I have a wedding story.  It is a very comical little story. After I got engaged, my dear friend, Ann, generously offered to make my invitations for my engagement party. Bless her heart, I was her only Indian friend at the time, and I didn’t know how to tell her I needed 150 invites!  Anyhow, after my newly pregnant and morning sickness laden friend made the invites and menu cards (really, a saint), I knew that there was no way I could ask her for matching thank you cards.  So, bravely I set out on my very first DIY project.  I had never made a card before, and frankly I am never really sure what I am going to get from my printer. So, I went to work, and surprised myself with how easy it was! Writing the individual thank you’s was actually more laborious than making the cards! So, today I am excited to share this adorable DIY project from one of our very special readers….a Mrs. Maharanis, named Anar.  

You may remember Anar & Dan’s gorgeous fusion wedding from last year, but when she sent me their ultra-creative save the date, I knew you guys would flip over it as much as I did!

From Anar : When I got engaged, my friends were quick to dub me the “Indian Martha Stewart.” To their credit, I have always had a “crafty” side and loved being creative with DIY projects. So naturally, when it was time to send out my Save the Dates for my own Indian fusion wedding, I knew I had to do something different.

Many traditional Save the Dates utilize the ever popular refrigerator magnet. And why not? I’m sure your significant other appreciates the helpful reminder every time he opens the fridge for nice cold one. (He can’t say he “forgot” about your second cousin’s wedding over basketball playoffs weekend this way!) I decided with a little help from the craft store, and a dash of creativity, I could create my own twist on the traditional magnet.

After much creative brainstorming, I decided to design my own Save the Date recipe card magnet, complete with directions and a sample of masala. I know… this sounds a little tricky, but if you read on right here, you will see how easy it can come together.

Step 1:

You need a great digital picture of you and your new husband-to-be! Why not utilize one of those fabulous engagement photos you splurged on? I picked out a great shot of us with the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop. To reflect the Indian fusion tone, I chose a shot where my fiancé was wearing American clothes, and I was in a sari.

Step 2:

Next, pick a great, simple recipe. Indian food has so many fabulous yummy things you can choose from. Maybe a family recipe passed down to you? Maybe something that you and your fiancé enjoy to eat together? For us, I found an Indian masala that reflected a fusion of our names. Mine is Anar, meaning pomegranate. My husband’s is Dan…. I found the perfect masala in the aisle of the Indian grocery store, Anardana! It is pomegranate seeds (ground or whole) that give great flavors in vegetarian curries and even meat dishes. I bought a couple bags and then got to work.

Step 3:

Ideally, you have a good editing program like Adobe Photoshop or something similar. If not, you can paste your picture into a blank Microsoft word document and use text boxes to write over your photo. Or, if you don’t have a good photo with enough blank background space, use a big text box, fill in with a color of your choice, and paste your cropped digital photo on top. There are endless possibilities here, so be creative. Just remember to include the date of your event, your website (if you have one), and the recipe.  I tried to keep everything the size of a postcard. Once complete, copy and paste your masterpiece a few times in order to print more than one on each page. Print copies (preferably in color laser) on a light toned paper (plain white works just fine).  If you don’t have a good printer, you can always go to your local photocopy store.

Step 4: 

I chose to laminate my recipe cards as I felt they would be more durable this way, and also look more like a real magnet. For me, my fiancé and I went to Kinko’s and used their paper cutter and laminator (hint: fit as many as you can on to one lamination sheet to save money). After, go to your local craft store and buy a roll of self-adhesive magnet tape. It’s very reasonable in price and easy to cut with a regular pair of scissors. I cut one inch strips and attached two to the backside of each laminated recipe card. My Save the Date recipe magnets were complete!

Step 5:

An optional step is to include a bit of the recipe with each card. When I was at the craft store, I bought a bunch of mini organza bags and filled each one with a teaspoon of anardana masala. I stuck the magnet and bag of spice in large card-sized envelopes (also easily bought at the craft store) and glue gunned the envelope shut (it can be slightly bulky). I printed out labels at home for all my addressees and sent them off in the mail. You can avoid the bulky bag and magnets to save on shipping costs. Simply use your laminated card as a postcard! Or, print on heavy cardstock and sign a personal note on the back! 

Indian wedding DIY idea
I must have received a hundred phone calls once my Save the Dates were received by our guests. Some of my girlfriends even tried the recipe the first night they got it! Probably the most liked feature was that these creative magnets were homemade, creative, and set the tone for the upcoming wedding activities. Nothing can beat a DIY creative idea in your family and friend’s mailboxes!

CONTEST!

So to round out our lovely week on Maharani, we are going to end with a fun DIY contest!   We want to know : What’s your favorite Indian wedding DIY project? 

If you are a Maharanis-to-be we want to see what you have been working on all those Friday nights.  And, if you are a Mrs. Maharani we want to see the DIY project that was a hit at your wedding celebration.  

Simply send us an email at : contests@maharaniweddings.com with these two tiny steps:

1.    The step by step instructions of what your project entailed.

2.    A picture of your final product.

And, now for the prize.  The lucky winner’s DIY project will be featured on Maharani and she will win 4 sets of mixed thank you cards worth $120 dollars, from 3 Bees Paperie!