Delhi, A Date and Decorations...

A guest wearing the wedding favours: a green organza rose and small Rajasthani earrings

You can not really imagine life after THE date.  For months and many magical weeks (magical in the sense that they seemed to contain some hidden power that meant they take an eternally long time to pass and then overnight vanish right before your eyes!) you are planning and deciding things that will happen on one date.  All of a sudden you have a myriad of decisions and things to organise in preparation for the big day - your wedding day!

For me the date was July 16th last year...

From the momentous moment you hear yourself saying 'I do', you can finally allow your imagination, that has been sealed under lock and key, to be allowed full reign and freedom to imagine what your life will look like together.  Just as your fiancee is wiping the sweat off his brow, trying to stand up  quickly having been on one knee, his mind is already ticking over which restaurant you go to to celebrate and wondering will there be space...

My mind was elsewhere...

I was living in Delhi at the time (we got engaged in the Garden of 5 Senses)  working within the New Generation Trust Community.  miHi loves was born out of a desire to work with the marginalised in the community in South Delhi and create a business that makes beautiful gifts and decorations.  All profits from miHi loves goes towards supporting the fantastic work on the New Generation Trust - you can read more about the work that they do on the 'about us' page of this blog.

My fiancee was based in London during the engagement, and so much of our engagement was long distance, interspersed with a couple of short trips home where lots of wedding planning took place!

We had decided to get married on the Isle of Wight, a place that we had both spent many summers growing up and where my fiancee's grandparents still have a house (the Old Orchard), which is nestled on the top of the hill, next to a little orchard.

It was so much fun planning a wedding and we were both so excited to bring our family and friends together to celebrate.  Just like the moment after our engagement when our minds were focused on different things, I foolishly assumed that all the ideas and thoughts I had had, surrounding how our ideal wedding would be, would be exactly what was in my fiancee's head.  It was not!

A tea party, a wedding on the beach at dawn, a sit-down dinner at a hotel, we rattled through so many options, until we finally both agreed on an exotic English country garden themed wedding at Ed's grandparents' house, The Old Orchard.  It was very much a country garden setting with burst of Indian colour and life!  Having spent four years out in Delhi, it meant so much to me to be surrounded by gorgeous hints of India.  Friends travelled from Delhi to be there for the wedding, which made it all the more special.

We planned to have the wedding service in the afternoon, followed by a drinks reception at the Old Orchard and then later dinner and dancing in the marquee, placed over the orchard, with a large tree in the centre!

The Marquee - bespoke sari bunting made by a lady from the community in Delhi

I wanted to use miHi loves products for my wedding day so decided to order bunting and wedding favours.  From the picture of the marquee above you can see the colourful bunting that was made specially for our wedding.  Meandering through a Saturday market in Delhi,  one day during my engagement, I saw some gorgeous saris.  These stunning saris, 10 in totally, were made into the bunting for my wedding by a lady who is from the local community in Delhi.  I was absolutely thrilled with the bunting and it made the marquee look so stunning and colourful.

Each of the female guests received an organza rose hair clip and some Rajasthani earrings.  What about the guys, I hear you cry!  I could not think of a wedding favour they would like,  so if you have ideas please contact me on sarahebowring@gmail.com and miHi loves will launch a more masculine range!

It was so special being able to give a small gift to our guests, that they could wear during the wedding and take home with them too.  I loved knowing that each rose had been handmade by Bindu, a woman who lives in a slum in South Delhi.  Normally Bindu, much like other people who live in the slum, sort through the rubbish - a much needed job in the city and one that offers a great service for its inhabitants.  Needless to say, the job is degrading and physically very demanding.  Making roses, offered Bindu some additional income and job security.  miHi loves wants to help people like Bindu through giving them employment opportunities and access to better education and resources, through helping fund the New Generation Trust projects.

Green Organza rose made by Bindu and Rajasthani Earrings

Our wedding day was all that we had dreamt that it would be and more!  We really wanted to have some unique touches to our wedding and we are thrilled to have had miHi loves decorations and favours. To be so a part of the process, in being able to use the colours and fabrics of our choice and to know directly how buying from miHi loves supports individuals in the community in Delhi made a real difference.

If you would like to use miHi loves decorations and favours at an up-and-coming event or wedding, please do get in contact with us.