One of the most important features of any Asian wedding is the mandap. This is the canopy where the wedding ceremony itself is held and it includes a series of rituals and customs which signify the union of the newly wedded couple. It is primarily used for the wedding ceremony itself, but in recent years mandaps have been used for some pre-wedding celebrations as well.
The mandap can be built either indoors or outside as you choose, and in many summer weddings the choice is outside in a splendid country manor garden or similar. The mandap can be of any size that you wish, but generally, whether it is square or round, it needs to have enough space for seating for the bride and groom and the pandit, and also the parents of the bride.
Usually, the mandap will have four pillars with an overhead canopy, and you can really go to town on the decorations. You are really only limited by your imagination, and at Kenza Creations we provide mandap hire in London so we will be able to show you photos of some of the stunning creations that we have produced in the past. These may inspire you and set you off on the road to join with us in designing and creating the perfect mandap for your own wedding.
The mandap is usually decorated with very bright colours and lots and lots of flowers. Colours of choice are often red, gold, or silver, but in fact you can choose any colour or combination of colours that you wish. Pink and green are eye-catching as well.
You may wish to choose the seating for the bride, groom, pandit, and bride’s parents to start with, so that you can then add colours that fit in with it. So, you might select something such as a chaise longue for the bride and groom and then build the rest of the mandap around that.
The Canopy Can Be Decorated In Limitless Ways
The canopy of the mandap can be covered in huge drapes and can be decorated in almost limitless ways. Very often, the material of choice for the canopy is silk, but you could choose jute, cotton, linen, in whatever colour suits the overall design. The canopy can be fronted with huge swathes of flowers such as lilac, lilies, orchids, roses, jasmine, marigolds, and more.
The four pillars can also be covered in flowers, or they may be covered in drapes of red and gold or red and yellow. One could also add diyas and candles as well as crystal or mirror work embellishments to enhance the décor. The backdrop of the mandap is going to be the point at which many of the guests will be looking as they watch the bride and groom taking their part in the ceremony, and this is often covered with huge bunches of exotic and lush flowers. Heavier bunches of flowers in the centre of the backdrop will draw the eye in.
Lighting both inside and outside the mandap can make a huge difference. The lighting can be of a range of different colours to accentuate the overall colour of the mandap, or it can be used as a contrast as you wish. You could also use floral chandeliers hanging from the canopy of the mandap to add an extra touch of glamour. Of course, one could also use uplighting inside the mandap – or for that matter outside it – which can help the mandap and/or the space around it to look bigger.
Book an appointment to meet up with us to discuss your ideas for your mandap for your wedding and let us show you some of the ones we have created before.