Hey everybody, we are back with a wedding story for you! This bride is rather enthusiastic and one of our frequent visitors. Let's hear how she planned her Tam Brahm wedding all the way from Singapore!
Hi everybody!!! This is Subbulakshmi here. I hail from a Tambram family in Chennai, but I have been living in Singapore for the last 6 years. I was married in June 2014, half a year just whizzed past us like a dream. My husband, Ashwin also hails from Chennai. Contrary to talking about how it all started, I am going to just share how it has all been post the wedding.Life most certainly changes drastically after you get married. Building your own family is perhaps the most beautiful, intense, toll-taking and a humbling experience.
We never really realize what goes into running a home as kids/young adults. It all seems like a cake walk when we see our parents doing it, but trust me it is just not!!!
However, the good news is we eventually get better at it and maybe someday match/better our parents ;) So to all you ladies out there getting married in the near future, don’t get overwhelmed in the initial days post your wedding. It may take both of you some time to figure out how things work best, but that’s the interesting part and the phase that binds a couple together. ? And remember, marriage is about a team. Discover things together, stick with each other and tighten your seat belts and embark on the ride! And while you are at it, don’t forget to enjoy the ride! ?
And, THE WEDDING! We did not really have an official engagement. However, we had about 7 months time from the time our wedding date was fixed to plan the wedding. There were 2 things that we did immediately – 1) Book the wedding hall 2) Decide and fix the wedding caterer. Our wedding took place at New Woodlands – Janaki Krishna Hall who took care of he flower arrangements and decorations, and the food was taken care of by SS Caterers. The venue and the food turned out to be just perfect!
In February, we finalized the make-up and the photographer, both extremely crucial elements according to me. I took the risk of booking my make-up artist,Mrs.Banu, before a trial as I have seen her work in a friend’s wedding and found it extremely neat. However, I would not advise anybody else to take this risk unless they live outside India.
Shopzters showed me the way to our photographer. @wfa# covered our wedding and Waseem was just brilliant. I first saw Waseem's work in the "Photography of the Month" section. I began following his work after that. He was also recommended by someone else to us. My dad was the one who liased with Waseem. I loved the fact that we didn’t have to pose for our pictures with him. We, unfortunately, did not have time for a pre/post wedding couple shoot, but hope to get it done some day ?
Living in Singapore obviously meant I didn’t have the time or luxury to do window shopping or months to decide on my wardrobe. Browsing online helped me a lot in understanding what the available options in the market were. However, don’t overdo it or you can end up super confused and disappointed in the event you don’t find exactly what you were looking for. During my visit to Chennai in early March, we decided to take a look at few stores for bridal sarees; however, I ended up liking some of them so much that I just bought all the sarees –in a single day!
Sarees were from Palam ,Kalaniketan and Co-Optex. 9 yards was from Shreenivasa Silks (I didn’t want the traditional red shade. Fell in love with a beautiful peacock blue shade with vaira oosi pattern). I just had two criteria’s for the wedding trousseau – Not to repeat shades as much as possible and to have unique patterns/design. All the gold/diamond jewellery I wore was my mom’s or sister’s. I am not a great fan of the yellow metal and chose not to buy much for the wedding. The other jewellery sets and my bangles were from a few random stores in Sowcarpet and Damini jewellers.My blouses were all designed and stitched by Shree’s Ethnic Trends
. I wanted the designs to be subtle and elegant. They did a beautiful job with lots of cutwork and embroidery and very minimal stone work.
My husband also kept his wardrobe classy and subtle. His kurta was from Manyaavar and his three piece suit was custom made from P N Rao.
I did not follow any special beauty regimen for the wedding. Just the usual cleansing and moisturizing twice a day. I did go for a facial 4 days before the wedding and a session of manicure and pedicure to complete the pampering!
My advice for the brides to be:
-
Nothing makes you look more beautiful than genuine happiness and a radiant smile from within. A wedding is a wonderful coming together of two people and two families. Enjoy the event and don’t stress about little things. You are loved for what you are. What you wear or how you look in a certain event cannot change that.
-
Be relaxed and finish your all your shopping and stitching at least a month before the wedding day. The last one month, just spend loads of lovely moments with your folks at home!
-
Pay attention to your wedding photographer and your make-up. Trust me it’s worth every bit.
-
Do not follow trends and pick the same saree/jewellery. You don’t want to look just like another actress or a friend. Don’t be afraid to create your own trend.
-
Go shopping with an open mind.
-
Do not let your attire or jewellery over power or over shadow your personality. Don’t forget they are meant to just complement you. YOU and YOUR PARTNER are the stars of the day.
-
Don't over complicate anything. Simplicity and Subtlety is the key.
Good luck and enjoy your BIG day and the journey that follows!
