Indian Themed Wedding Ideas and Supplies

Are you interested in organizing an Indian themed wedding? If yes, then you have landed at the right place because on this very page I plan on bringing the best of ideas and supplies which I feel befit the aura of a true Indian wedding.

Before we get to the main topic, let me introduce myself. I am Kalpana Iyer and I am an Indian by origin. I love weddings and I have even published a number of online articles on the same but I am extremely glad to be able to publish this page today because I know what all items symbolize a true Indian wedding. I have been to many Indian weddings in my hometown and my attempt here is to give you ideas on what you could do on your Indian themed wedding. You might not see many supplies online which actually suit this kind of a theme, but I try to bring the best of the lot for you on this page. Mostly on this page you will see items in shades of Red and White -- the former being the traditional color in Indian weddings and the latter being the conventional color in Christian weddings. So yes, I have tried my best to make this page cater to the needs of both Indians and non-Indians.

You saw a glimpse of an Indian themed wedding in Rachel Getting Married. Though it felt great to see that this theme is getting international recognition, I wasn't really impressed with the choice of saris they wore. You, on the other hand, could do a lot better and to help you out with that, I will even drop a couple of links later on in this article wherein you can get a wider selection of Indian sarees.

Traditional Indian wedding invitations are done in the form of a scroll. They have a royal look with thread work on them. I didn't find many invitations that matched this description and the closest that came is displayed to the right. Gold and Red are colors that are usually used in Indian themed weddings. Red symbolizes marriage and love and this might be why Indian wedding invitations of such colors are so popular.

A Lord Ganesha icon is imprinted on many Indian wedding invitations because He is represented as the Hindu God of success. The one shown above (wedding invitation #1) is a very typical form of wedding invitation that is used in India. It has the popular combination of Red and Gold along with the Ganesha icon printed at the top. The wedding invitation #2 is also another common design used for Indian weddings.

This is my most favorite part! If you are going to organize an Indian themed wedding, then without a doubt - you have to wear an Indian sari! You can opt for simple saris, but when there are such dazzling designs out there, I have no idea why you would want to resort to something "less Indian" on your special day. Indian brides are usually decked from top to bottom in gold but you need not do that if you are uncomfortable in gaudy attire and accessories. What you can do is wear a gorgeous looking saree (even make your bridesmaids wear them), and then opt for just a long earring and a simple bracelet to look elegant.

The one shown on the right is a typical looking Indian bridal saree. An Indian bride usually wears a silk saree on her big day but this trend is slowly changing especially amongst the NRI community. Personally, I prefer silk sarees because of the rich look and feel that they induce. In my household it is required that every woman wears a silk saree on weddings. Red (or any shade of Red like maroon, dark Orange) is undoubtedly the most popular color (like how White is for Christian weddings) in Indian wedding attire. Apart from the Red saree, I have even included an alternative -- a white/cream silk saree if you would like your wedding attire to be in this color.

If the groom is willing, then you can have him wear this traditional Indian wear. The kurta comes in a nice shade of Burgundy and has embroidered gold designs. This set comes with white pants and a matching shawl. If the groom is uncomfortable with such an attire, he can wear a formal suit.

Usually Indian brides use very heavy accessories on their big day. Big chunky necklaces and lots of bangles are adorned by them. But if you are uncomfortable (which you most surely will be if you are not an Indian) you can opt for jewelry of your choice. I would like to add that even if you do not opt for Indian styled necklaces (which can be really heavy!), try going for Indian styled earrings. I have shown some pieces on the right which I feel would suit an Indian themed wedding. These are the traditional designs which I am sure every Indian must be aware of. Such earrings look simply fabulous with Indian attire and you can wear them along with any Indian clothing you have including kurtis.

You can place an elephant topper on your wedding cake as shown in the first picture. Apart from that, why not try ordering a peacock themed wedding cake? Peacock is the national bird of India and you can use peacock feathers on the cake to give it that special Indian touch. You can get a number of feathers (even dyed ones) that you can use for your Indian themed wedding.

If you are looking for cute Indian wedding cake toppers, then I have just the items for you! I found the items on the right from Amazon and I think they are absolutely cute. Check out the bride and groom in Indian attire! Usually in Southern India, we don't have wedding cakes (sad, but true) but if I were to suggest Indian wedding cake toppers to anyone who is looking for them, then these items on the right would get highest priority. They are even available separately, but the price is cheaper when your purchase them together. Here too, I have added the color combos of Red and White. You can also find some Indian cake toppers here.

You can use flowers to decorate your ceremony! Marigold is the most preferred choice. In Indian weddings, you will see lots of marigold and jasmine flowers all around.

They are used to decorate the wedding podium, the wedding hall and homes of both the bride and the groom. You can use marigold to give your wedding an authentic Indian feel.

Next up, you can decorate the place with Indian lamps or diyas. You can have them placed all over the wedding hall. Alternatively you can place tealight candles in nice looking vessels.

The following few pictures are taken from my own wedding collection. You can use the same decor ideas for your own wedding!

For Indian wedding favors, you can give away small elephant favors. Elephants are considered sacred in India and can often be found in all major festivities in South Indian temples. Another option is to give sandalwood fans. India is famous for its sandalwood production. You can even give away photo coasters to your guests. Some of the bestselling items are shown to the right.