This month I had the extreme pleasure to be a guest at a friend's wedding in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The whole experience was so inspirational and beautiful I had to share it with all of you in the hopes that you could find some design inspiration in my photos.
The three-day event was colorful, meaningful, traditional and spectacular. I hope these images, taken by myself and my husband, inspire you to get your creative design juices flowing as they have done so for me.
The day-time ceremony, also known as the Gaye Holud or turmeric ceremony, took place in an open park next to a lake. Trees were draped in marigold chains as far as the eye could see, and floral peacocks dotted the pathways. Friends and family were given Traditional Bengladeshi village-style Sarees (for the women) and Kurtas (for the men) to wear for this ceremony.
The bride arrived to the event oh-so-fashionably in a traditional Palanquin hoisted up by the grooms friends as the groom holds her hand and walks besides her.
The style of this ceremony would be the equivalent of a stateside wedding event with fun pendant lighting, like mason jars and wildflowers, rustic wooden tables and burlap runners, homemade pies and small batch beers. The bride wanted to recreate a traditional village celebration similar to the actual village wedding celebration they would have a week later.
For the night-time wedding ceremony the true glamour and opulence of a Bengali wedding comes out. Beautiful red fabrics, diamonds, silks, and more flowers that you can imagine drape the wedding stage as the couple exchanges rings and cut the cake. The celebration continued late into the night as near 1,000 guests gave their blessings to the happy couple.
Whether for an event or for your home design, you can capture the beauty of this wonderful celebration. Warm, rich hues of red, yellow and orange are at the base of this celebration.
Don't be afraid to embrace color! Accessorizing is also extremely prevalent. Jewels, flowers and accessories take center stage, and there can never be too much. One of my favorite collaborations was an orchid and rose custom floral ceiling light that hovered over the bride and groom as they cut their cake.
Are you inspired by this beautiful wedding in Bangladesh?
Image credits: Allison Rosenberg