Shaadigiri - by FirstPhera.com

Amazing Marriage Proposal from a Bachelor

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:40:50 GMT

I am an olden young uncle living only with myself in Thiruvananthapuram. Having seen your advertisement for marriage purposes, I decided to press myself on you and hope you will take me nicely.

Beautiful skin… for your Wedsite

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:36:01 GMT

Even as the recession monster spewing hot flames, the recession-proof Indian wedding market seems to fend off the furious fangs. The other day, news market has been buzzing with headlines – Growing Indian wedding market welcomes global labels; Everyone wants a slice of the great Indian wedding and Big fat Indian wedding just got more expensive.

Additional security required to use Credit & Debit card online

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:05:43 GMT

If you have ever been the victim of credit card fraud, now rest assured that the history will not repeat. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated that from August 1, 2009 all online credit card transactions require an extra level of verification. Your credit card issuing banks are therefore, implementing a “Verified by VISA” or “Master Card Secure Code” password.

Trends in Wedding Guests Spending in USA

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:57:32 GMT

With the June wedding season in full bloom, Brides.com (www.brides.com/), Condé Nast's premier bridal destination, recently partnered with The Associated Press (www.ap.org/) to poll American wedding guests on whether or not the recession is impacting how much they spend to join in “I do” festivities. The survey revealed some counter-intuitive trends, including that, despite a downturn in the economy, wedding guests are still showering newlyweds with gifts—and that cost is not a deterrent for Americans to attend weddings.

Thanks for copying... We feel smarter

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:33:19 GMT

A certain company based out of Hyderabad (not linked to, intentionally); who also has started providing wedding websites, seems to be way too much in awe of our copywriting skills. As the person who wrote this copy for our site, I must say "Thanks guys. I am flattered . Keep copying"

Our Copy

Their Copy

Tags: Competition, Stupidity, Fun

- Vikas

Gift Registry: Get a Gift of Your Choice

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:45:42 GMT

Summer on Indian soil comes with sweltering sun, hot afternoons, cool evenings and starry nights. But at FirstPhera, summer has come with cool things only. In the late March, we uploaded EasyWeddings, and now here is Gift Registry for you. Like many other couples, you must be surprised as to what is Gift Registry...

New Feature - Music within your browser

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:36:18 GMT

For those of you who have visited their wedsite recently would have noticed a pleasant change in how music plays in the background of your wedsite. Playing some background music while users browse through your wedsite is perhaps one of the most popular features on FirstPhera and is also pretty standard across wedding websites.

Our initial implementation of music players was in a flash player embedded within a popup window. Since a wedsite comes with multiple pages, music cannot be embedded within a single page, otherwise it'd trigger the song to restart everytime a new page is opened. The popup window solved that problem and was easy to implement. Bingo! Or may be not...

Unless there was an explicit user click, most browsers will block a popup window. We gamed this user click by putting an Enter button on your Flash Landing Page which solved the dual purpose of taking the user inside your Wedding Website and also triggering the popup window. This seemd to solve the popup blocker issue well, unless we discovered that Firefox does not "activate" a window unless the user actually visits that window at least once. So even as the music window was opened, the music would not play unless the user activated the window - kinda plays the music without really playing it.

We finally got around to chucking this implementation and playing it inline in the browser without users noticing a thing. While seemingly straight-forward, this featured required a tiny bit of creativity, so we thought we'd describe it here...

The Play/Pause buttons site nicely at the bottom of the window. Music plays by default

- The wedding websites are build on the open source framework of Dot Net Nuke (DNN). Every template you see is termed as a skin in DNN. We have 17 such skins. Addition of a new object such a music would have required a modification in each of these making it an unncessarily lengthy and painful process. So this method was out.

- The second option was to use Ajax in a way that there was no page post-back and refresh only the content section of the wedsite when a page is refreshed. Our implementation uses solpart menu, so using Ajax with it wasn't possible. If you know of a way of doing so, please let us know

- Finally, we decided to use a frameset. We created an intermediate page that dynamically stitches two rows (pages) together. The top page is the user's wedsite and refreshes with each page click. The bottom page stays constant. Additionally, since we do not allow SEO bots to crawl our wedsites, this solution worked well in that regard too.

Enjoy your music!

Tags: Features, Engineering, Music

Prashant

Who said poetry is boring?

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:04:13 GMT

Season of romance never becomes dull with the clouds of recession - it's alwayas Bullish & blooming. Here are the entries to a Washington Post competition asking for a two-line rhyme with the most romantic first line and the least romantic second..

Words and phrases related to marriage

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:10:09 GMT

Need to enhance your vocabulary on matrimony? Here is a list of some funny (but seems realistic) definitions of some words you must have heard of...

The Wedding Test

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:49:07 GMT

I was a very happy man. My wonderful girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year, and so we decided to get married. There was only one little thing bothering me...It was her beautiful, younger sister...

Easy Weddings & My Wedsite - Holi gifts from FirstPhera

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:46:26 GMT

The summer is on and it's going to stay here at least for next few weeks. If you are feeling really hot, fret not; the cool colours of Holi can keep the mercury down for a couple of days. Add the elixir of love into the colours and rub on the face of your loved one. Another cool thing that can beat the summer is...

What's more important - Honey or Money?

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:23:18 GMT

Priya married Hitesh this day. At the end of the wedding party, Priya's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook. With Rs.1000 deposit amount. Mother: 'Priya, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your marriage life. When there's something happy and memorable happened in your new life...

Beat the cheat: Is your husband a two-timer?

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:02:08 GMT

Ladies if you are spying on your husbands ever since they have been cheating on you, then stop this without delay and start pondering over your behavior to your hubby. Not that you are no more beautiful or he is not happy in the bed with you and therefore, he is flirting the other woman. The latest research confirms that men normally commit adultery only when they are not emotionally satisfied from wives.

Boy proposes, girl disposes

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:32:56 GMT

Girls will be girls. Whenever boys propose them, they show airs and snub the proposals made by the poor creatures. And the dejected dudes never dare to propose any other girl in their life. But guys, don't get down in the dump as this is just the habit of fair sex.

God bless Mumbai

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:05:28 GMT

We are saddened by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and are heart goes out to the victims of this horrid incident. Our prayers are with the friends and family of those affected by the incident and our salute to the brave policemen who gave their lives defending the city.

We are proud to be part of a country that is truly democratic , humane and growing in prosperity like no other in the world. And while violence like this is distrubing, it will hardly disrupt our progress.

Here's a few things we are doing to ensure that we cede nothing to the terrorists -

a) Live our life as we would otherwise. Work normally, shop normally, eat normally and enjoy it like any other time. Let's not get demoralized by these attacks. Understandably, we don't live in Mumbai, so its must easier said that done.

b) Be vigilant of everything around you. If you see something suspicious, report it to the police. Its ok to be a chicken little.

c) Help out in whatever way you can. Here's a wonderful list of helpline numbers that might be useful.

d) Stop following news on TV in an effort to discourage them from sensationalizing news. Instead, we check out actual citizens reporting events on twitter

e) Vote... Please vote! A lot of this could, perhaps, have been avoided if we had the right people in power. Its our right and we owe it to our children to pass along a country that is safe and secure for them to live in.

God Bless!

Wedding Invitation: it’s Yummy Yummy

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:10:18 GMT

And if you have a sweet tooth, you would like to receive such invitation from your friends on their wedding. Here is a wedding invitation that is printed on chocolate wrapper. So get ready to sink your teeth into wedding invitation cards.

Jayesh

Mehndi: Portray your love story on your palm

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:05:32 GMT

Be it a Bollywood sensation who is tying knot with her beau or an ordinary bride from any part of the great India, Mehndi is a must in bridal make-up. Mehndi is an ancient art form which has manifested itself over centuries and has allowed the bride to accentuate her beauty outside her veil. It has now become an extension to the actual wedding ceremony allowing the bride to further enhance her beauty by using gems and glitter to suit her outfit. So here are some hot facts of cool Mehndi for young brides...

The Great Indian Shaadi loses Lustre

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:14:16 GMT

With the current down in economy world over, India has also suffered its aftermath and this has taken its toll on the great Indian Shaadi. Those who have made big plans are now cutting back on spending as worldwide recession has marred economy of many countries and India is no exception. Indian communities especially the Sindhi and the Punjabi whose weddings are usually extravagant, are now cost-conscious for their weddings in the coming season.

Rising prices in gold have also dampened the excitement in couples for their splendid wedding. Moreover, volatile market also generates a dismal mood in buyers for shopping gold for wedding. Inflation rate has been on the rise for the last few months and this has made the price tags pricey lately. Financial crises have hampered Indian couples from spending lavishly for their once-in-life event like wedding. The stroke of Sensex has shaken thousands of investors in the country.

Ashutosh Dave, working in HDFC Bank on a senior position says that he has planned big for his marriage in summer, but now he needs to reconsider his plans. He says that he cannot restructure his budget for jewellery as he has promised his fiancée, but he will definitely go to save some bucks on honeymoon.

In this scenario, only your discretion to spend money can help you plan your wedding, says Jaydev Patel, owner of www.pefectshaadi.com. According to Patel, there are many areas couples have started saving money; wedding venue, food, jewellery, decoration and clothes are a few categories. Hotels, banquets and halls have been replaced with large & beautiful Mandap (shed), while lavish cuisine has found a better substitute in simple and tasty menu which includes fewer items. The exorbitant charges of hotels have compelled couples to look up to service apartments which cost around Rs1500/- to Rs3000/- a day as compared to Rs5000/- of hotels. Even honeymoon does no longer taste sweet for couples as more couples are going for Indian destinations instead of places abroad. Many couples have cancelled their wedding receptions and postponed honeymoon.

After all, it is your wedding and you have to be prudent enough to plan it economically. A wasteful display will bury you under debt and the pleasure of wedding might turn into the pain. So plan your marriage properly and celebrate the event with more delight and less spending.

So what are your plans for your wedding? Will it be stingy or showy? If money is not an issue, you can spend as much as your pocket allows; but if you are in a tight corner this season, think twice before you go for one.

Jayesh

Celebrate Karwa Chauth with some humorous quotes

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 06:15:51 GMT

Mostly celebrated by North Indian women, Karwa Chauth has now also entered the borders of Gujarat. Thanks to Ekta Kapoor's sob-operas & Bollywood movies, Gujju women now celebrate this festival showing great devotion to their hubbies. But FirstPhera celebrates this festival with a pinch of humour and therefore here are a few funny quotes on marriage & relationship.

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

If you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say, talk in your sleep.

The husband who wants a happy marriage should learn to keep his mouth shut and his checkbook open.

Marriage is the sole cause of divorce.

All marriages are happy - it's the living together afterward that causes all the problems.

The most happy marriage I can picture would be the union of a deaf man to a blind woman.

The great question... which I have not been able to answer... is, "What does a woman want?

Sign in a marriage counselor's window: "OUT TO LUNCH - THINK IT OVER."

Marriage is not a word. It is a sentence (a life sentence!).

Marriage is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside desperate to get out.

A man is not complete until he is married -- then he is finished.

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.

Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe.

If you never want to see a man again, say, "I love you, I want to marry you, I want to have children..." - they leave skid

marks.

Love thy neighbor, but make sure her husband is away first.

Marry not a tennis player. For love means nothing to them.

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.

It's easy to tell if a man is married or not. Just watch him drive a car with a woman sitting beside him. If both his hands

are on the wheel, you can be sure he is married.

It's true that all men are born free and equal - but some of them get MARRIED!

There was a man who said, "I never knew what happiness was until I got married.... and then it was too late!"

Jayesh

Hack Day at FirstPhera

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:42:53 GMT

Enamored by the concept of the Hack Day at Yahoo, and looking to get a break from the day to day issues, last week, we decided to do our own littel Hack Day at FirstPhera. The idea was simple: create a cool application in less than 24 hours that works, is innovative and has good business potential. The most promising app wins MP3 players.

Each team was supposed to start at 9AM on Friday Sep 12 and continue working through 12 Noon on Saturday, when they all do a demo. Once it's all done, we all go home and sleep after working non-stop for 30 hours (and consuming loads of pizzas and gallons of tea).

The four gangs were:

Vikas, Dhruti & Ranmal
Prashant & Natasha
Jayesh, Nimish & Mohammad
Vishal & Fenil

Caution: Beware the pics below. these are creatures who haven't slept at all for 48 hours.

Vikas, Dhruti & Ranmal were the first to start the presentation; kicking off with a honeymoon app that helps couples find their dream honeymoon destination. Couples choose the budget, the month, the activities they want and how fast they want to get there, and the app recommends a list of destinations that'd meet their needs. Right from collecting all the relevant data for honeymoon destinations with to having a fully functional search engine that searched through this data, this team earned lotsa points for being the most comprehensive.

Then Prashant & Natasha took the rostrum. They started off with a grandiose vision of building a social network for couples. (yeah right... this world will be so much better off with yet another social network ). Digging deeper, however, they presented some pretty nifty ideas for developing a community of couples to help each other plan their wedding smarter and better. Pretty cool idea, if done right!

Search Engine Optimization was the project presented by Jayesh, Nimish and Mohammad. The trio did some pretty cool analyses of how much we suck at it, and what we could do about it. Nimish, the geek in this team, went on build an app that would make it much easier to implement SEO changes in the future. Good stuff, perhaps one with the most sure returns, even thought it was a bit too practical!

Finally, Vishal & Fenil came in with an awesome project: FirstPhera on Mobile. The idea was help couples manage all their wedding activities through SMS - sending guest alerts, event reminders, to do list tasks and more. Vishal did a pretty compelling spiel on the revenue upside from a well packaged SMS solution and backed it up with a demo. An app with a business model! yahoooooo!

Finally, it was time to choose the winner. We did the community voting thingie, and after a really really tough fight, the Mobile app edged out the rest to win the coveted MP3 players. Rejoice, you guys, & congrats!

While Vikas did get a lot of grief from the team for keeping them awake all night, we all loved it and were excited to see four diverse and awesome ideas emerge. We'll probably do it again in 3 months. Stay posted! Any ideas you'd like for us to explore?

Jayesh

Shaadi Festival 2008 rocks Ahmedabad

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:38:07 GMT

Come September and Ahmedabad is ready to receive the heavyweights of Indian wedding industry to exhibit their products under one roof. The Shaadi Festival organized by Red Events India is an event that exhilarates wedding planners, fashion designers, make-up artists, jewellers, honeymoon planners, entertainers and everyone involved in wedding industry. The event organized at The Grand Bhagwati hotel, is a visual treat for any couple who just walk in to have a delight.

The mega event started on September 5 with a bang. The highlight of the day was a fashion show organized by Manubhai Zaveri, a prominent jeweller in Ahmedabad.

The show hosts some of the biggies of fashion industry like Archana Kochar, Shyamal-Bhumika, Prriya & Chintan and Rashmi. The brigade of fashion designers displays their exclusive wedding collection with a style and uniqueness. The models were looking stunning in bridal jewellery from Manubhai Zaveri.

All these designers share their experience and talk about their collections with FirstPhera.

Shyamal-Bhumika

The duo turns to our country whenever they have to design bridal collections. According to Shyamal-Bhumika, texture and tradition of our country inspires them to design fabulous outfits. A classy selection is the best and brides should select a shade which is suitable to the function and ceremony. Shyamal also added that people want to tie the knot in a princely manner, and therefore, special zardosi work and cuts have found a special place in brides’ wardrobe.

Archana Kochar

Her passion for yellow and wine purple is quite evident in her bridal collection. She says that cut and drape are life and soul of any attire. For a lehenga, cut plays an important role. According to Archana, just a five-and-half-metre sari is not enough to make any Indian bride beautiful, but one can try some innovative saris of great design. She also lays emphasis on attitude as jewellery and outfits are as ordinary as daylight without attitude. Another important thing is the weight of any attire; wear that you can bear, she laughs. For shade, she says that don’t think that any shade will not suit you, each and every shade is suitable to a person; only thing is that we have to pick up a perfect shade.

For Rashmi, red and orange give a spark to design indian traditional outfits as red is for sindoor and orange is for abil (white powder used in Hindu rituals) which shows our tradition. According to Prriya & Chintan, fashion is never outdated; whatever you wear is a fashion.

In the end, a fabulous collection of jewellery was sponsored by Manubhai Zaveri. Perfect jewellery with the perfect attire makes brides complete. Saurabh Agarwal, CEO, Red Events, rounded off that around 25000 visitors are expected during this event. Moreover, couples across the Gujarat have flown to Ahmedabad to witness this mega function.

The high voltage event was electrified by a fun-loving and beautiful host, who mesmerized every visitor with her charm and beauty. An awesome and fantastic event and must-visit for couples who want to tie nuptial knot this season.

This year Red Events is also going to organize the exhibition at Baroda (September 12 - 14), the mini-metro of Gujarat.

Jayesh

Getting married on 08/08/08?

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:21:33 GMT

For Chinese the number 8 is considered lucky just like the number 7 is considered lucky in the West. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Olympic games in China start on August 8, 2008 or 08/08/08. In China you have to pay extra to have the number 8 in your phone number or license plate. In addition, home and business owners like to have the number 8 in their address.

So, why is the number 8 considered lucky in the minds of Chinese people. The main reason has to do with the pronunciation of the word for the number 8 in China. It is pronounced "ba" and sounds like the word for prosperity which is pronounced "fa". Another reason why the number 8 could be considered lucky is because it is a perfect symmetrical shape. You can cut the number 8 in half vertically or horizontally, and both halves mirror themselves perfectly. Perfect symmetry lends itself to perfect balance. In Chinese Astrology, perfect balance is considered the ideal.

On the date 08/08/08 there is predicted to be a record number of weddings, even surpassing the number of weddings on 07/07/07. According to Chinese Astrology, the date 08/08/08 is in the year of the Rat, the month of the Monkey and the day of the Dragon. It just so happens that the Rat, Monkey and Dragon are in the same affinity group or trine. That means the three Chinese Zodiac animal signs are perfectly compatible with each other. Therefore, the date 08/08/08 will be especially lucky for Rats, Monkeys and Dragons.

Courtesy: www.onlinechineseastrology.com

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:50:45 GMT

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?

There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese.....

Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children

Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back

Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip

(As shown in the figure below):

Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.

Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)... ., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.
Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)... ., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.

Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).

You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT....., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!

Please try this out......... ....

ISN'T THIS A LOVELY THEORY? or should I say a practical DEMONSTRATION. ...!!

Received through mail

Bridal Fashion Trends this season

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:28:04 GMT

Indian wedding has undergone sweeping changes and therefore, wedding dresses have also witnessed a sea-change. Gone are the days when brides used to shop their trousseau from a local shop in a single visit. But now, it’s a different story. Brides and even grooms are choosy and the collection of local shops is hard to please them.

Selection of bridal wear eats up a hell lot of time as bridal ensemble is going to play an important part on that crucial day. This is the reason brides today turn to designer wears and fashion designers are in great demand when the wedding season is in full swing.

There is no doubt that wedding demands a lot of preparation and, hence, many expenses. While your groom and your wedding planner are leaving no stone unturned to make the D-day memorable, you are in a topsy-turvy as to what you should wear on the big day.

But now your worries end here. Some of the famous fashion designers are here to tell you about your bridal dressing, what is hot and not in Indian wedding dressing and moreover, the biggest myth about bridal dressing is shattered.

Colors and Trends

Forget what your friends wore in last season. This year everything is new – from colors to trends. However, it’s a back-to-basics culture. Brides are just crazy for traditional colors. US based fashion designer and founder of SilkThreads Ruby Bhandari says, “I think that brides are finally going back the traditional colors of reds, rusts, maroons in the winters and pinks, creams, and golds in the hotter weather. For a little while, brides were trying to be “high fashion” and choose colors like purples, blues and greens, but now, I think that new brides are beginning to realize that the more traditional colors are what make them look and feel like a queen (which they are on their wedding day).”

Colors to watch out for this season are metallics like antique gold, platinum, pewter, champagne, bronze and copper, says Anita Dongre, a Mumbai based fashion designer. These are a very neutral color palette and suit all skin coloring. Brights are also very much in fashion like raspberry, aubergine, crimson, tangerine and brighter pastels like aquamarine, salmon, mint and butter yellow. A hot trend to follow is ombre shading for saris, skirts and dupattas for a more stylish look.

Your Monsoon Medley

With the arrival of monsoon, tension builds up for brides about what to wear. It’s always difficult to make a perfect choice when showers swamp the India. Dongre says, “The most popular bridal wear for the young brides are usually lehengas, heavily embellished kurta sets and saris. For cocktail wear one can opt for corsets teamed with fitted skirts and stoles jazzed up with swarovskis and sequins. For traditional rituals a classic style is more suited to the occasion.”

Grooms also join the designer-wear Bandwagon

Designer wears are not only for girls, grooms are no less fashionable than girls as grooms also get their dresses designed. Ruby adds that SilkThreads works with a lot of grooms. She observes, “They are much savvier about their outfits for their weddings than a few years ago - the ethnic look has been in for a while - typically Sherwanis, with matching embroidery as the bride, matching embroidered shoes, or open jackets with embroidered vests. They are becoming more adventurous as far as colors are concerned, experimenting with splashes of orange, turquoise, magenta, etc.”

While among Indian grooms, favorites are bandhgalas, sherwanis, textured kurtas and unlined jackets for semi-formal looks, adds Dongre. Fabrics can range from jacquards, linens, brocades and silks.

Wedding Dressing Market 2008

More wedding, more buzz in the market. Speaking about US market, Ruby says this year has had more weddings than what we saw at the turn of the century. The difference is that now, brides are more educated about embroideries and fabrics and want to design or choose their own clothing, but do not have time to go to India due to their busy work schedules. So, our job is to bring the heart of India to the American Desi brides by offering a large selection of designer bridal wear in house “ready to wear”, as well as a designer on staff that can put together a dress and grooms attire and the matching accessories to make the perfect wedding ensemble!

While in India, the trend is inching towards sophisticated flamboyance. Embellishments involve use of antique gold, swarovskis, glass beads and lots of fabric effects in tonal and contrast looks. Ombre is also another look to watch out for along with metallics this season. A total coordinated look is boring and it is far trendier to mix various elements to make a unique fashion statement.

The Myth

The biggest myth is that brides should wait on designing their bridal dresses as long as possible so that they can have to follow the latest fashion. In reality, bridal wear doesn’t really “go out of fashion”. Your bridal attire is about “you” and who you are. It is supposed to compliment your skin color and body type so that your photography is complimenting to you. You need to design your dress so that your photographs look beautiful even after 50 years.

According to Dongre, a very common myth and a mistake brides end up making is over embellishment, therefore making an OTT style statement. Bridal wear is not all about being overly done up but choosing key pieces that make up a certain style quotient. For example it is interesting to pair a muted embroidered skirt with a crystal embellished choli and maybe a leheriya dupatta embroidered with both elements involved.

A word of advice

Before you decide your final wedding date, start looking your favorite halls, entertainers and caterers and see what dates are still available so that you can book the ones that you really like. Most couples do exactly the opposite…They decide the date and then find out that many of their favorite venues are already booked. Why settle for less?

Ten Unique Gift Ideas for Brides and Grooms

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:53:35 GMT

Gift is an expression of your love to your spouse. Sometimes, you don’t find words to tell your spouse how much you love him/her; at this time, your gift speaks thousand words on your behalf. Wedding is a special occasion for any person, and this is the time you want to show your deepest emotions. Everybody cannot write beautiful verse to show their feelings, and therefore, here are some unique gift ideas to help you on your wedding.

Personalized T-shirts

A personalized T-shirt (with your photograph) to your husband is sure to work wonders as he feels that you are never away from him even if he is on tour or you are in you mayka.

Round-shaped mouse pad

This will be an awesome gift to your spouse if his/her job compels to stick to computers. A personalized photo with a message on a rectangle mouse pad keeps him/her reminding that there is someone who is waiting for you.

Photo Pillow cover

Lay your head on a favourite photo, photo with personalized message or graphic. Enjoy the honeymoon with a personalized photo pillow cover with your side.

Metal Keychain

A great personalized gift to carry your loved ones photo all the time with you. The keychain is waterproof, fade proof & scratch resistant.

Beer Mug

Raise a toast with this beer mug with personalize photo! Every sip is filled with love potion.

Hot Stone Experience

Your experience begins with arrival at one of India’s foremost spas where you soak in and relax in the rejuvenating surroundings. Make your honeymoon hotter with Hot Stone Experience.

Marble Line Aroma Scented Candle

Illuminate your wedding night with Marble Line Aroma Scented Candle. The aromatic, perfumed and non-perfumed candles are available in various shapes and sizes. Decorative candles are also there to set the mood of romance.

Red Heart Cotton Bed Set

This will be the perfect gift to your home-maker wife, who painstakingly makes your house a home. This bright red bed set is all set to decorate the room in a different yet stylish way. The heart pattern looks really attractive.

Rejuvenation Experience

In the age of stress and anxiety, Rejuvenation Experience is a perfect gift you can give your husband. The experience can relax, revive and rejuvenate both the body and the soul with the wonders of ancient ayurvedic oils and massage rituals.

And finally a Photo Frame with a personalised message written on photographs.

For better or worse, through thick and thin,
I'll be there by your side
sharing the laughter and the tears
through life's uncertain ride.
We don't know what the future has
in store for you and me
but this I know, without a doubt,
the best is yet to be.

Enjoy the life.

Jayesh

Looking for electronic gadgets to gift your groom?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:46:28 GMT

Guys love gadgets and electronic gifts to your groom will be a memory to cherish for a lifetime. Here is a wonderful range of cool gadgets you can gift your groom as wedding gift.

DVD Home Theatre System

Guys love to watch movies, unfortunately, alone. Therefore, a DVD home theatre can be a good choice as a gift. Hope, he would invite you to sit beside him.

Laptop

Working on laptop is a great executive experience for any husband. You can fulfil his dream of working on this coolest device. He can work from home also, so you are never away from your life-partner during the first few days after your marriage.

Ipods & Accessories

If your groom loves listening to music, watching video or playing game, this personal digital device is a perfect gift on your wedding.

Camera & Camcorders

Camera & Camcorders are the perfect partner when he is on the tour – for adventure or for business. Let him capture the sweet digital memories of life. Enjoy the snaps when he is back home.

Digital Photo Frame

Store your sweet memories in a digital mode. Give your groom Digital Photo Frame as gift. This is your passport to enter his heart.

Jayesh

While You Are Shopping Your Wedding Dress...

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:04:03 GMT

If designer wedding wear is not your cup of tea, then you will have to go for shopping your wedding dress – either online or off-line. Shopping of your wedding dressings eat up lot of your time and money, therefore, a meticulous planning is necessary for buying perfect wedding attires; after all, it takes a lot to make yourself a picture-perfect bride or groom.

Make a list

First and foremost, prepare an elaborate list of what you want to shop. Without penning down your requirement, you will end up wasting time and money, which you cannot afford. The list should be all-encompassing – what to purchase, where to purchase from and most important is your budget. And all this needs to be done at least 8 to 9 months before your marriage date. Making a list also includes a few tips from your friends, relatives and colleagues about the shops, price and quality material. Treat your shopping as a project because wedding is once-in-a-lifetime affair.

Don’t Go Beyond Budget

If currency is not a constraint, the whole world is for you. You can easily take your dream dress home from the rack. But for those, who have to look twice into the pocket, budget shopping is indispensable. Getting your perfect wedding ensemble may be a far cry from the expensive and elegance attires. One more thing to remember is that budget shopping takes more time than your lavish shopping as you have to look around more shops to get your wedding dress. Therefore, you need to devote enough time to your shopping so that you may not go beyond your budget.

Is There a Discount Sale in Your City?

Before you kick start your moped, just check out whether or no there is a discount sale in your city. Sometimes, seasonal sales can help you get what you want at reasonable prices. And you can shop all your wedding dresses from a single shop, saving your time and money. The sale organizers come together under the same roof and offer several branded and non-branded wedding dresses. They also accept credit cards, so you don’t have to bring large amount with you.

Shopping Online?

There are thousands of websites that offer wedding dress and you can make your choice sitting at home. The online shops give a larger selection of bridal dresses. What is not found at traditional stores may be available at online shop. You can purchase a budget wedding dress, a designer bridal dress or a discount bridal dressing in just a few clicks. Moreover, these online shops keep updating their collection at a regular interval. So you are in touch with what is latest in the market.

However, online shopping doesn’t offer the facility of trials; moreover, you have to select your wedding dress just by viewing the material and not by touching the texture of material.

Finally, regardless of your shopping destination, it is important to start shopping as early as possible. The best thing never comes easily, it takes time. And after getting the right wedding dress, there are all chances you may have to alter it to suit your need. To avoid last moment rush, it is better to start early. So get up and go!

Jayesh

Hindu Marriage: Values behind the Rituals

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:38:12 GMT

Hindu wedding in India means lot of rituals and customs to be followed. And these wedding rituals and customs have been truthfully observed for the last many centuries by Hundus in India. Hindu wedding rituals include number of materials, which symbolize cultural and religious significance. Everything has a meaning behind its use in wedding. Here are some important rituals observed and religious stuff used in a Hindu wedding.

Varmala

Though Varmala did not find place in Vedic wedding rituals, it has become a part and parcel today in Hindu marriages. The traditional meaning of Varmala (bride and groom put garland around each other’s neck) is a proposal by the bride and then the acceptance of the same. Pundits believe that the ritual has been originated from the Swayamvara practice prevalent in Middle Ages and the ideal example of this is the famous couple – Prithvi Raj Chauhan and Sanyukta.

Kanyadan

Most commonly, the term Kanyadan is used to describe the most highly valued form of Hindu marriage. More specifically, Kanyadan is a Hindu wedding ritual and it means Gift of Virgin or Gift of Maiden. According to contemporary, traditional Hindu belief, giving their virgin daughter to the husband’s family not only increases and ensures the parents’ prestige, but it is also believed to purify them of sin.

Saat Phere

Wedding ritual comes in the most important phase with Saptapadi or Saat Phere. These are seven vows taken in front of Holy Fire (Agni Devta). These vows taken in front of Agni are considered unbreakable. This ritual consists of circumambulation around fire for seven times and with each round bride and groom recites vows.

What are the vows?

During the first round, bride and groom prays to the Gods for the plenty of pure and healthful food and a life that is noble and respectful. In second round, the couple pleads for physical and mental strength and to lead a healthy and peaceful life. Fulfilment of spiritual obligations is the key of the third phera. Couple invokes the Gods to bless them with spiritual power. The fourth phera denotes achievement of joy and harmony through mutual love and trust and a long happy life together. In the fifth phera, bride and groom wishes welfare of all living creatures in the universe and for begetting noble children. During the sixth phera, couples pray for abundance of crops all over the world. With the last phera they pray for a life of understanding, loyalty, unity and companionship not only for themselves but also for the peace of the Universe.

After exchanging these vows of love, duty, respect and fidelity the couple agree to be life-partners forever.

Mangalsutra

A married Hindu woman is recognized by five symbols – Mangalsutra, Toe Rings, Kumkum, Bangles and a Nose Ring – and Mangalsutra is the most important for any married woman because it remains around her neck until the death of her husband. The word Mangalsutra means an auspicious thread or cord. It is made of black beads and gold; the black beads of Mangalsutra are supposed to protect the marriage from evil eyes.

According to Hindu scriptures, Mangalsutra plays a major role in Hindu woman’s life. She is considered married once her husband puts this sacred thread around her neck. This tradition runs through generations after generations; but these days, the trend has been changed. Earlier, women prefer long thread, and now they prefer short one.

Significance of a Betel Leaf

A leaf gives leverage to the life of bride and groom. Betel leaf is given a great deal of importance in Hindu wedding. The leaf signifies freshness and prosperity. Also known as Tambool, the betel leaf marks the beginning of all auspicious events. In Hindu tradition, marriages are confirmed by exchanging betel leaves. Even while invitations are sent to relatives, betel leaves play an important role. Betel also signifies three main Hindu Gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Areca is Brahma, Betel is Vishnu and Lime is Shiva.

Marriage procession led by groom is given a warm reception with betel leaves and then every ritual is performed with betel leaves.

Thus Hindu weddings are accomplished with many rituals and pious materials.

Jayesh

Indian Bridal Dress - Traditional or Modern

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:08:20 GMT

Wedding is one of the most important occasions for any Indian girl, and she wants to make it the most memorable one. And wedding trousseau is a thing that helps make her wedding a special event. But as happens with all brides, they do not know what is hot and what is not; should they go for traditional or modern. Such and other issues haunt them during the pre-wedding preparation. This article aims to help brides select their wedding dresses which suit their requirement and make the marriage an unforgettable occasion.

Brides, first and foremost your wedding dress has to be graceful as well as chic, it needs to be unique and still should fit into your budget. Then comes the style. Would you like to go for modern or traditional? Which style suits to your figure and occasion? You can decide this on your own or you can seek advice of fashion or dress designer. Professional guidance can help you a lot.

Traditional

Usually Indian brides settle on traditional heavy work trousseau because on a very few occasions Indian girls garb themselves in such beautiful and colourful dresses. But brides remember that silhouettes must be feminine. These days brides love pastel shades and whites; earlier they used to prefer dark and vivacious colours. Latest lustrous designs and light colours are in.

Metallic colours are also in vogue. Colours like silver and rust brown can be a good choice. If you are tying knot in summer, go for cool colours like sky blue, sea green and other gentle colours. Earthen colours are not in today. Nets, transparent fabrics and a general feel of lightness are also trendy. Stay away from golden look and pick up white gold and silver look. Wedding dress is normally made of rich materials like silks and velvets and worked over heavily in gold trimmings or brocade. Indians are fascinated by colours like red, pink, and maroon.

Traditional Indian bridal wear includes elite collection of Indian bridal dress, zari sarees, embroided sarees, gem embellished wear, elegant Indian bridal suits in hottest designs and styles. Indian bridal wear makes the most of rich resource of Indian fabrics like brocade, silk, tissue, crepes, zari, geogette and many more. Each piece of bridal wear has supreme grace and craftsmanship that imparts stylishness and royalty to the bride. In Indian bridal wear elaborate work of resham, heavy zardosi, kundan work enhanced by enthralling patterns and colours that appeal the eyes.

What is hot Today

Selection of bridal wear eats up a hell lot of time as bridal ensemble is going to play an important part on that crucial day. This is the reason brides today turn to designer wears and fashion designers are in great demand when the wedding season is in full swing.

Many designers combine the look of the modern world and the traditional Indian wedding dress designs. The result is some cool designs which look Indian but show some western influence. These designers select colours like red, rust, maroon in the winters and pink, cream, and gold in the hotter weather. These Indian bridal wedding dresses are now widespread. It can be seen that the combination only emphasizes the beauty and the elegance that the wedding dress projects.

Given today’s wedding, it is advisable that brides should consult any dress designer for their wedding ensemble; even if they go for traditional dressings, a designer can help her in all manners.

Jayesh

Charity begins at Ahmedabad

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:27:07 GMT

No, Amdavadis are not only minting money, they are equally charitable. Be it money or blood, they are ready to donate without any shilly-shallying. If this sounds too much on your ears, then here is a proof.

According to the world blood donation figures, the commercial capital of Gujarat is way ahead of the world in donating blood. The figures reveal that per capita blood donation in the city is three times the world average. The figures emphasize the humanitarian guts of Amdavadis. The percentage of blood donors in Ahmedabad’s population is 3.30, much above the world figure of 1.15 percent.

So guys we need to keep this status forever, especially the young blood can do much more.

Hey, I have an idea! How about donating blood on your wedding day? Make your wedding memorable by donating blood. If you have any other idea, share with us.

Jayesh

Quotable quotes for dear dad

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:38:24 GMT

The hands that raise us are most lovable to us. It’s our dad who taught us how to walk and when we tumbled, he never used to run for our help; because he wanted us to stand up on our own. He deserves many thanks from us. Perhaps these quotes may help you to say “I love you dad.”

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.

Clarence Budington Kelland

My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys."

Harmon Killebrew

One father is more than a hundred Schoolemasters.

George Herbert

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.

Bill Cosby

Father! - to God himself we cannot give a holier name.

William Wordsworth

A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again.

Enid Bagnold

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!

Lydia M. Child

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.

Johann Schiller

Dad, you're someone to look up to no matter how tall I've grown.

Anonymous

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes.

Gloria Naylor

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.

John Gregory Brown

Are we not like two volumes of one book?

Marceline Desbordes -Valmore

The greatest gift I ever had
Came from God; I call him Dad!

Anonymous

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

Elizabeth Stone

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich.

Colonel Potter

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.

Anonymous

There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

If you have any cool quote on Father's Day, share with us.

Corporate culture: Professional success & marital misery

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:35:25 GMT

After much drudgery and isolation, Japanese wives have been duly rewarded by Japan’s government. The new law allows wife to get half the amount of her husband’s pension. At the same time, it has created a panic among the husbands, who have been working long hours in offices and coming homes late, where their wives were waiting for them. While some dub this action of government as the rational response to wife’s hard work and loneliness, there are many who claim that corporate culture in Japan has taken toll of married life of men. This is not the situation of Japan only; working late hours and corporate burden has become an order of the day in a country like India, where young guys labour hard for their professional life. But the love is lost from their life. The matrimonial muddle caused by the corporate culture has inspired me to write this piece.

Spare time for her

Young guys need to understand that office is not the only place on earth. There is someone who is waiting for them at home. You are devoting enough time to your job; but do you spare a few moments for your spouse? Just ask this question to your self. Your better half is someone who is willing to sacrifice everything for you; even her personal likes and dislikes do not matter after she has tied knot with you. And she asks for a few happy moments.

No laptop in the bedroom

Now this is the limit guys. You are bringing laptop to home, ok. But is it wise to enter the bedroom with laptop hanged on your shoulder? Try to finish your tasks in office itself so that laptop may not play spoilsport in the bedroom. It irritates your wife and maybe you will not get your lunch-box next day. So be careful.

Weekend merriment

Don’t come with your laptop on Friday. Forget this despicable device (for your wife) at office, and see the happy face of your dear wife. Don’t arrange any drinking party with your friends. In this day and age, some guys have developed courage to switch off office mobile. If your position does not allow going to this extent, you can SMS your boss.

Sweet nothings in her ears

Even while you are in office, you can take a few moments to have sweet nothings to your wife. You can chitchat with her during lunch hour or while you having sipping coffee in the afternoon. This may squeeze your purse a little bit, but it means a lot for your wife.

So guys, these are the simple rules of happy married life forever. Balance is must in your life. Remember that your professional excellence will put broad smile on your wife’s face, and if your marital life is blissful, it will inspire you to climb higher on professional ladder.

Jayesh

Gift to your Dad on Father’s Day

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:33:21 GMT

He has fulfilled all your wishes; he has always taken care of your demands and sometimes, before you ask for anything, you get it. William Shakespeare said, “It is a wise father that knows his own child”, but now it’s your turn to be wise to know your dad and give him a nice gift on Father’s Day.

Here are some beautiful gifts you can give to your dear dad.

Wrist watch

He has devoted more than enough time to you, so you can give him a priceless and beautiful timepiece.

Mobile/Ipod

Is your dad a tech-savvy? Then nothing beat the funky mobiles and iPods. But don’t forget to download melodious songs in the iPod.

Sweets

If he has a sweet tooth, give him toothsome sweets and chocolates. After all, who doesn’t want to relive his childhood?

Find some more Gifts

Jayesh

Make your dad laugh on Father's Day

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:32:23 GMT

Dad is everything for us as he is the one who raises us with care and comfort. On Father’s Day, make him laugh with some jokes. Celebrate the Day of Dad.

The Right Choice

My 16-year-old brother, Ryan, was out late with friends one night. Suddenly he realized it was Father's Day and he had neglected to buy a card for our dad. After much searching, Ryan located an open store, but was disappointed to find only two cards left on a picked-over rack. Selecting one, he brought it home and, somewhat sheepishly, presented it to our father.

Upon opening it, Dad read this message: "You've been like a father to me." He looked at Ryan, puzzled.

"Well, Dad," Ryan tried to explain, "It was either that or the card that said, 'Now that I'm a father too!'"

Thanks for the Soda, Pop!

Before I took the old family car to college, my father loaded the trunk with soft-drink bottles filled with oil, coolant and transmission fluid. Sure enough, my car overheated. Scolding myself for not listening to my father's instructions, I looked at the engine and saw how well he knew me. The oil cap was labeled Dr Pepper, the transmission stick, Coke, and the empty coolant container, Diet Pepsi. I finished the trip safely.

Say What, Dad?

Our Gen-X daughter, Cristie, made my husband a Father's Day card entitled "Things My Dad Would Never Say." Such as:

"Can you turn up that music?"

"Go ahead and take my truck. Here's 50 bucks for gas."

"I LOVE your tattoo. We should both get new ones."

"Here, you take the remote."

Watch the Wash, Dad...

I decided to make myself useful and do a load of the family laundry. When I took the clothes out of the machine, I discovered -- to my dismay -- that I had also washed the watch my wife had given me while we were dating. "Don't expect me to replace it," she said later with an obvious lack of sympathy. By the time Father's Day rolled around, however, she had relented and gave me a beautiful new watch. Attached was a note with this stipulation: "DRY-CLEAN ONLY!"

What a Card!

Father's Day was near when I brought my three-year-old son, Tyler, to the card store. Inside, I showed him the cards for dads and told him to pick one.

When I looked back, Tyler was picking up one card after another, opening them up and quickly shoving them back into slots, every which way. "Tyler, what are you doing?" I asked. "Haven't you found a nice card for Daddy yet?"

"No," he replied. "I'm looking for one with money in it."

Papa Bear

My husband's cousin married a former Marine who now works for United Parcel Service. They bought their four-year-old son two stuffed bears -- one in a UPS uniform and the other in Marine garb. When the boy seemed confused, his father brought out a picture of himself in full Marine dress. "See, Connor?" he explained, pointing to the photo and then to the bear. "That's Daddy."

Connor's eyes went from one to the other, and then he asked in a puzzled voice, "You used to be a bear?"

Pop Vs. Pup

While flying from Denver to Kansas City, Kansas, my mother was sitting across the aisle from a woman and her eight-year-old son. Mom couldn't help laughing as they neared their destination and she heard the mother say to the boy, "Now remember -- run to Dad first, then the dog."

Paternal Payback

On the day I received my learner's permit, my father agreed to take me out for a driving lesson. With a big grin, he hopped in behind the driver's seat. "Why aren't you sitting up front on the passenger's side?" I asked.

"Kirsten, I've been waiting for this ever since you were a little girl," Dad replied. "Now it's my turn to sit back here and kick the seat."

No. 1 on Our List -- Literally!

My father was completely lost in the kitchen and never ate unless someone prepared a meal for him. When Mother was ill, however, he volunteered to go to the supermarket for her. She sent him off with a carefully numbered list of seven items.

Dad returned shortly, very proud of himself, and proceeded to unpack the grocery bags. He had one bag of sugar, two dozen eggs, three hams, four boxes of detergent, five boxes of crackers, six eggplants, and seven green peppers.

Share some more jokes on Dad.

Courtesy: Reader’s Digest

A few words on your first wedding anniversary…

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:20:02 GMT

Whether it’s a love marriage or arranged one, for most Indian couples, keeping the flame of love on fire is a challenge. The first year of the marriage is very crucial for any couple as it decides the course of the life ahead. Many couples experience the demise of love even when they are cutting the cake of their first wedding anniversary. Sometimes, they don’t know what went wrong behind this. So young couples, here are some tips for you on how to live the first year of your marriage.

Enjoy the togetherness without being a doubter

Never allow any bias to take over your mind as this might lead you to doubt your spouse. Do not give your ears to anyone who tells you about what to look ahead to about wedding. Also don’t cultivate any view about your husband or wife on the basis of others’ statement. Use your brain and listen to your heart.

Stress is bound to creep into your life as your wife either gets into the household chores or if she is working, she is doubly loaded with familial and official jobs. While your husband has to toil hard on his 9 to 5 job or he is under the stress of business worries. But this should not let distance built up between you two. You will have to find some time for pleasure. Don’t miss any chance to escape to the pleasure land; this will be your life long memories to cherish when your hair turn grey.

Love never comes to an end, so never get tired of love. The more, the merrier.

After marriage, you become a couple and you are one, but still a little bit of privacy is advisable for both. I have heard of many couples who have different washrooms for themselves. Sometimes, it’s better to spend a few moments with yourself.

Unlock your mind to suggestions, new experiences and also for compromises. Reject the I-am-always-the-right attitude. Ego is harder than the kick of Figo, but you have to kick it out from your matrimonial life.

Don’t share your marital problems to anyone except your parents or siblings or your true friends.

Try to accept mistakes of your spouse. To err is spouse, to forgive is spouse. Make a clean breast in front of your partner if you have done any wrong.

Never create a pressure on your spouse by threatening him/her with divorce. This should be your last option.

An outing a week, keeps married life sleek. Plan a day out in the weekend. You don’t have to dine out on every pleasure trip.

You can always arrange a candlelit dinner at your home. Just switch off your mobile, TV sets and door-bell also.

Keep giving romantic surprises and gifts to your spouse. Wife can fill her husband’s lunch box with something he likes the most and husband can bring home something very special (bouquet, sari etc.) for his wife.

Avoid communication gap

Just talk over any issue related to both of you. Never leave it on fate. If you have any fears about each other, express them openly. Don’t discuss any issue in the bedroom. Go to a garden or on a long-drive; discuss your problems with a peaceful frame of mind.

Finally, ask any expert if any problem persists. But remember, that it’s your first year of marriage and therefore, there should not be any problem that continues the next few. Enjoy the life to the full; be true to yourself and your spouse. This is the only mantra for successful marriage.

Jayesh

Dating dos and don’ts for She

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:11:46 GMT

After getting engaged to the one you like, the next beautiful thing in the world is dating for any young girl. It’s time to celebrate romance, sing the love duets, dine out and hang out at cool places. And the heaven seems within a hailing distance for you. Though there are no fixed rules for dating (even if there are, would you like to follow?), I would like to tell you some dos and don’ts for dating. The piece of writing intends to set up excellent rapport with your would-be spouse.

A ride can be risky

You are meeting the guy for the first time and therefore, a long-drive is not safe. You are not familiar with his nature and character. Better play safe than be sorry after any disgusting incidents. Try to convince him to sit on a garden bench or a restaurant. The rendezvous should not be too over-crowded to spoil your meeting and should not be too desolate to rouse him to do some objectionable. Remember, there’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip.

Man’s privilege

If you are at restaurant or any other food zone, allow him to pay the damage; after all, it’s man’s privilege. This will also decide how much he can shell out after you. This does not mean that your purse should be empty. Keep some bucks for any kind of emergency.

Be early birds

It’s good to be at the meeting point at lest 10 minutes before the fixed time. It creates a good impression of yours and he understands the value of time in the next date. Moreover, you get the comfortable place to sit.

Ring him up if you are late

If you think you can’t reach the place on time, it’s advisable for you to talk to him. Give him the right reason. Making somebody wait is rude.

Topics to talk on

Perhaps the most embarrassing situation Indian girls face is what to talk. Start with weather or the place itself, and gradually you can switch to romance. Never talk on religion, politics, sex, money, business etc. This can easily lead you to arguments on your very first date.

Go alone

Any third person may play a spoilsport. Never take your friend with you; why give him a chance to stare at your friend . And if he has been accompanied by his friend, softly say no to him.

Don’t forget the gift

First date without a gift can be as dull as ditchwater. Give him a good wallet or something that is suitable for men. If your purse allows, you can also buy a wristwatch or anything precious for him. Your gift should express your true emotions to him.

That’s all. Now get ready to enjoy the first date with your fiancé. Remember, that these points are quite general in nature; there may be some situations which are not discussed in this article, and then you may have to show your tact to handle the situation with care. The best is to consult any expert before you go for a date. I wish you good luck.

Tips for Guys

Jayesh

Romance in the rain

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:04:13 GMT

Season of love is round the corner as clouds are shouting loud and tiny drops are heralding the dawn of downpour. This is the season of romance, time to dance and chance to glance over the soaked and sexy figure of your loved ones. How can you sit home idly while it’s raining outside? Get up and go. Give your flame a surprise by planning an outing. But before you buzz up your partner, here are some helpful tips on how to celebrate the romance in the rain.

No umbrella, no raincoat

Come on guys, you are not going to attend the evening prayer at temple. You are on date, and going on a date with an umbrella or a raincoat is contempt of Cupid and rain. Two souls are meeting and nature’s most beautiful phenomenon is showering blessings, and at this time any artificial thing should not be allowed to play spoilsport. So keep your waterproof wears in the corner and just go.

Where to go?

Beach is the best. If you are not far from coastal area, drive to beach. The roaring sea, cloudy sky, cool breeze and sodden sand – everything is ready to ignite the passion of romance in you. Who cares of onlookers? You are in love and love is left, right and centre.

Gardens are forever

If beach is not in your destiny, gardens can be the ideal rendezvous in metros. The lush green grass is the next best thing to touch after the sizzling skin of your partner. And here, you will definitely find others who are just as romantic as you are. So nobody cares what you are doing and you are always in a private corner with your soft corner.

Hip Hip Highway…

Indulge in a great escape to the highway. Drive on the romantic roads. Bike is the best vehicle as your partner can give you a tight hug on the road. But make sure that your bike has anti-skid tyres, otherwise your romantic trip may end in the hospital.

Pining for dining

Who says that lovers have got only hearts and not stomachs? Feeling hungry? Snacks can spice up your romance. Have some corncob (Makai) with a pinch of black-pepper and lemon. The sour and hot taste will never allow any dull moment even after you are at home. And you will be chewing over the sweet memories till the next monsoon.

If Makai cannot tickle your taste buds, then try some hot and spicy pakoda. Crispy pakodas will make you sizzle under the dripping trees.

Muska bun is the best option for those who don’t want to revel in the spicedom. The smooth and slick butter with a cozy bun – doesn’t it look like your beloved’s cheeks? Every bite is better than the previous one. Law of Diminishing Returns does not work here. The more you eat, the more hungry you are.

That’s all guys. Enjoy the rain, enjoy the romance. And for lonely hearts, here is a lyric found from internet.

Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head
But Thank God Cause It's Just
Hidin The Tears From My Face
Since You've Been Gone
I'm So Out Of Place
And I Need You Here Babe.

Jayesh

Dating dos and don’ts for Boys

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:03:24 GMT

You have found your dream girl, and now you are going to meet her for the first time. This is your first date with her. Decked up in the funkiest garbs, spraying the Lomani and eclipsing your eyes with Ray-ban – but before you kick start your bike, wait my friend. Do you know dating etiquettes? If no, read on and then fix a date with your fiancée.

Gift your girl

It’s your first date, and you can’t go empty-handed. Buy some beautiful gift for her. Remember that bunch of flowers is not a gift. Your gift to your fiancée can be anything from jewellery to watches to electronics. It should be romantic gifts to her.

Be early birds

It’s good to be at the meeting point at lest 10 minutes before the fixed time. It creates a good impression of yours and she understands the value of time in the next date. Moreover, you get the comfortable place to sit.

Man’s privilege

If you are at restaurant or any other food zone, don’t allow her to pay the damage; after all, it’s man’s privilege. This will also decide how much you can shell out after her (smiley). If still she sticks with paying the bill, the best idea is to go Dutch. Just share your bill.

Ring her up if you are late

If you think you can’t reach the place on time, it’s advisable for you to talk to her. Give her the right reason. Making somebody wait is rude.

Topics to talk on

Perhaps the most embarrassing situation for any couple faces is what to talk. Start with weather or the place itself, and gradually you can switch to romance. Never talk on religion, politics, sex, money, business etc. This can easily lead you to arguments on your very first date.

Go alone

Any third person may play a spoilsport. Never take your friend with you; she may not like the intrusion of any other person as this is your personal affair. And if she has been accompanied by her friend, softly say no to her.

That’s all. Now get ready to enjoy the first date with your fiancée. Remember, that these points are quite general in nature; there may be some situations which are not discussed in this article, and then you may have to show your tact to handle the situation with care. The best is to consult any expert before you go for a date.

Good luck guys.

Tips for Girls

Jayesh

Suitable boy for She

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:45:38 GMT

If love marriage is not your cup of tea, you will have to rely on your parents or matrimonial sites to find your life partner. Here, use your head and not the heart to decide who will be the suitable boy for you. Agreed that marriages are made in heaven, but we live on earth with human beings and not gods. And human beings are bound to be a mixture of good, bad and ugly. So gals, here are some helpful tips for you while you are choosing your Mr Right.

Nobody is Perfect

Your run for finding a perfect partner will lead you to nowhere, because nobody is perfect in the world; somewhere you have to find the middle ground. But you can always choose the one who is near to your expectations. Remember, that there is someone, somewhere made for you. He may not fulfill all the criteria you have set for an ideal husband, but isn’t it good enough if he gets distinction and not 100%? You can always make him Mr Perfect once you have tied the knot.

Financial Status

Finance matters when it comes to selecting life partner. But keep in mind that money is not everything in marriage. Of course it has its stake in a successful marriage as it is one of the tools useful to ensure smooth functioning of wedded life. However, smart girls are happy with a partner, who is financially not sound but otherwise perfect – intelligent, with excellent academic background, bright future and decent looks. More important is your blissful union and not the ‘buck’ful one. But if your choice is a millionaire, then there may be some hitches also. The union may create problems in future as there can be a strong social gap between the two families. You should not overlook the fact that marriage is a union of two families also. You can make the ideal pair by selecting a partner who is equal to you and your family in all manners.

Physical Fitness

He may not be Mr Universe. The likes of Arnold and Sylvester Stallone may be your dream, but everyone cannot build up such a picture-perfect physique. A guy with reasonably sound health, without any disease can make your wedding album beautiful. Don’t hesitate to ask about his bad habits like smoking, drinking or chewing tobacco. If you strongly hate such nuisances, don’t go ahead. Today, girls have the guts to match blood group, rather than matching horoscopes. Diseases like AIDS and Thalassemia Minor or Major can spoil the life. So prevention is better than cure.

Caste Crisis

If you have set an eye on a person who does not belong to your caste, you need to prepare yourself for a complete new world. In a country like India, where social system is more complicated than a cobweb, inter-caste marriage may prove a disaster unless it’s a love-marriage. You have to be open to accept new traditions, new culture and new surrounding; it’s a new lifestyle altogether. Social status of both families is equally important in inter-caste marriages as Indians still strongly follow the age-old social hierarchy.

Miscellaneous

Apart from all the above points, there are many important things you need to take care of. While you are talking to a suitor, never ever ask his salary or financial status. This might create a wrong impression of yours. You should be smart enough to gauge his status either from his designation or from his business type. If you had an affair in the past, discuss with him openly. You can also ask about his past. This issue needs special attention, and therefore I would advise you to ask any expert.

So gals, get ready for your wedding. You should remember that life after marriage is a matter of heart. My best wishes are always with you. Enjoy the nuptial bliss.

Jayesh

Can you find your Dream Girl on earth?

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:44:22 GMT

There is a surprise for you friends. The world is changing fast. Speed is the catchphrase of people’s life. In this age of speed a boy and a girl meet in the morning, fall in love in the afternoon, promise a marriage in the evening and start chatting with another girl and boy in the night. Now, where is the surprise? The surprise is that there are many of us who believe in arranged marriage, and there is nothing wrong in this arrangement. But before taking a plunge, we need to understand the nitty-gritty of arranged marriage. While going for an arranged marriage, remember that our head is above our heart. They say that marriages are fixed in heaven, but we don’t have the privilege to live with fairies on earth. And human beings are bound to be a mixture of good, bad and ugly. So guys, here are some helpful tips for you while you are choosing your dream girl.

Nobody is Perfect

Your hunt for a perfect partner will lead you to nowhere, because nobody is perfect in the world; somewhere you have to find the middle ground. But you can always choose the one who is near to your expectations. Remember, that there is someone, somewhere made for you. She may not fulfill all the criteria you have set for an ideal wife, but isn’t it cool if she gets distinction and not 100%? You can always make her an ideal wife once you are in tango.

Financial Status

Normally for a boy, financial status of a girl does not matter when it comes to selecting spouse. However, smart guys never choose too poor or too rich a girl as his would-be-wife. In both cases, social gap matters the most. Sensible thinking says that the girl should belong to a family, which is equal in financial status. But if your choice is a billionaire bride, then there may be some hitches. The union may create problems as social gap may widen in future. Not that you will be forced to live a life of a house-husband, but your male ego may not accept attitude and lifestyle of your wealthy wife.

Physical Fitness

She may not be Miss Universe. The likes of Angelina Jolly and Jennifer Lopez may be your dream, but not all the girls can tone up their figure in a perfect shape. A girl with reasonably sound health, without any disease can make your wedding album beautiful. Don’t hesitate to ask about any inherent physical problem. You should have the guts to match blood group, rather than matching horoscopes. Diseases like AIDS and Thelasemia Minor – Major can spoil the life. So guys, prevention is better than cure.

Caste Crisis

If you have set an eye on a girl who does not belong to your caste, or if she belongs to a caste lower than yours, you need to prepare to receive stringent remarks from your family and relatives. Indian mother-in-law may not be mature enough to accept a daughter-in-law from a low caste family. Moreover, in a country like India, where social system is more complicated than a cobweb, inter-caste marriage may prove a disaster unless it’s a love-marriage. Social status of both families is equally important in inter-caste marriages as Indians still strongly follow the age-old social hierarchy.

Miscellaneous

Apart from all the above points, there are many important things you need to take care of. If you had an affair in the past, discuss with her openly. You can also ask about her past. Transparency is the key to successful married life. This issue needs special attention, and therefore I would advise you to ask any expert.

So guys, get ready for your wedding. You should remember that life after marriage is a matter of heart. My best wishes are always with you. Enjoy the nuptial bliss.

Jayesh

Bengali Wedding

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:42:54 GMT

You may call them the sweetest community of India, their honeyed tongue is dipped in Rasgulla and their heart-winning smile makes them the lovable people in India. If you guess that I am talking of Bengali people, your guess is right. People of West Bengal love their land (Hamar Sonar Bangla), literature and cultural legacy. Bengali wedding is an elaborate affair as it goes on for more than three days. The wedding involves plenty of customs and traditions; it’s a get-together of close relatives and a joyful occasion.

Engagement

Adan Pradan

The literal meaning of Adan Pradan is give and take. It is a ritual wherein pandit matches the ancestral lines of two families. This ritual is important because according to Hindu scriptures marriage between the persons of same lineage (gotra) or close relatives are not acceptable on social and cultural grounds.

Paka-Dekha

After Adan Pradan, now it is time to Paka-Dekha. In this ritual, groom’s family goes to bride’s home and finalizes everything including date of marriage. Normally, senior members of the family go to bride’s family, and bride is given some gifts as a mark of acceptance. However, this ritual finds little importance these days.

Aashirwad or Patri Patra

In Ashirwad or Patri Patra, the bond is confirmed. This ritual is conducted two-three days before the wedding at bride or groom’s house by a pandit.

Rituals before wedding

Vridhi Puja

Vridhi pooja includes offering prayers to ancestors of bride and groom. This ritual takes place on marriage day itself in the morning. All the members of family get together and attend this ritual. Rangoli (Alpana) is done and ghot (earthen pot) with amra pallab (mango leave) is placed on the Rangoli. All the items necessary for pooja are arranged in a silver plate (baran dala). The pandit brings a statue of Bhagwan Narayan for the puja. The statue is worshipped by lighting incense sticks and lamps. The Vridhi is usually performed by a father or paternal uncle. According to tradition, uncle and the bride/groom should be on liquid diet on the day.

For Vridhi, families require Rangoli colours, poojan materials, a silver plate, incense sticks and lamps.

Dodhi Mangal

This ritual is performed at the dawn of wedding day in both families. Ten married women invite Goddess Ganga at a nearby pond. They bring a bucket of water from the pond and give a bath to bride and groom. This followed by offering of food to bride and groom. The meal includes curd, chiruya (a variety of pressed rice) and banana etc. Bride and groom are allowed to eat this meal after the marriage rituals.

For Dodhi Mangal, families require aarti thali, curd, pressed rice and banana for meal.

Weeding Piris

Piris are used for bride and groom to sit over. These piris are brought to the bride's home a day before the wedding or on the wedding day. These piris are decorated and painted by relatives and friends. When the decoration is completed, conch shells are blown and ululation is followed. Both families exchange gifts.

For Piris, families require gifts for bride and groom and decorated Piris.

Gae Halud Tattva

A relative of the groom arrives at the bride's house with Gae Halud Tattva (gifts) for the bride. The gifts include at least six saris and cosmetics. Also among the gifts are fish, assorted sweets, curd, betel leaves, grain and durba. Incense is lit to welcome them and conch shells are blown. The bearers are given sweets and gifts.

For this ritual, families require paste of turmeric, six saris for bride, cosmetic, fish, other sweets, curd, betel leaves, grains and durba.

Snan

The Snan means bathing. In this ceremony, it stands for the bathing rituals that the bride and groom must follow on the day of the wedding. The bath takes place in the late afternoon or evening. A few married women apply turmeric and oil on the hair and body of the bride/groom. After bathing, the bride and groom must put on new clothes that have been gifted to them by their in-laws. The worn clothes are later given away to a barber.

For Snan ceremony, families require paste of turmeric, scented oil and new clothes.

Sankha Porana

The bride at her parents’ house follows the tradition of wearing sankha porana or conch shell bangles that have been dipped in turmeric water. After her bath, she wears a new sari and wears the sankha poranas.
For this ritual, bride family requires shell bangles (sankha poranas) and sari.

Dressing up the Bride

The bride adorns herself in all her bridal robes. Her hair is tied into a bun and covered with a veil. The mukut (crown) is placed on her head and fixed in place by pinning it to the veil. After her bridal makeover, a design of the mukut is traced on her face using the chandan paste. The bride must sit with the gaach kouto and kaajal laata for the ceremonies that follow.

For bridal makeover, bride’s parents require bun for hair, crown for head and sandalwood paste.

Mandap

Wedding ceremony takes place under the mandap. Two banana trees are planted at the mandap and a large alpana is made with rice paste. The mandap is decorated for the event with flowers and lights.

For mandap ceremony, bride’s parents require banana trees, rice paste, flowers and lights and other decorative articles.

Wedding Rituals

Welcoming the groom

The procession (Baarat) comes at the bride’s house with ringing bells, blowing conch shells and ululation. The baran dala is held by an elder female member of the bride’s family and the plate is first touched to the groom's forehead, then to ground, and back again to his forehead in a gesture of blessing and reverence. The groom is given sweets and sherbet. Water is sprinkled on the doorstep as the groom steps into the house to mark the auspicious moment. Both, the mother of the bride and of the groom do not attend this ceremony. It is believed that this will guard the couple from the evil eyes.

For this ceremony, things required are sliver plate, bells, sweets, soft drinks and rose water.

Shubho Drishti

The pandit performs the wedding ritual. At first, groom is invited in the mandap. The puja is performed along with the person who will perform the Sampradaan. After the puja, the groom is given a fresh set of Dhoti and Kurta from the bride's side. The groom has to change his dhoti-kurta and put on the new set and the ring. After this the bride is brought to the Mandap. The bride is usually carried in a piri and four of her friends carry her in the Mandap. She keeps her eyes hidden with a beetle leaf. She is rotated seven times around the groom. Once this is over, the bride and groom are placed face to face and the bride removes her beetle leaf. The bride and groom look at each other for the first time. This is known as Shubha Drishti.

For Shubho Drishti, dhoti, kurta, betel leaf and piri are required.

Saat Paak Ritual & Samppradhan

After Shubha drishti, bride and groom exchange their garlands for three times. Then both are seated opposite to each other. Their hands are tied together and kept over a ghot. The oorna of the bride and the uttariya of the groom are fastened together. The bride and groom exchange garlands while the pandit recites mantras. Her paternal or maternal uncle gives the bride away. This part of the ceremony is called sampradhan. Along with the pandit, the groom also chants the mantra. After this the bride and groom changes the position and they are seated side by side. The yagna is carried out, which indicates that the wedding is accomplished with fire as the witness. After the marriage is over, there are some interesting games, which are being played along with the ladies of the bride's place. There are various local variances of the games like hiding the ring, playing with a vessel full of rice, etc. After all the rituals are over, the bride and groom break their fast and eat the dinner. By then, all the relatives and friends who were invitees have already taken the dinner.

For this ritual, families require garlands, ring, vessel full of rice and delicious dinner.

Bengali marriage is always scheduled during the dusk (Godhuli lagna), evening (Sandhya Lagna) or night. All the rituals take about three hours.

Rituals after Wedding

Basar ghar custom

As the wedding is accomplished, the couple is welcomed inside the bride's home. There is merriment and the couple is served dinner. Friends and relatives are in hilarious mood and keep the atmosphere jovial by jokes and poetry recital. The purpose of this is to keep the couple awake all through the night. However, for the Bengalis from East Bengal this ritual is not there. The bride and groom take rest for the night along with the other friends.

Bashi biye ritual

The next morning, the groom adorns the forehead of his bride with vermillion. He does this by looking into a mirror. The newly-weds visit the mandap and worship the Sun in the presence of pandit.

Bidaai

This ceremony marks the departure of the bride and groom. From here they set off for the groom's home. The newly weds are blessed by the elders.

Bopu baran & Bou bhat

This ceremony is conducted to welcome the couple at groom’s home. The women of the groom’s house pour water on the ground beneath their vehicle when they get off. The groom's elder brother's wife holds a plate containing lac dye and milk under the bride's feet. Having imprinted the soles of her feet thus, she leads her into the house. The couple seeks blessings of elders of the house. There are very interesting rituals attached to this event. The new bride is taken to the kitchen to witness that milk is overflowing. A vessel of milk is kept in the oven and milk overflows from it. The bride is also shown a Bou Bhat of covered vessels which are full of rice and other cooked vegetables, fish, meat and other items, which is an indication that everything is plentiful. The bride and groom are not supposed to meet that that night as it is called Kaalratri.

For this ritual, groom’s family requires water, plate containing milk and rice for cooking.

Phool Sajja

The last but not the least, it is Phool Sajja. The couple starts their nuptial journey and this occasion sees the bride in a new sari and the groom in a new dhoti and kurta. The bedroom is decorated with flowers, which is why the term phool sajja. The flowers, clothes and sweets for the occasion usually arrive as gifts from the bride's house.

For Phool Sajja, groom’s family requires sari for bride, dhoti & kurta for groom, flowers, gifts and sweets for bride and groom.

Dira gaman

A ceremony that is taken place when the newly-weds visit the bride's house for the first time after the wedding. The thread that was tied by the pandit on the bride's wrist during the wedding rituals is cut during this ritual. Conch shells are blown to the tune of ululation to celebrate the auspicious moment.

Thus the Bengali wedding is completed with lot of pomp and ceremonies. After reading through the article, you must be lured to tie knot in Bengali style. If yes, go ahead and enjoy the Mishti life.

Jayesh

TAMIL WEDDING

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:40:13 GMT

Vedic rituals still found their existence in wedding ceremonies performed in south India, and Tamil wedding is a perfect example of simple wedding where Vedic customs are followed with faith and belief. The Tamilian community is quite a big and Tamil wedding is attended by all close and distant relatives. Gone are the days when Tamil weddings used to take place at bride’s house. The wedding was considered a big occasion and entire village used to help the family. But now it’s a different story. Now Tamil wedding does not mean much gathering and extravaganza. Normally, a wedding hall is hired and decorated with flowers and lights.

According to Tamil calendar, the months of Aashad (period between July 15 and August 15), Bhadrapad (September 15 to October 15) and Shunya (December 15 to January 15) are inauspicious for wedding.

Rituals before Wedding

Pallikai Thellichal

This ritual takes place at bride’s home two-three days before the wedding. Married women from bride side fill the clay pots with nine different grains (Nav Dhanya). These pots are decorated with sandalwood and kumkum paste. Women add a small amount of curd in each pot. After two days, grains sprout and after the wedding, bride and groom immerse the pots into a nearby water body – a pond, a river etc. It’s believed that fish eat the sprouts and shower blessing on the couple.

For Pallikai Thellichal, bride’s family requires nine clay pots, nine type of grains, curd, kumkum, sandalwood powder and gifts for five married women.

Panda Kaal Muhurtham

Every Hindu wedding starts with invoking divine God. The purpose behind worshipping God is to accomplish the wedding without any obstacle. This ritual is conducted one day before the wedding. Both families worship lord in the form of bamboo pole.

Welcoming the groom and his family

The ritual is conducted one day before the wedding. After the arrival of groom with marriage party at bride’s home, they are given a warm welcome with flowers, betel leaves, supari, fruits and sweets. The guests are showered with rose water by bride’s sisters and cousins. Bride’s brother smears the forehead of groom with the paste of sandalwood and kumkum. He puts wreath around the neck of groom. Now, bride’s mother dishes up tasty desert made from condensed milk. Then a senior female member from bride’s family performs arti of groom. Coconut is broken on the ground to protect the groom from evil eyes.

To welcome the groom and his family, bride’s family requires dish containing betel leaves, supari, fruits, sweets, flowers, paste of sandalwood and kumkum, wreath, Arti thal and special feast for groom and his family.

Nandi

Brahmins are given special honour in this ceremony. Approximately 8 to 10 Brahmins are invited and they are offered gifts and sweets. These Brahmins represent the ancestors of both the families, and therefore, members of both families seek blessings from these Brahmins. The Brahmins bless the families so that the occasion is accomplished without any obstacle.

For Nandi, bride’s family requires gifts for Brahmins, betel leaves, supari, coconut, sweets, and clothes for Brahmins (dhoti, angvastram).

Jaanavasam

While Jaan (procession of marriage party) has become an integral part in Punjabi and Gujarati wedding, in Tamil wedding it has been given little importance. In this ceremony, the groom comes to the marriage venue in a well-decked car with his friends and relatives. A music band plays traditional as well as modern songs, while marriage party is dancing to the beat of band. Fireworks are also included to announce the arrival of groom. When groom and marriage party reach the wedding venue, they are welcomed with garlands by bride’s brother.

For Jaanavasam, groom’s family requires music band and fireworks, while bride’s family requires garlands.

Nicchiyadhartham

Any Hindu wedding ritual is incomplete without the worship of Lord Ganesha, one who destroys all the obstacles. In this ceremony also, bride’s parents worship Ganesha. Pandit chants the mantras while bride’s parents offer prayer to Ganesha. Groom’s family gifts a new sari to bride after smearing her forehead with sandalwood and kumkum paste. Groom’s parents also give fruits, betel leaves, supari, turmeric, kumkum and coconut to the bride and she accepts all these stuff in the pallav of her sari.

For Nicchiyadhartham, both families require paste of kumkum and sandalwood, Arti thal, fruits, betel leaves, turmeric, coconut, flower garland and pooja samagri listed by pandit.

Wedding Rituals

Mangala Snaanam

Mangala Snaanam is a holy bath given to bride and groom to purify them. This bath is taken at the respective houses of bride and groom. Ladies of the family smear the bride and groom with haldi and kumkum paste made with scented oil. The womenfolk also perform arti. In this ceremony, bride’s mother gives her daughter a 9 yard sari of maroon colour and a dhoti to the groom. These clothes are worn by bride and groom on the wedding day.

For Mangala Saanman, bride’s family requires 9 year maroon sari for bride, a Dhoti for groom and paste of turmeric and kumkum.

Kashi Yatra

This ritual is full of fun. After Mangala Saanman, the groom plays a drama wherein he announces that he is going to Kashi and he is not interested in marriage and handling a household. On this, bride’s father requests the groom to accept his daughter as his spouse. Then groom returns to the mandap and here he is received by his bride.

Exchange of Garlands

Another instance of fun. Now it’s the time for bride and groom to exchange garlands for three times. Here laughter prevails because when groom goes to put garland around the neck of bride, she is pulled away so that he cannot put the garland.

Oonjal

Once the couple is successful in garlanding each other, they are offered a swing to sit on. Here, ladies perform a ritual. Small balls of cooked rice smeared with turmeric and kumkum are dipped in milk, and then ladies sprinkle the milk on bride and groom’s feet. Married women from bride’s family walk around the bride and groom with rice balls. They perform this thrice in clock-wise and anti-clockwise direction. After this, they throw the balls in all four directions. Then bride and groom are given a mixture of banana and milk. While this ceremony is going on, other women sing Oonjal Pattu songs.

For Oonjal, things required are cooked rice smeared with turmeric and kumkum powder, milk and mixture of milk and banana.

Kanyadaanam

Now is the time to give away the bride to groom and this ceremony is called Kanyadaan. Here, bride’s sari is tied with the groom’s scarf. Pandit ties the right hands of couple with a thread; this symbolizes the lifelong bond. The bride and groom seek blessings from God to strengthen their union. The bride's mother applies kajal (collyrium) in the groom's eyes and bride’s father rinses feet of groom. This suggests that the groom is the avatar of Lord Vishnu and believes that he will support and take good care of his daughter. The bride sits on her father's lap with a coconut in her hands. The father and bride give coconut to the groom while the bride's mother pours water over the coconut. This symbolizes the 'giving away of their daughter.' The groom's parents give the bride a nine-yard sari to be worn for the auspicious occasion of tying the mangasultra.

Muhurtum

With the help of her sister-in-law and other female relatives, the bride puts on a nine-yard sari and again enters the mandap. A sack of paddy is put on the floor. The bride's father is seated on this and the bride sits on her father's lap. The sack of paddy is an indication of good fortune and abundance in terms of material and spiritual wealth. The yoke of a farmer's plough is touched to the bride's forehead. The couple is expected to live together and be support of each other throughout the life. The pandit and relatives bless the Mangalsutra and hand it to the groom who ties it around the neck of his bride with two knots. Groom's sister ties the third knot just to add humour to the occasion. The three knots stand for the marriage of the mind, spirit and body.

Saptapadi

The groom holds the right hand of bride in his left hand and leads her around the holy fire for seven times. With each round, bride touches her feet to a grinding stone. This indicates that her union with groom will be as firm and strong as the grinding stone.

Post -Wedding Rituals

Sammandhi Mariyathai

Both sides exchange clothes and other gifts according to their status during this ceremony.

Paaladanam

The bride and groom take blessings of the elders of both families by lying on the ground in front of them. They also offer them a gift of fruits and a token rupee.

Grihapravesham

Once the wedding ceremonies are accomplished, bride is taken to the groom’s house. If groom’s house is far from the wedding venue, she is taken to the home of groom’s nearest relative. Bride is given warm welcome with an arti. Lunch is offered at the venue after the couple return.

Maruvidu Varudal

Three days after the marriage, couple visits the bride’s parents. A small get-together is arranged, where bride’s parents give gifts of clothes and jewellery to the couple.

Thus the elaborate wedding occasion is completed. Those, who have tied the wedding knot according to Tamil traditions, can share your beautiful memories with us.

Jayesh

Marwari Wedding

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:37:53 GMT

Global Warming may have raised the mercury everywhere in the world in last few years, but hot temperature is the fate of Marwar, one of the arid regions of India, for centuries. The people (Marwari) who toil from dawn to dusk stay cool under the scorching sun. They are happy, they have no complaints. They celebrate their festivals and joyous occasions. The cultural heritage displayed in their festivals and social events is unique and colourful. One of the richest classes of people in India, the Marwari enjoys the wedding functions with their rich traditions and rituals. Marwari weddings are elaborate as the pre and post wedding rituals continue for days. Here is the description of how Marwaris take a plunge into wedding.

Rituals before Wedding

Sagai (Engagement)

As found in other Indian weddings, Sagai (engagement) is the agreement between the two families and, bride and groom. This ceremony makes the alliance official. This is a male dominated ritual as all the male members from both families attend the ceremony. Sagai is performed at groom’s place, where bride’s father, brother and other close relatives attend the ceremony. Even bride is not allowed to be present at this ritual. Brother or father of bride applies tika/tilak on groom’s forehead and the alliance is confirmed. The groom is given sword with other gifts including clothes, fruits and sweets.

For this ceremony, several items are required, which include Kankavati (a small metal box to keep kumkum/sindoor), sword for groom, sweets, clothes for groom and jewellery.

Ganesh Sthapna & Griha Shanti

For any religious ritual, invocation of Lord Ganesha is a must. In Marwari wedding also Ganesha is invoked by Ganesh Sthapan followed by Griha Shanti. These rituals are performed couple of days before wedding. Both families perform Havan wherein a statue of Lord Ganesha is installed and worshipped. For Ganesh Sthapan, both families require a statue of Lord Ganesha and other Havan samagri listed by pandit.

Pithi

Pithi is the ceremony which marks the beginning of Marwari wedding. This ceremony takes place at both families. Bride and groom are applied with the paste of turmeric and sandalwood with a few drops of scented oil. Once the Pithi is completed, bride and groom are not allowed to leave the house. At bride’s home, Pithi is a big affair as bride is dressed in orange attires and brought under a silken shade, which is erected with swords at four sides by four ladies. Then bride is applied pithi by all the ladies. The ceremony is also held at groom’s house, but not with such solemnity and show. While the Pithi ceremony is on, singers are singing auspicious wedding songs.

For Pithi, families require paste of sandalwood and turmeric, swords, silk cloth and orange clothes for bride.

Mehfils

Mehfils are organized for gents and ladies separately, in which people share cheerful moments together. Celebrations gain the momentum with the involvement of women in merry making playing dholaks and singing pre-wedding songs. At the ladies mehfil all the women come to a central place in an enclosed yard or hall dressed in a glittering dresses, they perform “ghoomar”. The bride at the mehfil is given an important position to sit and witness the cheerful occasion. Of course, men have their own mehfil, where singers perform and these are strictly all male parties.

Mahira

In every Hindu wedding, maternal uncles are given special importance. Here also, in Mahira, maternal uncles of bride and groom spend lavishly to gift the families of their sisters. Maternal uncle arrives with much fan fare and is welcomed by bride/groom’s mother. Maternal uncle gives clothes, jewellery and sweets to the entire family. This ritual allows brothers to help their sisters as there is sizeable expenditure sister’s family has to bear.

For Mahira, families require traditional arti thali, gifts for bride/groom and family members.

Janev Ceremony

In Janev ceremony, a sacred thread is tied to the groom on the eve of his wedding. Janev is given only to men. In this ceremony groom has to be dressed in saffron clothes like an ascetic and perform a havan before wearing the thread. The meaning of saffron apparels is that the groom now has two options before him – either he resigns from the world and become an ascetic, or he accepts the institution of marriage and its responsibilities. After the havan is completed and thread is given, the groom makes a mock attempt to run from the chains of marriage and his maternal uncle catches him and convinces him into accepting marriage.

For Janev, groom’s family requires saffron clothes, sacred thread (Janev) and Poojan samsgri listed by pandit.

Palla Dastoor

This ceremony gives much importance to Goddess Parvati – the goddess of strength (shakti). Bride worships Goddess Gauri, the mother of Universe. The goddess is much respected as she has got the power by which God creates, preserves and destroys. In this ceremony, groom’s kith and kin bring palla to the bride’s home. This includes clothes, jewellery and gifts for bride from her groom. The bride puts on this at the time of wedding ceremony. These clothes are usually red in colour or it can also be in the colours of orange, pink, gold yellow, maroon etc. In jewellery there is rakhi jewellery for forehead, ear danglers (timaniyaan), necklace studded with diamonds, chooda (ivory and gold bangles), gold anklets, and gold toe ring, and stone-studded nose ring.

Wedding ceremony

Rajput Baarat

A Marwari baarat (marriage party) allows only male members of the groom’s family. The groom is normally dressed into a gold achkan and churidar or jodhpuri with a turban. Groom party members also put on achkans or sherwarni and turban. The procession looks royal. And when everything is royal, there is no place for dance-masti and halla-gulla. Every one including the groom rides on elephant or horse with swords. When procession reaches bride’s home, the groom is given a royal welcome by bride’s mother with an Aarti and groom is led to mandap.

For Baarat, families require royal clothes like achkan, jodhpuri, turban, horses, elephants, swords and decorated Aarti thali.

Wedding ceremony

This is a typical Hindu wedding ceremony. The groom is accompanied to the mandap by his younger brother or a married male, and bride has to keep her face covered with veil throughout the ceremony. The groom’s relatives are taken care of by the male members of the bride’s family. The wedding ceremony is mostly attended by female members of house.

For wedding ceremony, families require Poojan samagri listed by pandit, lavish food like Dal Baati, Ghever etc.

Rituals after Wedding

Bidai

In this ceremony the bride with tearful eyes bids farewell to her family, childhood friends and close relatives. At the time of Bidai, a coconut is crushed under the wheel of the car. This takes place before the bride lifts her veil for the husband. At this, groom gifts a piece of jewellery to his new bride.

Grihapravesh

When the just-married couple reach their house, bride is welcomed by groom’s family. This is known as Grihapravesh. The bride is still under the veil while pooja and other rituals are on.

Pagelagni Tradition

As the name suggests, this ceremony is to introduce the bride to the members of groom’s family. Bride, still veiled, touches the feet of elder members of the family and receives gifts and blessings from them. After this, the veil is removed.

Thus the wedding is accomplished in a royal manner. If you feel that the article requires some more details, send us your comments. Your comments are valuable for us.

Jayesh

Hey guys, there's some smoke without fire

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:34:22 GMT

31st May is observed as Anti-Smoking Day across the world. While the NGOs taking this seriously and are running campaigns against smoking cigs, let's celebrate the day with some humour. Here is some funny stuff for you:

An actress to a film director: “I'm sorry, but I can't give close shots with this chain-smoker.”

Director: “Don't worry dear, he has quitted smoking. Now he is addicted to heroin(e).”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A fiancée to her fiance: “I want to break up our engagement. You smoke too many cigs and I have heard that cigarette is a slow poison.”

Fiancé: “So what's the problem? I don't want to die early.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________

“Which film title exactly tells about the harmful effect of cigarette?” A teacher asked the class 10 student.

“Gone with the Wind”, replied a smart pupil.

Jayesh

Marathi Wedding

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:31:26 GMT

Welcome to the grand Marathi marriage. The marvels of Marathi wedding found in its glitzy and showy wedding ceremonies and rituals. The Marathi wedding celebration goes for a number of days. According to Marathi wedding traditions, marriage takes place in the morning hours only. However, some weddings also take place in afternoon. Everything depends on Muhurat. One of the commonly known Muhurts is Goraj Muhurta. This is the time when cows come back to village after grazing in the grassy fields. As a rule, a Marathi wedding does not ever take place at night.

Rituals before Wedding

Sakhar Puda

After the girl and boy select each other as life partner, a family astrologer matches horoscopes and calculate the compatibility. If everything is ok, wedding ceremonies begin.

Marathi wedding starts with Sukhar Puda – a tradition performed before marriage. This is similar to engagement. Sukhar Puda is a packet of sugar given to bride from groom’s family. This symbolizes that the lives of bride and groom will be filled with sweetness. Groom’s parents give a sari to bride as a mark of acceptance. Bride’s arms are adorned with green glass bangles. Now the two families can send invitation cards to their relatives and friends.

For Sukhar Puda, you need to have sari, green glass bangles, packets of sugar, sweets and snacks.

Kelvan

Kelvan is a feast organized at bride and groom’s house before two-three days of wedding. Both families host a meal for the entire family and guests gathered there.

Kuldevta

Worshipping Kuldevta (family deity) is a part of Marathi wedding. Both families invoke their family deities and pray to accomplish the wedding without any obstacles. This ceremony is taken place in the evening before the wedding.

During this ceremony, both families remember their ancestors and worship them with faith. They offer new clothes, flowers and sweets to their eminent ancestors. Sweets are also sent to the marriage party on the other side.

Haldi

Haldi is similar to Pithi ceremony in Punjabi and Gujarati wedding. A mixture of turmeric, sandalwood powder, cream and scented oil is applied to bride. The paste is applied with mango leaves. Women sing songs and groom is given a ritual bath. The remaining paste along with a sari and other articles of worship are sent to bride’s house. The same ritual is repeated on bride. Five handfuls of rice and a betel nut are placed in the lap of bride. This ritual confirms the boy and girl as groom and bride.

For this ceremony, paste of turmeric, sandalwood powder, cream and scented oil is required. Mango leaves are also needed.

Simant Puja

Simant Puja is one of the important traditional ceremonies wherein family members of groom visit the bride’s house. Bride’s family gives warm welcome to groom’s family and a delicious lunch is offered to them. The tradition is still followed by Marathi families.

Things required for this ceremony are delectable food like Poran Poori.

Marriage ceremony

Now is the time of actual wedding. Maternal uncle (mama) of bride plays an important role here. He brings the bride to the mandap. Groom and bride are not allowed to see each other’s face and an Antarpat (a silk cloth) is kept between the two. Pandit is chanting Mangalashtakas – eight stanzas (shlokas) to invoke various Gods and blessings for the couple. At the end of each shlok, pandit explains the meaning of stanza. After Mangalashtakas, the antarpat is removed. Then bride and groom put garlands around each other’s neck and guests and relatives shower unbroken rice over the couple. A mangalsutra is given to the bride by her groom.

Things required for this ceremony are Pujan samagri as listed by pandit, flower garlands, sandalwood sticks, ahuti, pure ghee, sindoor, rice, flowers, betel leaves and water in copper pot.

Saptapadi

Seven steps together. Now the marriage is irrevocable. In this ceremony, seven heaps of rice and betel-nut are arranged near the altar. The groom leads the bride, and bride puts her right foot on the rice heaps at each step. Then the couple offer parched grains and ghee to the sacred fire.

Laxmi Pooja

Now the couple performs the Laxmi Pooja in which they worship Goddess Laxmi and then the groom gives a new name to his wife, which he writes on the rice with a gold ring.

Once the Saptapadi is completed, the couple pays obeisance to the Pole Star. This symbolizes the resolve to observe constancy of the marital vows throughout life.

Kanyadaan (Jhal Phirwane)

Kanyadaan is the biggest Daan according to Hindu scriptures. Father gives away his daughter’s hand to the groom and this ceremony is known as Jhal Phirwane in Marathi wedding. In this ritual, 21 lamps are lit in a cane dish, and the dish is put on bride’s head. After this, the dish is given to groom’s family and bride’s father asks each member of groom’s family to accept his daughter as their own.

Things required for this ceremony are cane dish and 21 lamps (diyas)

Rituals after wedding

Sun Mukh Baghne

Indian marriage not only unites two individuals but also the two families. According to this ritual, groom’s mother welcomes the bride into her new home. Groom’s mother looks at her daughter-in-law’s face. She also looks at her face in the mirror. Then groom’s mother combs hair of newly wed bride. This symbolizes that bride and her mother-in-law should behave like a mother and daughter.

Changing the bride’s name

It is customary among Marathi families to change the name of bride after the marriage. This ritual takes place at groom’s house. The ritual stars with the names of Lord Ganesha and Kuldevta. Groom inscribes the name of bride on a plate full of rice. Some Marathi families also conduct this ceremony during Laxmi Pooja.

Wedding Dinner

Wedding dinner is hosted on the night of marriage. Special meal is prepared for the occasion. Groom’s family is given special respect as they first sit to take dinner. The couple takes rounds of mandap to ensure that everybody is taking dinner.

Thus the grand Marathi wedding is accomplished.

Jayesh

Kannada Wedding

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:29:30 GMT

Kannada wedding rituals include many interesting Kannada wedding traditions like Kannada music. Kannada wedding ceremony gives much importance to Kannada bride as Kannada matrimony believes in woman empowerment.

Punjabi Wedding - Balle Balle, Shaava Shaava

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:26:34 GMT

Punjabi wedding is as cheerful and lively as Punjabis are. Various colourful customs and rituals make the wedding a really memorable occasion. Even if you are not Punjabi, you would love to tie knot according to Punjabi rituals once you attend a wedding in Punjab. Here are some of the customs and rituals of Punjabi wedding. Enjoy the flavour and fun of Punjabi wedding.

Before-wedding dhamaka

There is lot of bustle in the family before the wedding, and this is the real joy of the occasion. Here is a description of the rituals celebrated before a traditional Punjabi wedding.

With Roka starts the Punjabi wedding. The ceremony declares that the boy and girl are now committed to marry each other. This ritual is taken place at bride’s house. The groom’s family and relatives visit the bride’s house, where a Pooja is performed by a family pundit of bride. Then the two families exchange gifts and then the marriage is formally announced by the elders of the family.

Bride's family should be prepared with following items for Roka:

Ring
Gift for groom
Gift for groom’s parents
Gift for groom’s sibling’s grandparents & relatives.
Sweets & Dry fruits

For groom's side, here are the items they should not forget:

Ring
Outfit/jewellery/footwear for bride
Suhag items
Sweets

After Raka, now it’s time for Naachgaana – Sangeet. As every Hindu wedding starts with a prayer to God, Punjabi wedding also starts with Satsang or mata di chowki/jagrata. Then family members dance and sing Punjabi wedding songs on Dholki. These days, youngsters also hire a DJ for the Sangeet, and rock with the modern music.

Sangeet is followed by Chunni Chadana ritual. In this, close female relatives form the groom's side go the bride's home with 'suhag ki pitari' (a decorated basket full of gifts from the groom's mother for the bride). These gifts include mehendi (henna), clothes, jewellery, fruits, dry fruits, dried coconut, 'dried dates, bangles, sindoor (vermilion powder) and a red stole. This ceremony also marks the singing and dancing to the beat of Dholki. During this, ladies from the groom’s side decorate the bride by dressing her up and draping the red stole.

For Chuni, groom's family need the following items:

Bride’s clothes (with red chunni)
Badam (Almond)/Elaichi (Cardamom)
Mishri
Sweets
A set of jewellery

Bhaat is a special ceremony for which special mahurat is taken from family pundit as this has a special meaning for any Punjabi bride. In this ritual, bride’s maternal uncle (Mama) gives gifts to bride and her mother; he also brings gifts for groom and his mother. Bride’s Mama also hosts a lunch at his home, where he invites bride’s and groom’s families. The mother of bride/groom applies tika to her brother and his wife.

Sagan takes place just a day before the marriage. This is a Mehendi ceremony wherein, the Mehendi is sent by mother-in-law of bride. The Mehendi is applied to bride by her family members and relatives with kachi Lassi (mixture of meda and milk water). Then bride puts her hand print on the wall of her paternal house. This is called Sagan. On the other hand, this ceremony also takes place at groom’s household, where Mehendi and lassi are applied to groom. Like bride, groom also puts his Mehendi-ridden hands to the wall. Following this, groom’s clothes are torn and he is kicked out by his father. Then groom’s sister brings him into the home with bands and singing songs and a glass of milk.

Vatna is a ceremony wherein bride’s friends and sisters apply mixture of besan, haldi, chandan and kesar on bride’s hands and legs and face. It’s said that after applying this mixture, bride looks beautiful. This ceremony is performed one day before wedding ceremony.

Ghara Gharoli is a ceremony celebrated on wedding day early in morning under the gentle light of stars. This ritual gives much importance to bride’s brother and his wife. Bride stays at home wrapped in her old clothes for a couple of days before her wedding. She has to sit around the enlightened lamps (diya) so that the light of the lamps is reflected on her face. Brother and his wife fill the pitcher of water from nearby temple while bride’s family and relatives walk together singing and dancing along the way. Then bride takes bath adding the temple water in her household water. Her clothes are given to beggars and her Bhabhi (wife of bride’s brother) is given token gift for this ceremony.

Kvar Dhoti is celebrated on the day of wedding. The groom’s sister and brother – in – law take kavar dhoti to the bride’s house and give it to her before she wears chooda. This includes rice, sugar, saffron, ghee, badam (almond) and Mehendi.

Chooda is one of the most important ceremonies without which Punjabi wedding cannot be accomplished. The role of mama and mami of a bride is very significant during this ceremony. The oldest maternal uncle and aunt of bride and her parents observe fast until the ceremony is completed. Then Pundit performs a havan. Then everybody presents there touches the Chooda and give blessings and warm wishes to bride. The Chooda is normally a set of red and cream ivory bangles. Then the chooda is dipped in kachi lasi. Here bride is not allowed to see her chooda, therefore, the chooda is wrapped into a white cloth. Once bride takes bath, she can see her chooda. Then bride puts Chooda around her wrist; she also wears iron bangles with shells and beads, and a mauli. All these give the bride protection from the evils. After the ceremony, flower petals are showered on the bride and Prasad is distributed among all. Bride’s maternal uncle and aunt, friends and cousins tie kaliras (silver, gold or gold plated traditional ornaments tied to Chooda). Finally, before going to her husband’s home, bride has to tap one of her unmarried female friends or cousins with her kaliras. This indicates that one who is tapped will be the next bride.

Ghodi, Vag Goodti and Dupatta Varna: The groom's Bhabhi applies Surma in his eyes. After this, the groom's sisters and cousins feed and decorate his mare. If the groom chooses to use a car for the occasion, then the car is decorated. His relatives use cash for the Varna, a ceremony that is supposed to ward off the evil eyes. The cash is given away to the poor.

The wedding rituals comprise Sehrabandi, Milni, Jaimala and Phera.

Seharabandi is another ritual performed at groom’s house. A Pooja is performed after groom sports his wedding attires. Groom’s sehra is blessed by his relatives. His sisters are involved in this ceremony as they have to tie sehra to their brother, and in turn, get cash/gifts from groom. At the end of this ceremony, everyone presents there blesses the groom and gives him gifts or cash.

The Milni ceremony is performed when groom comes to the wedding venue with procession (Baarat). Bride side gives warm welcome to groom and his family and relatives with flower wreaths. Bride’s family gives Shagun (gifts/cash) to groom’s close relatives and members of family.

Jaimala or Varmala includes exchange of garlands between bride and groom. Jaimala is an indication that the bride accepts the groom. The bride puts the garland first. The ceremony cheers the nervous bride and groom.

Phera (circling the sacred fire) is the most important ritual in any Hindu wedding. The mahurut of phera is fixed after dinner, and when the auspicious time comes, pundit performs Pooja for the groom. The groom chants few mantras and this is when bride’s sisters and cousins start teasing groom; they also grab the groom’s shoes and return only when they get gifts or cash from groom side. Groom’s father also gives silver ring for bride’s cousins and gold ring for bride’s real sister. The pundit performs another Pooja with the couple and their parents. The bride is given away by her father and this is ‘Kanyadan’. This ceremony is followed by pheras – bride and groom circle the holy fire in a clock-wise direction. Earlier there were only four pheras, which signify Dharma (religious merit), Artha (prosperity), Kama (Happiness) and Moksh (Detachment from worldly pleasures). But now, seven pheras have come into practice. The first four are led by the bride and next three by the groom.

After wedding ceremonies are completed, time comes for Vidai – the bride has to leave the house of her father and joins the new family. At this time, bride throws puffed rice over her head. This ritual conveys her good wishes to her parents. Brother of bride walks with her and bride's relatives throw coins after the procession.

After reaching groom’s house, the just-married couple is welcomed with a ceremony Pani Bharna. The groom’s mother performs traditional aarti with a pitcher of water. She makes 7 attempts to drink the water from the pitcher and the groom must allow her to succeed on 7th time. The bride with her right foot kicks the mustard oil that is put on the sides of entrance of the door and she enters the house along with her husband.

Phera Dalna is the last of the list. According to this ritual, bride and groom visit the bride’s parents on the day after the wedding. They are invited by brother of bride. Bride’s parents host a lunch and give lot of gifts to the couple.

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Want to tie knot in Punjabi style?

Jayesh

Wedding Invitation: Invite your near and dear ones in style

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:23:15 GMT

A wedding without guests looks as bland as corn flakes, and your guest would like to attend your marriage only if they are invited most cordially. So my dear brides and grooms, you need to make your invitation full of warmth, beautiful designs and catchy words. After all, your guests are going to make your occasion the most memorable one. So guys, here are some tips for how to make your invitation inviting and engaging.

Some more samples of Wedding Invitations Wordings

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:06:20 GMT

Inviting guests on your wedding is perhaps the most delightful and difficult task for couples. After choosing designs and colours of the cards, now it’s time to put words. Written words infuse life into the design and colours of your wedding invitation cards. In my previous article on Wedding Invitation Wording, I have given one sample of wedding invitation wordings. Here are some more samples for you. Read on to relish.

Wedding Invitation Wording: First word on the great event

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:05:05 GMT

Indian wedding has always been a fun, frolic and fiesta for the family involved and guests who attend the grand event. Everything from invitation to reception to honeymoon has a stroke of splendor. As real wedding ceremony starts with invitation, I will tell you about the wedding invitation wording.

Wedding Invitation Quotes: Open-heart welcome

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:02:52 GMT

Even after adding beautiful wordings and impressive designs, you feel that your wedding invitation cards lack in something. Yes, your guess is right: it is wedding invitation quotes. The greats of the past have expressed some meaningful and striking sentences on one of the marvelous phenomena on the earth – wedding. Here are some quotable quotes you can use while getting your wedding invitation cards printed.

Funny Wedding Quotes

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:00:11 GMT

If there is one thing common about weddings across the world, its all the funny quotes of about how we ridicule the perils of married life. Some of these are true, some aren't. But to find out which ones apply to you, you gotta get married first .

Here's some of our favorites -

The greedy, yet smart couple rationale - "If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable" - George Ads

The emotional aunt version - "I think weddings is sadder than funerals, because they remind you of your own wedding. You can't be reminded of your own funeral because it hasn't happened. But weddings always make me cry"

A disillusioned partner reaction "All weddings are similar but every marriage is different. Death comes to everyone but one mourns alone" - John Berger

Frustrated, yet succinct speak - "Oh! how many torments lie in the small circle of a wedding ring" - Colley Cibber

The smooth friend logic - "It's pretty easy. Just say "I do" whenever anyone asks you a question" - Richard Curtis

The smoothest friend's remorse - "The trouble with the best man is, you don't get a chance to prove it" - Les A. Murray

And yet the groom is hardly happy - "You can't imagine how many clothes you have to put on a girl when the sole purpose is to get them off" - John Steinbeck

And yet again - "The triumph of hope over experience" - Samuel Johnson (on a man who remarried immediately after the death of his wife with whom he had been unhappy)

Words of Wisdom (Kalyug - real world) - "Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the creation of time and will, any marriage, happy or unhappy, is infinitely more interesting than any romance, however passionate" - W.H.Auden

Words of Wisdom (Satyug - ideal world) - "To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death do us apart" - The Book of Common Prayer

Amen!

View Wedding Invitation Quotes

Bloom, bloom… It’s Flower Theme Wedding

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:56:16 GMT

Wedding without the presence of flowers is beyond our imagination, and getting married with flower wedding theme is a dream come true for any couple. Flower has both feminine grace and masculine robustness – its petals have the tenderness of a woman and its stem exudes the toughness of a man. But having said all the beautiful things, the million-dollar question is how to get along with this delicate theme of flower wedding. Flower wedding theme has its own difficulties, and here is the solution from an expert.

Invitation

Your guests would love to attend your flowery marriage occasion after receiving invitation cards decorated with flowers. Beautiful and colourful flowers show your true emotions. Or you can get the invitation cards printed with floral background. Red or pink roses will be an ideal background for cards.

Wedding Website

A personal wedding website is a great way to share all your wedding details and memories with your friends and family. You can share all your stories, events information, photos, maps, videos and more with your friends and preserve your wedding website forever. More importantly, it’s ultra-cool and unique.

For a floral wedding, we highly recommend using the Bloom template, which will provide your guests the perfect preview of what’s to come when they attend your wedding.

Location

What could be a better option than Bangalore – the garden city of India – for wedding venue? The city boasts this status from 1927 as the passion for flowers and plants rule over the people so vigorously that every citizen of Bangalore is called amateur botanist. Selecting Bangalore as your wedding venue automatically slashes your expenses on flowers. Try your best to calculate the approximate number of guests before booking a garden site. Factors such as geographical proximity to the guests' place of work or their residence are equally important. And don’t forget that rain may play a villain. So better exchange your marriage vows under a protective roof.

Decoration

Giving a decorative touch to a garden? It would be like gilding a lily. Does your wedding need any more decoration when you are getting married in one of the beautiful gardens of India? But if you still want to go ahead, let’s have a competition among flowers. Flowers in garden against the flowers outside the garden. The floral array is packed with red roses, pink roses, gerberas, carnations and many more.
An elegant and inexpensive decorating idea for autumn is the use of fallen foliage in your decoration. Just imagine your marriage stage decorated with fallen leaves and a few fresh flowers. You can cut the flower cost to half of the entire expenses.

Food

If you are in south of India, you can take pleasure from non-greasy, roasted and steamed food stuffs like idli and dhosa. These are spicy stuffs; in sweet, there are countless varieties a south Indian kitchen can serve you. Carrot Burfi, Carrot Kheer, Chakara Pongal, Kesari Bath, Mysore Pak are some of the mouth-watering sweets.

Outfits

Flowery outfits will surely take you to a fantasy land, or rather it will be a back-to-basics experience; the first generation of human beings, who used to wrap themselves with leaves, and flowers used to be their only embellishment. But you don’t have to depend too much on flowers; you just need to fasten the wreaths of flowers with your wedding attires. Also tell your designer that all the attires need to be flowery.

To sum up, let me tell you guys that while you are using millions of flowers to make your day memorable, remember this quote, “I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some.”

Jayesh

Gujarati Wedding

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:46:29 GMT

One of the richest states of India is also rich in wedding rituals and customs. Gujarati wedding means lot of fun, food and firecrackers. During the wedding celebration, both the families go gaga as the joyous occasion lasts for many days – right from engagement (sagai) to wedding and wedding reception. Here is the description of customs and ritual associated with Gujarati wedding.

Gujarati wedding starts with Sagai. This ceremony marks the commitment of bride and groom to each other. In this ceremony, bride comes to the groom’s house with an earthen container (matli). Now the container is available in steel. This matli contains sweets and gifts for the groom and his family. This ceremony means the acceptance of bride and groom by the respective family. Then comes a ceremony wherein five ladies from both families bless the couple. By this, they give their words to each other and now bride and groom are engaged.

The engagement ceremony requires some items. Here is a list:

Ring, Chundri, Coconut, Sava Rupaiya (Rs1.25/-), Sweets, Bangles, Sari, Bindi, Kumkum

Ganesh Sthapana/Mandap Muhurat

A Gujarati wedding is not possible without invoking Lord Ganesha. Installation of the statue of Ganesha is a must. This is the official start of a Gujarati wedding. This ritual is performed a few days ago of wedding. All the members of family sit together and pundit performs the Pooja of Lord Ganesha. This ceremony is performed so that Lord Ganesha removes all the obstacles and wedding is accomplished peacefully. This Pooja takes place at both household. For this, you need the painting of Lord Ganesha, Pooja Samagri (materials), flowers to decorate Ganesha Sthapan.

Graha Shanti

Graha Shanti is another important ritual. As a matter of fact, it is a Pooja conducted at the households of bride and groom. An auspicious time is decided by family pandit. On the day of Graha Shanti, horoscopes of bride and groom are also matched. It is a religious get-together of family members and relatives. For this Pooja, pandit gives the list of materials to be arranged.

Pithi

This is a ceremony where members of family and relatives apply a paste of turmeric, sandalwood and saffron (Pithi). This paste has qualities that cleanse the skin and put a healthy glow on the face of bride and groom. For this, you need to arrange paste of turmeric, sandalwood and saffron.

Garba

Can you imagine a Gujarati wedding without Garba? This ceremony gives the opportunity for both families to come together and enjoy the traditional Garba and Gujarati wedding songs. Friends of bride and groom participate in Garba, and they drag bride and groom in the circle. They dance with two wooden sticks (Dandia) hitting the sticks of partner. Music is the soul of Garba. A band of musicians play different instruments in which Dhol, harmonium and Flute are prominent. During the Garba, fresh knots are also tied between future couples.

Things to be arranged for this ceremony:

DJ or Musical Party
Dandia (wooden sticks)
Snacks (Gota, Khaman, Samosa, fafda)
Soft or Hot Drinks.

Wedding Ceremony

Jaan (Marriage Party)/Ponkvu

One of the important rituals is Jaan, the marriage party. Groom comes with his family, friends and relative to take his bride home. Here, groom seeks blessings of his mother-in-law, who not only gives blessings but also clutches his nose. This ceremony is to check how modest and thoughtful the groom is. This also keeps evil eye far from the groom. The ritual indicates that the groom has to rub his nose at the doorstep of his father-in-law to win the heart of bride.

Things to be arranged for Baarat

Aarti Thali (Diya. KumKum, Chaval, Flowers)
Flower Garlands
Music Band (from groom’s side)

Jaimala/Varmala

During this ceremony, bride and groom exchange flower wreath with each other. At this, a funny incident takes place. When bride tries to put wreath around the neck of groom, friends of groom lifts him high so that bride fails to do so. This signifies that bride cannot take the groom from his friends and family even after marriage.

Things to be arranged for Jaimala

Flower wreaths (for bride and groom)

Madhuparka

After Varmala, it’s Madhuparka. Here groom is welcomed in the mandap by his mother-in-law. According to custom, bride’s parents wash groom’s feet and he is given milk and honey. Fun is never away from Gujarati wedding. Here also bride’s siblings steal and hide away the shoes of groom. After some bargaining, groom has to shell out some bucks to take his shoes back.

Things to be arrange for this ceremony

Pooja Samagri (as per pandit’s list)
Kalash of water (to wash feet of groom)

Antarpaat/Kanya Agman

Now is the time to invite bride to the mandap, and pandit shouts the ‘Agman Kanya’. According to Gujarati custom, bride’s mama (maternal uncle) brings her to chori (mandap). If mama is not able to attend the ceremony, bride’s cousins (mama’s sons) perform this ceremony. There is a curtain known as Antarpaat separates bride and groom; then the curtain is lowered and couple put garlands in each others’ necks. This ceremony takes place in front of sacred fire and is conducted by pandit.

Things to be arranged for this ceremony

Flower garlands
White cloth (for curtain called antarpaat)

Kanya Daan

In Hindu scriptures, Kanya Daan is considered the biggest daan for any human being; a person, who gives away his daughter, is the luckiest on earth. In this ceremony, bride is given away by her parents to groom. Bride’s parents do not eat until the Kanya Daan is accomplished. According to Holy Scriptures, bride is Goddess Laxmi and the groom is Lord Vishnu.

Hast Milap – Uniting the souls

In its literal meaning, this is a joining of hands, but in its deeper sense it is a union of two souls. In this ceremony, groom’s scarf is fastened to the bride’s sari, and this denotes the union of two souls. This knot is tied by groom’s sister. The chanting of mantra invites goddess Laxmi and goddess Parvati to bless the bride. The couple is blessed by relatives by showering grains of rice and flowers.

Mangal Pheras

In this ceremony pandit chants mantras and groom also recites mantras, which show his expectations and he seeks the love and support of his wife for the smooth sailing of nuptial life. The bride and groom walks around the scared fire 4 times; this signifies the 4 basic human goals: Dharma (religious merit), Artha (prosperity) Kama (happiness) Moksha (detachment from worldly pleasures). At the end of pheras, the bride and groom will run to sit first. It is said that one who sits first rules the house.

Saptapadi

In Saptapadi, the couple walks around the holy fire seven times. This ceremony makes up the marriage as it is an important ritual in Gujarati wedding. The groom recites mantras with each round. He requests his bride to take care of house, be supportive to him. There are seven requests made by groom and bride promises him to fulfill these requests.

Blessings of Saubhagyawati Bhava

A small but important ceremony. It has a great value in bride’s life as she is blessed by only married women. Seven married women whisper their blessings in the right ear of bride. These women wish lifetime Saubhagya for the bride.

Chhedo Pakadvo

Grooms, if you can earn hundred or five hundred odd bucks just by holding the Pallu of the sari of your mother-in-law, it’s not a bad idea. In this ceremony, groom holds the sari of his mother-in-law to ask for gifts for him and his family.

Post Wedding Ceremony

Vidaai

Tears rolling down the smiling cheeks. When it is time to say bye-bye to bride, all the pleasure in the bride camp is turned to pain of separation. The uncontrolled emotions flow from the eyes of the family of bride. Here bride’s brother comes into picture as bride is carried out by her brother.

Ghar nu Laxmi

Now the bride is a member of groom’s family. She is considered the goddess Laxmi of groom’s family. In this ceremony, groom’s mother plays an important role. She places a kalash (a steel vessel) full of rice at the entrance of the house. Bride knocks the vessel down with her right foot and enters the house. This ritual symbolizes that the new bride is responsible for the pleasures and peace of entire household.

Aeki Beki

Now the funny activities start at the home. One such is Aeki Beki, wherein a vessel full of water mixed with milk and sindoor is placed before bride and groom. In this water are few coins and a ring are thrown. Now both start finding the coins and ring from the water. One who finds ring four out of seven times will rule the household.

Jayesh

Wedding Invitations Etiquettes: some dos and don'ts

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:41:43 GMT

Your wedding, and perhaps your worries, start with invitation. Inviting guests is pleasant and painful task. Here are some tips on wedding invitation etiquettes for young couples who are on the verge of taking a plunge.

First and foremost send your invitation cards to your distant relatives – not emotionally but physically. Yes, those who reside far from the wedding crowd, i.e. your place of wedding. Your out-of-town guests should receive your wedding invitation cards 30 to 45 days in advance, while in-town guests should receive it three weeks before the D-day.

Many couples are more than enthusiastic while writing wedding invitation cards, but when it comes to give titles to the names, their pen stops working. They suddenly realize that they are unsure with titles. Dear couples, kindly go through the below written list:

A married couple: Mr. and Mrs Apurva Shah

A married couple in which the woman has kept her name: Ms Heeral Gandhi and Mr Apurva Shah.

When husband is an army official: Colonel and Mrs R K Khanna

If wife is doctor and her husband is not: Wife with the professional title is listed first. Out side the envelop: Dr. Gunjan Bhatt (top line), Mr Pranav Bhatt. Or Dr. Gunjan Bhatt and Mr Pranav Bhatt. Inside the envelope, you can write: Dr Bhatt and Mr Bhatt, or Dr. and Mr Bhatt.

Couples, do your homework well in advance to write the initials and designations right. Remember, people love to be invited with their professional titles. A doctor likes to be known as doctor and same with others also.

Many couples do not want to accept gifts, but they don’t know how to convey their idea to their guests. But friends, telling them personally can be very awkward. The best solution is to mention it in your wedding invitation cards. I will give you two options:

1. Your presence will be our gift. We kindly request no other.
2. If you can donate to the nearby charity, we will be delighted and honoured.

Another common trouble couples face is that their friends live with their parents. And they have good affinity with their parents also. At this, you should remember that elders love to be treated specially and you need to make all efforts to give them the invitation card personally. If this sounds impractical or unnecessary to give separate cards to your friends and their parents, the solution is to address the invitation to the head of the family and his members. If your friend’s father’s name is Mr D K Arora, you can address it as Mr D K Arora and family.

Last but not the least, if you want to make your invitation cards full of warmth and feelings, then don’t ever paste labels on the envelope. Labels cannot create that personal touch, you know. So what if you have to invite many guests to the wedding; get the envelope hand-written or if your bank account allows, call a calligrapher to do it properly. If you need help of any invitation consultant, we are just a Click away.

Jayesh

Fast & fabulous Malyalam Wedding

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:40:43 GMT

Perhaps the Malayalees are in hurry when it comes to wedding as their wedding rituals just take 15 minutes. Yes, the brevity is the soul of Malayalam wedding and couple enjoy the ceremony as they can pack their luggage for honeymoon. But pundit has a long role to play here. He has to keep the sacred fire all through the preceding night.

During the pre-wedding rituals, Malayalees perform Muhurtham ritual – a very important ritual in Malyalee wedding as without horoscope matching, wedding cannot take place. Horoscope matching finds compatibility between the soon-to-be bride and groom. If the horoscope matches, then an auspicious date or Muhurtham is selected. An astrologer plays a vital role here. For this ceremony, parents must have horoscopes of bride and groom.

Nischayam Ceremony

As found in other wedding ceremonies across the India, here also you find engagement or Vivah Nischayam ceremony. Half of the wedding ceremony is performed during Vivah Nischayam, wherein families and relatives of both parties meet and approve the match.

Surprisingly, the ceremony is accomplished in the absence of bride and groom. They are not allowed to attend the ceremony. Maternal uncles of both sides conduct the ceremony. They sit on the either side of a brass lamp and pundit supervises the function. Boy’s uncle asks girl’s uncle for his readiness, and girl’s relatives convince the uncle to say yes. Then the girl’s uncle says ‘I give you my word thrice’. And the engagement is confirmed. Sometimes, they exchange rings also. Then both sides discuss other details such as marriage date, time and venue keeping the pundit with them. Now comes the luncheon.

A traditional Feast takes place at bride’s place. This ceremony is performed one day before the wedding. A special traditional and delectable food is prepared to serve all the guests. The bride sits facing the east and takes traditional five course vegetarian meal with members of her family.

And the D-day turns up. Malayalee wedding rituals begin with Madhuparkam ceremony.

In traditional Malyalee wedding, bride wears two-piece sari known as Mandu. The bride also puts on flowers and jewellery, while the groom is decked up in traditional dhoti and angvastram. The ceremony takes place at bride’s house in north-western room. Bride’s father washes groom’s feet and gives a warm welcome to marriage party. Groom gives his father-in-law an off white sari that bride wears in the wedding.

Veli Ceremony

Veli is the nuptial ceremony (Phere) that is performed in front of holy fire. The couple walks around the holy fire for three times, thereafter groom ties the ‘Taali’ that is strung on the yellow thread around the bride’s neck. It is followed by kanyadanam or penkoda ceremony. This ceremony signifies that bride’s father hands over her responsibility to the groom.

Things to be arranged for this ceremony:

Talli
Puja samagri
Kalash of water (to wash the feet of groom)

Sparsham Ritual

After Kanyadaanam, it is Sparsham. According to this ritual, the groom sits in front of the bride. He then tilts his head backwards to touch his wife’s forehead. Bride throws puffed rice into fire while pundit chants mantras. Then girl’s hand is placed in the hands of her husband for human. Then groom lifts bride’s foot and places it on the Ammi (grinding stone). This symbolizes that bride has broken all her old ties with her paternal family. Then groom takes the bride’s foot forward seven times. This indicates her entry into the new family.

Once the wedding is accomplished, an elaborate meal is served. This consists of several vegetarian food items. And now it is time for the bride to say bye to her family. The couple leave for the groom’s house, preceded by lamps in what is called Kudivep. At groom’s house, bride is given a grand welcome; the ceremony is called Griha Pravesh.

Thus Malayalee wedding is completed.

Jayesh

Gujarati wedding songs

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:38:59 GMT

Wedding songs are part and parcel of Indian culture. Every region has its own unique but rich culture. The uniqueness of the culture is displayed in its weddings and wedding songs. Here is a list of songs sung during Gujarati Wedding. Enjoy the songs.

While writing Amantran Patrika (Invitation cards)

Kanku chhanti ne lakhjo kankotri
Ama lakhjo ------- akhand subhagyawati
Dada avya ne dadi ni aviya
Koyal bethi amliya Ni dal, morliyao betho re gadh ne kagre ne lol
Koyal mange kadla Ni jod, hiteshbhai maange lakhen ladi mara raj
Koyal mange kambiyu ni jod, komal mange navarang chunri

Vanvagda ni kali koyal tane vanvago kem gamse re, (2)
Vanvagda na van phal khasu ne mitha pani pisu re,
Vala ma vala mara rashmi ben tane sasariye kem gamse re,
Medi e besi ne harla parovishu ne dada ni vatu joisu re,
Vanvagda ni kali koyal tane vanvago kem gamse re, (2)
Vanvagda na van phal khasu ne mitha pani pisu re,
Vala ma vala mara rashmi ben tane sasariye kem gamse re,

Chori

Mandve re avayo van no morlo re rashmi ben ke kaje,
Beni mari chodo piyar jao sasare,
Mata chodi do, pita chodi do chodi maninagar gam re, beni mari.........
Sasaro tamaro harishchandra, sasu tamari taramatti hoy re ke beni mari..............
Mandve re avayo van no morlo re rashmi ben ke kaje,
Beni mari chodo piyar jao sasare,
Kaka chodi do kaki chodi ro chodi do bhai ben na het re beni marii.........
Mandve re avayo van no morlo re rashmi ben ke kaje,
Beni mari chodo piyar jao sasare,
Jeth tara raja ram hoy ne jethani tari sita mati hoy re ........beni mari
Mandve re avayo van no morlo re rashmi ben ke kaje,
Beni mari chodo piyar jao sasare,
Diyar taro vilyati vandro re derani tari sarkhi jod re beni mari ...........
Mandve re avayo van no morlo re rashmi ben ke kaje,
Beni mari chodo piyar jao sasare,

Vidai

Mare aagan asopalav na zade bagla besi gaya re lol.....
Bagala udi gaya aakase pagla padi gaya re lol
Beni tame aasuda na pado ke lekh tara lakhai gaya re lol....
Dada e des na joya pardes re ke dikari dai didha re lol.......
Mare aagan asopalav na zade bagla besi gaya re lol.....
Bagala udi gaya aakase pagla padi gaya re lol

Dada mora devu hoy te dejo re chinky ben chalya sasre
Dade alya hathi kera dan besvane ali palki re hilol
Kaka e apya Gayo kera daan, dova ne aapi boghani.

Jayesh

It’s funky, fast & fabulous. It’s Email Wedding Invitations

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:37:40 GMT

The influence of internet is so widespread that the world feels paralyzed if it is cut off from the internet even for a few minutes. Generation Y is cool with internet and in net, they have got their new friend, philosopher and guide. And the level of addiction is so increased that today, young guys and gals want to send e-invitations to their friends and relatives for their wedding. The idea catches the fancy of young couples with the extensive use of internet connection at home and offices too.

So friends, before you set to blast email invitations to your near and dear ones, let’s check out how e-invitations can work wonders for you.

Email invitation is the coolest way to say you are taking a plunge in the wedding well. People love something new. They are fed up with all the same wedding invitation cards with hackneyed phrases and graphics. Give them something new, out of the box, they would like to read and reply also. They would also love to show their inbox to their friends also.

No other medium can offer you so fast and cheap delivery as e-invitations. You can reach out to all your friends and relatives in no time. Moreover, you get immediate reply also from the recipients. Don’t forget to put RSVP link on your e-invitation. So you can manage your guest list without any hassle.

The graphical and flashy presentation gives your e-invitation a glittering effect. Your email invitations can beat the glossiest paper that can make a hole in your pocket. You have got innumerable design options with customizable colour choices. With e-invitation, you are free to phrase your wedding invitation wordings. If you can add music to your e-invitation, it will be an audio-visual treat to the guests. The all new funky and flashy look is sure to dazzle the recipient.

Things to be taken care of

Ensure that your e-invitations have a print option so that your guests can have a hard copy with all instructions and directions at hand.

You just can’t forget an RSVP option.

There are plethora of free e-invitation sites and many include pop ups. Therefore, there are all chances of your email getting blocked out as spam; so ensure that you are using reputable sites. An e-invitation template will be a better option as it will not cost you much. This will also make certain that your e-invitations are received to your guests and they are not deleted as spam mails.

If you are planning a wedding, you will need to consider the demographics of your guests. There may be some who are not net savvy and many are afraid of viruses, spy ware and unwanted emails. If you want to fire e-invitations, send out to your young colleagues and friends.

When all's said and done, your e-invitation should sound convincing to the recipients; they should feel the warmth of your heart. And if you need help of any e-invitation consultant, we are just a Click away.

Jayesh

The nuts & bolts of Fairytale Wedding

Sat, 31 May 2008 12:49:55 GMT

After a fairytale romance, now get ready for fairytale wedding. Fairytale wedding in India is gaining momentum, says fairytale wedding planners in chorus. Couples also love to tie nuptial knot with fairytale wedding theme.

Indian Wedding: Take a plunge in a Royal manner

Wed, 28 May 2008 11:13:27 GMT

Wedding is an occasion that needs lot of things to be taken care of; and Indian wedding, oh my God! Everybody wants everything picture perfect. From wedding outfits, wedding stage, wedding invitation cards, invitation card designs and shopping. Here is an article on Indian Wedding and its royal celebration by both the parties. Read on to enjoy.

Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0

Mon, 19 May 2008 08:47:54 GMT

Here's a funny joke that I got as a forward. Careful... you guys

Dear Tech Support Team:

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0. I soon noticed that the new program began unexpected child-processes that took up a lot of space and valuable resources. In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and now monitors all other system activities.

Applications such as BachelorNights 10.3, Cricket 5.0, BeerWithBuddies 7.5, and Outings 3.6 no longer runs, crashing the system whenever selected. I can't seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run my favorite applications.

I'm thinking about going back to Girlfriend 5.0 , but the 'uninstall' doesn't work on Wife 1.0. Please help!

Thanks,
"A Troubled User"

REPLY

Dear Troubled User:

This is a very common problem that people complain about. Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a Utilities and Entertainment program. Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM
and is designed by its Creator to run EVERYTHING!!!

It is also impossible to delete Wife 1.0 and to return to Girlfriend 5.0. It is impossible to uninstall, or purge the program files from the system once installed. You cannot go back to Girlfriend 5.0 because Wife 1.0 is designed not to allow this. (Look in your Wife 1.0 Manual under Warnings-Alimony-Child Support).

I recommend that you keep Wife1.0 and work on improving the environment. I suggest installing the background application "Yes Dear" to alleviate software augmentation. The best course of action is
to enter the command C:\APOLOGIZE because ultimately you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal anyway.

Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean 2.5, Sweep 3.0, Cook 1.5 and DoLaundry 4.2. However, be very careful how you
use these programs. Improper use will cause the system to launch the program NagNag 9.5 . Once this happens, the only way to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase additional software. I
recommend Sarees 2.1 and Jewellery 5.0

STATUTORY WARNING: DO NOT, under any circumstances, install SecretaryWithShortSkirt 3.3. This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will cause irreversible damage to the operating system.

-Vikas Sabnani

Wedding Gifts: Show your true emotions to your spouse

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:30:01 GMT

You both have forked out lot of bucks after gifting your loved one during the golden days of engagement. But now you are going to be tied in wedding knot, and as couples are, puzzled about what you should gift your bride or groom. Here are some tips on what you should gift to your bride or groom.

To make your wedding memorable, you want to give something precious to your spouse; the thing that can be a life-long memory and that can be used by your partner.

Need & taste of your bride/groom

After spending a hell lot of, oops, a heaven lot of time with your fiancé/fiancée, now you know likes and dislikes of your girl/boy (if you don’t know, what on earth you have done all the time!). Gifting your bride or groom with what s/he needs, puts a broad smile on his/her face. After all, you want to please your partner, and not yourself.

Gift from Groom

For the brides, diamonds are forever. They yearn for diamonds and gold jewelry, and perhaps for you also . A gold ring embedded with diamond can be an ideal gift for your bride. Earrings of diamonds and pearls are a popular choice for their timeless, elegant beauty. You can also surprise your bride with a charm bracelet, a heart of love, a star for dreams that come true.

The groom's wedding gift for the bride doesn't need to be extravagant. Sometimes the simplest gestures mean a lot. Show your true emotions with flowers: roses, lilies and tulips. Whatever her favourite flowers, whether it's a single bloom or a full bouquet flowers are a traditional gift of love. A personalized jewelery box is great for storing future heirloom pieces. Teddy Bear is the simplest and the sweetest thing to gift. A book of romantic poetry (or even better, a poem you wrote yourself). And if you had made yourself a Wedding Website, nothing beats a personalized coffee-table book.

Gift from Bride

Your fiancé is likely to be glad about any gift you give him, but this is the time to get that special item he's always wanted. Remember, this is not a Diwali or a birthday gift you are giving to him. Your wedding is a once in a lifetime event which deserves a special gift. Your gift should be selected for its personal significance and be an item he will cherish for years to come. You may already have the perfect gift in mind. If not, here are some tips to consider:

For grooms, they love to play with electronic gadgets. And mobile phone can be the coolest device to gift your groom. You can make him call you every afternoon from his office so that he cannot fix a ‘meeting’ with his secretary. Other options might be: Tickets to a cricket match (IPL is in full swing), gold or silver cuff links engraved with his monogram or initials, luggage, fitness equipment or electronics (say a Home Theatre System, he always wanted?)

As to when to give the wedding gift to each other, there are several favourable moments. A romantic dinner just before a week of wedding; during the luxurious ride to the reception following the ceremony or at the end of the evening in your honeymoon suite - the perfect way to make your special day memorable. Don’t forget to include a card or note with your gift.

Enjoy the gifting experience, and celebrate the romance.

Unveiling a new design

Sat, 10 May 2008 11:24:00 GMT

Over the next few days, we'll be unveiling a new look of our site. The current look has been around for 9 months now, and it feels like the right time to re-energize our pages and implement a few things we have learn't along the way.

When we first launched our home page, we had received several compliments for launching a wedding website with a page that decidedly looked like a wedding site. We have never really cared about Web 2.0, rounded corners, color palletes as such, and we still do not care. The redesign is our effort to bridge the gap between reality and the assumptions we made 1 year back.

Ex. When we were first designing our home page, we had made the following assumptions -

- A typical user of our product will be an Indian bride. She will be familiar with using a computer and internet and is really excited about her wedding.

- She knows what a wedding website is about and is really looking forth to sharing her wedding plans through her wedsite.

- She really values the idea of storing all her wedding memories in a place where she can return later.

Consequently, we created a home page with a bride, golden color pallette and extremely little info on what a wedding website is.

Now, having being in the market for 6 months and served thousands of users, here's what the reality is -

- A typical user is as likely to be a groom as a male.

- NRIs and even non-indians are a very real target market and often times more lucrative than domestic Indian

- Couples in India do not understand what a wedding website, and it is really hard to explain what the value is (ex. try explaining your parents what orkut does )

As a result, we decided to go with colors that are as Indian as Western, as feminine as masculine. You will see a lot more content around benefits of creating a wedding website as well.

New Home Page. Coming Soon! Stay tuned...

Cheers!

-Vikas

Introducing Custom Templates

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:04:21 GMT

Its Holi time and true to our Holi spirit -

We are introducing the colorful Custom Templates - providing you with ultimate flexibility to

customize your template design & colors to match your tastes

Whether you have a beach wedding theme or a specially designed wedding invitation or just want to customize the site to look like, well, you - a custom template will do it all. Combined with a huge range of color options to choose from, your wedding site design can be completely co-ordinated with your wedding theme.

Give it a whirl, and if you come up with some creative design, do let us know. We will be featuring the best designed wedsites on our home page and we have about 2,500 wedsites currently, so the bar is quite high. If you need any help creating an image for your wedsite, just email us at feedback@firstphera.com

Feedback, as always, is strongly encouraged.

Cheers!

Holi Hai

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:52:00 GMT

Wish you all a happy and colorful Holi.

Cheers!

Before and After Wedding

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Found a pretty funny comparison of how lovable adjectives change to miserable ones after wedding . For those getting married, don't sweat, it's still a very good decision, always!

Source: http://blog.theurbanrebellion.com/

Wedding Invitations Tips

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Recently a friend invited me to his wedding. He called beforehand and had mentioned that I'd be receiving a wedding invitation. I got it two days hence and it seemed to be a pretty grand affair, beautiful card and excellent wording (more about that in a later post). However, after reading thru' I was confused. He had mentioned my name in the wedding card but not of my sister, who he knew was visiting. While I knew him just well enough not to be offended, I was confused nevertheless.

Huge wedding, beautiful card, well-worded and delivered. And yet, thanks to the faintest of mistakes, I wasn't feelin' right...

Wedding Invitations, especially when it comes to our Indian shaadi, are probably one of the most laborious tasks, and easily one of the most important. So, here are a few tips for you to keep in mind, while you do yours.

Why does it matter?

A Wedding Invitation is the first preview to your wedding. And first impressions go a long way. Your guests are probably going to take a few days off & spend a few thousand rupees to be at your wedding. And a good well-delivered card will well make it worth the hassle for them.

When?

With schedules getting busier these days, the most respectful thing to do for your guests, is to give them enough time. Start shopping for invitations at least 3 months before the wedding. You'll always find tons of excellent local shops offering some great variety to choose from

For out-of-town guests, be sure to send out your invites at least 4 to 6 weeks before the wedding date. If your wedding falls around a major festival, you might want to send them even 8 weeks in advance. Always follow up your mail with a phone call to confirm receipt

It is always a good idea to do your wedding date announcement sooner than later. And of course, nothing beats a wedding website to do so

How?

Take a guest count and engage all your family members in the process. Then add 10% more cards to the final count, so you have some for the ones you missed or to preserve a few as keep-sake.

It’s always a good idea to maintain a list of guests and their addresses in a diary. If you, like us, are not a paper person, then be sure to use the guest-list tool from our home page. You can keep a count of your guests, maintain their addresses, collect their RSVPs (through your wedding website) and track your invitation status.

Always include a return address on each outer envelope. This way, undeliverable invitations will be returned to you (this is a non-issue if you are couriering). Also, always have a few extra outer envelopes – in case of addressing errors (believe me, it does happen )

Encourage your guests to RSVP their attendance. Getting a perfect count of your wedding will save you a lot of money – in accommodations, food and drinks. You can either include a separate self-addressed RSVP card or list your wedding website address in the invitation card and have your guests RSVP through the wedding website

Finally, if your guest list is going over-budget, it might be a good idea to separate them into a “must-invite” and “nice-to-invite” lists. As you get “No’s” or "Regrets" from the former, you can start sending out invites to the latter

Oh yeah, I did ultimately take my sister along to the wedding. And we thoroughly enjoyed it. Cheers!

Funny Wedding Invites

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT

If you are tired of the "We're pleased to invite you... blah blah blah", how about something different, something that's, well, simply hilarious

Here's a couple favorites -

evillaughter points us to

And here's another I received from a friend of mine

Error rendering Photos - Resolved

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT

At about 6 PM today we started noticing sluggishness in photos being rendered in your wedding sites. This quickly turned into a 100% failure in rendering images. Turns out it was a system-wide outage at Amazon and thousands of sites across the world are affected. While we have designed the system to fail-over to our internal servers to render images in cases of failures, clearly that wasn't working right as well.

We're closely monitoring this issue and hope to resolve it asap. Amazon support promises they are on it too.

Update: This is resolved as of 8.30 PM IST. Phew... that was quite an outage! Apologies for all the inconvenience. We'll keep you posted as we find more details.

Announcing WedBooks & more features

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Happy Wednesday .

So you love your wedsite and your friends and family loved it even more, right? Now, how about saving off all your memories forever as an exquisite souvenir? We are please to introduce...

Wedbooks - just in time for your Valentine's

WedBooks are easily the coolest way to save all your wedsite memories, once your wedding is done. Click here to learn more.

Surprising your spouse on a valentine will probably never be easier :). Check out the sample here and place your orders by following the instructions on the page. We look forward to hearing from you!

Additionally, we are excited to report a few new features that we think you are going to absolutely love...

a) We made lots of changes to your photo albums page. We made it easier to upload bulk images, its much faster than before and the slide shows look much sleeker. Check it out and please do let us know your feedback

b) Based on popular feedback, we have retired the "Publish This Page" button on all your text pages. This means that any content on your text pages will be automatically visible to your visitors. If this is not what you intended, please log into your wedsites and edit those pages. We apologize for any inconvenience caused...

c) Finally, for those of you who have noticed, we have simplified the way images get uploaded on your text pages. We hope you like it

Hanging out with us...

Facebook

If you are a facebook user, we'd like to invite you to join us on our Facebook page. In a little over two months, we now have a community of a few thousand FirstPhera users, so we can definitely make quite some noise on Facebook. Whether its tips on how to plan your wedding, or chatter about the latest US Presidential race or Bhajji's face-off with Andrew Symonds, lets gossip, right here!

Twitter

For twitter fans, we've started posting minor updates through Twitter to communicate with you more actively. Rather than pinging you through email, we can just follow each other through twitter. To add us, please click here...

And Finally, some drum roll please..

We recently got a lot of press coverage from Times of India and DNA all through India. As you'd expect, registrations sky-rocketed and its kept us busy over the past few weeks. More interestingly, Star News fell in love with the product and aired it on their network world-wide :) To catch the latest on our press coverage, check out our Press-Room page

Cheers & Happy celebrations!

Microsoft Weds Yahoo!

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Since the entire world is talking about the possible marriage of Microsoft & Yahoo, a user decided to put together a wedding website for them. While our Terms & Conditions, do require that you have an actual wedding in order to create a personal wedding website on FirstPhera.com, this is simply too good to pass . Check it out, its hilarious...

www.FirstPhera.com/MicrosoftWedsYahoo

What's new

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:00:00 GMT

To hear the latest buzz about us, head over to our PressRoom page. And if you have created a WedSite on FirstPhera, you might find a mention or two about your wedding website in there. Enjoy

Image credit: ai.thejec.org

Buckle-up... 2 Days to Go - What's on your plate

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:00:00 GMT

By this time, you shouldn't be worrying... if you are - you probably missed our previous 2 Weeks to go post. Regardless, fret not!

Typically, in the last two days, here's what you should be worrying about

Eat healthy, sleep healthy
Try your wedding garments one last time. Ensure all clothes are ironed
Double check all wedding accessories
Relax, relax, relax. Meet with all your guests and have fun

For anything else remaining, delegate! Just have your bud do it... They're going to eat, drink and make merry at the reception, so go ahead, use them lavishly

Happy Celebrations!

Wedding Planning Tips - Day After

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Married? Many Congratulations!

Wouldn't it be great not to do after anything after a marathon Indian wedding? It'd be, but you are probably only a day or two away from sipping margaritas on the beach. In the meanwhile, here's a few quick tips for you so you lie by the beach in peace...

You expected it, didn't ya? Its time to update your favorite WedSite with your honeymoon plans and details. Make your friends envious and post cool pics of your destination

Now the serious stuff...

First, make sure the passports, visa, traveler's checks, cash & credit cards are in place.
Pack appropriate medication and be sure to carry health insurance. Most couples land into their destination, go crazy, eat, drink and party and the next thing they know is they are sick
Carry required accessories and a change of clothes in your hand-bag. Who knows... these damn flights get delayed all the time

Be sure to grab your camera. If you are not carrying a laptop (which, by the way, is a terrific idea so you can update your wedsite while you are there ), be sure to cary an extra memory card
If you haven’t already, buy a destination guide from the local bookstore
Arrange for your transport from airport to hotelIf traveling internationally, ensure your mobile service is covered. Also, be sure to leave your hotel contact information with family and friends for them to reach you
While checking in at the flight or hotel counter, be sure to ask the attendant if (s)he could upgrade you to a higher class of service. Attendants are known to be kind to honeymoon couples - just act cute
Secretly arrange for a surprise gift for your spouse, to gift at the destination. Guys - this'll probably be your last gift to her, but just do it
Arrive at the airport / station early to avoid any last-minute problems. Besides being a safe thing to do, its a good excuse to escape from the family early
Make sure you have the right clothing and accessories in place for your destination

Go ahead and have fun. At the hotel business center or when you are back, be sure to blog about it right in your WEDSite

Happy Travels!

Happy Holidays!

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 05:00:00 GMT

FirstPhera wishes you all a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and happy Holidays between...

Cheers!

Wedding Planning Tips - 2 Weeks to go

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Since we are heading full-swing into the wedding season, we'll start publishing a series of blog-posts with helpful tips for your wedding planning. For those who haven't been using our To-Do List tool yet, we highly recommend it. Its a neat and simple way to jot down your tasks, set reminders and mark them done as you go. Give it a shot - you can access it from the tabs above.

The two weeks time-line is an interestng one. By this time, technically, all should have been taken care of - and your job is to just confirm that everything is in order. Real-life, however, is a different beast - so we know you'll be running around a lot. Here's a quick check-list of things you might want to go through at your 2-week milestone.

Update your WEDSite with planning details, any driving directions, guest accommodation arrangements and venue information At this point, your wedding clothes should be ready. Try on all your outfits with accessories & shoes
Finalize guest arrival and departure schedules and ensure all guest transportation will be taken care of
Grooms - get your final haircut immediately
Arrange for drinks, if any, to be delivered
Confirm all bookings including wedding venue, caterer, photographer, florist, etc.
Confirm arrangements for all accessories to be delivered, their location and times, ex. crockery, cakes, linens, etc.
Confirm final guest list count and deliver to caterer
Finalize any assignment of wedding tasks to friends and family
Final rehearsals for all performers at your Sangeet Ceremony
Meet with your photographer and brief him/her about the wedding party and set expectations about any must-have wedding photos
Finalize plans for your cocktail party, if you are having one
Finalize honeymoon plans – passports, tickets, shopping clothes, hotel reservations, etc.
Ensure all wedding night garments and accessories are in place. Confirm your hotel reservations, if any, are done for the wedding night
Meet with the DJ and confirm playlist
Send a reminder to all your friends and relatives through your WEDSite

One of the couples recently told us they have never been more stressed in the last two weeks of their wedding since their Class 12^th exams . That's seemingly true, but unlike exams, the wedding-day is tons of fun even if you mess up a bit. So relax and have fun as you go through your remaining tasks...