Inspiration Board: Blue Vintage

Sources: Row 1: Etsy, Row 2: Model with sitar, Row 3: Navy Vintage Dress from Chictopia, Navy Vintage Invitations

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An Unforgettable Dia Mirza Photo Shoot

A ravishing and mesmerizing photo shoot with Dia Mirza promises to offer brides everywhere some inspiration and thoughtful suggestions on do’s of bridal fashion, jewelry and makeup. Voila.

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Hindu Baptist Wedding by Distinct Occasions

We love elegance, we love culture and we love vibrancy and this wedding is just that…and some more.  This lovely wedding from Distinct Occasions is set to blow you away. Everything about this wedding is beautiful, the bride’s a complete stunner and the groom’s a tall glass of water. All the details play so well in tying the different cultures together into a perfect bow. We adore the square tables with silver chivaris. Crystal Adair-Benning  at Distinct Occasions has perfectly infused this lovely wedding from Toronto’s Capitol Events Theatre with culture and pure beauty.

From the wedding planner Crystal from Distinct Occasions:

In my mind the most perfect wedding are experiential ones. Blending culture with faith, joy with beauty, and passion with pleasure. For Neha & Jeremy’s valentines wedding weekend we took the Bride’s Hindu faith and blended it with the Groom’s Baptist background in a wedding blend of pure beauty.

When I first met the couple they had some pretty specific requests and wishes – of course planning a multicultural wedding was on the list – but beyond that no florals, nothing overly “valentines”, a wedding feast filled with their favourites (including greek salad, pasta, beef, grilled fish, and tiramisu), and a venue that was big enough for their potential 200 guests but not big enough for any more to prevent the guestlist from getting out of hand!

I LOVE the challenge of blending cultures and specific wishes of clients. While giving me a blank palette to start from can be equally as challenging there is something so rewarding in coming up with a wedding day design from scratch with lines drawn in the sand specific wishes/desires from the couple.

The design I envisioned for this couple was a gorgeous heartfelt symbolic wedding day filled with both of their heritages. The Bride would wear a traditional bridal lengha in a colour of her choosing (a gorgeous gold) and the Groom in a very tailored and gorgeous suit. The decor would include simple centrepieces with LOTS of candlelight and room ambient lighting. The colour scheme – a gorgeous pewter and fuschia mix. Wedding cake made of dozens of cupcakes displayed like  bouquets in bright pinks with feather accents. Photography would be heavy on the portraits (typically Indian) but really focus on the couple and their love. The entertainment would focus more heavily on the indian-fusion with local DJ Jiten rocking the dancefloor. The venue would be Capitol Event Theatre in Toronto – a former theatre turned wedding venue offering drama and luxury with a touch of “wow”! And the food… Centro Restaurant… gorgeous gourmet food with Chef’s who truly get a weddings vision and even when faced with a menu that may seem disjointed work closely with me to find the ties that bind each course together for a menu that tastes as devine as it looks!

Neha looked like the epitomy of a Bollywood Star in her golden lengha literally dripping with beading. Jeremy a resemblence to Clark Kent looked dapper and polished in his tailored suit. Bridesmaids of mixed cultures wore pale pink Indian attire and the MOH in a stunning royal blue dress. Each carried a small diya candles instead of flowers. The only flowers present infact were the bride’s very simple and utterly perfect bouquet of white calla lilies. Simple, regal and stunning.

In the end, the pictures speak for themselves. This cultural fusion wedding looked as good as it felt with two cultures, two religions, and two people joining their lives forever more. I couldn’t have been more proud for Neha & Jeremy after our year of planning to see them joined as husband and wife.

Congratulations again to the happy couple!

Special Thanks to:
Photos: Jennifer Images
DJ: Jiten (Empire Entertainment)
Venue: Capitol Event Theatre
Catering: Centro Restaurant
Decor Rentals: Have a Seat
Cake: The Caketress

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Khoobsurat Klothing

If your looking for your dream lengha/saree + superb customer service + professionalism = (you’ve got) Khoobsurat Klothing. They provide trend-setting custom designed lenghas/sarees. They have a fabulous studio and they attend to brides on an individual basis.

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Desi Diva

Toronto wedding experts are hosting a spectacular one day invite only event, graciously titled Desi Diva. It’s exclusive, stylish and intimate. It’s here to offer brides planning a South Asian wedding with a modern twist a chance to meet with wedding professionals. There will be lots of ideas, inspirations and visions. Brides this is your chance to learn more about planning a wedding from some of the best in the industry. Time and space is limited. So be sure to check out http://www.desidiva.ca or click here. The event is scheduled for Sunday October 3,2010 at the stunning Palais Royale. Don’t miss out – grab your ticket before it’s too late!

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Inspiration Board: Deep Reds + Charcoal Gray

Sources (from left to right) Row 1: Sareez;City Chic dining room,men’s Sherwani,Row 2: Floral Arrangements;Vintage Cars,Row 3: Red Velvet Cake, Row 4: Elephants Row 5: Tea Bag favours from Wedding Paper Diva, Invitations from SouthHall Eden

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Reviving Face Masks

Honey and avocado mask for normal-to-skin:

Eggs and avocado blend beautifully together, and they are both highly moisturizing-avocadoes have a 20 percent fat content. What’s more, this recipe uses mayonnaise, which is well known to tone and smooth skin. In an emergency, you can soon it straight from the jar onto your face.

1 egg

1/2 avocado (peeled, with the stone taken out)

1 tsp organic mayonnaise

1 tsp honey

1 tsp baking soda

2 drops orange essential oil

Purre the avocado, egg and mayonnaise in a blender, then add the honey and remaining ingredients. Alternatively, you can beat it by hand, adding the baking soda last.

This mask needs to be used all at once, so apply any extra mixture to the chest and neck areas.

Source: Organic Beauty by Josephine Fairley

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Stunning Sarees

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Tanishq Jewelry – Wedding Collection

Tanishq Jewelry carries the most exquisite pieces for brides around the world. They cater to every bride with one goal and one goal only – to make her feel like a goddess.

” The bride blushes; Everyone around smiles; The shenai announces festivity; The priests chant auspicious promises; She walks demurely; A vision of beauty; Her jewels are exquisite; Crafted by the best in the land; As pure as the blessings bestowed on her.”

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Great Looks from Celina Jaitely

Celina Jaitely sets some great looks for South Asian brides to use for their ceremony or reception.

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