Cottons and Satins

by Jyotsna Sharma

What I like about Cottons & Satins more than the fabulous prints is the fact that they customize the fabric as per the client’s taste.

For instance, if you want the background of the fabric (or the embroidery) to be of a dif-ferent colour, they are happy to do that for you, though they would want you to place an order for at least 10 meters of fabric in case of customization. Their team is avail-able for consultation and can visit your home too.

Started by Mala Sapra in 2011, it has now grown in terms of the design team and also the number of stores. Last year, they opened a new 6,000 sq ft store in Worli, Mumbai. Their focus has always been, and remains, fabric; different prints on different types of fabric. At their Mumbai store however, they also have a line of furniture.

For more information follow them on @cottonsandsatins

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Image credits: Cottons & Satins

The Indian Nuptial Artist– Neeta Rahejaby Jyotsna Sharma

The other day, during my research for a story, I came across a number of wedding planning & design courses in the United Kingdom. Their curriculum looked inter-esting, so I decided to check if there are such courses available in India given that weddings are a large market here.

Sadly, there are no such courses in India though there are lots of wedding plan-ners. Wedding planners in India have now evolved to a stage where, in addition to planning the wedding, they offer styling advice regarding clothes for the bride & groom and their families, the gifts, and even the trousseau.

I decided to talk to one of India’s first wedding designers, Ms. Neeta Raheja, to understand how she learnt her trade and what her job entails.

She started her business in 1993, when she had just returned to India after pur-suing a wedding planning course in the United States. The first wedding she planned was for a wealthy business fam-ily from Sainik Farms. They had seen her advert in the newspaper and were curious as to what she could offer. After a consul-tation, they hired her.

She worked with various vendors and also an architect to design the set for the wedding. Her fee at that time was 10,000 rupees for a wedding costing 10 lakh. The family was very happy with the result.

According to her, Indian weddings are the most beautiful, lavish and dramatic of all.

“Weddings have changed so much over the last few years. I have to say they are more classy and less in your face now.”– Neeta Raheja

When asked about a theme that has re-mained common over the last few years, the answer was – Bollywood. Recently, one of her clients wanted a Devdas movie set recreated for the wedding and was already in touch with Nitin Desai. Neeta Raheja’s team worked with him to plan that wedding. People ask for movie stars to be present at their weddings not just to perform, but at times, to pretend to be the groom or the bride’s friend.

Another client wanted the whole venue to be adorned with clay lamps (Diyas) that would all light up simultaneously when the guests arrived. The logistics of it was difficult but the effect was beautiful.

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Neeta Raheja at a conference in Mauritius, where delegates of Wedding fraternity were invited from all over the world :

Photo Credit : T ‘zires

One of them wanted specific Jimmy Choo bags to be kept in the rooms of all their guests. Yet another, wanted pole dancers to be pouring drinks into the glasses of the guests while pole dancing. One client wanted a motor home with a fully equipped bar to be moving alongside the barat (wedding procession). The list is endless of how over the top or lavish one wants to make it.

Today, the amount of money spent varies; on an average it is anywhere betweenINR 5 – 10 Crores.

Destination weddings have been popular ever since the year 2000, and remain so. In fact, tourism boards from across the world have started inviting Indian wedding plan-ners to their countries in the hope that they will host Indian weddings in their coun-tries. They are wooing the planners by offering additional incentives such as allowing the weddings to be held in museums, monuments and even libraries.

Considering how big we Indians are on weddings, we should definitely have a wedding planning & design program, which should be a separate course and not one clubbed as a module under event management.

Neeta Raheja and her business partner, Tejveen Kaur, have a wedding planning company called T’zires. For more information log on to www.tzires.com

In lit bar with candles and flowers. Photo Credit : Pranav Singh

Photo Credit : T ‘zires

Designs byRitu KapoorBy Madhurima Chaudhuri

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Ritu Kapoor, a Delhi-based jewellery designer, creates pieces that are timeless, unique and most importantly wearable. In the field for over a decade, her accidental journey into the creative world began as a mere hobby. The process of restoring jew-ellery came naturally to her by introduc-ing a contemporary take on the old world charm of her heirlooms. The results - rave reviews and even orders from family and friends. That motivated Ritu to indulge in her creative pursuits and start her own line

Paying homage to Mughal aesthetics and royal houses, her jewellery exudes elegance and intricacy, an extension of her personality. Her forte lies in creating elaborate bridal sets. Transforming the traditional polki and kundan with both precious and semi-precious stones into a more updated form embracing a variety of colours with newer design elements. While maintaining the antique look, a unique touch is incorporated. Most of Ritu’s jewellery have a detachable qual-ity that ensures flexibility for the client to play around with a single set. Thus, an in-tricate neckpiece can be dismantled into a choker or even earrings adding the ele-ment of practicality. Her experimentations in Indo-western jewellery and accessories are a favourite among the youth.. 

Combing distinct elements like coral with polki to create buttons and broaches spruces up everyday attires. 

Interestingly, she says that sketching was never a part of her creative process. Instead she paints a visual picture with her words and painstakingly but whole-heartedly sits with her team at her unit in Jaipur throughout the entire creative process. Restoration pieces are a constant favourite to work on where reusability plays an important theme. Her collabora-tive nature allows the client to retain the sentimental value while ensuring that its wearable in a modern setting. Ritu iscurrently working on a new Mughal-inspired bridal line and we are sure it will be a success like all her other charmingcollectionsFor more information contact Ritu Kapoor - +91 9899582769

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