June 2022

1) Short timelines for wedding planning Don’t wait over a year to get married and it will be much easier to simplify your wedding plans. A shorter time horizon will force you to streamline and keep you, by necessity, from getting sucked into the whirlpool of an elaborate wedding. This means you will be able to focus on your necessities rather than fancy yet often unnecessary frills, a wedding can often do without! 2) Plan ahead That way, you can take advantage of seasonal sales. For example, you may be able to stock up on decorative items at a discount before the Diwali holidays, or pick up your pre-wedding gowns or lehenga at your favorite boutique during the Monsoon end of season sale. 3 ) Plan a Off day wedding Off day weddings can save you some serious money. Some venues that would otherwise remain vacant, may offer the same banquet hall or open space on a week day for a lot lesser than it did on a weekend. It’s a simple case of supply and demand: You’ll have better luck negotiating lower rates with vendors if there aren’t others lined up behind you, waiting to take your spot. You’re also likely to get better service because you’ll have the staff’s undivided attention on a less busy day. Depending on the specifics of your venue location, you also may be able to accommodate your guests at far lesser hotel rates. However, you should note that this may not be true for a hotel or venue that caters mainly to a corporate clientele. 4)  Get married right at the end of the off-season. When there’s less competition for dates, you can have more negotiating power. “You can save 20 to 30 percent off the cost of a wedding by planning it for November, or January through March―except for Valentine’s Day,” 5)  Rent a house for the wedding and for lodging. Rent a huge vacation home and had a house party! It was low-key, intimate, yet still was major cause of celebration. Hiring a caterer with a good menu to do a party was so much better than a sit-down meal. We didn’t even do tables — lots of bar tops and existing comfy furniture for perching. We also were able to have our entire bridal party stay in the bedrooms of the house, cutting their expenses too. 6)  Have your ceremony and reception in the same place. Have the ceremony and the reception in the same room. The guests will be at their tables during the ceremony and were able to start the cocktail/appetizer hour immediately after the ceremony while you taking pictures. This will save on transporting the bridal party , time restraints, and out-of-town guests didn’t have to worry about getting lost.” “Get married in a hotel. The flowers from the hall were carried through into the dining space and nobody needed transport to the reception. Since a lot of guests stayed in the hotel, the chances of management  will cut us deal with the food. 7) Have your reception at a restaurant Getting married at a fancy restaurant was our most affordable option. Instead of paying 80,00/-  or more (sometimes much more) to rent a space and then bring everything in, we have to buy only food and alcohol. The room, furniture, linens, lighting, beautiful decor, dishes, silverware, fancy display items, etc., were all included. So much cheaper than renting a space and having to bring in everything from forks to outhouses.” 8) Don’t serve a sit-down dinner. “have a small ceremony at your hometown church or temple, go back to your place for cake, champagne, and gifts, and then go to a local restaurant in your wedding clothes and don’t have to pay for anything all extra!” “Instead of having a dinner, held an evening wedding and served hors d’oeuvres, saving another 60,000 at least 9 ) Fake your wedding cake. Fondant and tiered cakes are insanely expensive. Have a baker make a fake cardboard and decorated cake with the top layer (and smallest) real for cutting and the rest just pretty for decoration. Then have basic sheet cakes in the back for the caterers to cut and serve to your guests “Have a small cake or make some of the bottom tiers a facade (ice and decorate a Styrofoam wheel), and serve cut sheet cake pieces from the back.”

Destination weddings in India – Top 5 wedding themes with location suggestions! It’s a common notion that the term ‘destination weddings’ symbolizes the following terms – beautiful, elegant, luxurious indulgence and crazy expensive! While the former two are definitely true in this context, the latter necessarily need not be. Despite the fact that it indeed involves a lot of meticulous detailing and work, a well planned destination wedding can be accommodated in a fairly decent budget. However, first and foremost, the most important element to get right is the ‘Destination’. It is not easy to settle on a location that not only meets the specifications and budget constraints of the wedding couple, but also takes care of the convenience of the guests to be invited. Hence, we have listed below a few stunning locations for a wedding in India based on the type of wedding you want. Hopefully this will help you in your quest to pick an ideal location for having your dream wedding! 1. A Romantic getaway Goa has proven to be a very popular wedding destination for couples wanting a romantic and serene ambience. This is not only due to the fact that it presents a beautiful landscape in terms of its sun kissed beaches, yummy food (especially for seafood lovers) and great music but also because of the availability of resorts and hotel venues which are well equipped to deliver a visually stunning and dreamy wedding day! One caveat though, being a tourist destination, transportation could be really expensive in Goa so do plan well and hire enough vehicles or self drive to avoid paying a bomb for the same. Other notable destinations are Kerala and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 2. Peaceful elegance Mussoorie is known as the ‘Queen of Hills’ for a reason – set against the beautiful Himalayan panorama, its scenic picturesque beauty makes it a one of kind wedding destination. It’s an ideal location for couples looking at a serene and cozy ambience, spectacular view of the hills and a getaway from the chaotic city life. The same goes for Coorg, Ooty, Shimla, Nainital and Darjeeling if you like the rustic hilly terrain as a backdrop for your wedding. 3. Modern day fairytale Udaipur and Jaipur are two fascinating destinations that have a lot in common – Palaces, Forts, Lakes, Deserts and plush elegance. These two cities have a legacy of rich culture and heritage not to mention they are stunningly beautiful. The sheer opulence and regal charm of these cities is suited to couples looking at a grand, elegant and majestic setup for their wedding celebration. Other special mentions for destinations with a regal ambience and historical significance would include Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Agra, Gwalior, Hyderabad and Bangalore. 4.  Rustic charm Lonavala and Nashik are fast becoming potential wedding destinations owing to their rustic landscape comprising of Vineyards, Farms, Theme Resorts and lush greenery. Couples looking at an outdoor setup for a romantic and intimate wedding celebration will appreciate the lush tropical setting. 5. A traditional affair Varanasi holds religious and cultural significance with its beautiful landscape of temples and rivers that could be a stunning backdrop for a traditional wedding setup. Moreover, the peace and tranquility offered by this city will be appreciated by many for their intimate wedding celebration. Other noteworthy mentions for those looking for destinations with a rich cultural heritage are Madurai, Kolkata, Gujarat and Lucknow.

Indian weddings are full of elaborate setups, delicious food and fond memories. Everyone wants to have a memorable wedding whatever their budget might be. During a wedding there are some overheads that you cannot do without, but you can reduce the damage if you plan smart. With our experience in wedding planning over the years, we have come up with a  list few tricks to help you save some bucks on “D-Day”. 1. Try getting married in off season This is a great tip if you don’t believe in “pandith ji wale dates” and can convince your parents and grandparents. You will get most services at a better price – from catering, venues to other services. 2. Money spent on Wedding clothes- wait for sales during off seasons Most people rarely reuse their wedding dress. Save a great amount of moulah choosing  an inexpensive dress. Always remember that only you will know the cost of your outfit.  A great amount of money can be saved shopping during sales. 3. Wear your Moms beautiful expensive saree- Yes you heard that right! There are so many functions during a wedding and you can always wear your moms beautiful expensive sarees to a few of them. 4. Maximize your credit card points Earn a lot of points shopping online, offline  and win some cashback offers. Make the maximum of your wedding shopping.  5. Save a lot of time and money -Shop online(Especially for relatives).  Worried about how you are going to have the time to buy your aunts a saree? Shop online and get a wide variety of options and great deals. Always remember to read reviews though to select good quality products 6. Have your wedding on a weekday rather than a weekend or a holiday. Weekday weddings are really catching up nowadays especially when the guest list is a smaller number. Most hotels and venues offer better deals on weekdays. 7. Check for the right venues- Try to book venues with in-house catering options as this will significantly bring down your cost of renting the venue. 8. Have your functions at a single venue Not only will you save a big chunk of money on your venue charges but it will also be viable for your guests staying at the same place. 9. Hire a wedding planner Wedding planners have a great number of contacts and can easily help you save a lot of money finding a venue, caterer or even a photographer. They will have a great set of options to get quality deals at a lesser price. 10. Work on your guest list- Its always better to cater to a close group of people than strangers you have never met or will never meet. Cutting down your list will allow you to offer quality services to people you actually care about.