Friday, 8 July 2016

Hire a Top Wedding Planner for Luxurious Bengali Marriage!



                                                                                                                                
Every individual, be it a layman or someone with a celebrity status, dreams big for his or her wedding, and when it is a Bengali Marriage ceremony, the preparation starts long before the scheduled date. Inviting guests, selecting venue, arranging the menu and choosing the wedding dresses, everything needs to be meticulously taken care of.

             www.exinshagoon.com



Are you worried about all the labor that is associated with organizing a wedding ceremony? This is the age of destination marriages and a plethora of expert wedding planners are available on the internet. Put all your responsibilities on their reliable shoulder and rest assured that your marriage will be an ostentatious ceremonial event that you and your partner will cherish forever. 
                                                    


When it comes to wedding event, decoration is one of the most important aspects. If you are looking for a luxury wedding planning in kolkata then the online wedding event management companies are there to help you out. Surf through the internet and book your appointment with their expert team of executives that comprises of designers, organizers and planners. They will work in partnership with you and add their special touch to your big day.

                                               
 
 
Just because a Bengali wedding ceremony is a huge event and involves plenty of rituals, you need to select the planner wisely. The organizers of the grand event must be well acquainted with all the norms and cultures of a traditional Bengali marriage. The wedding planners will look after every detail starting from the decoration to the management of hospitality. 
                                                  

If you want to add a dash of modernity to your ceremony, then ask them to arrange musical shows that will keep your guests entertained. Bengali marriages are complex and goes on for 3-4 days. From “Mala badal” to “Phoolsojya”, you can just blindly rely on the services of these EXIN Shagoon Wedding planners. No more sweaty forehead and wrinkled brows! Choose your wedding planner and head towards a splendid ceremony!

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

Sacred Rituals Of A Traditional Bengali Wedding





India is a land of many cultures and regions. Each of them follows a religion that has its own set of rites and rituals for marriages as well as other occasions. This diversity is what makes our country a beautiful blend of traditions and colours.
                                                       


Weddings of every region and community differ from each other, yet what remains common is the respect for traditions and their rich spiritual significance. Bengali weddings too are an elaborate amalgamation of rituals, which are a beautiful visual treat filled with colours and merriment. Here we bring to you some basic rituals and traditions that are part of a Bengali wedding.

                                                

Pre-wedding Rituals and Traditions
Adan Pradan
After the couple approves of each other as life partners, their families get together along with a priest. The priest studies their horroscopes to make sure that there is no matching line of lineage between the two parties. Then both the families exchange gifts.

Aashirbaad
This ritual is done as a mark of acceptance for the bride and the groom by their respective in-laws. The bride’s family visits the groom’s house to shower their blessing on him and vice versa. They sprinkle trefoil leaves and husked rice on the would-be bride and groom, and gift gold ornaments to them.

                                                   
 
Vridhi Puja 
This puja is done to remember and take the blessings of the bride and groom’s ancestors.

Aai Budo Bhaat 
In simpler terms, it is the night when the bride enjoys her last meal at her parent’s house before she gets married. This is a night dedicated to her, where her family and close friends sing and dance.

                                                 

Gae Halud Tattva 
In this ritual, the bride receives gifts that are sent to her with love from her in-laws. The bride is presented sarees, makeup products, different sweets, paan, curd, fish, husked rice and many more traditionally significant things.

Dodhi Mongol 
This ceremony is performed on the dawn of the wedding day at the houses of both the parties separately. The would-be couple is accompanied by a few married women to a nearby pond, where they take blessings from Goddess Ganga. They bride and the groom then bring home a pitcher of water from that pond.

                                                    

Holud Kota and Snan ritual
Similar to the Haldi ceremony in North India, in this ritual either five or seven married women apply turmeric paste and oil to both the bride and the groom in their respective houses. They are then supposed to bathe and wear new clothes.

                                                  
 
 
Sankha Porana
This ritual is also dedicated to the bride. Here, seven married women make the bride wear conch shell bangles known as the Shakha (white bangles) and Paula (red bangles). She wears a pair of red bangles followed by a pair of white ones. After this she gets ready for the wedding.
Wedding Rituals and Traditions

Bor Jatri 
This is where it all begins as the groom’s family proceeds to the wedding venue.

Welcoming the groom
In this ritual, a baran dala (a plate) is touched to the groom’s forehead then to the ground and again to his forehead. After this, the bride’s mother performs an aarti and welcomes her guests into the venue and sweets are served.

                                                   

Potto Bastra
In this the groom is given new clothes by the bride’s family after he is seated at the wedding alter, also known as the Chadnatolla. After this the bride enters the mandap. 
Saat Paak
This is a beautiful site to be witnessed only at a Bengali wedding where the bride sits on a wooden stool called a pidi/piri, and is carried to the mandap by her brothers or uncles. The bride is not supposed to see her groom when she enters the mandap, so she has to keep her eyes covered with sacred beetle leaves. Keeping her lifted up on the stool, her brothers’ then walk around the groom seven times. 
                                                  


Subho Dristi
After the seven rounds, when the bride and the groom look at each other in presence of all the guests, this is called Subho Dristi

Mala Badal
After that, bride and groom exchange flower garlands while the bride is still seated on the pidi. They exchange the garlands three times.
                                                     
 
Sampradan
Here, the bride and groom both sit at the altar as an elder member of the bride’s family (who carried out the Potto Bastra earlier) gives the bride’s hand in to the groom’s hand. Then their hands are tied with a sacred thread as the priest recites Vedic chants.

Yagna and Saptapadi
Yagna, is where the priest recites mantras and the couple sits in front of the holy fire while he does so. The couple then take seven rounds around the fire, which are known as Saptapadi/Saat paak. The bride and the groom also have to touch seven suparis kept on seven paan leaves with their toes.

Anjali Ritual
Herein, the couple offers puffed rice handed over by the bride's brother, to the fire God.

Sindoor Daan
After all the rituals are done, the groom applies sindoor on the bride’s hair parting. This marks the completion of their marriage rituals. After this, the bride covers her head with a Ghomta, a new saree gifted to her by her in-laws. 

                                                      

Post-wedding Rituals and Traditions.

Bidaay
This is the time where the bride bids farewell to her family and leaves for her new home with her husband and in-laws.

Bou Baran
In this ritual, the newlyweds are welcomed to the groom’s home. Female relatives pour holy water under the vehicle in which the couple arrives. At the door, the bride then steps into a large plate containing lac dye (red in colour) and milk, and enters the new house leaving colourful footprints on the floor.

Kaal Ratri
The bride and groom have to sleep in separate rooms on their first night in the groom's home.
                                                      
Bou Bhaat
The new bride in this ritual has to cook a dish for her new family. A lunch or dinner party is also hosted for the groom’s relatives and friends.
Phool Shojja
This is the last of all wedding ceremonies. This will be the couple’s first night together as husband and wife. Their room and the bed is decorated with flowers. The bride also gets ready in a new saree and wears flower ornaments. 

                                                     
Every Bengali community has certain different rituals and traditions attached to their weddings. But all said and done, Bengali weddings truly are a visual treat filled with colours, sounds and beauty!


Tuesday, 21 June 2016

EXIN Shagoon Tips To Select Right Dress For Indian Wedding.

                                                                               
                     

Do you plan to have bridesmaids for your Indian wedding and are confused about which outfit to choose for them? Here are some ideas and tips on options for bridesmaid’s outfits for your Indian wedding. There are tons of things you need to consider. The first step would be to finalize and pick what you plan to wear. Once you have this in place, you can work on the outfit for your bridesmaids as the colors have to complement your outfit colors.
                                                                          Saree
                                                                               


                                
This is the most common bridesmaid outfit you will see at Indian weddings. It is easy to source and a great option if you have bridesmaids living in different parts of the world. This does not require any measurements, trials, fittings or alterations etc to be co-ordinated. The only thing would be to get the blouse stitched. This is much simpler than co-ordinating measurements of outfits for 8-10 women. In case you are having your wedding in India and have guests coming from all over, you are in a win-win situation with the sari. Non-Indian bridesmaid would love to wear sari moreover; you can get blouses stitched in India in a day’s time so it’s great.
The sari will look different when draped in different styles. In case you don’t like the common style of wearing it, you can always get it draped in a Gujarati or a Bengali style. 

Anarkali


This is a nice cut and your bridesmaid will appreciate this; but  slightly difficult and we don’t recommend  if you have too many out of town bridesmaids as this style needs time to get made well. Remember, this option will be slightly expensive.
                                                                   Lehenga
                                                   

This is the heavier version of an Indian outfit and very few bhengarides choose this as they themselves wear a lehenga, but the choice is open. This will be a super expensive affair if you plan to pay for your bridesmaids outfits. Moreover, it’s not the best option if you have many bridesmaids.
Patiala


Perfect for the Punjabi wedding! Patialas are fun and very comfortable. They can be paired with traditional jutis for a perfect Punjabi look!
Salwar Kameez


Simple and traditional, this can be easily tailored as compared to an Anarkali outfit. This outfit will also require fittings and trial and hence we recommend going with this if you have a great tailor who can co-ordinate measurements over phone for your out of town bridesmaids.
                                                                                


It’s not necessary that you have to go completely traditional when it comes to bridesmaids outfit. Here is an interesting inspiration we came across where the outfits are crafted out of pure silk fabric in traditional colors….simply amazing.
                                                                                


Have fun picking the perfect outfit for your lovely girlies! We would love to hear from you what you chose for your bridesmaids.

Monday, 20 June 2016

Wedding Shopping through the Enchanting State of Tamil Nadu.

                                                                       
Tamil Nadu is known for its rich cultural heritage and the exquisite arts and crafts which are world renowned and truly unique. The most famous thing to shop for in Tamil Nadu would be a rich Kanjeevaram Sari.
The sari gets its name from small temple town in Tamil Nadu known as Kanchipuram, where the art originated. These saris are known for their design and workmanship. Back in the time, silk was a priced possession and often adorned by the royalty. The Kanjeevaram sari is the bridal outfit of the region. These saris are of premium quality and are crafted using the finest silk and hence can be passed down several generations. The silk from the region is thicker that most other silks and therefore more expensive; the heavier the silk, the better the quality.

                                                                               
Weaving silk, is the most popular family business in Kanchipuram. Almost every family in this town possesses a hand-loom used to spin threads of silk. A weaver takes about 10-12 days to weave a simple Kanjeevaram sari where as a fancier one could take up to 20 days. The threads used for the zari border are dipped in real gold and then woven. These lovely saris are available in contrasting colors with bold borders and must be a part of every bride’s trousseau.
Another type of sari which originated from this region is a Konrad sari. This sari is also known as the Temple Sari as these were originally woven for the deities in the temple. These saris have wide borders and are characterized by motifs such as elephants and peacocks and are available in muted tones of browns and grays. This craft is dying as it is not popular and may soon become extinct.
Temple jewellery is also unique to this region. Inspired by the jewellery adorned by Hindu gods, goddesses and royalty, these have become quite popular. The designs have motifs drawn from the various designs of the temples of the region.
                                                                           
This is worn on all auspicious occasions and is crafted using pure gold, studded with emerald, rubies and uncut diamonds. The stones used are called Kemp stones and the designs are very typical. The most famous earring style of the region is the jhumkis. These are very popular and are always worn by South Indian brides.
Tanjore paintings are an important form of classical South Indian paintings which originated in the small town of Tanjore.  The art form dates back to about 1600 AD and essentially involves paintings of Hindu gods using precious stones and real gold sheets. This is a very unique and time consuming craft, but truly amazing. idea at your wedding or even use on a wedding invite? Make sure you pick at least one of these for your new home.

                                                                              

The Coimbatore Nagamu saris are known for their opulence and affordable prices. The floral designs feature the most wonderful weaves on crisp cotton fabrics. Madhurai is another region, known for its ready made silk and cotton garments. It is known as the textile hub of South India.

                                                                               
Some of the other things you may find in this region are the fiber craft baskets woven out of the local Palmyra leaves, the exquisite stone sculptures from Mahabalipuram and the Pattamara floor mats which you will find in every house of the region!