invitation cards

Lastly, if you are really at a loss for words, pick up a copy of "The Bride's Thank You Guide: Thank You Writing Made Easy.” It is filled with catchy phrases, ideas, and answers your questions on how to be gracious in the stickiest of situations.

Image by Samvadiyacards

Make sure that you treat yourself to a mani afterwards.  I mean, after all that time with a pen in your hand, a Maharani needs a good hand massage!

So, when I ordered my wedding invitations from India – THEY GOT STUCK IN CUSTOMS!  I couldn't believe it!  Although, they were lovely, I am not sure that I would recommend that route, especially when you can get GORGEOUS, Indian-inspired, invitations at Atelier Isabey. Atelier Isabey is a custom stationery and invitations studio. Based in New York City, where they strive to create the most elegant, unique and creative stationery to bring to life your inspirations, your ideas and your event. Take a look at this custom card they created for a this lucky bride and groom…

This next sample is exceptionally beautiful…

With an haute-couture approach to invitations and stationery, everything from the design and printing process, to the embellishments, trimmings and materials are different. Each and every project they tackle is one of a kind and made to fit your style, personality and your special day. Making them an ideal choice for your Indian wedding Invitations.  Visit them online at : http://www.atelierisabey.com

card designing

Trivia time Maharanis…..What do Diddy and wedding invitations have in common?  Well, Ceci New York, of course! This luxury, boutique invitation studio creates one of kind invitations for Hollywood A-listers like Katherine Heigl and Reshma Shetty.

Ceci Johnson, Founder and Creative Director, started Ceci New York seven years ago when an innocent graphic design project turned into a passion. With years as a corporate branding expertise behind her, it wasn’t until a friend asked Ceci to design her wedding invitation that Ceci became instantaneously hooked to the world of couture wedding invitations.  Each artisanal design…the size, the shape, the canvas, is as unique as the person it is created for. Take a look at this gorgeous creation for the Maharani of the Moment, Reshma Shetty.

After sitting down with Reshma and deciphering her signature look, Ceci transformed her thoughts into this hand painted creation.  Just like a couture wedding lengha, no two Ceci New York invitations are the same.

More on Ceci coming up!

Have you ever noticed that when someone is creative, they are good at just about everything? The extremely talented folks at Anais designed just about everything for this Sacramento Indian wedding; the florals, the decor, AND the stationary. Seriously, is there anything that they just can’t do? I am obsessed with the custom, paisley motif they created and seamlessly infused throughout the decor. It just adds that perfect, little Indian splash. File this under “dazzling details” in your wedding binder because when you lay your eyes on this, you will definitely want it for yourself!

Femine and sophisticated, this wedding stationary, by Anais, is the ultimate lady-like touch.

Finale coming right up!

fabulous fonts

The key to having a Maharani Wedding, is to pay attention to the smallest of details.  So, it’s no wonder that I fall hard when I see an Indian bride use a unique font that precisely fits her personal wedding style. So, to assist our busy Maharanis-to-be we assembled some of our favorites, and they are all available atfonts.com.

1. Samarkan free

2. Indus $35

3. Linotype Sansara $35

4. Raniscript $59

5. ITC Simran $29

6. Motter Femina $35

7. Saral Devanagari Roman $165

8. Montauk $49

9. Kalinga $49

10. Zapfino Extra X $65

11. Antiquarian $39

12. PIXymbols Faux Arabic Regular $24

13. Linotype Arab Stroke $25.99

14. Mirage $23

15. Linotype Pide Nashi $35

16. Hakim Ghazali $129

17. Chaman $29

18. Ondine $29

19. Mustang $22

20. Artisik $29

So Maharanis, which one is YOUR favorite?

wedding 4

Although we adore fried chicken, apple pie and fireworks, here is a little Maharani style 4th of July Inspiration!

Credits From Top Row Left: Couple’s Portrait / Wedding Cake / Blue Clutch / Table Setting / Baraat /Invitation/ Cupcakes/ Elephant Cake/Red Diya /Boquet/ Blue Satin Manolo Blahnik/ Yacht/ Baraat/Table Setting

wedding 3-Red, Romantic, Rose filled Reception

Roses, roses, everywhere!  If you thought that yesterday’s ceremony had tons of red and romance, wait until you see today’s reception.  The outrageously talented Nikki Khan, of Exquisite Events, took a very standard ballroom and gave it her signature old world charm, instead of letting it look, well, just old.

From Nikki : The hotel ballroom is very dated and has chandeliers that look very 80’s.  We wanted the guests eyes to be drawn away from them and therefore we focused heavily on lighting.  The Room was washed in gold with gold linens and to give a pop of color, flowers were done in shades of reds. There were three floral scapes and the room came together beautifully with a custom gold dance floor, a beautiful stage, and custom bars. 

Okay, and take a deep breath and feast your eyes on the cake.  It is like wedding cake heaven! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 layers! Count ‘em!

There is just something enchanting about this Indian wedding fairytale. The lighting. The linens. The flowers. All three bring this reception together magically. So, here is a little secret that is essential for all Indian brides to be.  Because of the large guest count/table count, tall floral centerpieces add up frighteningly fast.  By intermixing 2 or 3 lower, more cost effective centerpieces, along side the taller, more expensive centerpieces, you still get the big bang look without the big spiraling out of control. Work with your designers and look at funky, cool, low centerpieces that are more architectural and less floral. Think about using candles or even floating a few flowers in colored water. This will save you a ton in the end!

 

Congratulations to Poonam & Dev, and thank you to Exquisite Events and Harvard Photography for this submission

weddings 2

Our Maharani of the moment is making a HUGE impact with her sparkly lengha and jewelry, but in my opinion her brightest accessory is by far her smile.  Beautifully captured by Wedding Documentary,these are portraits that I know will hang in the halls of her home for years and years to come.  Between the flawless make-up by Laenka and her ten bridesmaids and four flower girls, you can see that love surrounds this Maharani. It is no wonder that this dazzling Indian bride has landed in the Maharani Hall of Fame!

We aren’t even close to done yet!  More on the way!

wedding 1

This very well may be my most favoritest (is that a word?!)Indian wedding logo ever!  Logos made with initials or a play on your names are common these days, so I absolutely love how the stylishly and symbolically incorporated an image of Ganesh into their wedding emblem.  

Images by de L’oeil Photography

It’s just perfect!  More Indian wedding ideas on the way!

DIY Turquoise Clay Necklace

I could no longer resist the lure of the polymer clay. Am I the last blogger to use this stuff? Probably. That’s pretty much my M.O.
But I saw this necklace (via Live and Enliven) and instantly loved it … but wanted it in turquoise.  It reminded me of some recent projects I’ve seen (like this one) so I went to Hobby Lobby with a screaming Henry that same day.

You will need:

• Oven bake clay in the color of your choice (there is an overwhelming array)
• Razor blade or sharp knife
• Jewelry chain – I went with silver. You could even do leather cord.
• Toothpick

Step 1: Roll the clay into small balls. You’ll need to stretch it and loosen it a bit to get it going.
Step 2: Cut edges with razor blade. You want some sharp edges and funkiness to the shape.
Step 3: Poke a hole through the center with a toothpick.
Step 4: Bake according to package directions.
Step 5: Thread the chain through the beads and cut the chain to desired length.

I also made a small pair of earrings. Same preparation (don’t poke a hole though) and then I glued an earring backing on with E6000 glue. I love how Wilma Flintstone-esque it is!

DIY Bracelet

Yikes! I think we can make our own for a wee bit less. Less than $5 in fact!

All you need is about 3 yards of ribbon and 2 dozen gold beads. I, of course, went with purple but any color would look great.

Cut the ribbon into 3 equal lengths. EDIT: Standard bracelet size is 7 inches so you’ll want it about 29 inches long in order to wrap 4 times.

Start by braiding about 6 inches of ribbon and then secure the end with a rubber band. Anchor the end with something heavy to hold in it place.
Start braiding in the beads by feeding the ball onto the middle strand and then tightly braiding the other two strands around it. Continue feeding beads onto the middle strand until you run out (I had about 25) or until there’s about 6 inches of ribbon left.

Finish with another 6 inches or so of braiding. Then clamp the ends with ribbon fasteners or just tie it in a knot.
It looks great as a bracelet or a necklace!

hairstyle of bridal

Wedding Hairstyle Inspiration

Sooo many options when it comes to how you’ll wear your hair on your wedding day right? Well hopefully AC can be of service! I’ve pulled some of my favorite images from around the web to help get you started on your search for the perfect bridal hairstyle. Let’s start with the classic updo.

Followed next by longer styles with hair either half up or completely down.

Moving onto braids! I love these beauties!

Last but not least… this is a bit of a random bunch. Some of these aren’t brides, but the images provide lots of pretty inspiration!

And there you have it! How will you wear your hair? Do you have any favorites from the images above? I’d love to hear your comments!