Jenny Hu
Planning an Indian wedding is daunting. There is much pressure for the bride and the groom to prepare everything right, so they can impress all their relatives, in-laws, friends and colleges—the bigger, the better as the saying goes. The Australian Indian Wedding Expo, the one-stop shop for all things Indian weddings was held at the Hyatt Regency on the 7th October 2018 to help engaged couples to prepare for their big day.
When you first enter the venue, it was something very reminiscent to a multicultural wedding. Immaculate chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, food vendors scattered around and other decorative stalls were everywhere. You feel like you are in the mecca of cultural extravaganza and the aromatic scent of curry puffs and mithai filled the whole pavilion.
The mastermind behind the event is Anju Goyal, who also happens to be the owner of the Indian fashion brand, Silk and Sparkle, which specializes in customized Saris (traditional Indian dress) and Jodhpuri/ tuxedos. Anju noticed that there was a gap in the wedding market for multicultural weddings so she decided to do something about it.
“Multicultural weddings are happening a lot nowadays, so we wanted to create a platform that’ll make things a lot easier for engaged couples. The vendors that we brought on board can handle multicultural weddings, so our expo can save the couple a lot of money. Our vendors are very reliable, and once you book them, you don’t have to chase them up.”
Some vendors that were featured at the event were Pure Desi, Delhi O Delhi, Pure Soul, Colour Drama Cakes, Anam Jewels, Perfect Media and Trendzbysangz by Sangeeta Swadia. These are all high-quality vendors that supplies the Indian wedding essential such as catering, decorations, henna, jewelry, accessories, and videography.
An extravagant trade show like the Australian Wedding Expo isn’t complete without a fashion show by Anju Goyal’s brand Silk and Sparkle, which started 1.30pm. Special guest, Lisa Varma – a former Mrs. Indian, actress and model coach, who has opened the fashion runaway and remarked that she was honoured to be attending the event and it was lovely to be here in Australia to coach the models and run the show.
Nupur Dance Group opens up the 12 pm fashion show with an amazing performance. The group was founded by Manjusha De who wanted to promote the traditional Indian dance styles within Australia. The dancers gave a mesmerizing performance to an enchanting Bollywood-esque music.
Throughout the fashion show, an influx of beautiful models both female and males was strutting very gracefully in intricately beaded saris, and tailored suits were dominating on the catwalk. The colourful attires were flounced flawlessly, and the iridescent sequins sparkled and wowed the audience of collection’s immaculate craftsmanship. At one point of the show, the smoke machine was brought in and smoke was dispersed effortlessly. It was as if the models were walking on clouds.
When asked about her about her brand and how she started in the fashion industry, she said that it was her dream to tailor and make beautiful saris in Australia.
“I always wanted to be in the fashion industry, and it was my dream to create a platform where everybody can come, and we created a Wedding Diary to go along with the event. There was a lot of work involved, but everything came through.”
In the same hour, Anju and Lisa launched the Wedding Diary, a magazine that features the latest Indian Wedding trends and essentials for the bride and groom. It is a terrific guide that promotes the vendors and their specialised services for multicultural weddings.
By the end, everyone rejoiced and danced joyously on stage and embrace the Indian festivities, in the light of Diwali. StarCentral Magazine would like to congratulate Anju for organizing this fantastic event and hopefully, next year would be a bigger and better event.
Jason Harris
natalie
Jade
