By Nandini Iyengar for Femina

The mandap, or the quadrant where you get married in a Hindu ceremony, is the spiritual and visual centerpiece of your wedding decor. It is the place where sacred vows are exchanged and traditions are honored. For couples who love to create and want to infuse their style into their wedding with personal touches, why not design your own mandap? It is a cost-effective and exemplary indulgent activity to engage in before your wedding. It will bring you and your partner close and serve as a symbol of the love and respect you share for each other. Here’s a comprehensive guide for the crafty couples who like to take things DIY (Do-it-yourself!)

1. Find the Structure

The first step in building a mandap is creating its structure. This forms the skeleton upon which all your décor will hang. You can rent a frame or choose to get one built from scratch. Wooden poles offer a classic, sturdy aesthetic and are perfect for rustic outdoor settings. PVC pipes, on the other hand, are lightweight and easier to assemble for indoor venues. Ensure that your chosen materials can handle the weight of drapes and decorative elements.

If the setting is outdoors, then make sure the mandap can withstand wind and rain. You can consult with your venue manager or a local artisan to help you source the material and additional help to make your mandap.

2. Drapes and Decor

With the frame in place, it's time to give your mandap its true shape through curtains and decor.. Soft materials like chiffon, organza, or satin in your wedding colors can add a dreamy touch to the mandap. You can let the fabric fall, or fix it in arches across the poles. You can further accessorize the drapes with a string of fairy lights or faux flower veils.

3. Flowers: Nature’s perfume

No Indian wedding mandap is complete without flowers. Their fragrance and color symbolize joy, prosperity, and purity. Fresh blooms like marigolds, roses, and jasmine are traditional and deeply symbolic, and they can also act as natural perfumes as their scent wafts through the air during the festivities. Using fresh flowers is also a sustainable method to keep your wedding eco-friendly. These flowers can be used in compost pits to provide manure for plants.

You can create floral chandeliers or veils to make the decor a floral fantasy. String together rows of flowers and fashion them into subtle yet enchanting pieces of decoration for your mandap. High-quality faux flowers can be just as impactful and are easier to manage for a long event.

4. Seating and Altar Setup

When arranging for the seating, it is pivotal to remember that the guests should be seated facing the mandap. Opt for arch-lined seating or a triangular-shaped seating so that your guests can get a complete view of the rituals without having to crane their necks or cramp their seating. Make full use of your geometry skills to ensure that the focal point is never amiss for any guests!

5. Hanging Décor and Background Props

Once your seating and floral work is done, it’s time to add dimension and drama through hanging décor and backdrops. If your venue is in the open air, make a canopy to provide shelter for your guests and also create a magical look. Throw over fabrics like satin and chiffon to create a dreamy experience. Pair this with some twinkling lights, lamps, wind chimes, to add to the exoticism of the entire venue.

6. Let there be light!

When the sun goes down, the lights go up! Lighting is a very important aspect of your wedding setup. Once the sun sets, you will need to make sure that the magic continues to flow through the night. Take prior checks of the lighting at the venue, and check the electrical supply too. In case of emergencies, keep flashlights or portable lamps handy. Your photographer will certainly have his extra lights in hand, but the venue itself should be equipped with adequate lighting to make sure no one is left scrambling for the specs in the dark!

Creating your own mandap is not just about aesthetics, but it is more about building something with your own hands that reflects your love, culture, and creativity. Each element, whether it’s the drapes you tied together, the flowers you strung, or the lights you positioned, becomes a symbolic part of your journey.

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