Thank You!

First I'd like to Thank You for reading the posts which come up on here occasionally and our post today discusses "Thank You" cards.

It's always polite and considerate to mail out Thank You cards after any occasion you have, whether it be by e-mail or mail. The message can be short and sweet, such as "Thank you for attending our wedding and making it a special occasion for all us" or you can write a longer message by inserting their names on the card, followed by a special message (ie - thanking them for the gift; if they helped out at any events; drove around...) and then sign off with your names.

My suggestion would be to have these cards ready beforehand with the mailing labels stuck on and then insert the message afterwards. Try not to delay sending out the cards for too long - I'd suggest sending it out within 3 months of the wedding date. I have received cards a year after the wedding, but by that time the moment has passed. Of course there's the saying "better late than never", but in regards to this - the sooner the better. 


Enjoy writing! 

Gayatri Mantra

This post is going to be in regards to the Hindu wedding ceremony. 

With all Hindu weddings the pandit or priest will be chanting many shloks in Sanskrit and the one I've noticed that comes up throughout a lot of the wedding ceremonies is the vedic universal prayer known as the Gayatri Mantra. This particular mantra is very significant as it is supposed to enlighten the mind. If you attend poojas and ceremonies you will most likely have heard people reciting it. If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about - you can watch a video or listen to it online. 

The Gayatri Mantra: 

Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi 
Dheeyo Yo Na Prachodayath

The English translated lyrics might be spelt a bit differently dependent upon the translator. 


The simple translation I had been given with it is as follows:
I meditate upon the most brilliant splendor of the Sun God. May he stimulate our intellect (so that we are inspired to take the right action at the right time).*

Now, if your own traditional Hindu wedding ceremony is coming up, I would suggest you start familiarizing yourself with the Gayatri Mantra. It comes up numerous times and even if you don't have it memorized, by the time your wedding is over you probably will have it memorized. It's a feel good moment to know the prayer, be able to recite it and know the meaning. 

Happy chanting!     


*Please note: As with all translations - there will be numerous interpretations to the mantra. 

Special Date

Mahaurats - or Otherwise

Indian Weddings tend to be focused around Mahaurat, or auspicious dates in India.  If you and/or your family still follow these traditions, remember that halls and hotels book up well in advance, especially those halls such as the Safari Texas Ranch.  

If you are not considering an auspicious dates, long weekends are another hot commodity.  Indian Weddings tend to take place on these dates so relatives and friends can fly in and spend more time at the events.  

A current Wedding that OBU is working on has a bride and groom that want their Wedding on November, 11, 2011 - or 11/11/11.

Luckily, this date is on Friday, and this Wedding doesn't mind happening on a Friday.  Always remember that this is YOUR Wedding.  You can have it WHENEVER you want.  Your guests will accommodate in any way, as long as they have advanced notice.  Think about what date will make your day SPECIAL for you - not everyone else. 

Write down a list of dates you are interested in. Check a calendar to see what at days these dates land on.  Remember that Weekdays and Fridays tend to be your cheapest days for Halls, followed by Sunday, then Saturday (or Monday, then Saturday and Sunday on Long Weekends with Monday as the Holiday).  

Joote Ka Paisa

Simple meaning: Money for Shoes! 


Most Hindu weddings have a tradition where the bride's sisters and cousins steal the groom's shoes in exchange for money. This age old tradition is just another fun way to crank the wedding festivities up another notch. Shoe stealing is permitted when the groom has to remove his shoes before entering the mandap. The groom's side is usually prepared for this and has his brothers, cousins, and closest friends next to him. It's at this crucial time the bride's sisters and company steal the shoes. This can be done by any means whatsover. There are no official rules, besides the fact that the groom does have to enter the wedding hall with his shoes on. 

A few ways to hide the shoes :

       1. The groom wears no shoes into the wedding hall.   

       2. The groom wears the shoes into the hall and then has his friends hide it in a car trunk.  

       3. The groom enters the hall with his shoes, takes a "break" and swaps shoes with      
           someone else.

A few ways to steal the shoes: 

1. Call a locksmith if they hide it in the car.
2. Be alert to what shoes the groom is wearing.
3. Snatch and run! 

Do you have any ideas / thoughts on how to either "steal" or "hide" the shoes?! 

Or do you have a funny story to share about shoe stealing? 

Mehndi Hai Rachnewali

You're probably thinking of the song that goes to the title of this blog post eh?! Well mehndi (aka - henna) is another intricate detail on the bride's to-do list and what's a bride without her mehndi? Whether the bride's mehndi is 5 dots on her palms or an intricately drawn out design of the baraat, the mehndi gives her that special touch and feeling that this is her day. When the mehndi artist asks you "traditional" or "arabic"? Don't get confused - here's a breakdown on the terms. Traditional mehndi design is much smaller in design, patterns, lines and is Indian. This is where you see the dulha, dulhan, dhol, baraat, horse, peacock and any other wedding related item drawn into your arms and legs. Arabic mehndi design is more floral, lines are thicker and no intricate drawings. Mehndi is not only limited to the bride, but groom's are now getting mehndi on their palms to mark their occasion. Some grooms will get initials on their palm or an entire design - either way it'll be memorable to the bride and groom. 

Here's a picture of the Arabic Design: 

This is what traditional mehndi looks like: 

What's your favorite type of mehndi designs?

The White Cloth

I recently attended a wedding for a close friend and was asked to hold the 'antarpat' with my sister in front of the groom. For many who don't know, a antarpat is a white piece of cloth held in front of the groom before the bride arrives to the mandap in a Hindu wedding with a swastika and some designs on the front side. I searched to see what the significance of it is and some describe it to be symbolizing that the groom will be seeing the bride for the very first time and others have described it to mean that two individuals are on either side of the antarpat and once it's released they are on their way to becoming one. Well, all this aside as we were holding the antarpat up (for which seemed to be a very long time), the pandit was reciting his shloks and all of a sudden the groom just starts laughing. I'm not talking about the 'LOL' and "HAHAHAHA" type of laughing, he just started giggling and laughing at the same time in a hushed manner. Good thing for the antarpat which had him hidden from everyone's view. When I asked him if he was nervous, he replied back saying he wasn't nervous and didn't think anything was funny, but couldn't help but laugh. The shloks were still being recited for a few more minutes and then the groom states that staring at a plain white piece of cloth is not entertaining. In fact, he stated that there should've been some magazine articles hanging from the back of the antarpat so the groom doesn't get bored and has some entertainment while the bridal procession is happening. I told him we'll keep that in mind and have something entertaining for the next person getting married. 

How many grooms felt that there should be something entertaining behind the antarpat? 

For anyone who's held up the antarpat, any creative / easier ways to hold it up?   

I'm inserting a picture of what the groom stares at for approximately 5 - 7 minutes. (Please note this picture is not of the groom described in this post.) 

*Photo by Chhaya Studios

The Wedding Season!

Everyone's always talking about 'The Wedding Season'. For some reason, I feel as if the wedding season is year-round. Doesn't matter if it's January or October - weddings are starting to occur whenever the bride and groom feel the time is right. Our first piece of advice is to start looking at various venues once you've gotten that ring! Most people tend to gravitate towards similar venues (due to availability, price, location...) and with this - popular venues book up. So, if you want to get your dates and venue - book early! If not, I  know people who've been stuck with anything that was available. In choosing a venue, keep in mind the total occupancy number. Indians tend to go big on weddings and with that, the number of guests invited tend to increase as you start making your guest list. A simple way to get started with your guest list is to start writing it out in Excel and heading columns with the Guest Name and Total # Invited. It's a preliminary start and a quick and easy way for you to add up your total count.

Sample sheet would look like the following:  

Guest name                  Total # Invited       
Mr. & Mrs. YYY                   4                    
Mr & Mrs. XXX                    3
     Total:                              7

Since I think 'The Wedding Season' is year round, it's also important to start listing out videographers, photographers, caterers, DJs, car rentals, hotels, decorators and planners. We'll get more into those individual topics later on. With that mind - start planning early and be sure to enjoy it along the way!

- Seema 

Welcome to the OBU Blog!

This is our new start to help you get started with your life events. Our blogs will range anywhere from wedding tips and ideas to recipes and baby care. We want to be there for you each step of the way, therefore we're not limiting it to just weddings. You might even see guest bloggers on here and some random thoughts by us. To get to know who we are a bit better log onto our site: www.occasionsbyus.com and search under "About Us". Hopefully we'll be able to update this blog regularly (as I've had a few people mention to me we need to start). With that said - hope you guys enjoy it and are able to check back with us regularly. 

Thanks!

Seema Thakor

Deepa Patel

Shilpi Sheth