Hindu ceremony and Mandap design

The secret to a fast flip from a dance event to ceremony? Have 10 florists work on the Mandap design that is hidden behind a ballroom airwall during the Garba dance event. 

This is a post in a series. Jump to the other links below for context:

Introduction and general design concept

Mehndi party

Garba + Raas

*This wedding occurred before Covid-19

The Mandap is the key feature in a Hindu ceremony. It’s a canopy under where the ceremony takes place. There is a fire* on a pedestal in the centre, and the couple and their parents sit around this fire. The couple sit in the main seats, and the parents sit on the sides (the front is open so people can see). The ceremony is presided over by a Pandit, a Hindu scholar and priest. 

*Side note: Because there is a fire in the ceremony, a permit is required for this style of ceremony (indoor). The Westin also bypassed their fire alarm/sprinkler system for this portion of the day. This is a perk of working at a venue that routinely hosts Indian weddings! They know what special things are required.

Basically, the Mandap has to be absolutely stunning because it’s where all the action takes place (much like a Chuppah or wedding arch).

This one is likely the most beautiful Mandap I ever will see. It is impossible to communicate this Mandap’s beauty in words and photos alone. Our Instagram Highlights covers the video footage of this Mandap design if you want to see it in action.

But first, our Bride and Groom get ready for their big entrances!

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Mandap design using all flowers

Since this wedding goes beyond the typical in decor, a drape style Mandap was not enough. Sonia wanted a blend of traditional Mandap flower garlands and something more modern and lush Boho. We all agreed that the flowers had to be over-the-top.

Flower Artistry made sure the flower colours were designed in a Sunrise/Sunset gradient, using the previous Garba colours but adding a variety of reds and burgundy now.

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Mandap placement

The original plan was to have the Mandap be in the centre of the room, with seating all around it — very theatre-like, as a nod to James’ profession. Due to logistics though, it made sense to push the Mandap off to the side so that it could be covered by the airwall for assembly during Garba.

In the end, we designed seating for 3 of the 4 sides of the Mandap. Because details matter, the chair set-up was in gradient too, from white, gold to wood.

As a treat for guests, each chair included a pashmina from India as well as a box of the most beautiful hand-crafted chocolates I have ever seen. Sonia’s parents and I did an extensive taste test (rough life, I know) and chose which chocolates would be included.

Sonia and James wrote an extensive program to help guests understand the significance of the Hindu ceremony rituals. A lot of care went into the wording of all written elements of this wedding (of course), including land acknowledgement to Indigenous people, making sure people of all races, sexualities and identities felt welcome, and a reminder to be environmentally conscious.

We also set a runway for James and Sonia’s separate entrances. The mother of the bride was adamant that people be able to easily see the entrances of the bride and groom without craning their necks. This created a dramatic entrance, and it was “as much like wrestling as possible” (James’ wish!).

An untraditional Baraat

Typically in Hindu ceremonies, the groom makes his entrance to the wedding ceremony with a fancy processional with his entourage of family (and often on horseback). This didn’t quite fit James, so he made the Baraat his own. His friends and family members joined him in the processional, playing guitar and signing and whooping it up, in general. These people are so creative and made paper plane props (more on paper planes later) that lit up too!

Bride’s entrance

Sonia and her entourage entered in dramatically too. The ladies entered in pairs and separated, flanking the aisle runway with Sonia at the end in the spotlight.

Ceremony

Wedding party photos

Again, the ceremony cleared out much faster than we thought it would. This gave Sonia and James plenty of time to have their wedding party/VIP photos in front of the Mandap, and do their night formal portraits. I absolutely love these photos because you can tell everyone is just having fun.

Room flip, again

The work doesn’t stop!

Once the wedding party left, we had to dismantle everything, including the stunning Mandap, much to everyone’s disappointment. Everything needed to come down so that we could roll in the Genie lift and ladders to start setting the Reception. 

We cover that in the next post! (Coming next)

Planning, Design + Coordination: Evelyn Clark Weddings | Photography: Sarah Pukin | Venue: The Westin (downtown)| Flowers: Flower Artistry | Decor rentals: Modern Rentals and Special Event Rentals | HMUA: Roopstyle and MaisonBlu| Paper: Plush Invitations | Lighting and audio: Stardust Event Group | Henna: SKM Henna and Abeer and Henna by Raj and and Carefully Crafted | Band: Sa-Re Music