October wedding

Hi all
I know i know I have been lax in updating this - but was looking for inspiration and waiting for photos and then and then... forgot that I had not updated you!!!

Okay, so October 2009 was like the event of the year for my family - my sis in law was getting hitched - after a whirlwind courtship. G was lovely and they looked lovely together on a regular day - what more on the wedding day ha!

ok so of course she put me in charge of the deco - i dont think i would have let her rest if she did not! so really she did not have much of a choice. And because my outfit is not as big yet, I needed to rely on other providers for some of the items of the decoration.

The concept was to be very simple - we used gold white and green to complement the wedding card, and also so that it would match all the bridal outfits - of course the groom was always in theme as he wore a regal white and gold number the whole time ;)

I wanted to use the concept of birds to symbolise freedom and beauty, and used banana leaves in the table arrangements - which were kept simple and unfussy to aid the high table turn over at the dinner. I used the motif from the card to make paper birds to hang along the bannister, to include in the table arrangements. I also used glass birds on the trees that were placed at the foot of the stairs to the hall and also the hall foyer. I also got a large print out for the backdrop at the stairs. 

We used the same motif paper to make cones for the jasmine we offered to the ladies - traditional at an indian/ceylonese wedding.

On the bride's suggestion we used hanging palm fronds done specially by a specialist provider for the entire eating hall. These same suppliers created a palm leaf border for the jasmine at the entrance to the hall. In the eating hall outside we hung indian cloth lanterns to add to the marry-ment ;) The

While i designed the look, I had to work with one other wedding decorator who was used to larger weddings, to provide the stage and the frame for the backdrop to the wedding and also the floral arrangements and hanging jasmine at the entrance to the hall.

I wanted to step away from the traditional Ganesha statue and since we were already including the kolam of ganesha (from the card motif) we decided to use the Shiva and Parvati statues that were the bride's mothers. These statues usually sit in a little window in the house, and oversee everything in the family home, and it was so fitting that they too participated in this wedding.

To match the black statues, I used these black standing lady statues, which were borrowed from my grandmother's home!

The wedding dais was also designed by me, but completed by the wedding decorator that we worked with. It as a simple frame with greens and white roses, with a simple cream backdrop. 

the rest of the decoration was completed thanks to family who pitched in on the night before!

I was also in charge of the bridal car and also made up her bouquets - one for the wedding and one for the reception that was hosted by the groom's side - unfortunately this photo was only taken at the end of the night - which accounts for the nicks in the anthuriums :( - but it was a beautiful combination of anthuriums and cymbidiums the colour of light salmon inspired by the bride's outfit on the day (its the one on the left!).

All photos courtesy of Jon Pinto.