Hey guys!!
How's the new week treating you all??? I don't know about the lot of you, but I had a rocking weekend enjoying the wedding of one of my closest friend's from college!!! Oh. My. God. It was so much fun, you won't believe it! And the best part is that I still can't come to terms with the fact that she has actually got married!!! ^_^
And as promised in my last post, am here to share the pictures from my crazy & fun weekend with all you lovely people..........hope you all love the snaps as much as I do, coz each one of these pictures carry the most beautiful & heart-warming memories for me! :)
How's the new week treating you all??? I don't know about the lot of you, but I had a rocking weekend enjoying the wedding of one of my closest friend's from college!!! Oh. My. God. It was so much fun, you won't believe it! And the best part is that I still can't come to terms with the fact that she has actually got married!!! ^_^
And as promised in my last post, am here to share the pictures from my crazy & fun weekend with all you lovely people..........hope you all love the snaps as much as I do, coz each one of these pictures carry the most beautiful & heart-warming memories for me! :)
My sweet friend Shreya gears up for her wedding! These pix are from the ceremony held to celebrate her last lunch as a spinster (the day before the wedding) - called "Aaiburobhaat" in Bengali - there's a grand feast laid out for her, which includes almost 15-20 types of dishes & she is fed a bit of everyhting by the elders of the family.........the younger siblings/cousins/friends who sit at lunch with her suppossedly get married soon!!! :)
P.S.: Check out her expression in the 1st pic - she was continuously being fed sweets by her uncles/aunts for the last half-an-hour! :P
Chilling out after a very very heavy lunch! Check out the intricate mehendi (henna tattoo) on her hands.........they say the darker the color of the henna on the hands of the bride, the more her husband's gonna love her! :))
Shreya, of course, had to wear a saree for the ceremony (the bride has to wear sarees only for all the different ceremonies of a Bengali wedding)........and I took out my ethnic outfits for the weekend.........this kalamkari print kurta is one of my fav ethinc suits - it's just right for a festive lunch do - the right amount of bling (on the embroidered neck & border) & a very nice flared cut (which sadly can't be seen here).
Kalamkari kurta: Designed by friend, Kolkata
Golden cotton-silk dupatta: Exhibition, Pune
Bangles: Assorted, Kolkata/Mumbai/Bangalore
The bride in traditional Bengali wedding outfit - a red Benarasi saree with gold motifs & border, brocade blouse & gold tissue veil - and of course, swathed in gold jewelry with a white shola crown on the head. The chandan (sandalwood paste) designs on her forehead is part of the wedding make-up. Isn't she looking amazingly lovely??? I guess they are right about girls looking their most beautiful on their wedding days......
Posing for pictures with the bride!! :)
The other girl in the picture is Natasha, a colleague of my friend. She's not an Indian (I really forgot to ask which country she's from), but still she so cutely wore a Fabindia saree to the occasion!
Here, the bride sits on a wooden base & is lifted up by her brothers/uncles & taken round the groom 7 times.........she has to cover her face with betel leaves all the while (so that she can't see the groom - it's considered a bad omen to see the groom before the "shubhodrishti")........after the last circle, she's brought to a halt in front of the groom & only then can she remove the leaves & see her man!
This is the garland exchange ceremony (called "Mala bodol") where the bride & groom garland each other 3 times - this is one of the most important wedding rituals of the Hindus.
Having fun with the designer dudes - all these 3 friends are fashion designers & they all are showing at the upcoming Lakme Fashion Week to be held in Mumbai in March!
From right to left: Amalraj Sengupta - Established Designer
Rohan Arora - Accessory Designer (he designs the most awesome shoes!!)
Shivaji Dutta - Genext Designer
So, all you Mumbaiites (& others who'll be visiting LFW), be sure to check out their shows!!!
Gossiping with the girl gang! :))
The lady in green saree is Sinjini, sister of designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.....while the sweet girl in peach & brown is Swati, who got engaged just 10 days back! I think it's the season of celebration all right!!!
Throughout the ceremony, Shreya was more interested in our gossip & conversations than in the wedding rituals!! ;)
This ritual requires the groom to hold the bride's hands from behind while she throws puffed rice into the ceremonial fire........they also have to continuously chant prayers & mantras throughout the ceremony!!
The bride & groom circles the fire 7 times while reciting the wedding vows......this is another very important ritual of Hindu weddings! :)
The cameramen jostled with each other for this shot!! The wedded couple poses & chats with the bride's boss - famous designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee (She worked on his design team)! This man is one of my greatest idols as far as Fashion is concerned.........I'd even reverently mentioned him in my first blog post!!! (I can say I've been lucky enough to be a friend of his sister's......hence I've seen my idol up close quite a few times & even spoken to him!) :))
Black, white & blue : What a color co-ordinated shot!! ;)
Friends posing with the newly weds!
(Sorry the pic is a li'l blurred.......but then you all know that I'm not to be blamed!)
Me & Riya (my friend's sister) posing with the bride & groom!
Kodak Moment : Just Married!!! :))
Awwww...........aren't they looking cute?????? I think the dash of vermillion (sindoor) on a bride's head really makes her look so lovely!
This ethnic suit that I'm wearing for the wedding has been designed by me & locally tailored. I love the vibrant hues of the raw silk & the peep of print from beneath (yes, that's not a separate jacket, but just two layers attached on the side)........also the collar is quite interesting & has been embroidered taking motifs from the design of the print.
Ethnic suit (kurta & churidar): Self-designed
Polki earrings: Sakshi, Kolkata
Rings: Aldo, Kolkata
Cane bag: Indra Market, Bangkok
Slip-on heels: Inc.5, Kolkata
By now, you all must have understood how much fun I've had over the weekend!!! Felt so tired & exhausted at work on Monday.............sigh! And now my friend's moving away to Hyderabad after marriage (since her hubby works there).........I don't even know when I'll meet her next!!! :(
Anyways............hope you all are having a good week! Am looking forward to the weekend just like the rest of you!!!
Cheers,
Polka Princess