspot lighting is being used to highlight the centre-piece or specific elements of the décor.
Custom-made, hand-embroidered silk back-drops, appropriate draping, colour co-ordinated lighting, podiums and flowers are increasingly being used to transform any venue for the occasion.
According to Becki Bishop, Founder of Floco, a Specialist in Asian Wedding flowers and decoration, “while flowers are very important to weddings, good floral designers like us pay a lot of attention to the individual and make sure that the centre-piece and other decorations enhance the overall scheme.”
“We help our couples come up with new ideas and then bring them to life through flawless fresh flowers and colour schemes,” Becki said.
The trend for destination weddings keeps on increasing with many couples choosing international destinations for hosting a memorable event.
It not only allows friends and family the opportunity to celebrate the big day in a unique and memorable way, but also proves better value with travel and resorts offering group deals and discounts. These venues are often wedding-ready with multiple vendor options that can cater to a range of budgets and individual tastes.
As per Parag, “there is an increase in finding exclusive venues such as manor houses, country hotels as well, if you want to wed in the UK.”
Dubai and South European destinations like Italy and Spain are popular international destinations. And if you have a more comfortable budget, the Carribeans, Mexico and the Bahamas are becoming hot favourites.
In India, Goa, Kerela, Dehradun and various palaces in Rajasthan are catering to this trend.
Wedding Cuisine
Multi-cuisine experimentalism is the growing trend in Indian weddings. This is resulting in Indian wedding menus becoming far more diverse and embracing culinary fusion.
Pairing of traditional and non-traditional flavours is key to these experiments. For example, serving the tandoori shrimp with mango salsa.
Deep-fried delicacies are being replaced by healthier baked and grilled options. Salad bars are making their appearance in Indian weddings, serving freshly-cut, healthy yet yummy food options.
Meet-greet-eat stations – are interactive food stations where you get to eat a dish and meet the creator- the Chef and indulge in a chat with him and his team, are also becoming popular concepts.
Wedding caterers are now placing a lot of importance on food presentation with elaborate dishes being cooked to perfection and being arranged immaculately on the plate. Deserts are being served in martini glasses, rather than in bowls.
Stalls serving street food like pani-puri, tikka, kebabs and other snack items are greeting Asian wedding guests.
Snacky options for kids to munch on, while the wedding rituals are on are a practical yet fun way of keeping the kids engaged.
Pairing this fusion food, the cola and the thandai is being replaced by customised cocktails which bring together eastern flavours with western tastes. Cocktails with names like the Maharaja punch or Bollywood Blues are being specially created for these occasions.
While Asian banquets are typically buffet affairs, seated-style dinners are making a come-back in South Asian weddings. Families are made to sit together and eat restaurant-style instead of queuing up for food in the buffet style.
Wedding Entertainment
Bollywood is an evergreen theme when it comes to entertainment during wedding and at receptions. There are various specialised entertainment agencies that cater to this market through wedding DJs, dance troupes and professional musicians.
There are professional choreographers who coach the families of the bride and groom for stage performances with Bollywood music.
Ladies sangeet specialists gather together to bring back age old traditional folk songs that are a vital part of the weddings. But for the more traditional-minded, shahnai, traditional Panjabi dhol, gidda performers bring back the sight and smell of home.
Planning for all of this might prove difficult for new age couples and their families. But not to worry – you can choose from a wide range of wedding planners specialising in different kinds of weddings to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
They offer a full spectrum of services starting from initial consultation with the two families, working out the underlined theme and making sure that all the other partners and vendors work smoothly – within te righ schedule and budget.
Bollywood director Karan Johar has probably contributed more towards shaping the grand extravaganza of Indian weddings than any traditions or customs. Megahits from his stable have etched in every South Asian prospective couple’s mind, a fantasy that probably only celluloid can live up to.
The event therefore becomes grander and grander as the South Asian wedding strives to etch an International identity within traditional South Asian ethos.
