Wedding Wows

Chingamasam (Onam month) is also a time for weddings. The mandapam is set for trendy nuptials. Weddings have gone for a complete makeover today with extravagant celebrations, sumptuous feasting and never ending after parties that last for days on end

The month of Chingam, the first month of the Malayalam calendar is considered as the most auspicious month for weddings. Gone are the days when Malayali weddings were a solemn family affair, restricted to rituals and traditions alone. With time, it has transformed to a trendy and glamorous one, with a lavish display of affluence and luxury.

Why Kerala

Kerala, with its coconut palm lined stretches of quiet beaches and serene backwaters, is a hotspot and virgin wedding destination. According to Bobby, director, Wedding Factory, Keralites are great hosts and people choose God’s own country for its excellent hospitality. “Besides, our natural beauty is untouched and just too beautiful to be captured,” he adds. No wonder, weddings in Kerala have become much more structured and organised with wedding planners having a main say in the realm of things. 

Trendy themes

Themes play a huge role in weddings today – from the wedding trousseau to the stage/hall décor, flower, lighting, everything is theme based. While some choose a subtle theme, others prefer the splendour of a royal wedding. Be it any caste or custom, people today go for a particular colour theme or themed event.

When it comes to colour themes, couples today have their own ideas. “Gone are the days of classic white, ivory theme and reddish orange combinations. Like nude makeup, people today prefer subtle colours, like aqua blue, lime green and other pastel shades, which are a hit in weddings,” says Shana Selvam, director, Wedding Factory. Besides, in flower-specific themes, red roses are now passe. The trend is for expensive orchids, lilies and even imported tulips! 

Similarly, wedding photography and videography form an important part of the wedding package these days. “The buzzword today in weddings is candid moments. People prefer candid clicks and videos to the conventional pictures and traditional posing. A trailer video to the wedding, a 5-7 min video on wedding highlights and helicams are also a trend in weddings these days,” says Ruben Bijy Thomas, candid wedding photographer, Magic Motion Media. Another ‘in’ thing is the pre-wedding photo shoots which often get converted into wedding movies.

Glam it up

Wedding dresses have also changed over the years. They insist on dress codes for theme based parties trying to involve the guests as much as possible in their celebrations. Choices are aplenty from Manish Malhotra wedding attire to Sabyasachi Mukherjee party wear. “It is not just the couples, but the entire family goes into a theme based dressing.

For weddings during onam season, the onam theme of white and gold colour is in demand. The simple kasavu sari has gone for a makeover with heavily worked blouses to give it a bridal look. While Hindus prefer that, Muslims prefer heavily worked lehengas with heavy jewellery for their D-day,” says Reshma Binu, owner, Mannath. From lavish spreads to elaborate wedding grandeur, the new-age Malayali is leaving no stone unturned to make his/her wedding a memorable affair.