Wedding Stationery Tips

An Overview, and Special Elements of Hindu Wedding Invitations

Indian wedding invitations play a vital role in marriages – more important than some might think. Hindu wedding cards are more than just announcement mediums.

The features on the card reflect the beliefs and tradition of the Hindu faith as well as the wishes and prayers for the marrying couple. Because of this, many families sometimes place the first Hindu invitation in running water, before sending out the rest to guests. This symbolizes the start of a long and prosperous marriage.

Basic Ideas About Indian Wedding Invitations

Features

Most invitations are two sided with varying distinct features such as the choice of color. A lot of thought is given to the colors used in Hindu designs. Certain colors are preferred because they convey different auspicious meanings. For instance, red is a popular choice for Indian wedding card designs because it symbolizes the message of love which is expected to be translated to the marriage. Red is also the color of prosperity and purity and is believed to bring luck.

Gold is another popular color and is viewed as a sign for success and good fortune. It is commonly used to complement red. Other colors include green, yellow, pink and white representing varying wishes such as joy, fertility and prosperity. The invites might be made with different shades of the same color. However, more often than not, families tend to use multiple colors with thoughtful combination such as gold lettering on a red theme.

The colors used on Hindu wedding invites may also be used for the outfit of the bride and groom or the venue decoration.

Indian Wedding Invitation Design

Image of Lord Ganesh is usually printed on Indian wedding cards

Another important feature of Hindu card is the design. There are different designs that the invite might have. For instance, paisleys are commonly used with Hindu designs. The addition of this improves the beauty and prestige of the invitation.

Another popular addition to Indian invitations is the depiction of Lord Ganesh. The Son of Shiva, Ganesh is worshipped as the god of wisdom, knowledge and wealth. Depending on the design, the depiction of Lord Ganesh may be a bold abstract motif or some smaller less prominent image tucked in a smaller corner. In keeping with the appreciation and traditional significance of colors, the images are often designed with popular colors such as red or gold.

Wording

The wordings are yet another important feature. Brevity is an appreciated art form with Hindu wedding invitations. Unlike some cultures, the choice of words used is kept simple and brief. The ideal Indian invitation will typically contain all the details of the wedding that a guest should know and nothing more such as the date and location. It also includes prayers of blessings from one or several deities. An interesting point to note is that, unlike many cultures where both families invite the guests, Hindu wedding invites are sent out by the parents of the BRIDE.

Divine Beings

Outside the depiction of Lord Ganesh, families may choose to use some of the other prime Hindu deities with their Hindu Invitation cards. Each god represents different blessings. Lord Brahma, the Hindu god of creation is a common option. He is used to represent the birth of a new life with the wedding.

Pictures of the Goddess Durga may also be used on an invitation card. Goddess Durga is worshipped as the mother of the universe and is believed to be the force behind the creation, destruction and preservation of the universe. Two other popular deities are Shiva and Vishnu. Shiva is worshipped as the supreme God and destroyer of evil while Lord Vishnu is recognized as the god for peace and truth.

Must I Stick With All The Above Traditions?

 
It’s important to note that all the above are merely guidelines of how to plan an Indian wedding card. They aren’t the rule. Hindu designs can be just as easily made without these. You don’t need to restrict the design of your Indian wedding to all the traditional themes. In fact, considering how important and special your event is, it’s best if you don’t.

Instead of choose the familiar color of red, you can just as easily design your Indian-style card with a less popular – but no less appreciated – color like green. It’s also not compulsory that deities be used. Hindu styles do not have to be restricted to tradition design options. You can enhance the beauty of your cards by retaining the essence of traditional designs and then blending this with styles, writing and fonts from other cultures.

A common practice is to include the theme colors to your card. Hindu invitation cards can also be designed with unique wordings that complement the Hindu culture while embracing others. With the right creative innovation, couples are able to create really attractive Indian wedding cards that will appeal to their people within their peer group as well the older attendees.

Hindu wedding invitations often become cherished keepsakes. Most couples preserve their invitation for many decades even after they’re married, sharing the cards and memories with their friends and family. By choosing the right design, couples are able to guarantee that the memories they have of their wedding are not laced with slight undertones of regret.

A Case Study

This is a modern Hindu wedding card we design for our client. For this design, we have tried to captured some of the essence of an Indian design. An image of Lord Ganesh is printed on the cover of the invitation. And some borders of Hindu style is also used.

However, there are also some elements which are not commonly seen from traditional designs. The combination of colors should be stressed. For this design, we still keep one of the traditional colors – the gold color. The image of Lord Ganesh, the borders, as well as the wording are printed in gold color. Yet, white and chocolate brown is used as the main themed color. In fact, the choice of using white color is inline with western designs while dark chocolate color is considered a choice for some modern designs.

The texture of the cover paper is beautiful. The inserts and respond cards are using the same paper stock so that it will bring out a sense of consistence. Since there are a few inserts, the idea of pocket design is adapted. The combination of modern and Hindu ideas make the designs of Indian wedding invitations totally unique and special.