Indian Wedding Blog: Rubies and Ribbon

Sugar Sweet Coney Island Engagement by Banga Photography

Ruby — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:12:43 +0000

I’ve got a super vibrant Coney Island engagement session on the blog for you today. These photos of Ameeta and Bobby by Banga Photography are so fun and spirited that you can feel the energy bouncing off the screen. If photos tasted like something, I think these ones would be like the red, white and blue turbo rocket popsicle, wrapped in cotton candy, and topped off with m&m’s and bubble gum. And you know I love sugar!

That last shot looks like it could be from a vintage comic, doesn’t it? Readers, what do you think of this sweet and sexy Coney Island engagement shoot? (I love it!)

Credits

Photos: Banga Photography
Venue: Coney Island, New York

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Neon Indian Wedding and Henna Party Ideas

Ruby — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:00:58 +0000

Like everything else from the nineties, neon is back. (Shoe lovers will have noticed all of the highlighter-toned heels currently in stores!) I think neon is fashion-forward and works well for a pre-wedding event like a mehndi, sangeet or gaye holud. You can really let loose and go crazy with these colours, which perfectly suits a fun henna party environment. When creating a neon Indian wedding decor setup, it’s important to use bright punchy tones with a neutral coloured tablecloth or backdrop to help the colours pop.

Indian designers like Ridhi Mera, Aharin India, and Gaurav Gupta have all included neon pieces in their latest collections. I chose a fun neon green and orange sari by Manish Malhotra as the centrepiece of this inspiration board.

Clockwise from top left: Blossom Box Jewelry (on sale!), SugaBlossom Cakes via Brides.com, Priyanka Chopra in Manish Malhotra at Lakme Fashion Week 2013, Amanda Watson Photo via Ruffled, Nadia D. Photography via Glamour, Lee Bird Photography and Little Sooti Events, Byron Loves Fawn via Burnett’s Boards, the “Jenny” by Christian Louboutin.

What do you think? Is the idea still too “out there” or would you consider having a neon Indian wedding/henna party?

More stylish neon wedding inspiration:

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Rubies & Ribbon Loves Pets at Weddings

Ruby — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:30:32 +0000

Although pets at weddings have become de rigueur, they are not often seen at South Asian festivities. I think we should change that! After all, pets are like family members. There are so many ways to incorporate your pet into your wedding day.

They can be part of the bride’s “getting ready” shots, similar to this sweet photo of Molly the puppy from Impressions by Annuj.

Photo credit: Impressions by Annuj. (There is more Molly at the end of this post!)

They can make an appearance in couple’s portraits and bridal beauty shots.

Photo credit: Jayant Khare Photography.

Photo credit: Vasia Photography. See more of this shoot here.

Pets can participate in the day as a ring bearer.

Photo credit: ZoomWorks. More of this real Indian fusion wedding right here.

You can also include pets in your engagement shoot!

Photo credit: G+H Photography. See the full e-shoot here.

Photo credit: Popcorn Studios. See the full e-shoot here.

Now, back to Molly the puppy. She belongs to Annuj and Tanya, photographers who saved her from a puppy mill. The picture was taken during a photoshoot for the Dreams Wedding Show. Molly makes an appearance in this behind-the-scenes video of the shoot. (Oh, and there are beautiful dresses too!)

Dreams Wedding Show – Behind the Scenes from Impressions by Annuj on Vimeo

Readers, will you have your pet attend or participate in your wedding?

More about Pets at Weddings

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Cherry Blossom Portraits by Z Molu Photo

Ruby — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:26:20 +0000

Zaheer at Z Molu Photography is a true artist. He is always coming up with innovative angles and ways to frame his shots. Zaheer has done it again with Falguni and Nikhil’s New York wedding. Their gorgeous portraits are full of lush colours and whimsy while being true to Z Molu Photo‘s signature editorial style. This is the first I’ve seen Zaheer do “whimsy” and I just love it. Enjoy the dreamy photos!

Serious swoon, am I right?

Have a wonderful weekend. I’ll see you back here next week!

Credits

Photography: Z Molu Photography
Full wedding: Z Molu Photo on Facebook

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How to Make a Mandap: DIY

Ruby — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:55 +0000

“How on earth do I make a mandap?!” is one of the most frequent questions received at Rubies & Ribbon. To help you out (which I love to do!) I asked Tilly from Sweet Dreams Weddings & Events for a tutorial on how to create the whimsical fabric mandap in this Portland Indian styled shoot. All shots are by Hazelwood Photo.

This is how we created our drape structure for this fabulous bridal inspiration shoot:

The project is really simple to do, but you will need to have a few things before you can get started. My first suggestion is that you go to your local rental company to see about renting the items you need instead of creating them from raw materials (it will be cost and time effective).

You Will Need

5 upright poles, 8-12 feet tall
5 bases for your poles
1 circular piece with at least 20 inches diameter (to insert into center pole)
5 panels of colored satin fabric at least 30 feet long
5 panels of colored chiffon fabric at least 72 feet long
5 champagne or ivory satin pole covers
1 tall ladder
1 container of clear or white zip ties
3-4 friends

Tutorial: How to Make a Mandap

1. Set up the base

You will need to place four bases in a square (8×8 or 10×10) - one in each corner
Put your 5^th base in the center of the square
Very important – put your pole covers on the poles before you put them on the bases
Take your circular insert and place it on the 5th pole, then place that pole on the center base

2. Add fabric starting at the center pole

You’ll need your friends and your ladder
Take your chiffon panels and thread them over-under the circular insert – just let them hang for now
Now take your satin fabric panels and do a criss-cross, over-under threading in the circular insert with the chiffon

3. Add fabric to the outer poles

Take the fabric and drape it over the outer pole – do this to all four but one at a time, along with the next step
With your helpers’ assistance take a panel of chiffon and gather it to the pole with the fabric (close to the top) and wrap with a zip tie. Before you pull the tie really tight, pillow the fabrics a little over the tie
Repeat this for all four outer upright poles
Then gather all fabrics about half way down the outer poles, create that pillowing effect, then zip tie them

4. Added flourishes

If your circular insert is strong enough (made of metal) you could hang lanterns or florals from it for an added touch of luxury

Thank you Sweet Dreams Weddings & Events for the wonderful tutorial. I know that this will help many South Asian brides and grooms personalize their event decor.

Readers, please note that this mandap will work best for pre-wedding events like a sangeet, mehndi, gaye holud or mayoun, as there is a pole in the center (thus no room for a wedding ceremony fire).

P.S. As an aside, how gorgeous is the model’s vintage sari? Her mother was married in this heirloom! A closer look:

So pretty! You can see more of this shoot on Style Unveiled.

Credits

Photography: Hazelwood Photo
Decor and design: Sweet Dreams Weddings & Events
Makeup: Blossom & Beauty
Sari and jewelry: vintage from India
Florals: Flowers for You PDX
Venue: Castaway Portland
Rentals: Barclay Events
Full shoot featured on: Style Unveiled

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Whimsical Pink Pakistani Wedding in Washington DC by Erin Lassahn

Ruby — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:00:39 +0000

Today’s wedding is both lively and lovely. This whimsical pink Pakistani wedding by Erin Lassahn kicks off with a Mehndi party featuring a unique paper pom pom stage. I love how the pom poms fill up the whole backdrop and match the bride’s floral jewelry. The fun stage helps set the scene for a night full of well wishes and dancing.

Rita and Imi’s wedding day is just as beautiful. Rita is the loveliest bride, and Erin Lassahn’s photography just shines. The bride and groom portraits look like works of art!

I love the look on Rita’s face in the last photo. Having guests hold sparklers for a couple’s wedding exit adds an extra element of magic, doesn’t it?

Thank you Erin Lassahn for letting me blog this unique Pakistani wedding!

Credits

Photos: Erin Lassahn Photography
Mehndhi venue: Dupont Circle Hotel
Wedding venue: Meridian House
Mehndi and wedding decor: DIY

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Library Engagement Shoot in Pennsylvania

Ruby — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:00:55 +0000

I love university libraries because they tend to have a lot of character. The older, the better! I think about how many students have passed through those same stacks, and what their lives must have been like. Falling in love at university is a story all on its own. That’s why I adore today’s library engagement shoot.

The photographer, Tara Sharma, fills us in on the couple:

Cheena and Vishal met at Lehigh University and chose to have their engagement photos taken on the beautiful campus. From the moment I met these two I was smiling – their laughs and how sweet they are with each other is infectious. They are one of those pairs that make my job so easy – they were so effortlessly in synch and smiling with each other. We visited all of their old favorite spots. It was a great trip down memory lane and a reminder of how far they have come!

Credits

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Cherry Blossom Indian Wedding Inspiration

Ruby — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:30:25 +0000

I fell in love with cherry blossoms on my first visit to Victoria B.C. in 2006. I’d never seen anything like them before, and couldn’t believe they existed in Canada! Sakura flowers are sweet, magical, and a sure sign that spring has arrived. I see them as a representation of new beginnings. Could there be a more perfect design inspiration for spring? I think not! Check out this lovely cherry blossom Indian wedding inspiration board that I whipped up for you.

Clockwise from top left: Studio 2000 via The Knot, Carlie Statsky Photography via Style Me Pretty, Vasia Photography via Tutu & Fru, XSiGHT Photography and Video via Maharani Weddings, Kristyn Hogan Photography via Elizabeth Anne Designs.

Clockwise from top left: The Berry, Sharon Nayak’s Prelude for Tanishq, Desi Baytan Photography via Style Me Pretty.

So pretty eh? Check out more cherry blossom Indian wedding inspiration here.

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Floral Crown Wedding Looks for Spring

Ruby — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:00:10 +0000

I see floral halos as a modern alternative to the flower jewelry worn at South Asian pre-wedding events like the mehndi and gaye holud. Today’s bohemian photo shoot by Lexi Moody Photography features two floral crown wedding looks that are perfect for spring. They would especially suit a South Asian bride wearing a dress with light colours like pale yellow, mint green or white. The headpieces and a matching bouquet can easily be made at home with carnations, white spider mums (or a similar flower) and baby’s breath. Check out my tutorial on how to create your own floral halo headpiece and get ready for spring!

Credits

Photography: Lexi Moody Photography
Submitted via: Two Bright Lights

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A Painting Inspired Pretty Red Bouquet

Ruby — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:00:29 +0000

South Asian bridal gowns are often quite ornate with lots of colour, detail and embellishment. To complement this look it’s usually best to carry a monochromatic bouquet because it doesn’t distract from the bride’s outfit and jewelry. If you’re planning on wearing a red or white dress, you might possibly adore this painting-inspired shoot from Shannon Grant Photography. Behold one of the prettiest little red bouquets I’ve ever seen, designed by Petal Floral Design.

Serious swoon, am I right? Thanks to the talented team from Massachusetts for putting this lovely shoot together.

Credits

Photos: Shannon Grant Photography
Stylist: Amanda Antunes
Floral Designer: Petal Floral Design
Submitted via: Two Bright Lights

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