Clever Ways To DIY Indian Decor

Today’s guest post is written by brilliant event planning and venue expert, Prerita Puri of LocalOye

Looking to have a lavish Indian wedding while staying under budget? Try these 7 DIY ideas to create beautiful decor that doesn’t break the bank!

Indian weddings are among the most luxurious and complex in the world, with a variety of rituals and events that can carry on for weeks. They are also incredibly beautiful occasions, with the wedding ceremonies being conducted against a gorgeous backdrop and lavish décor. Everything from the choice of wedding venue to the post-wedding transportation is designed to reflect opulence and tradition, mixed with a touch of modernity.

7 Ways to Incorporate Indian Décor Themes in Your Wedding

Every aspect of the Indian wedding is grandiose, beautiful and larger than life!

The quintessential Indian wedding is a colorful affair, with a major focus on eye-catching hues, sparkling lights and shimmery embellishments. If you want to incorporate the effect of a grand Indian wedding for your big day, without spending a bomb, DIY is the way to go. Get your friends and family together and get everyone crafting!

Try some of these ideas for your DIY Indian wedding décor:

1. Lights, Lights and More Lights – Most special ceremonies in India traditionally involve the use of earthen diyas. If you can’t get your hands on diyas, you can use tea lights and candles to achieve the same effect. Place floating candles in bowls with flowers and line the entryway with tiny twinkling tea lights. If you are not allowed open flames at the wedding venue, you can use electric tea lights and strings of LED lights.

2. Fresh Flowers and Leaves – While all weddings include flowers, there is a difference in the flower arrangements for Indian weddings. The use of orange and yellow marigolds, sweet-smelling jasmine and roses, as well as fresh foliage makes the flower settings stand out. Even lengths of these flowers threaded through strings can be hung all over the venue, and you can use silk flowers if the fresh ones are not available.

Earthen accessories and bright flowers are quintessential Indian wedding décor! (Image Credit: Michael Vito on Flickr)

3. Earthenware and Terracotta Accents – Earthen pots and hanging accents can create the perfect ‘desi’ effect at your wedding. Use unpainted versions of these, or colored in terracotta, rust and white tones for extra visual appeal. If you can’t get these easily, you can get regular earthenware and paint them in earthy shades and embellish them with glued-on mirrors, gilded ribbons and tiny silk flowers.

4. Glittery Fabric – While this may sound tacky to anyone who has never been to an Indian wedding, the effect of covering the canopy, podium and pillars with shimmering fabric is breath-taking under bright lights. You can go as crazy as you like with sequinned and glittered versions or opt for a subtler effect with metallic mesh, satiny fabric and spray-on shimmer. You can get these materials at any crafts store and drape them all over the venue with a little help!

Pretty sequinned fabric is great for adding decorative accents to everything!

5. Beads and Tassels – Add beaded or tasselled fringes to table runners, seat backs, centerpieces and even napkin holders. You can get pre-made trims from fabric stores or buy them online if you aren’t keen on putting them together on your own!

6. Rangoli Art – These beautiful designs traditionally picked out with different kinds of flour and flower petals have come to define Indian décor. Use colored sand and coarse glitter to create these appealing images on the floor of the venue and fill them in with petals from different flowers. For extra effect, place a diya stand or idol in the center of the image and use tea lights to make it glimmer. You can have a lot of fun playing with a variety of designs and your guests are sure to be wowed!

Place a diya holder in the centre of a rangoli design for extra appeal! (Image Credit: Sheila Scarborough on Flickr)

7. Custom-Painted Table Toppers – Instead of using boring pieces of white card to create table toppers, paint or print them with Indian motifs. Use paisley prints, religious symbols or regional art styles (like the adorable stick figures of Warli painting) to designate table numbers and settings. You can also embellish them with tiny bride-and-groom motifs embellished with pieces of tie-die or batik fabric!

The appeal of Indian weddings is not restricted to Indians and many couples all over the world find themselves enthralled by the exotic appeal of these events. Whether you are planning your Big Fat Indian Wedding or just inspired by the design of these ceremonies, you can easily recreate the effect with DIY wedding décor!