Your big day is, well, a big deal, so everything needs to be flawless. Wedding decor and design is a pivotal piece to this puzzle, which holds up a mirror to your guests about your couple style. And one thing is certain: The rules are out. Intimate-meets-lavish setting is the new normal, personalisation is the new standard, and sustainable practices are the new bedrock. Whether you want to take your guests to a floral haven, go OTT or celebrate the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ way but in style, here’s a primer on how your wedding decor can echo your personality.
If You Are Classic Crusaders
Celebrity wedding planner Manika Garg of E-Factor, who can be credited for celebrity weddings such as Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra along with a roster of business tycoons, advocates going the classic route to start your happily ever after. “Every wedding ceremony comes attached with several traditions. So, I encourage couples to deep dive into their roots and use elements they resonate with to customise their celebrations.”
Personal touch
When it comes to adding personal touches, she says there are a plethora of ways to do it. The easiest is with flowers. “Pick your favourites and let that be a focal point. I love the idea of picking a single flower in various shades to make a statement. Or go for a single shade and choose a variety of fresh flowers in that colour.” In addition to other traditional Indian floral favourites, like tuberoses (symbolising pleasure) and chrysanthemums (symbolising long life and happiness), flowers like roses, orchids, tulips, gerbera daisies, delphiniums, freesias, and sunflowers have become popular.
The traditional theme lends itself really well to the menu too. Garg suggests, “As most couples prefer a vegetarian menu for their wedding day catering, why not borrow inspiration from temple food from across India, based on sattvic principles and made with love? Each community has their take on prasāda and includes dishes that are sweet and savoury. You can also consider Indian street food for a fun, playful vibe.”
Theme theory
- Red alert: “A traditional red ensemble is practically a unanimous go-to among brides, but Garg especially loves the idea of splashing the indisputable colour of passion outside the wedding wardrobe canvas onto the decor. “Red is auspicious, vibrant and versatile. And when used as the main palette, it can transform any setting from basic to transcendent. You can consider it for a day ceremony, at sunset or night,” she shares. But does saying ‘I do’ to bold hue might mean you risk merging the trousseau with the theme? “There are thousands of shades of red. We usually ask for a swatch of the bride’s outfit to ensure the decor’s palette is distinctly different from her shade. Contrasting it with gold or another complementing, unique colour like a naughty purple is apt to step away from what the bride is wearing. Personally, I feel this palette, when done right, will accentuate the bride’s look even more against that background.”
- Traditional meets exotic: “To make a blooming statement, I advice mixing traditional flowers with exotic blooms. “Traditional flowers, such as desi roses, give more coverage area, whereas exotic ones, like arum lilies or orchids, make perfect accents for table centerpieces. The result will be a dramatic-yet-classic one. Weave the floral story with some elements from the bridal lehenga for an enhanced effect. Think zardosi, aari work or gota patti for the tablecloth or chair backs.”
If You Are Romance Connoisseurs
The idea of “the most romantic decor” is as subjective as “the perfect bridal outfit”—meaning there’s no one-size-fits-all theme. For some, it could mean rose-laden installations. For others, lots of lights. So what makes a cut above the rest in the romantic wedding design stakes? “Extravagant themes and trends may look out-of-the-box today, but when you look back at your wedding montage down the line, it’ll be the little details that will make you happy. Couples should ensure their likes, preferences and personal factors are weaved into various elements of the wedding in small ways; this could stem from their favourite colour, a dish, or revolve around a city/country they first met at,” suggests Tina Tharwani, co-founder of Shaadi Squad.
Personal touches
Your wedding can often present endless opportunities for amour, reinstates Tharwani, who was behind Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Tuscany nuptials, as well as Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal’s big day. She feels candles with arrangements of lilies, jasmine and carnations are timeless, but couples can also consider dry pampas, pastel peonies and geometric elements to accentuate the space.
Don’t limit to conventional elements, she shares. “Your wedding must be an extension of who you are as a couple, so feel free to incorporate your quirks. Personalised touches like ‘Did-you-know’ facts about the couple on tables, a wishing tree where guests can write down their blessings for you, a playful signage, a story mood board of the couple, or sending out a candid moment caught on the camera as a photo with your thank you cards make your wedding memories last a lifetime!”
Catering-wise too, it’s important to spice things up. “A wedding is the only time you’ll see a 7-year-old and a 70-year-old celebrating in the same space, so it’s important for the food to cater to all age groups, while being in sync with the decor of the space,” explains Tharwani.
Theme theory
- Day picnic/garden party: “Create a beautiful Bridgeton-esque setup with lots of fresh flowers for that ethereal feel. Plan a couple of games for the adults that remind them of the bygone days. Throw in nostalgic pieces of decor like picnic baskets, mats, mazes and board games.”
- Bonfire night/under the stars: “Create a laid back and cozy soirée setting with a bonfire in the centre and music, which can turn into a karaoke or charades session. Playing your wedding movie on a large screen can also be a great idea.” Incorporate the work of local artisans—their art and craft will amp up the setting.”
If You’re Eco-Warriors
Think minimising waste at your wedding celebrations will equal to minimising its impact? “It actually means quite the opposite,” announces Opi Kaur, founder and creative director of Open The Door Events, the Andalusia, Spain based company renowned for designing luxurious events in harmony with nature. “I don’t want couples to sacrifice their vision by going down the earth-friendly route. In fact, I want their celebration to have even more meaning and be about them.”
Personal touches
For Kaur, decor is a crucial component of a wedding to tie the celebration together aesthetically, but also an aspect that can lead to excess waste. Her best advice to up the sustainability stakes is “repurposing authentic, vintage and antique elements. So instead of buying new/cheap quality materials that would be thrown out after the celebration, I hunt for beautiful second-hand decor pieces or invest in ethically made new items.” She goes on to point the needle towards flowers. “But freshly cut flowers aren’t the best for the environment. But you don’t have to forgo them completely.
Potted plants are a great alternative and so underrated. There are so many varieties, they endure fluctuating temperatures and not to mention they look amazing when clustered together in different sizes in earthy toned ceramics. The best part about using plants at your wedding is that they can later be used to decorate your house, and they make great-little wedding favours for your guests to take home.” You can go all out with botanicals by leaning on biodegradable stationery—print invitations, programmes and menus on plantable seed paper. “Stay focused on what is important. At Open the Door events, we put emphasis on creating unforgettable ambiences and advise our couples that buying little gifts for guests are not going to be missed. So not to worry about little details on the dinner tables, welcome packs, dance shoes, sun hats, fans…that are used for a couple of hours and then tossed away.”
Theme theory
- Glamping style: “Your wedding experience would represent you as a couple, your essence and what you love. So, if its music you enjoy, host a glamping style wedding and incorporate all your favourite music genres.”
- Food focus: “If you’re food lovers, take your guests on a culinary dining experience with the dishes being cooked in front of them. It will be the perfect to create enjoy tasting, hearing and seeing how the dishes are created.” Use candles that are handmade from beeswax or soy wax.”
If You Are Outdoorsy
Finalising décor and design ideas for your big day isn’t easy. But one thing’s for sure: You’d want a spectacular setting. “Your first step should be thinking beyond blooms. If you’re looking to create an unexpected yet unreal statement at your celebration, a marquee wedding is what you must consider,” recommends Timmy Kader, co-founder of 1SW Events. The UK-based wedding décor and planning company has been renowned for conceptualising and executing some of the most exquisite tented events, from vibrant pre-wedding ceremonies to larger-than-life wedding setups. “Marquee settings are reliable, beautiful and the perfect option if you want outdoor nuptials. The best part about marquees is their versatility. You can consider a dainty tent as the entrance, or a dramatic one as the setting for the main ceremony. It works for daytime pheras or a stylish soirée. We have crafted romantic marquees with soft drapes and contemporary ones with clear acrylic,” Kader reveals.
Personal touches
“Marquee weddings is one of our specialties at 1SW Events. From traditional to modern, we have done them all. There are many pros to it. Firstly, a marquee celebration offers an array of sizes for you to tailor your setting, whether you are hosting a ceremony for 20 guests or a party for 2,000. Secondly, marquees come in various styles, from tents to tipis. Thirdly, the shades. We have put together marquees in a spectrum of colours be it pristine white to vibrant rani pink. Lastly, the adornments. Enliven it with eclectic décor, floral installations, table setting and custom flooring. Lighting is of utmost importance to make it stand out. Apart from ambient lighting, dramatic uplighting on the tent can become part of the design.”
Theme theory
- Be yourself: “I think the best way to ensure your theme is unique is to create your own style, themes from other people’s weddings and Pinterest should inspire you, learn to embrace your venue, your season, your colours and use your inspirational images to create your own theme, an example of this is having a pastel coloured or bright coloured forest look rather than a deep coloured forest theme, if the colours are light and pastel then it could be more of an English garden look! There is no right or wrong and it’s all up to you, a key point to watch out for is how much daylight your venue is bringing and whether your ideal them.”
- Fun fabrics: “Our knowledge on fabrics along with embroideries, gemstones and colours has definitely been an added advantage and allowed us to design not just the stage area but the whole space. We like to design the whole wedding space. Get custom textiles, be it Ikat or chintz, to create a unique look. If you’re going for rani pink prints, don’t limit the marquee’s drapes to white. Go all out with pink or mix and match with shades of pink.”
