All Tied Up

image via the decorista. original styling and photography unknown.

Just wanted to show a pretty picture today and this tulle runner and tablecloth all tied up really caught our eye. Love all the different elements that make up the overall look: the pastel chairs, curved table legs, delicate flowers, and scalloped china. But the finishing touch of the nipped cloth really pulls the whole table together, don't you think? A simple and easy trick you could try out for your own events.

Check out two previous posts on nips, tucks, and ties here and here.

Sparkly Napkin Holders in Practice

One of our friends, Diana, recently got married and it was one of those weddings where the emphasis was on fun. It was a New Year's Eve wedding, there was glitter, there was dancing, and everyone had a blast. But what really made our day was her diy napkin holders, which were inspired by this post (originally from Martha Stewart Living).


image by marigolds and mithai

We thought it would be interesting to hear from her, and get her thoughts on the project (whether she was pleased with the result, how she felt about the process and whether she would do it again). Here's what she had to say!

I was very pleased with the result. They added a little extra, unique sparkle to our NYE table decor, and a nice homemade touch that I think people appreciated. This was not, however, the easiest craft to pull off. Although the materials were easy to find, I had difficulty finding the right glue that would work. Some would dry too slowly, which resulted in the sequins moving around too much. Others were too expensive and noxious. I ended up using a glue gun. Glue gun sticks are cheap, but the glue gun came with its own potential perils. If the tip touched the ball, the styrofoam would melt, which made me really anxious. Also, our wedding was originally supposed to have 160 people (but we ended up closer to 140), so the craft was quite labor intensive. I ended up inviting several friends over, and opened some wine, and we had a grand time. I truly could not have done this without either quitting my job or having awesome friends. (Actually, I had more then plenty of people willing to pitch in, and I never got to tap all of their glue gun skills.)


images by marigolds and mithai

Would I do this again? Absolutely!! Not only were they, like I said, a nice, sparkly handmade touch to our table decor, but the whole adventure of making them will be something we remember forever. I also had an idea to expand the craft and buy strings of larger sequins and get extra large styrofoam balls to craft a sort of homemade disco ball. Maybe for another event!

We have to say, we totally took a few of these beauties home and are definitely going to use them for our own dinner parties!

Some Polish

A question was posed on twitter asking if other desi brides were changing their nail polish from one event to another and it got us thinking. If you have events back-to-back that might not be feasible but at the same time South Asian weddings consist of many outfit changes. So how do you decide what nail polish would work for all these various events?


image via vogue india november 2009 issue; dress by anamika khanna

There are a couple of options:

- You could match every outfit by changing the color daily if that's your prerogative or by doing a nude or clear shade (like this bride)

- You could do a color that might match one outfit and contrast ever so nicely with another (pictured above). Doesn't the green look so pretty against the white?

- You could choose a color in the same color range as all your outfits - pinks and reds often work nicely for this if you have brightly colored outfits (red just somehow works with everything!).

- You could layer from one event to another. For example, you could start with a nude or deep plum shade and then the next day add a bit of glitter like here.

- Or you could just not care, go all out with your nail art and have fun with it!

* We posted this picture before and we absolutely love the image so of course had to share again. We think Farrokh Chothia took it for Vogue India

All Lit Up

image credit unknown. please let us know if you know the original source!

Today we thought we'd talk about lights. Specifically the South Asian tradition of stringing lights all over the house during wedding festivities. There's something so sweet about the idea of family and community coming together and basically telling the whole world that yes, there is a wedding happening! It really gets the celebration started - with the whole block buzzing with excitement leading up to the big events.

But do you think you would follow this tradition out here? Or do you think you lose a bit of the magic without the whole neighborhood participating in the festive mood? What do you think about just putting up a few strings of lights, in a nod to the tradition? We'd love to hear your thoughts!