The Leela Palace Bengaluru: Guide To Planning A Wedding

Congratulations on your engagement! We understand that planning your perfect wedding can be a challenging and overwhelming experience. In this post we will will provide you with all the information you need to know about getting married at the stunning Leela Palace Bangalore . As a wedding photographer, I’ve had the pleasure of capturing some of the most beautiful moments at The Leela Palace Bengaluru. This luxurious palace takes you on a nostalgic journey, with its stunning architecture that harks back to the grandeur of the Vijayanagara empire. The ornate pillars and arches are nothing short of breathtaking, and offer the perfect backdrop for any wedding ceremony.

As a wedding photographer, I’ve seen firsthand how The Leela Palace Bengaluru can turn any wedding into a dream come true. Whether you’re planning a lavish celebration or an intimate gathering, their expert team will ensure that every detail is taken care of. From exquisite decor to sumptuous cuisine, you can expect nothing but the best.

POOL SIDE

The stunning pool area offers a magical ambiance, with its glistening blue waters and lush green surroundings. The serene setting creates a romantic and intimate atmosphere. The poolside area at The Leela Palace Bengaluru is just perfect for pre-wedding festivities like cocktail parties and mehndi ceremonies.

DIYA TERRACE

The Diya Terrace at The Leela Palace Bengaluru is a stunning rooftop venue that offers a truly intimate setting for your special event. With a capacity of about 40 people, this charming space is perfect for hosting pre-wedding ceremonies like Haldi, Cocktail, Chuda, and Mehndi.

Located on the rooftop, the Diya Terrace provides breathtaking views of the pool area and surrounding greenery. The ample sunlight filtering in adds to the warmth and brightness of the space, creating a cheerful and inviting atmosphere.

The terrace can be customised to your liking, with beautiful decor, comfortable seating, and a range of catering options to suit your taste

BALL ROOMS

The Leela Palace Bengaluru boasts not one, but two magnificent ballrooms, each offering its own unique charm and grandeur.

The Grand Ballroom is a spacious venue that can accommodate up to 800 guests, making it perfect for larger weddings and receptions. The Grand Ballroom features elegant chandeliers, stunning decor, and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, ensuring that your event is both visually and acoustically stunning.

For a more intimate gathering, the Royal Ballroom is the perfect venue. With a capacity of up to 300 guests, this charming ballroom features beautiful decor and a warm ambiance, creating the perfect setting for your special occasion.

JAMAVAR FUNCTION AREA

As a wedding photographer, I have had the privilege of capturing some of the most breathtaking wedding venues, and I must say, the Jamavar Function Area is truly one of the most stunning outdoor spaces I have ever seen.

With its intricate architecture featuring arches and pillars, this space provides an incredible backdrop for any wedding ceremony. The details and design elements of this space offer a timeless beauty that truly sets it apart.

From a photography perspective, the Jamavar Function Area is a dream location to work in. The abundance of natural light that filters through the pillars creates a soft and romantic atmosphere, which is perfect for capturing those intimate moments between the bride and groom.

Additional Places For Pre Wedding Shoots

WEDDING VIDEOS AT The Leela Palace Bengaluru

Real Weddings At The Leela Palace Bengaluru - Garden City's Only Modern Palace Hotel

1. An Exquisite & Grand Marwari Wedding in Bangalore

2. A Gorgeous Punjabi Wedding Filled with Fun and Frolic

Frequently Asked Questions

• How much does a wedding at The Leela Palace Bengaluru cost?

The Leela Palace Bengaluru charges between ₹ 2500- ₹ 3000 per plate. The Leela Palace Bengaluru team can be contacted at 080 2521 1234.

• What are some wedding venues and places like The Leela Palace Bengaluru?

We have a comprehensive list of Bangalore’s best wedding venues including Taj West End Bengaluru, Amita Rasa, The Tamarind Tree, Panchavati the Pavilion.

Marwari Weddings: A Guide to Marwari Wedding Rituals, Traditions With Photos, Videos

Marwaris are an ethnic community belonging to the state of Rajasthan in India. They trace their origin to the princely state of Marwar, which is the Jodhpur region at present. Marwari weddings are lavish, colourful, and fun experiences celebrated with a lot of exuberance and enthusiasm.

The royal land of Rajasthan is known for its exquisite culture and grandeur. Marwari weddings encapsulate the same through various wedding rituals, vibrant outfits, grand music, and of course, delicious food.

Their vivid bouquet of traditions includes a lot of interesting customs and fun rituals that are meant to break the ice between both families. Like many Indian weddings, Marwari wedding customs trace their origin to ancient Vedic traditions.    

Traditionally, a Marwari groom is known as banna, and the bride is called banni.

While some prefer to introduce a touch of freshness to the customs, the basic essence of a Marwari wedding is always about celebrating the beginning of a lifelong bond in the grandest way possible.

Let’s get to know more about Marwari weddings!

The Dresses, the Jewellery and the Food!

Gorgeous outfits and food are an integral part of a Marwari wedding. A Marwari bride dresses up in a bright, colourful, and embellished silk lehenga choli. Traditional motifs and patterns define her outfit. A colourful odhni or chunni draped over the lehenga choli completes her wedding attire.

She complements her look with typical Rajasthani jewellery pieces such as chura (traditional bangles) Rajasthani nath (nose ornament), timaniyaan (choker necklace), bichiya (toe rings), and rakhri with a borla tika (maang tika) that sits prettily on her forehead.

As for the groom, he wears an achkan or sherwani with dhoti or pyjama and a kamarbandh (waistband). A pagri (turban) sits on his head. He teams up his attire with a pearl or stone-studded necklace, a turban ornament, and Rajasthani jootis.

Food is an elaborate affair at every Rajasthani wedding. Dishes like dal baati churma, methi bajra poori, Rajasthani kadhi, shahi gate, ker sangri, ghevar, and mawa kachori are some of the quintessential items that form a typical Marwari wedding menu.    

The Rituals That Make Marwari Weddings Stand Out!

A typical Marwari wedding is an elaborate celebration of pre-wedding, wedding, and post-wedding customs and rituals. Here are the major rituals of a Marwari wedding:

Roka

Roka is the ceremony where parents from both sides finalise the wedding plans. It usually takes place a few months before the wedding.

On this particular day, parents from both sides put a tilak on the bride and groom. An exchange of gifts also takes place between both families to mark the happy occasion.

Byah Haath

For this ritual, married women in the family and the neighbourhood gather to sing Mangal Geet or songs of happiness, in anticipation of a happy wedding.

This happens 5, 7, 11, or 21 days before the marriage. They prepare sweets made of lentils and jaggery, which are called Mangodi, and bless the bride/groom.

Naandi Ganesh Pooja

Naandi Ganesh pooja is performed to seek blessings from Lord Ganesh and other Hindu deities for a smooth and hassle-free ceremony.

The prevalent belief is that Lord Ganesh attends the wedding in the form of a small boy. That’s why a small boy accompanies the bride and groom in their pre-wedding rituals. He is believed to embody Lord Ganesh or Vinayak. 

Bhaat Nyotana and Bhaat Bharna

In Marwari traditions, the maternal aunt (mami) and uncle (mama) play an important role.

During the Bhaat Nyotana and Bhaat Bharna ceremony, the mother of the bride/groom formally invites her parents, brother, and sister-in-law to the wedding of her child. She puts a tika on her brother and sister-in-law as part of the invitation ceremony.

The maternal uncle, on his part, agrees to participate in the ceremony wholeheartedly and stand beside his sister.

Myra

The maternal family of the bride/groom’s mother is extended a warm welcome by her family as they arrive to attend the wedding.

The maternal uncle or mama presents gifts to his sister’s family. He also agrees to extend financial support for the wedding.  

Mehndi

The bride gets her hands and feet decorated with exquisite designs using Mehndi or henna dye.

Mehndi-decorated hands and feet symbolise abundance, happiness, and fulfilment in life. An interesting aspect of Marwari weddings is that the groom also gets a mehndi design done on his hand to mark this ceremony.

Mudda Tikka or Sagai

Sagai is the engagement ceremony that is traditionally held at the bride’s home. The bride and the groom exchange rings in the presence of family and friends to mark their sagai or official engagement. A vibrant function marks the occasion.

Mehfil

Mehfil, also known as the Sangeet ceremony, is another fun-filled pre-wedding function. It is a night of singing, dancing, and feasting, with plenty of entertainment thrown in.

The equivalent of a bachelorette party, this function involves a lot of merry-making and mischief.

Telbaan

Telbaan is a ritualistic bath given to the bride and groom on the wedding day morning.

A paste of turmeric, mustard oil, and fresh curd is applied on their face, hands, and feet. This is followed by feeding ghunghra or sweet pancakes to the bride and groom.

Pitthi Dastoor

Haldi assumes much significance in Indian weddings, including Marwari weddings.

The bride and groom are applied turmeric paste to enhance their glow for the wedding. They are given a bath by their relatives to wash off the turmeric paste. Lots of fun and frolic surround this ceremony. 

Nikasi

Just before the groom sets off with his baraat, his sister ties his sehra and puts a kajal tika behind his ear to ward off the evil eye. She also wraps a golden thread around the mare that he is to mount and ride to his wedding.

The groom’s mother feeds him a spoonful of a mixture of lentils, sugar, rice, and ghee, which is considered auspicious.

Baraat

The groom, along with his friends and family, heads towards the wedding venue. He covers the distance sitting on a mare amidst a lot of singing, dancing, and revelry by the members of his wedding procession. 

Toran

Toran refers to a decorative hanged at the entrance of the wedding venue.

Before entering the venue, the groom hits the toran with a stick from the neem plant. This age-old practice is done to ward off negative energy from the married life of the bride and groom. 

Jaimala

Jaimala is a common part of many Indian weddings.

Once the bride enters the wedding mandap, she goes on to put seven suhalis over the groom’s head. Following this, the groom and the bride exchange garlands amidst a lot of cheering by friends and family.

Kanyadaan

The Kanyadaan ritual in a Marwari wedding is similar to that in most Hindu weddings.

The bride’s father gives her hand to the groom during the ritual. He asks the groom to accept his daughter in marriage and take her responsibility.

The bride is also asked to accept the groom and take his surname. The couple promise to stay together, no matter what challenges life throws at them. 

Saptapadi or Phera

Regarded as the most important ritual of a Hindu marriage, Saptapadi assumes much significance in Marwari weddings as well.

During this ritual, the bride and the groom go around the holy fire seven times while the priests chant mantras. They take their wedding vows and promise to be there for each other all lifelong.

Sindoor Daan

Sindoor daan is the ritual in which the groom applies vermillion on the bride’s forehead. Sindoor, or vermillion, is the symbol of marriage in Hindu culture.

This ritual marks the beginning of the wedded life of a couple. The groom’s mother gifts the bride a nose ring or nath, which she is expected to wear.

Vidaai

Vidaai marks an emotional moment in the course of the wedding.

As the bride leaves her paternal home and sets off for the groom’s house, she bids a tearful goodbye to her family and friends. Her parents send her off with blessings for her new life.

Pag Phera

The bride, along with her newly wedded husband, visits her paternal home a couple of days after the wedding.

The newlywed couple is welcomed heartily by the bride’s family. Cousins and siblings of the bride crack jokes and tease the couple, and everyone has fun.

MARWARI WEDDING WEDDING ALBUMS

1. A Royal Fort Marwari Wedding in Mundota Fort & Palace, Jaipur

2. A Fun Punjabi- Marwari Wedding in The Leela Palace, Bangalore

3. Marwari Destination Wedding Welligama Bay Marriott , Sri Lanka

4. Marwari Destination Wedding Across 2 Palaces, Indana Palace & Ajit Palace, Jodhpur

5. A Marwari Destination Wedding in Hyatt Dehradun

6. Super Fun & Colorful Marwari Wedding in The Leela Bhartiya City, Bangalore

MARWARI WEDDING VIDEOS

OTHER RESOURCES

1. Best Destination Wedding Locations, Venues, Hotels & Resorts In India

2. The Best Wedding Venues & Resorts In Bangalore

Kannada Weddings: A Guide to Kannada Wedding Rituals With Photos, Videos

Kannada weddings refer to the traditional wedding ceremonies celebrated by Kannadigas or the Kannada people. Kannadigas trace their ancestry to the state of Karnataka in India and its surrounding areas.

Kannada weddings in the modern era are an interesting blend of traditions and colorful ceremonies, with an emphasis on forming a bond between the two families. The celebrations are usually spread over two to three days. Classic events like Dev Karya, Saptapadi, etc., form an integral part of the weddings.

While traditions and rituals may differ slightly among the various Kannada communities, the symbolism of the core events remains the same. In essence, Kannadiga weddings celebrate the beginning of the newly wedded couple’s journey together.

Making New Beginnings in the Traditional Way

The beauty of Kannada weddings is that they abide by the meaningful rituals and ceremonies that are a part of their rich culture. At the same time, they try to add a modern touch to the events to make them more relevant for the young couple.

Like most Hindu weddings, Kannada wedding rituals are based on the Vedas or ancient Indian scriptures. But there’s a strong influence of the Karnataka region on the rituals. While vibrant celebrations mark the special occasion, the focus is on creating memories. As such, Kannada wedding celebrations have a sophisticated vibe to them.

A Mesmerizing Milieu of Dresses, Jewellery, and Food

On the wedding day, the bride wears a traditional Naavari saree of 9 yards. Green glass bangles adorn her hands. She completes her bridal look with gold jewelry, such as gold necklaces, jhumkas, maang tika, and more. A kamarbandh sits on her waist and adds to her look.

The groom puts on a white vesti or dhoti with ornate thin borders in typical South Indian style, along with a kurti or sherwani. But during the wedding ritual, he wears an angavastram or silk stole along with the vesti. A pheta or turban sits on his head.

A pleasant whiff of jasmine and other flowers fills the wedding venue. Food forms an integral part of Kannada weddings. A traditional wedding menu includes items like puri, vada, Bisebele bath, payasam, kesari bhat, etc. In keeping with the traditions, the food is served on banana leaves.

The Meaningful Rituals That Make Kannada Weddings Stand Out

A Kannada wedding comprises several beautiful rituals and ceremonies. Many of the rituals are performed by all communities in Karnataka. But for some communities, a few of the rituals may differ.

NISCHAY TAMULAM

Nischay Tamulam is the official engagement ceremony before a Kannada wedding. This ceremony is held after the bride and groom's horoscopes have been matched.An age-old practice, it is done to ensure that the couple has a successful married life. On this day, a priest fixes the auspicious wedding date and time.   

The parents from both sides exchange plates full of betel leaves and nuts and bless the couple. The bride is presented with a saree, blouse, sweets, and coconut by the groom’s parents. The groom receives a dhoti, sweets, coconut, and other fruits from the bride’s parents.  

Naandi

The Naandi ceremony takes place a day before the marriage ceremony. It is performed in the homes of both the groom and the bride. It marks the beginning of the wedding ceremony.

Naandi is symbolic of presenting the first marriage invitation to the almighty. Both parties seek blessings for a smooth wedding ceremony and a long and happy wedded life for the couple. A priest fills a traditional copper pot with holy water and places a coconut on top of it. It symbolizes the pot of nectar or Amrit.

Mandap Puja

Mandap puja is the first ritual of the wedding ceremony that takes place on the wedding day.

Mandap refers to the area or stage where the wedding ceremony is set to take place. The priest purifies the mandap by chanting mantras and prepares the area for the wedding.

Dev Karya

A pre-wedding ceremony, Dev Karya is performed on the wedding day. The groom visits one or more temples and worships the deity before he sets out to marry his bride.

A significant part of the ceremony involves placing all the items to be used in the wedding ceremony before Lord Ganesha. This is done to sanctify the objects and seek his blessings for the auspicious event.

Groom’s Welcome

As the name indicates, this ceremony is about welcoming the groom. Once the groom reaches the wedding venue with his marriage party, five married women from the bride’s side receive him at the entrance.

They take turns performing aarti and extending him a traditional welcome. The bride’s father then escorts the groom to the mandap.

Var Puja

Kannada traditions consider the groom to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Members of the bride’s family worship the groom and lead him to the wedding mandap.

The bride’s father washes the groom’s feet and presents him with a silk vesti and angavastram. Kannada wedding traditions have it that the groom carries out the marriage rituals wearing the clothes presented by the bride’s father.

Jaimala

The bride enters the venue keeping her face covered behind a peacock-feather fan. A cloth screen shields the couple from seeing each other. As the screen is slowly lifted, the couple gets to look at each other for the first time on the wedding day.   

When it’s time for the jaimala, the groom and the bride exchange flower garlands three times. This symbolic wedding ritual indicates the unification of two souls through matrimony.

It is a visual delight to witness the ceremony as the bride and groom take the first steps towards becoming a married couple, as their friends and family look on.

Dhareherdu

Dhareherdu is the custom of the bride’s father giving her hand to the groom.

As he places his daughter’s hand in the groom’s hand, he expects the groom to take care of his daughter in every possible way.The groom promises to be a good life partner for his bride, and the wedding rituals begin on this positive note.

Saptapadi

Saptapadi is the ritual where the couple takes their wedding vows while going around the sacred fire. They go around the fire seven times, and during each of the rounds, they take a different vow for their married life ahead. This ritual is symbolic of their becoming life partners for their next seven births on earth.

One end of the bride’s saree is tied to an end of the groom’s outfit to indicate their unbreakable nuptial knot. This is followed by the groom tying the mangalsutra or sacred thread around the bride’s neck, which marks them as a wedded couple.

Okhli

Okhli refers to a post-wedding fun game. The groom’s ring is dropped in a huge vessel filled with coloured water or milk. The bride and the groom dip their hands in the liquid and compete with each other to retrieve the ring. This game is played three times before a winner is declared.

This fun game serves to break the ice between the two families after the wedding.

Vidaai

Vidaai marks one of the most emotional moments in an Indian wedding. It is the ceremony when the bride bids adieu to her family and friends before she sets off with her groom for her in-law’s home.

The bride is given a teary farewell by her loved ones even as they wish her a wonderful married life ahead.

Griha Pravesh

The term 'Griha Pravesh' translates into entering into a house. It marks the entry of the bride in her new home, i.e., her in-law’s home.

The bride is given a warm welcome and ushered into the house by her mother-in-law. She topples a pot or kalash over-filled with rice kept at the threshold of the house before stepping inside.

This symbolizes that wealth and prosperity will overflow into the home with her arrival.

Kannada Wedding Wedding Albums

1. A Charming Kannada Wedding In The Tamarind Tree Bangalore

2. Tradtional Kannada Wedding with a Dutch Groom

3. A Kannadiga Wedding Royale at the Bengaluru Palace

The Kannada Bride

Kannada Wedding Videos

Other Resources

1. Best Destination Wedding Locations, Venues, Hotels & Resorts In India

2. The Best Wedding Venues & Resorts In Bangalore

3. The Best Wedding Planners in Bangalore

4. The Best Bridal Makeup Artists in Bangalore

To Wrap

Kannada weddings are colorful ceremonies that involve several big and small rituals.

The Kannadigas are proud to carry forward their rich cultural legacy. That is why even when they introduce modern events in their wedding ceremonies, most don’t shy away from the essential traditional rituals.

A Guide to Storing Your Wedding Photos and Videos

After your wedding, you receive your wedding photos and videos from your photography team. You want to be able to show them to your children and grandchildren one day, so you have to handle them carefully and store them properly.  Most couples are also incredibly mobile, shifting cities or countries depending on their careers, making finding reliable storage for your wedding photos and videos even more important.

After shooting hundreds of weddings, at 1Plus1 Studio we have noticed that most couples store their photos on just one storage option: a Hard Disk Drive(HDD). This is risky as HDDs are prone to failure.

Also do not rely on your photographer to store your photos and videos for you. At 1Plus1 Studio we periodically delete photos and videos we have delivered to clients keeping in line with best security and privacy practices.

The smart strategy to follow is this: Backup and then diversify your Backups.

Below are 3 ways to store your wedding photos and video and we suggest you do all 3.

1. Store Them on aN SSD (Solid State Drive)

The first way you can store your wedding photos and videos is by storing them on a Solid State Drive. An SSD is a type of storage that uses flash memory to store data. Flash memory is more durable than traditional hard drives, so it is less likely that your photos and videos will be corrupted or lost if you store them on a SSD hard drive. There are many different brands of SSD hard drives, SanDisk and Samsung are reliable ones.

A common mistake is to store the photos and videos on a hard disk drive (HDD), typically that of your desktop. These have a much higher failure rate than a Solid State Drive due to moving parts involved.

2. Store Them on the Cloud

Our favorite way to store your photos is to store them on the cloud. 

There are many different cloud storage options available, such as iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Photos. Cloud storage is a great option because it offers redundancy, which means that your photos and videos will be safe even if one storage option fails. 

We recommend Google Photos as the storage solution for both photos and videos. The benefits of Google Photos include its accessibility across Android, iOS and multiple browsers, superb AI based organization and searching capabilities, and great sharing features.

1. The app's cross-platform support means that photos can be easily accessed and shared across devices. 

2. Its AI-based organization capabilities mean that photos can be automatically grouped into albums and collections based on their content, making it easy to find a particular photo. Google Photos also provides powerful search capabilities that allow users to search for photos by keyword, location, or even content type. 

   So you can search for images by faces, if they have sunsets in them or photos of a person eating food. Google photos can also search inside videos for special moments!

3. Google Photos provides excellent sharing features. Photos can be easily shared with friends and family, both through the app and via email, text message, and social media. Shared albums can also be created, allowing multiple people to add photos to the same album.

3. Print the Photos into Albums and Wall Prints

The third way you can store your wedding photos is by printing the photos. Printing your photos will allow you to create physical copies that you can hold onto for years to come. You can frame your favorite photos and hang them up in your home, or put them in a photo album so you can look at them whenever you want. Printing your photos is also a great way to share them with family members who don't have access to the internet or are not comfortable with technology like your grandparents.

Infact we wrote an entire aricle about wedding albums: 7 Reasons Why You Should Invest In A Wedding Album