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May 21, 2013

Editorial    

Dear Members,  

 

It's finally beginning to feel a lot like summer.  If you're a couple getting married this summer, I'm sure you're loving all this sunshine...especially if yours is an outdoor ceremony (not to mention all those great photo shoots).

 

I'm invited to 3 weddings this summer and am planning one shower.   My go-to place for wedding favours and shower gifts is Tulip Gifts.  Check out the exquisite collection offered by Tulips Gifts and Packaging and you'll know why.

 

Did you know that weddings are also the best opportunities to find love!   I know of so many marriages and happy couples that can trace their relationship back to a wedding.  Of course, if you don't have a lot of weddings to attend and are tired of the bar scene or not about to relinquish control to your aunties and well meaning elders, you can try looking for love online!

 

More and more couples have found success in finding their soulmate online.

 

MyBindi is thrilled to announce the launch of BindiDates - or totally redesigned online dating site geared exclusively to single South Asians in North America.  Yup, we only accept new registrations from members in Canada and USA.  This means not having to filter and eliminate profiles from regions that do not interest you but being able to focus on profiles of individuals based in North America that are serious about finding love and that  - just like you are!

 

Bindi Dates
 

 

Our database also gives you access to a select number of Single South Asians in the United Kingdom who have specifically indicated an interest in connecting with South Asian singles in North America.

 

For a limited time, we're offering a complimentary two week premium membership to all new registrations.  So sign up today and browse through thousands of profiles.

 

Who knows, this time next summer you could be busy planning your wedding :)

 

Until next time... 

 

Syerah Virani
Editor-in-Chief & CEO
Bindi Weddings
Uniquely Yours | Distinctively South Asian

Have something to say? Write to us with your feedback and suggestions at syerah@mybindi.com

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Tulips Gifts and Packaging
Tulips Gifts and Packaging

Giving and receiving gifts is such an important element of all weddings. Designer and theme based gift packaging is already a very popular trend amongst the rich and elite in South Asia and is soon gaining popularity here.

 

Newly engaged couples are already so time stressed. We at Tulips Gifts and Packaging take the stress out of your gift giving needs by providing customized theme based gift packaging for all your gifts ... be it for spouse's family, relatives or your friends. Looking for just small favors or a more valuable favor for the whole family, we customize it according to budget and themes.

 

Product line includes -Trousseau gift wrapping, Sagan thaals, Fruit baskets, Favors, Designer gift boxes, Dry fruit potlis, Custom made baskets, Flower girl baskets, Money boxes etc.

 

Like our facebook page or click HERE to see how we have added more bling to other weddings.

BeGlamalicious Bridals
BeGlamalicious

Award winning BeGlamalicious Bridals would be honoured to be your service provider for your special event! Outstanding service combined with competitive pricing has made our professionals and company second to none!

Our fabulous roster of talent is in high demand with a combined total of over 100 reviews. Take advantage of our early bird discounts offered to brides who book in advance.

Save 5% booking 6 months ahead or 10% booking 12 months in advance. We have a Best Price Guarantee where we offer you 5% less than any quote you receive from an equally established Beauty service Provider!

Review our home page slideshow as well visit our Beauty Crew's pages to see more photos! Book with us TODAY!

Click HERE for more information.
Big Fat Indian Wedding
Big Fat Indian Wedding

They arrive, swathed in silk and smiles. And fish out a gold embossed, thick, red card barely half a pleasantry later. Sometimes they whip out a pen and ask for full names. Uncertain smiles are exchanged, and card duly appreciated, while one of us tries his best to find out who or what the girl or the boy does, or where he or she lives.

The other one pretends to admire the thick booklet of a card. Have these people considered that the card, which must've cost a bomb, is after all just informatory and not the work of art it's pretending to be and will be relegated to 'raddi' the very next day? I bet not.

 

Entreaties of 'You have to come!' and the earnest promise 'Of course, of course!' are exchanged before they leave and i wonder aloud, "Who in the world were they?"

 

Hubby too has his brow wrinkled, "I think I met him a few years ago or maybe he was your acquaintance from school?" He tried to pass on the blame to me but I back off from ever having seen the couple - in school, college or my last birth. So, the moot question is, should we go? Like the idiot who never learns, bowled over by the anxious entreaties, we decide in favour.

 

Dressed in unfamiliar finery where the sequins keep getting entangled in one's hair, one reaches the venue after a long traffic jam compounded by 'baraats' moving at a speed calculated to shame a tortoise! The 'singer' belts out the old and new with abundant panache and the dancing baraatis give intruding cars dirty looks: what business do cars have on road when they are there?

 

Bypassing them is tough but clever manoeuvring sees us through and we find ourselves inside. The rest is a cakewalk. Hand over the precious 'lifafa' to somebody keeping a meticulous list of gifts and walk over guiltlessly to the food side. Meeting or greeting the family? They've already bid us a hurried 'Namastey' before rushing off to tend to more urgent things than the invited guests. Wishing the new couple? The bride hasn't arrived from the parlour yet and the groom is still surrounded by his dancing friends. Food seems to be the only logical solution and we get over the awkwardness of helping ourselves by solicitously asking some other guests whether they've eaten. And leading the way to the most crowded part of the place.


Click HERE to read more. 

How I learned to love the Big Fat Indian Wedding
How I learned to love the Big Fat Indian Wedding

I didn't want to go to India. In all the years of living in Canada, I never once felt any desire to visit my birthplace. Don't get me wrong - I love Indian food, dancing to bhangra and indulging in the occasional Bollywood film.

But go to India? Nope. Too crowded. Too dirty. Too sexist. Too traditional.

 

But then I got a call from my best friend who was getting married in Delhi. I tried to make up excuses and tell her I'm too busy with work, but my friend was having none of it. I was guilt-tripped into attending the Big Fat Indian Wedding: a four-day affair with 300 guests and the groom arriving on a horse. At least it wasn't an elephant, I thought.

 

Ten months later, I found myself at Indira Gandhi International Airport. I steeled myself and stepped out to breathe the polluted Delhi air.

 

Day 1: It's the mehendi night, when the womenfolk sing songs of grooms arriving on horses, while the bride-to-be and her friends get henna tattoos. The designs are pretty, but try doing anything when you have goop that takes hours to dry. I submitted to the minimal amount on my hands and escaped to the verandah as soon as I could. I was soon joined by the bride's father (mehendi nights are the only time men feed women since they can't do it themselves).

I asked him for a beer. He blinked with surprise, but raised the glass to help me drink. After more strange looks from the the auntijis, it occurred to me that I was the only female drinking. Oops.

 

Day 2: Another pre-wedding ritual: the sangeet, a.k.a. more obligatory Bollywood singing and dancing from family members as they serenade the couple. Think awkward and grimace-worthy. No way was I taking part.

 

Then the guilt-tripping started. "You're her best friend, you dance professionally, blah, blah, think of how happy it will make her to see you do Bollywood," urged the bride's sister.

I do love dancing, so I reluctantly gave in. But would my sari stay up? I find it hard enough to walk gracefully in a sari, but dancing wrapped in nine yards of cloth would be an even bigger challenge. Freaking out, I ran to all the auntijis looking for safety pins to strap in my sari, but no one had any. In desperation, I used bobby pins. And in the midst of my Bollywood dance, I started having a good time. Perhaps I even enjoyed the wolf whistles and cat calls. Okay, so maybe the Big Fat Indian Wedding wasn't so awful.


Click HERE to read more. 

What to Expect at an Indian Wedding
What to Expect at an Indian Wedding

If you've been invited to your first Indian wedding, you're probably curious about what's going to happen. We enlisted the help of Indian wedding planner Suniti Patel, of Lamhe Bridal Consultants in New Jersey, to get answers to some commonly asked questions about Indian weddings.

Q: What should I wear to an Indian wedding ceremony?

A: Brighter is better. Don't be afraid to wear a bold color; that will help you fit in with the Indian guests who'll be dressed in vibrant colors and eye-catching jewelry. If you don't have a traditional sari or lengha, don't worry. A jewel-tone dress with a shawl can mimic the festive look.

 

Q: Is it true that Indian weddings last for several days? What will I be expected to attend?

A: A traditional Indian wedding lasts an average of three days. On the first night, a priest will often perform the ganesh pooja, a ceremony that usually happens at home with only the couple, the bridal party, and close relatives in attendance.

 

The second day begins with a mehndi ceremony. For this, the bride and her female friends and family members will have intricate henna patterns drawn on their hands and feet. That evening, the sangeet takes place. Every wedding guest is usually invited, and it involves an introduction of the couple's families, mingling, a meal, and dances or other performances.

On the third day, the main ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception take place. You may be invited to the last day of the events, or to any part of the three-day celebration. Your invitation should clearly state what you're being asked to attend.

 

Q: What can I expect to see at an Indian wedding ceremony?

A: One of the first things that might surprise Western guests is the baraat, or groom's procession. For this, the groom arrives to the ceremony on a decorated white horse. Guests dance around him to the beat of the dhol, an Indian drum. After that, the bride and her family greet the groom, and the couple exchanges floral garlands to wear around their necks to symbolize their acceptance of each other.


Click HERE to read more. 

In this newsletter
Tulips Gifts and Packaging
BeGlamalicious Bridals
Big Fat Indian Wedding
How I learned to love the Big Fat Indian Wedding
What to Expect at an Indian Wedding
MyBindi Directories
Find a Vendor
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MyBindi Directories

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www.mybindi.com/events and www.mybindi.com/weddings  

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