Bollywood is for inspiration, especially when it comes to checking out the myriad range and themes of weddings they show. And if that’s not all, the various haute touches of the Bollywood weddings (real and reel) strike a chord quite emotional with our souls. Every girl fantasizes about her wedding, ever since the little doll-tea-party days. A day when her prince charming would be garlanding her amidst the gathering of near and dear ones, in a beautifully decorated mandap!

Gone are the days when a shamiana adorned with Marigolds and Roses formed the stereotypical mandap. The new-age bride-to-be wants more, and she’s willing to play with the creativity out there as well, in manifesting a royal mandap for her wedding. With that being said and since you need a little more help on finalising the mandap, here are a couple of tips and ideas to help you with on the same. Read on!

Size matters

One of the most important aspects when deciding on the mandap would be the size of the structure or the place. This helps exactly understand how much space would be needed for the rituals to happen, and the number of people that can be accommodated in its confines whilst the rituals are on.

Style wise

From dome to canopies to backdrops and more, the style of a mandap can be any of them or a mix. And this time, though, you would also need to choose according to the time of the day and the climes in mind, whether it is an outdoor or an indoor event, and which mandap would style would gel well with the guests and the theme of the wedding too. You cannot possibly have an open air mandap in the midst of July when the Monsoons lash hither thither, now can you?

Positioning talks

Since the Big Fat Indian wedding is deep rooted with astrological talks and nuances, the positioning of the mandap too would have to be cared about. In accord with the Hindu culture and tradition, mostly the positioning would be towards the norther-eastern part of the venue. Do check with the purohits for further information, to be better sure of the astrological needs for your big day.

Keeping it strong

It would be important to note the strength of the mandap, since you would have the whole family and many visitors prancing around whilst the rituals are on. Keep in mind the strength of the mandap, especially when the varmala ceremony happens where a rage of family, friends, and visitors would clamber to come up and be there for the heavenly moment that happens.

Check with the seating arrangements

With the innumerable rituals we have in our Indian weddings, we don’t expect the family members to stand all through - the right seating arrangements have to be made. Ideally, the would-be-couple are made to sit eastwards, seated on the floor mostly. These days, couples and their family members are placed on low-seating chairs, floor cushions and throw cushions as well. So keep in mind the decor when using such seating arrangements.

 While those were some of the tips we thought were must to inform you about whilst thinking about the mandap decor, we wouldn’t want to stop right there. Here we would want to make it easier for you, by talking about a few mandap decoration ideas. These are ideas that speak of the indianness, and the desi swagalicios touches galore, combined with touches of culturalistic and traditionalism too. Go ahead and read them all, and allow your creativity to flow, using your imagination!

Burlesque combinations

For the love of all things bling and bright, with a touch of reds around; go au traditionale if you want in the mandap decor, but make it very fancy. Silvers and Reds, Golds and Reds or maybe Orange and Reds are colors known to be very auspicious for Indian weddings- bring in the touch of the vivid brightness around and dress the mandap in such hues to sparkle the night away!

Floral mandaps

For a touch of spring at your wedding, think about the beautiful floral touches for the mandap to be dolled up in. Decorate the canopy in vibrant Yellows and Orange shades of flowers, and you can infuse in between fresh flowers, clusters of artificial ones too to add more bulk. Decorate artifacts and wall hangings can be used to adorn the bright backdrops and to add more zest and vibrancy around. For a more traditional look, dazzle up the ambience with Marigolds and Roses, with lily garlands draped on the canopy pillars!

A videsi theme for the desi wedding

If you want a videsi theme for the mandap decor and would wish to opt the break-away rule from the very traditional decor, try playing with Silver hues and netted drapes. Flowers that can be used here are Orchids, Lilies, baby Roses and Carnations. Instead of draping the canopy pillars with garlands of flowers, use Silk cloth to drape the pillars of the mandap. Orchids and Carnations and a bunch of exotic flowers can be installed at the center and at the backdrop of the mandap too.

Mind the lighting

Lights would play a very important role in setting the mood and in creating that wonderful mise-en-scene you visualised your mandap to be, so paying good attention to that is a must. Lights would enhance the look of the mandap, and sets it apart from other weddings you have been to or seen. LED to fairy lights, incandescent industrial lights to large fixtures and more; the lights chosen should be in sync with the theme, idea, and decor of the mandap. If the color tone of the mandap chosen is warm, using chandeliers would best enhance the look. For cool tone colors chosen for the mandap, fairy lights and LEDs work best.

          We hope you enjoyed these tips and ideas on how to decorate your mandap, what to consider when planning the mandap decor and what to think off as well; comes in handy. If you have your own inputs, suggestions and ideas on mandap decor, which you want to share with us- send in a comment or a note. Get in touch with a wedding planner within your budget and chalk out your plans- your wedding has to be great, and the mandap should be the talk of the town!