7 IDEAS TO JAZZ UP YOUR WEDDING CAKE

You no longer have to settle for the simple, default wedding cake designs. You can now customize and personalize your wedding cakes by giving it a cultural touch.

Henna Design Cake

What better way to indianize a wedding cake than decorating it with henna inspired designs. It looks simple and classy. You can play with different colour combinations and customize it as per your taste.

Drape It

Give the generic wedding cake a twist by draping the cake with an edible saree. You can match the edible draped saree with that of the bride's outfit and surprise her with a matching cake.

Play With The Flavour

Get over the chocolate and vanilla flabours. Ask the baker to whip a completely unique cake for your wedding reflecting your favourite dessert through its flavour. My personal favourite is the gulab jamun cake (coz duh! it's gulab jamun.) Besides gulab jamun, there's rass malai cakes, mango rassmalai cake, rossgulla cake, etc. 

Dholak Cake

This dholak cake looks unreal. I was amazed just like you ae when i set my eyes upon it. You can surprise the bride with a dholak or a shehnai cake on her mehendi day and make it extra special.

Saree Cake

I want this cake to be included in my wedding festivities. I shall pester anybody and everybody about this. Just look at it. It doesn't even look like a cake. It's so perfect symbolizing some important aspects for a bride in her wedding.

Doll Cake With A Twist

Doll cake was such a rage when i was a kid (10 years back or so) Everybody wanted one for their birthdays. Well, you can still have one bridal doll cake. You can also get a groom doll cake and arrange for a cute couple cake.

Customized Cake Topper

The above wedding cakes not your style? Trying to stick to simple designs? You can add your own touch to it by getting a customized cake topper. 

Weight loss diet plan for brides-to-be

Getting married? Here’s a sample weight loss diet plan for brides-to-be
by Neha Chandna 



Your wedding is one of the most special days of your life and you certainly want to look your best which needs timely preparation. Nutritionist Neha Chandna shares a sample meal plan to help you shed a few kilos in a healthy way. Instead of crash dieting and starving yourself, lose weight in a healthy way to avoid fainting and other health problems after the D-Day is over.
An early start is always better as you will need to put in less effort and will have more time to reach your desired goal. Here is a meal plan you can start following six months before your wedding date. Remember, though diet is 70% responsible for a healthy weight loss, you also need some sort of physical activity every day to stay fit and burn calories
• Early morning: green tea + 1 fruit
• Breakfast: 1 bowl of oats porridge/ poha/ upma/ idli
• Mid morning: 1 fruit + 4 almonds/ walnuts
• Lunch: salad + 2 rotis/ 1 cup brown rice + veggies + dal + curds
• Evening: whole wheat bread sandwich/ bhel(no sev)/ sprouts
• Dinner: soup + salad+ veggies/ chicken/ fish + 1 roti
• Bedtime: 1 cup skim milk
If you haven’t had the chance to focus on yourself with all the shopping and wedding arrangements, there is still time to tone-up your figure and look your best. You can follow this meal plan three months prior to the D-Day and drop a dress size.
• Early morning: green tea + 2 dates
• Breakfast: oats upma/ oats dosa
• Mid morning: 1 fruit + 4 almonds/ walnuts
• Lunch: salad + 1 rotis/ 1 cup brown rice + veggies + dal + curd
• Evening: 1 fruit
• Dinner: soup + salad+ veggies/ chicken/ fish
• Bedtime: 1 cup skim milk
It’s just 30 days to the wedding, fret not! You can still lose weight. This is a meal plan when only it’s only 1 month to the wedding. In addition to this, get some exercise and don’t stress – with the right outfit, you will look perfect.
• Early morning: green tea + 2 dates
• Breakfast: fruits + nuts
• Mid morning: 1 bowl sprouts/ salad of pulses
• Lunch: salad + veggies + dal + curd
• Evening: soup
• Dinner: salad/ stir fry+ veggies/ chicken/ fish
• Bedtime: 1 cup skim milk
Even if you start with the 6-month meal plan, you can move to the 3- and 1-month plans as you inch closer to the wedding day. Be happy and you are sure to glow and look wonderful on your special day.

Source: http://health.india.com/

Tradition of Payal in India

Since ancient times, payal or anklet has been an important jewelry for Indian woman. Even today this piece of traditional jewelry has not lost its charm a bit. Payals are still one of the most important fashion accessories of modern Indian women.

Since ancient times, payal or anklet has been an important jewelry for Indian woman. Even today this piece of traditional jewelry has not lost its charm a bit. Payals are still one of the most important fashion accessories of modern Indian women.

Gift for New Born Girls
Silver payal in exquisite carving is one of the most popular and traditional gift for new born girls. Small tinkling bells are usually added to the baby payals so that when little girl learns to walk she delights everyone with the "chham chamm" of her payal. Attachment of young girls with payals is formed quite early thus and remains for life.

Wearing Payal on Traditional Occasions
On traditional occasion such as festivals and weddings, most girls adorn their feet with designer payals. Most girls in India keep quite a collection of silver payals. These days ankle chains made of less precious materials like rubber, seashells, beads etc are very much in vogues. These are worn casually on family get together or outings.

An Important Part of Indian Bride's Jewellery
Heavily crafted and designer payals are an important part of Indian bride's jewelry. Traditionally, the new bride announces her arrival in her husband's house with the tinkling sound of anklets.

Gift for the Bride
Payals are considered to be traditional and auspicious gift for the new bride in India. Heavily carves payals or payals embellished with exquisite meenakari work are an all-time favorite gift for the newly weds.

Tradition of Wearing Silver and not Gold Payals
Mostly, Hindu women prefer to wear payals made of silver and not gold. This is because Indians believe gold to be the metal of the gods and is therefore sacred. To wear it on the feet, the lowest part of the body, is considered to be an ill-omen and disrespectful.

source:http://www.surfindia.com/

5 Bad Beauty Habits Soon-to-be Brides Must Break By Sharanya Manola

Wrapping wet hair in towel

Locking your tresses in a towel after a head bath is a recipe for disaster! Shampooing your hair is not the end of your hair care regime. Wet hair is more vulnerable to breakage as it can stretch easily.

Why avoid it: If you rub your hair with a towel, it gets tangled and breaks the hair shaft. This damages your otherwise healthy hair. Is it worth the risk? You can squeeze excess water by gently using a cotton cloth as big as a towel as cotton is gentler on your hair. To detangle your hair, use a wide-toothed comb.

Pricking pimples

You pricked it as it was embarrassing and you squeezed it because it looked ugly. Admit it, you all have done this?Why avoid it: While it is tempting to pinch an eruption, it is best to let it die its own death and heal naturally. Pricking increases the chances of scars and may also worsen inflammation. If you have a chronic acne or infection, it is best to go to a dermatologist who would guide you better and prescribe medications and procedures, if required. Moreover, eat skin-healthy foods and follow a skincare regime to avoid a pimple that spoils your day.

Using makeup brushes and sponges without cleaning

Do you clean your hairbrush and comb regularly? Do you clean your toothbrush? Then why do you insist on using and reusing your makeup brushes and sponges without thinking about cleaning them, even if occasionally.

Why avoid it: Germs and skin oils get trapped in your makeup brushes and sponges. These come in contact with your face when you use them without cleaning them properly. So, before that makeup brush comes in touch with your face, give it a good rinse with some lukewarm water, and allow them to air dry. You can also clean them with a mild shampoo. Do this at least twice in a month.

Heat styling your hair too often

Do you like to style your hair every other day? Well, remember that you are causing an irreversible damage to your hair.

Why avoid it: Heat styling is one of the most common causes of split-ends, and dull and brittle hair. If you can’t give your hair some rest, we would recommend you go natural at least two-three days a week without styling. This gives your hair ample time to get the lost moisture back. As it is you will be doing a lot of elaborate styling for your wedding functions, so give it some break before the ceremonies begin.

Sleeping with makeup on

Do you sleep away to glory with smokey eyes, foundation-slapped cheeks and lipstick-laden pout, hoping to run into your fiancé in your dreams? Time to wake up before its too late for your skin!

Why avoid: Makeup clogs pores on the skin and discourages secretion of a lubricant that is responsible for moisturising your skin naturally. This eventually causes acne. Besides, eye makeup can cause an allergic reaction or infection.

Dear brides (or those who will soon be in their shoes), make a note of these beauty habits and break free from this vicious circle of bad beauty habits, before its too late!

Source: http://www.bollywoodshaadis.com