Weddings are a once in a lifetime event; a blending of families, traditions and cultures. While marriage and commitment ceremonies have taken place throughout time, contemporary ideas and technology allow these festivities to become awe-inspiring celebrations that feature all of the most important religious and cultural elements while adding a modern flair!
Whether you are looking to take your guests’ breath away with a striking backdrop, spectacular entrance or gorgeous canopy, you may have many details in mind, but need help with connecting and executing them. This can be particularly true with the meaningful traditional components within your culture. With wedding season soon upon us, this is the perfect opportunity to explore the heritage and rituals of two specific cultures whose ceremonies can be enhanced with specialized lighting and drapery from LMD Productions.
Event Planner: Faye Gardenswartz | Florist: Newberry Brothers | Venue: Four Seasons Denver | Lighting and Fabric: LMD Productions
Jewish Weddings in Colorado
LMD Productions provides the wedding, as well as reception decor for many Jewish weddings throughout Denver and the Front Range. Your guests will traditionally see your ceremony held under a wedding canopy with four open sides, called a Chuppah. The Chuppah represents the home you and your spouse build together. Your ceremony decor consists of fabric treatment for the Chuppah, as well as an elaborate draped wall. Your florist will add their touches to the Chuppah, completing the layout. LMD Productions provides the lighting treatment to accentuate the overall design and set the mood for your ceremony.
Some colors hold traditional significance in Jewish weddings. If you are wanting to acknowledge the long-standing importance of these colors, you may try to find ways to incorporate blue, white, and gold. Blue is theologically important in Judaism; so you often see traditional Jewish weddings incorporate hues of blue, specifically royal or pale shades. White represents the spiritual purity of you as a couple, the purity of your hearts and your rebirth as newlyweds. Gold also holds a place in the traditional Jewish wedding, most often as an accent color, setting a regal tone for your celebration.
Wedding Planner: Walli Richardson | Florist: The Perfect Petal | Venue: Four Seasons Denver | Lighting and Fabric: LMD Productions
Many modern Jewish couples choose to instead use colors found in nature. The tradition of using nature-inspired colors does not date back as far as the custom of using blue, white and gold; but many modern weddings make use of them. A garden theme for your wedding could incorporate light greens, yellows or pinks, easily including florals of the same hues. Brighter reds and purples represent the harvest and bounty available in nature and could also set your ceremonial tone.
Indian and South Asian Weddings in Colorado
LMD Productions has been providing drapery and lighting for South Asian weddings for over a decade and is experienced in offering planning tips for couples who will encompass these cultural traditions in their celebrations.
Your guests will see why Indian weddings are often referred to as ‘grand affairs’ simply based on the amount of planning, detailing and overall splendor that goes into organizing your large celebration. These multi-day traditions celebrate more than just the marriage of the bride and groom, but also the joining of your two entire families.
Event Planner: InVogue Events | Draping and Lighting: LMD Productions | Venue: Cielo at Castle Pines
Traditional Indian wedding ceremonies occur under a Mandap, a 4-pillared covered structure serving as your wedding altar. While historically it was decorated with pots of water and garlands of live leaves, you may want to embellish your contemporary Mandap with flowers and fabrics, and accentuate it with brilliant lighting washes. Your decor fabrics can be layered, ruffled, or fringed. Your Mandap is usually placed on the main stage for the wedding ceremony.
After the wedding ceremony comes the wedding reception. The reception is where the couple’s families will throw a lavish reception party to finally let loose. Part of the celebration includes speeches and loved ones singing, dancing and performing routines for the couple. Following this, a huge sit-down dinner and a dance party will take place. This has a completely different feel to the ceremony itself. It’s essentially a fun party where the family really lets their hair down and has a fun time! It is all about food, family and dancing. Typically it involves a mix of Bollywood and Western music and songs to dance to. With so much dancing involved, don’t forget to bring your fashionable and comfortable shoes.
While many Western weddings traditionally have the bride wearing white, in Indian culture white is more often associated with mourning. So, Indian brides often wear red or other vibrant colors during the multiple ceremonies of a marriage. The bright and vibrant colors can carry into your reception decor, as well.
Event Planner: InVogue Events | Draping and Lighting: LMD Productions | Venue: Westin Westminster
While still incorporating many traditional components in your upcoming wedding celebrations, there are several key design elements provided by LMD Productions that can give your traditional festivities a modern feel. These include having a head table placed on a stage, enhanced with an elegant backdrop. This backdrop could include varying fabrics and flowers. An LED wall also makes for a versatile backdrop, and transitions into a great nightclub feel when it comes time for your guests to kick up their shoes and dance! With the use of LED imagery, you can change the mood and designs throughout the evening. Lastly, a wide variety of lighting exists for setting the tone of your celebration, and decorative lighting is a current trend in many South Asian wedding festivities. You can imagine the strategic use of pins, pots, washes, and uprights making your events stand out from all the others your guests may attend this wedding season.
Contemporary Culture While Saying “I Do”
As a modern couple committed to your cultural roots, you can still think creatively about how to make your once in a lifetime day everything you ever imagined. LMD Productions, with our wedding design and decor, can help you take it to the next level by incorporating culturally specific elements in a trendy and chic way. After all, your special day is your design, we just make it happen!
Sources: Traditional Jewish Wedding Colors | Color Psychology | Mandap Design
