Bridesmaids Dresses Ideas

The creative brainstorming sessions will have to start: so how do I want my bridesmaids to be dressed? I realize that I would like to use shades of purple, lilac, lavender complemented with shades of cream an gold. The next question is what style? Indian, Sri Lanken or Western. If dresses then short or long? I have just spend the last half hour collating some pictures that stood out...to serve as a starting point for this discussion:

Love the simple elegance of satin here

Indian stuff always looks good, so shades of indian outfits like above here might be a good look?

Or a sari with sexy blouse?

Aren't they a happy bunch?

Loved these shades of purple and pastels in the Kardeshian wedding could we go with these shades in saris, didn't like the dresses here though.

An example of a simple Sri Lanken Bridesmaid's dress, we could use the theme and amp it up

Pretty Sri Lanken wedding, could keep things simple and uniform, how boring though huh?

The same party as above.

Ahh I loved the lilacs in the top pic here

Rather simple but cute indian stuff to compliment the bride's dress (pink)

Satin really does look sleek an nice..we could try something like this halter necked for eg in shades of purple and creme?

What fun hehe!

And finally some traditional photos of Sri Lanken brides to show you what to expect

My sari could look something like this. Yes I should mention that since it is a buddist wedding, it will be a sari and head veil too. but not the elaborate head pieces she has on.

The entourage that are present at the entrance of a Sri Lanken wedding, usually as the Bride and Groom are entering, a procession of Kandayan dancers and drummers follow along with these girls holding up lotuses.

Last but not the least some western bridal dresses I liked by designer Clare Pettibone aren't they simply exquisite!

A Sri Lanken Wedding - What To Expect

Women in white and gold saris and sparkling headdresses step forward with plates of mango.

Men in turbans and sarongs, red and white, beat drums and chant.

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As she arrives at her high-society wedding at a luxury hotel, the bride is given a welcome fit for royalty.

For the groom's entrance, dancers somersault in the air and spin round him.

The singers and dancers from Kandy in Sri Lanka's central highlands could have stepped straight from the courts of the last kings of Ceylon.

Nadini Premadasa is a young singing star, and some of the country's best-known musicians, TV stars and celebrities are here to see her marry Madura Abeyesinghe.

Yet at the heart of this glitzy ceremony, in the corner of this grand ballroom, is a simple platform that you might find in any ordinary Sinhalese village.

It is on this poruwa that a bride and groom come together in marriage, with a Buddhist holy man presiding and chanting.

The couple take part in a series of rituals as their close families pray, their heads bowed.

Six young girls in white, known as the jayamangala gatha, come to bless the marriage, one playing the violin while others sing.

WATCH: Charles Haviland at Nadini Premadasa's society wedding

The bride's father ties the nuptial knot, briefly joining Nadini and Madura's little fingers with a thread considered sacred.

Then both fathers pour holy water on the couple's hands to mark the moment of their marriage.

Rings are exchanged - as in Western societies - and the bridegroom places a jewelled necklace around his bride's neck.

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She is presented with a cloth, the sari she will wear in a couple of day's time at the ceremony known as the Homecoming, hosted by the groom's family.

A coconut is broken and an oil lamp is lit, symbolising good luck, and a new start.

Then the festivities begin.

With one hand each on the bottle, Nadini and Madura pour champagne into a pyramid of glasses, before greeting the guests, table by table.

This is a huge day for them and it seems no expense has been spared on the entertainment, the food and drink, or the styling of the bride.

"Every girl has her dreams," Dhananjaya Bandara, the stylist for the bride and five bridesmaids, tells the BBC.

"Sri Lankan girls dream of their bridal day, so they are spending more money for that."

The couple incorporated many traditional elements into the ceremony

He explains that Sri Lankans usually either choose a "high country" styling for their weddings - drawing on the traditions of Kandy - or, as today, a "low country" one, where the bride's clothing is closer to Indian tradition.

He has said he styled Nadini "like a Roman princess".

The groom and his close friends are dressed in an entirely Western style.

While some Western customs are popular, best man Hasitha Wijesekera says it is important to hang on to more traditional Sri Lankan elements.

"Though we have mixed weddings, it doesn't mean that we have just let go of our cultural values," he says.

"I think it's a very good thing to have the poruwa ceremony and there's a lot of meaning in it."

Love match

Nadini, being a famous singer, gives a wedding surprise to her new husband by getting up to sing with the band, The Gypsies, one of the most successful in the country.

They play and sing remarkably convincing versions of popular love songs.

Arranged marriages are less frequent than they used to be

At one point the president's son, Namal Rajapaksa, arrives.

He is present as the bride and groom sign the register to become legally man and wife, and his brief visit creates a stir.

Nadini's family have employed special wedding organisers to arrange the elaborate event, as do many wealthy families.

Planner Uzmaan Ghouse has also organised marriage parties for famous Sri Lankan cricketers.

"It takes about a year to plan a wedding," he says. "But there are some couples who have come to us around six months beforehand. Then it's a bit difficult."

It is not just the wedding ceremony that these days has a Western flavour.

Society is becoming more Westernised, too: this is a love marriage, not one arranged by the family.

Among the Sinhalese population especially, this is getting much more popular says chief bridesmaid (and fiancee of Hasitha) Dilini Gunawardane.

"If they [two young people] are in love and if their parents are not allowing it, somehow they try to convince their parents that 'this is the right person for me'," she says.

After toasts, speeches and a sumptuous meal, a carnival mood takes hold as the trumpeters and drummers of a traditional Sri Lankan band enter the hall.

The drums beat and the wedding crowd lifts Nadini high in the air and bounces her around before bride and groom are showered with confetti and foam.

And in a final nod to the twin traditions at play today, they leave in a horse and cart - before moving to a silver stretch limousine.

Chin Up Boy

We will my darl

We'll row in dark blue backwaters where lushness abounds

And opulent greenery and on the banks villas and a sense of belonging surrounds 

Local seafood will be our share

We will gorge on without a care

We'll awkwardly express emotions even if people stare

As such love, such gratitude, such pyres we've been through, in their lives is rare 

You once more a schoolboy

Me a schoolgirl, coy

We'll experience adventure and peace within

Until salvation and oneness are ours and we're free of all mental din

So put your chin up boy, put your chin, chin! :)

My precious old friends

The long awaited fairy tale unfolds

As some very special souls

Have accepted my invite

Much to my delight

To be by my side as I walk down the isle.

Some fine girls as one can find

Great spirits and beautiful minds

Since our girlish days in Panchgani

These are people who unlike many

Have been around me to see it all.

They've know me inside out

In them constant refuge I've sought.

Out of touch yet seldom out of mind

This connection can't easily be defined

Pearls through friendship's sieve, refined.

Well over a decade ago in yester years,

We've giggled, fought and shared tears,

Today, I am touched beyond compare.

And privileged to share

My special day with a fine set of people. 

Without further ado

Please give it up for

The beautiful and the bold

Girls - worth their weight in gold.

Puja, Geetha, Meenakshi, Hetal and Zeenat!

The Day Before The Day

March Eighteenth Two Thousand And Eleven To April Twelfth Two Thousand And Twelve.

We've walked a thousand miles.

You and I.

Travelled the world together. 

As An adventurous Duo.

Yet I was leaving you tomorrow. 

What did our futures hold for us?

I was at peace. 

I know you wanted it to be a hundred percent right.

You were waiting to get it right. 

But no strands were to tie you to me, all but one. 

I wanted you to have,

That final strand of connection.

As a parting gesture. 

From me to you.

The fishhook Maori Greenstone. Delicately carved.

Each bond, lovingly interwoven 

By you, then me, 

You...Me..You..Me.

Hadn't vows been made then?

You'd worn this chain for years. 

Now taken off your neck, in one moment of tested faith.

My faith said, that on your neck is where it belonged.

A two hour trek later,

I'm in London's Camden,

The Maori Greenstone artist

Studied my expression.

Pensively he asked - Why is this so important to you?

Oh, I leave for New Zealand tomorrow.

And I want to braid a Greenstone

For my man. I might never meet him again.

I was at peace, but he could sense my anguish 

As I spilled those final words.

'The truth will win', he said.

'And here, have this, I want you to have, as a gift'

You say yes, you want us to braid the stone again.

Like we did years ago.

In a university square, in a world all our own.

You..Me..You..Me.

I'm home at last. And packing my bags.

My back is to you.

So how will out story end?

What happens next is worth guessing.

Let's fast forward to the airport

Where we finally braid the Precious Stone.

Let's Do The Things We Normally Do

Yesterday
I thought I was gonna leave you
With a tear in my eye
And a suitcase of memories
All of Dido's songs rang loud
And true..

Until the day before the day.

Let's Do The Things We Normally Do