Sunday, December 9, 2001		Article

THEY have held weddings on football fields, under-water in submarines, up in the air, in aeroplanes... They have recreated Paris in Kolkata, taken Kolkata to Jaipur, reconstructed Jaipur’s forts in Delhi and Mysore’s palace in Mumbai... all for that once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-forgotten experience!

With the marriage season setting in, sundry wedding organisers and decorators all over India are once again working overtime to create the most memorable (and by inference, most outlandish) setting for young couples to exchange their vows in.

The themes could range from heritage Rajasthani and rural Maharashtrian on the one hand, to authentic Tamilian and funky Hawaiian on the other. Besides there are specialists working fancy coutre collections, sourcing antique, yet trendy jewellery, out-of-this-world cuisine, music and fireworks!

The latest is of event managers getting on to the wedding bandwagon," says Sanchaita Haldar, a former corporate communications professional. "After all, weddings are big business in India. Nowhere else in the world is the event so elaborate and over-hyped."

She points out that the days of rigging up shamianas in your backyard or holding terrace-top weddings are over. Even air-conditioned baraatghars are closing down and being converted to godowns and residential quarters for want of clientele.

Another new entrant in this field, Mumbai-based designer Salim Asgarally comes with a calling card that promises "a touch of designer elegance to dream weddings". The inspiration, he says, came from helping out a friend, who married an American in Goa last year.

Apart from taking care of hotel bookings for the guests, Asgarally had set up a Balinese tent on bamboo close to riverside for the ceremony. "The tent was fashioned from 700 metres of pink and white sheer georgette with low seating arrangements," he recalls. "Perfumed candles lit up the interiors while a few electric spots blazed on the ground for effect."

Today, Asgarally has graduated to more exotic locations with matching props — right from erecting huge edifices to canopies on the beach, replete with live bands, mashaals (oil torches), belly dancers, fire-eaters and attendants in colour-coordinated costumes.

"Nobody cares for costs," observes Haldar. "We are living in the age of one-upmanship and even smaler towns are trying to be one-up on Mumbai and Delhi. I remember in Nasik, somebody wanted a pagoda to be erected with cane and flowers for her wedding!"

There could be even more peculiar requests, such as the one Asgarally had to handle. A client hosting a seaside wedding insisted that vows be exchanged in the evening at the exact moment when the setting sun framed the mandap. "We rehearsed for three days to get it right," recalls the designer.

"The timing of the mantras and setting of the sun were perfectly synchronised. Thereafter, fishermen’s boats dotting the beach came alive with fairylights, soon to be followed by the fireworks display. Only then did the guests settle down over snacks and refreshments."

Likewise, Haldar had to deal with a demand for a "perfect Arabian Nights setting" complete with typical low-seating arrangements, Egyptian vases and frescoes, blinking table tops, hukkas, and pillow cushions strewn on the floor, dancers in harem pants and veils...

Then there’s painter M.F. Husain’s granddaughter, Rabi Gidwani whose "Swarg Designer Weddings" simulated paradise on earth in a sports stadium at Mumbai. About 200 pillars were constructed out of cardboard and plaster of paris with cotton clouds hanging in the air and flowers showing the bride and groom from a Pushpak Viman while apsaras stood in waiting.

There can also be not-so-expensive, yet innovative concepts to distinguish such designer weddings. For instance, Sudha Taparia and Nita Mehta had an elaborate rope swing hung to an old tree, which was the highlight of a wedding reception on the lawns of Taj Westend in Bangalore.

Two years ago, the designer duo executed another memorable piece of work. A 70-feet ramp was set up with the backdrop of a sheet of water in an open space. Lotus and other flowers were strewn on the gravel path for the guests to walk up on from the gate.

"What ultimately matters is imagination and an attention to details," says Haldar. "That is what sets one designer apart from the other. For if you goof up at any point, there’s no forgiving you. You cannot say that it was a minor problem and won’t happen next time!"

— MF