Multicultural Weddings 3 - Decor and Theming

Deciding on the décor and theming for a multicultural wedding is where you can be the most creative. If you decide to have two wedding ceremonies such as one religious and one civil, you could choose two different colour schemes and decors for them in keeping with the two cultures.

Many couples having a Hindu ceremony feel that they need to go for the traditional red and gold colour combination for their outfits and the mandap. If you want to use these traditional colours for the ceremony, then consider using a different colours for the reception. A wedding we organised last year had a red and gold colour scheme for the Hindu ceremony and then a white and gold scheme for the Civil ceremony and reception.

Here are some photos of the wedding:

We advise clients to start by getting the invitations designed to ensure you have a mix of the two cultures and to set the tone for the wedding right from the beginning. Decide on a symbol or theme that you can use throughout the wedding. Peacock feathers and jewel tones such as purple and turqoise are very popular.

Another idea is to consider getting a logo designed using both the bride and groom's initials. This can be unique to your wedding and can be used for different aspects of the wedding from invitations to menu cards.

Real Wedding in Sri Lanka

We arranged a wedding for a couple last June in Sri Lanka. The couple live in the UK and wanted a small intimate Hindu wedding ceremony and reception in Sri Lanka for a small group of family and relatives. They also wanted to combine the wedding with a holiday and spent some time travelling around Sri Lanka.

We help to organise their wedding in Colombo at the Galle Face Hotel. They had an intimate Hindu ceremony under a marquee by the sea which was decorated with flowers. We had to move the location due to the heavy rain that day! The groom arrived at the ceremony on an elephant and was accompanied by traditional drummers and dancers. The ceremony then took place and was conducted by a Hindu priest. After the ceremony, the guests had soft drinks, cut the wedding cake and had group photos taken. Then then sat down to lunch on the terrace of the hotel.

They gave the following feedback:

“We had a fab time in Sri Lanka and a fantastic wedding, just like we wanted. We chose SSW, because they were more reliable and maintained excellent communication throughout the planning stages. Samantha’s knowledge was reassuring and the suggestions were brilliant. Everything went well, venue, planning, ceremony and the priest was great. We will definitely recommend your services to friends and family. Many thanks for a memorable day!”

Here are a few photos:

Bring the outside in

I recently received a lovely brochure from Arbor Verde who supply plants and bay trees in a different shapes and sizes. Some come in lovely pots and shapes include cones, balls and hedges. This would be a good way to incorporate greenery into your decor scheme if your wedding venue didn't have a lot of outside space.

Here are a few photos:

Wedding Venues - Sri Lanka

We often get asked to recommend hotels and venues suitable for beach weddings in Sri Lanka. There are lots of hotels to pick from in Sri Lanka. One of my favourite is the Fortress Hotel near Galle right next to the beach. It has a restaurant, bar, lounge area and an amazing spa. The bedrooms have all the facilities you would need including plasma tvs and music systems and daybeds with great views. It would be an ideal view for small intimate beach weddings. I was there last year and saw a Russian couple getting married by the beach.

Here are a few photos:

Sweet Treats

Here are some divine sweets and desserts from Ladurée to make your mouth water! They have a wide range of products- here is a selection of some that would be ideal for weddings. They have a shop in the Burlington Arcade in London and a tea room at Harrods if you would like to sample some of their sweets.

These small boxes of macroons would be ideal as wedding favours or small presents for your bridesmaids:

These Pyramids of Macaroons could be an alternative to a wedding cake or used as a piece de resistance for a sweet buffet table.

These beautiful soaps and lotions would be great presents for Mothers of the Bride.

Melanie Potró Bridal Couture

Today I wanted to introduce a favourite dress designer - Melanie Porto. The designer offers beautiful, stylish, non fussy and elegant bespoke dresses. Her collection is based on beautiful fabrics - silk, lace, chiffon and a feminine style that perfectly suits the modern bride.

Her studio is based in Clerkenwell in the City and she offers evening appointments for clients that aren't able to go during the daytime due to work commitments.

Here are a few photos:

Weddings in Sri Lanka

When helping couples to plan their wedding in Sri Lanka, some couples come to us with a fixed idea of what they are after or what wedding venue they would like having seen the venue in a magazine or friend's holiday photos. Others really aren't sure what is available to them and what venues would work with their requirements.

Here are a few factors to consider when planning a holiday overseas
- How far away is the wedding venue from the nearest airport? You might not want your guests having to travel by car for hours after a long flight.
- Can all your guests stay at the wedding venue? Are their enough bedrooms available and also activities to keep them entertained? Your guests will be coming to be there for your special day but they are also having a holiday at the same time.
- What catering is available? Will you be serving your guests local cuisine or western style food? In some countries like Sri Lanka, the local food can be spicy and therefore not for everyones' taste.
Throughout the blog I will add more tips for planning your wedding overseas and in Sri Lanka.

Here are some ideas for a wedding itinerary in Sri Lanka

• Spend a night in Colombo at the Galle Face Hotel in the hotel’s new Regency Wing.
  
• Travel down south to the Fortress Hotel, a boutique style hotel with attentive staff, a varied menu offering local Sri Lankan curries and specialities as well as western food to suit all palates. The hotel has an abundance of high tech equipment in the bedrooms and guests can choose a room that even has its own plunge pool. The hotel also has a spa to ease away any stresses from the sometimes nerve racking journey through the busy streets.


• After a couple of days relaxing, it is possible to have an intimate wedding ceremony next to sea at the hotel accompanied by traditional Kandiyan drummers and dancers with close family and friends watching. Have a casual lunch in the terrace restaurant and perhaps spend the rest of day sipping cocktails by the pool.


• Then do a short sightseeing tour around Sri Lanka for 3/4 nights. Key places to visit include Sigiriya, a 5th century rock fortress citadel, Nuwara Eliya, where there are tea plantations, UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kandy where you can see the temple of the tooth and Anuradhapura, one of Sri Lanka’s historical sites.
  
• Follow this up with a couple of nights in a romantic water villa in the Maldives and end your wedding/honeymoon/holiday in style.
  
  Here are some photos of the Galle Face Hotel:
  

Stunning Stationery

I recently received a beautiful pack of samples from Chartula Studio. They do beautiful bespoke wedding stationery including invitations, menus, order of services and coloured envelopes. Some designs are laser cut so that they look like fine lace. They also have a DIY range called Create where they supply the invitations and ribbons and you print and finish them at home! Ideal for brides who want to make their own invitations or those on a budget.

Here are some photos:

Their St Tropez range would be ideal for couples chosing a beach or overseas wedding:

Exquisite Shoes

One company that I discovered at the Designer Wedding Show was Freya Rose who designs and makes beautiful shoes based in Mayfair. The shoes are handmade and incorporate roses and pearls in the design. They are available in a variety of colours and designs. Beautiful enough to wear after your wedding day!


Here are a few photos:

Weddings in Sri Lanka

We plan weddings in Sri Lanka for couples living in the UK or abroad who want a beautifully planned wedding in an exotic location. The main reasons for marrying in Sri Lanka are the beautiful wedding locations, weather, relaxed atmosphere, more value for your money and hospitality of the local people.

We have connections with venues and suppliers in Sri Lanka and can help you plan a stylish and unique wedding whether it is an intimate beach wedding ceremony for 20 or a lavish banquet for 400. Some couples choosing to marry and holiday in Sri Lanka can combine a beach wedding with a weeks sightseeing and then stop in the Maldives for a couple of nights in a romantic waterfront bungalow.

Sweet Treats

I attended the RSVP Show yesterday at the Business Design Centre in Islington. The show is always full of new ideas and companies promoting new products and services.

One company that I came across was Ice Angels - they provide miniature ice cream cones and other sweets treats for events served by waitresses dressed in 1950 inspired dresses. Other sweets include miniature candy floss, miniature popcorn and ice cream sundaes. They would be ideal for summer weddings and drinks receptions.

Here are a couple of photos:

Multicultural Weddings 2 - Wedding Ceremonies

We plan lots of weddings where the bride and groom are from different cultures/backgrounds. One of the main things to consider is which type of ceremony or ceremonies to have and to get the right balance of the two cultures. It is possible to combine a civil ceremony with a religious or cultural wedding ceremony by doing both events on one day or by splitting the events over two weekends. If you are trying to reduce costs, I would suggest having the civil ceremony in the morning with just close friends and family attending and then inviting all the other guests to the religious ceremony in the afternoon. The religious ceremony can also be shortened if you require and most priests are happy to accommodate such requests.

Photo from The Knot