Saturday, November 30, 2013

Off-beat Wedding Cards the norm these days

By Shevlin Sebastian

The Kochi-born Mukul Soman went to do his Masters in Fine Arts at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. Following that, he settled in Seattle, where he met Mary Dee Mateo who is a Filipino. They fell in love. And now, two years later, on November 29, they are getting married in Kochi. And the wedding card is dramatic and different.

Apart from the usual card announcing the names of parents, time, date and location, there is a booklet in which there are individual photos of Mukul and Mary, details about their life, and images of the couple, together with the phrase, 'Love Is Destiny'. This is the brainchild of Mukul's father, SP Soman, the CEO of Skiltek Group of Institutions.

Seattle is a beautiful and romantic place,” says Soman. “It is easy to fall in love there. I wanted to convey something of that romanticism in the card. And the theme is that you are destined to fall in love with a person.”
Unusual cards are part of a growing new trend, among a certain segment of society, says C. Arabind, Managing Director of Tamarind Event Management Solutions, a Kochi-based wedding planner. His affluent clients opt for a decorated box, which contains a wedding invitation, 'Save the date' magnetic stickers for cars and refrigerators, sweets, chocolates and a route map to the venue. “This will cost around Rs 1500-2000 per card, depending on the contents,” says Arabind.

Theresa George, creative designer of the Thought Factory is making a card which looks like a sea shell. “I have embossed it in such a way that when you touch it, you will feel the ridges of an actual sea shell,” she says. Her client wanted to do something different. “The wedding is being held on the sea shore,” she says. “So they felt this card would be apt.”

People also opt for fragrant cards, says Raju Kannampuzha, Managing Director of Executive Events. “As soon as you open it, a smell of lavender, rose or sandal arises. Musical cards have sounds of flutes and violins.” They cost about Rs 500 per card.

But not everybody believes it is necessary to splurge. Media professional K Devarajan made a hand-written invitation, written on a torn page from a diary, took photocopies, and send it to his friends. “I enjoy writing in Malayalam, and often put down my thoughts in a diary,” he says. “This is also a reminder to everybody of the lost era of letter-writing and the importance of keeping things simple.” Cost per card: Rs 7.

(The New Indian Express, Kerala Edition)

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