Top Motifs in Indian Wedding Stationery

Ananya is delighted to have been asked by Khush Wedding for our top motifs used in Indian wedding stationery. Khush Magazine is a luxury bridal magazine for British Asian couples across the UK, celebrating love, marriage and happiness.

Have you ever wondered why the same symbols and patterns often appear on Indian wedding stationery? That's because some represent the physical and spiritual union of the couple while others are auspicious and considered to bring good luck. 

Read about our Top 6 Motifs including Lotus and Paisley here: The Top Motifs in Indian Wedding Stationery, Decoded.

We are delighted to offer Khush Wedding readers the opportunity to save 10% on their bespoke stationery orders as we are celebrating a decade of stylish stationery in 2016.

Hot Off The Catwalk: Stationery Trends Inspired By Autumn/Winter Fashion 2013

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Choosing your theme or colour scheme for your wedding day is a critical decision as it will set the tone for the entire occasion. Many fashionista brides gather their inspiration from the latest looks on the catwalk. From the dress to the stationery, every aspect of your big day can be customised to resemble your favourite designer’s creative vision.

At Ananya, we pride ourselves on creating dynamic wedding stationery that is on point with the current fashion trends. However, it’s important to remember that this is your wedding and your stationery should truly represent your style. You don’t have to go overboard as there are easy ways to bring to life your favourite runway looks in your stationery. Here we will give you some fun tips on how to reinterpret a key fashion trend, turning simple stationery into haute couture works of art.

Following the colour schemes used by designers is an easy way to show your wedding stationery is on trend for the season. Deeply saturated blue was the hottest shade showcased on the New York runways for A/W 2013. Michael Kors, Lacoste and Marc by Marc Jacobs all incorporated the electric colour into their collections. We love following fashion colour palettes and created these vibrant designs. Plus, they make the perfect Borrowed Blue!

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Adapting fabrics and textures into designs is another fun way to make your stationery stand out. At Paris Fashion Week, feathers were all the rage at Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen. For the extremely bold bride, feathers can be adorned onto the stationery to truly capture this look. However, if you want to keep it simple, we recommended using feather designs on the invitations. We recreated this trend in our pretty Peacock feather stationery.

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Lastly, Baroque designs and styling were commanding the catwalks in Milan at Just Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana. This theme can be shown through black and gold colour contrasts as well as traditional Baroque patterns.  This is a great theme for modern brides who want a bit of old world glamour. Here are more options on how to revitalise this trend into your stationery.

No matter what theme or colour scheme you decide on, remember that embellishments are the most important accessories for your stationery. Glamourous sparkles exude luxury and transform your simple stationery into one-of-a-kind works of art. Our love affair with embellishments will continue to dazzle us into the autumn and winter seasons. Whether you choose a subtle hint of sparkle or a completely bejeweled invitation, it will definitely reflect the splendour of your big day!

Remember, your stationery is the first glimpse of your wedding that your guests will receive. It is important to set your theme early and continue it throughout all the wedding preparations. If you are feeling confused or overwhelmed, just look to your favourite designers for inspiration to be on trend for A/W 13.

The Peacock Revolution

The majestic peacock is the national bird of India. They are regarded as some of the most beautiful birds in the world, with their fabulous iridescent green-blue plumage and distinctive tail feathers. In India they are emblems of beauty, grace, pride and mysticism and throughout history they have appeared in Hindu myths and folklore in various illustrations with gods and goddesses. It is probably their tails which peacocks are best known for, which are made up of a mixture of large and small feathers with beautiful eye-like designs. The male peacocks lift their tails into a fan and preen their feathers to attract females in an ostentatious display of pride and beauty. It is therefore no wonder that the peacock has become a major design motif, as its plumage and colours create a perfect muse for designers. The peacock seems to be everywhere at the moment, with both high end designers and high street shops using it as inspiration for fashion, as well as for household goods, such as bed linen and china, and even iPod covers and other accessories. Peacocks have been spotted on the red carpet; with Eva Longoria wearing a short peacock feather covered dress at Cannes, and actress and Marchesa founder Georgina Chapman wore her own black dress with a gold peacock gilded design at the Oscars last year.

The Peacock Revolution

Last year, designer Matthew Williamson created a collection for H&M which was entirely inspired by peacocks. His own Escape spring 2010 line also featured some bohemian peacock undertones. In China, a wedding dress made of 2009 peacock feathers costing $1.5m was unveiled at a wedding expo. Meanwhile, on the high street, many shops such as Top Shop and New Look have dresses, skirts and t-shirts featuring peacock feathers and the birds themselves.

Peacocks can be seen on bags, such as a fabulous crystal clutch by Swarovski, and other accessories, such as hair pieces. However, it is in jewellery where the designers have gone peacock crazy. In Accessorize there is a whole range of necklaces and earrings (as well as bags) inspired by peacocks, such as earrings with peacock bodies and cascading teardrop charms. Many high street stores are selling earrings and brooches using real peacock feathers, while Spanish jewellery designers Carrera y Carrera have a whole collection of beautiful peacock inspired jewellery using diamonds and coloured stones. MAC Cosmetics is launching the ‘Peacocky’ Collection for Spring 2011, a makeup collection that draws colours and inspiration from the exotic bird.

At ananya, we have joined the peacock revolution by creating a range of stationery with modern looking peacock designs. Peacocks are set to become the hottest wedding trend of 2011 due to the intricacy and richness of their plumage and we believe our new line of wedding stationery reflects this. If, however, peacocks aren't your thing, ananya has a diverse range of different types of stationery.

Until next time...Namaste and enjoy ananya life!