Sun and the Bride

While our counter parts on the other side of the world spend hours in the sun trying to get the perfect 'Bronze' look for their wedding, we stay indoors trying to avoid it at all cost!

What should a Bride do??

1. Use sunscreen Every single day, even if your on a self imposed curfew.

Because something or the other WILL happen and you'll have to step out of the house for a few minutes and that is enough for Mr. Sun to start the damage.

2. Carry Sunscreen at ALL times!

Sunscreen looses it effects after 2 hours, I recently learnt this by an Article on Makeup Beauty Lounge . So re-appyling is a MUST! Also it must be 30-50spf.

3. Keep Sunscreen Every where.
Last year when I was in my pre-bridal stage I had sunscreen kept in the car, at my dressing table, at my mom's dressing table and one in my purse. So even if I forgot to put it, it was easily accessible to me.

4. Umbrella, dupatta, sun glasses.
Carry everything and anything that can be used to cover you up!

So What happens when the sun does get to you...

Try Home made De-tanning packs. See How to make them at http://www.crazyindianwedding.com/2012/09/home-remedies-taking-care-of-your-skin.html

Wedding File 4 : Haldi, What to expect...

I thought instead of self-obsessing soo much, let me make this post a little informative for the brides-to-be Ofcourse events might differ religion to religion and family to family, More or less things are similar if not same. Still for your information I am a North-Indian Brahmin Bride.

Haldi is mostly a fun event with everyone trying to get you dirty! However there are a LOT of tiny other things that are going on side by side.

Remember in the last post when I said the punditji did a  huge pooja on the morning of Tilak, well he made this as well.
This is a depiction of Ganeshji and all pooja's will start by worshiping this 'idol'.

So before I came to sit down for Haldi I had rice in my hand, my own chunni on my head and my mothers saree-ka-palla on my head too, i walked to this 'idol' put rice in front of it and then sat down on a pattri

The Clothes are suppose to be donated to a maid later on and well they end up getting dirty anyways so don't buy anything too fancy!

A lot of girls opt for Yellow saree's , yellow is the auspicious color to wear.
I however choose to wear a suit from Fab India.

The thing you see on the wall is called a saurti, its made on Diwali as well. 

During old weddings (read our parents weddings) the saurti was made on the wall itself, however we have switched to chart papers because :

a) You need this immediately after the phera's and since the weddings doesn't happen at the homes any more this saurti needs to be portable.

b) the walls doesnt get dirty

Ok so one of the hands is coated by ghee and the other by Mehendi then you put the hands on the saurti, so make sure the saurti is big enough for both your hands! 

Tiny Tip : You have to imprint your hands post wedding too, so have enough space for both sets of hand prints. (See how I have left the below potion empty)

Also, Coat both hands by ghee and then coat one of them by mehendi (on top of ghee) that way the mehendi won't leave any mark, also wash immediately!

You need saath suhagan ( 7 married women), but they should only be chachi's, taiji's or bhabhi's not dadi or nani. 

6 of them are paired off in group of 2's and the 7th is your mom.

Each pair has to together gather 5 food items (like dal, rice, wheat, rai,etc.) and put them in jars

After which each pair has to take a bit of items out of the jar and then grind them one by one, like the above picture, also each persons 'stick' should not touch each others. they have to repeat it with all 5 items. This has to be done in pairs, except your mom will do this alone.

Then all of them have to make migaudi (its called migaudi todna) this was originally done so that the girl will have migaudi's to take with her to cook in her new home.

And then starts the process of actual haldi-teel, the 1st picture has all the items (roli, haldi, mehendi, teel) that the green grass that you see in this picture is dipped into and then applied from your feet to your knees, to your arms, your shoulders and then your head.

This takes place either 5 or 7 times. 

The pandit on your tilak day will tell you if you have 5 teel-baan or 7

Your brother or sister starts it, then your mom and dad, and anyone else who wants to. Once its done the same people must in the same sequence do it again in the opposite way from your head to shoulder to arm to knees and then feet.

 Ofcourse we did have fun with it and told my brother that he must put it on his head as well!

Oh and my sisters were VERY happy when they found out they had to put Uptan on me. 

Make sure though that you pre inform everyone not to put uptan on your face, haldi makes your makeup go black so MUA's advice against it

Be prepared to get dirty, very dirty...I was comparatively very clean.

And then you have to take a bath real quick because everyone is waiting for you!

Make sure you come out with minimum 2 bangles in your hand, bindi and chunni on your head. I forgot all!

So had to take a chunni that came from the mandir as a wedding gift and my dadi gave a big huge bindi, my chachi gave me her bangles. In the end although this was better because then I had something from everyone.

Then they will put a small potli on your head like I have in this picture which actually contains poori's, which originally is the only thing your suppose to eat that day.

A chaddar will be held on your head and your sister will do your arti, plus your youngest sister will be asked to sit next to you. Everyone will put something in that chaddar (I am not sure what) and then it will be folded and put on your head.

That is then handed over to your mom.

 Then the Kangna is tied, my bhabhi did this but sometimes sisters tie it as well, 

we didn't tie the leg one (which is black)

For those who don't know kangna is a game that is played post wedding, your husband will open your's and you will open his. (More on wedding games in a post later)

Then there is a pooja of a Kumharan ( potter's wife) which your mother does.

We also had baat the same day, baat is when your mama (mother's brother) brings gifts for the bride and her family. This is done either under the mandap or at your home gate.

Added Information :

Mandap Gadna : Putting the mandap is also done on this day infact the day starts with that. This is done by the eldest brother-in-law, since I dont have one, being the eldest sister and all, mine was done by my bua-dadi. 

Time of event : We did this on the morning of Mehendi, its usually done on the wedding day but to avoid any hectic schedule on the day of the wedding we decided to switch this event to a day before. 

Food : Khadi chawal is a must on this day!

Music and Dance : We called in some 'banna-banni" singers and they sang all traditional songs while all of this was going on! Teasing and calling people by names such as Katrina Chachi, Shelia ki jawani bhabhi, Oh lala dadi, and then singing folk songs on which we all danced!

Of Chocolate Wax, Malai and Dentist..

Chocolate Wax :

Waxing has always been my arch enemy. My mom thankfully enrolled me for a laser treatment the minute I was eligible.

Even after laser getting chocolate wax is advisable since laser can not remove tiny light color hairs and wax helps with that as well as removes suntan! Plus the advantage of chocolate wax over normal one is it makes your skin baby soft!


Malai :

Ah! the advantage of Indian home remedies. How blessed are we when our mom knows exactly what to do to make our skin softer with things in her kitchen.

You all know all about uptan right!? I did a post on it a few months back in case you forgot check here .
Well just add malai of Full cream milk in it. You will fall in love with your skin!


Dentist :

Even though we take care of our teeth the best way possible a little help doesn't hurt. Visit a dentist atleast a week before the functions for a clean up!

Warning : My dentist has advised me against bleaching as it can cause 'challa' in the mouth. So consult a good dentist incase you need bleaching badly otherwise please avoid!

Home Remedies : Taking Care of your Skin : Pre-Bridal

I guess this is my 3rd post on skin care, I might have became a bit obsessed with skin care 

(stop nodding your head)

Here are some Home Remedies I use :

1. UPTAN

Most of us probably know this one, Indian mom's love to rub their kids raw with this Home made scrub from the moment they are born.
For those who have no idea what I am talking about, darling if your having an Indian Wedding this will take place on the morning of your wedding!

Removes Tanning, dirt, dust and gives a great glow.

How to make :

Mix together :
1. Besan 1-2 spoons
2. Haldi half teaspoon
3. Lemon half
4. Honey a little
5. Milk to mix
6. Choker 1spoon
7. a little Rose water ( if you have any)

Basically Besan, Haldi and Milk are the most important components the rest if you have them, then add them otherwise those 3 do the job well.

The mixture should look semi-solid.

What to do with it?

Apply it all over your face, neck, hands, legs where ever you want.

Let it dry (til it gets a little hard)

Then you can either wash it off or scrub it off. I personally prefer scrubbing it off.

For any problems with this one, ask your mom she will most defiantly know.


2. TOMATO

Quickest way to remove tanning.

How to make :

Cut a medium size tomato into 2 parts

What to do with it?

Apply it directly to your face and/or your hands, the inner side on your skin, squeese it a little to get the juice out.

If you find this a little messy you can extract the juice first and then apply it on.

Leave it for 15 min. There might be a slight tingly sensation but thats just the tomato juice working its magic.

Wash it off. Your done!


3. CUCUMBER

My college roommate told me about this one. She has amazing skin and for it she used to put this mask on every week. (Sometimes 2-3 times a week!).

Clears your skins and gives it a great 'glow'. A definite must, specially for the summer months.

How to make and What to do with it?

Can be done in 2 ways :

1. cut slices like the picture above
or
2. Grate the cucumber and then put it on (this is the way my friend prefers it)

Put it on for 15 min and wash!



4. MALAI

Most houses have non-fat milk these days but even after that after boiling you still get some amount of malai, save it up!

Wont recommend it for the face, specially if you have oily skin. But great for arms and legs, leaves the skin feeling softer.

What to do with it?

Put it on for 15 min and wash it off.

5. HONEY

dont really put it on like this! its a mask not a body wash!

Is a great way to moisturize and soften your skin, added advantage it makes a great lip gloss and a lip scrub!!

i) Face Mask

 How to make it?

Buy some Honey :P
I use the normal Dabur honey, they have this easy pour bottle which I like

What to do with it?

Put on Honey evenly all over your face, leave it for 15 min and wash off.

ii) Lip Scrub

How to make it?

Mix honey with small amount of sugar

What to do with it?

Scrub gently on lips using your fingers, use very slight pressure and circular motion. Keep scrub for a couple of minutes, wash it off.


To use it as a LIP GLOSS just apply it as you would apply a normal gloss. Doesn't last very long but gives a nice shine if needed in an emergency, plus tastes great and acts as a great moisturizer.


6. SUGAR AND LIME

Great Scrub.

How to make it?

Cut a lemon in half.
Put a few spoons of sugar in a cup

What to do with it?

Dip the lemon half in the sugar cup so that the sugar sticks onto the lemon, gently scrub it on your face and arms, keep squeezing the lemon a bit so that when you scrub you get both the sugar and lemon juice onto your skin

I don't really recommend a lot of scrubbing with this on the face, it can be a bit rough, but a lot of people do it, so its your personal choice.

Wash it off when tired of scrubbing


7. PAPAYA

A LOT of people recommend this. Both eating it and applying it for great skin. I tried it once didnt quite like it.

How to make it?

Cut a papaya into small pieces, remove the seeds. Mash it a little.

What to do with it?

Apply it on your face , leave for 15 min. Wash it off


8. ICE PACK

Best for avoiding Skin Burn, dark circles and puff eyes

Havn't used it much personally, but have heard great reviews from everyone. Also is a great way to close pores, so if you need your skin to look clearer immediately just rub ice all over it

How to make it?

You get good ice gel packs these days. Available every where. or else just wrap some ice in a Hanky :P (handkerchief).

People recommend freezing rose water for this too.

What to do with it?

Just put it on your face and arms immediately after you return from outside. Use it in the mornings to reduce puffy eyes and dark circles.

Any Other Recommendations guys?