Mayian Ceremony Decor Inspiration by LATIN ASIA

Unlike traditional wedding celebrations, Indian Weddings often span over the course of three to four days focusing on different aspect of the wedding union with special cultural ceremonies and practices.

One of those is the Mayian, which is the preparation ceremony the day before a Punjabi or Sikh wedding is held.

According to Sakurako Yakushiji the COO and Master Florist & Decor Expert of LATIN ASIA -- a premiere wedding decor stylist team in the Cancun-Riviera Maya area -- Mayian is usually a night ceremony that involves many rituals among them chuni or choora ceremony, or Jaggo where matka or jaggo (metal bowls) are placed on ladies heads while they dance amongst the crowd. Sometimes the Mayian happens in combination with the Sangeet (music and performances night) and ladies Mendhi where henna is applied.

Yakushiji and her LATIN ASIA team recently created a vibrantly hued Mayian Ceremony display at the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort and she explains some of the inspiration behind their creation.

Question: What is the inspiration behind this particular design?

This particular design we created was a combination of traditional elements presented differently. Why? Because we like to do things better every day! Matkas, choki tables, thalis with multicolor crystals, bajots and a stunning backdrop with Pakistani, Indian and Arabic lanterns all together with colorful solid fabrics and sarees on top with a raised platform dressed with golden sequin fabrics gives a stunning result and all your guests will rave from years to come! If this is the Mayian which is the prelude of the wedding, imagine what we can do for your wedding ceremony and gala reception.

Question: What type of feel were you aiming for in this design?

Maiyan is the door or prelude to the wedding day, so a backdrop to demark the ceremony enhances its importance and gives it a special touch. Regular backdrops are flat and boring, so we aimed to bring volume and movement. So we used a 3-panel backdrop with contrasting colors, dashes of gold and hanging lanterns to make this Maiyan unique. At LATIN ASIA, we do not do cookie cutter, we like to design from scratch and little details make a huge difference. Breaking the rules and standards of flat, or square we see endless options to create a fabulous shape, incredible color combinations and stunning textures with props. We do not forget even the floor as all Indian weddings must have a raised platform. We decided to pop it up with golden sequin covers to transform an empty space from bland to extraordinary.

Question: What was the inspiration behind the color palette you chose?

As Maiyan is a very meaningful event and it is the preparation ceremony, we tried to make it vibrant, festive and bright -- in other words colorful. Orange and bright pink are quite popular colors among these festivities. And golden touches is something all Indian weddings must have.

Question: What sets LATIN ASIA apart from other styling teams when it comes to Indian destination weddings?

As a wedding industry professional for over 10 years and having my wedding ceremony in Agra India, I know the good, the fabulous and of course the ugly around the hood when it comes to destination Indian weddings.

Designing décor for an Indian wedding, is not an easy job, as it is not just about the design, it is about knowledge of each of their rituals, ceremonies and events. Each wedding is unique and special. When it comes to Indian weddings, this feeling of uniqueness enhances tremendously and it could be a challenge to rely on people who do not understand the truly meaning of an Indian wedding. Moreover when it comes to Indian destination weddings, the lack of knowledge and understanding each need of bride and groom and both family members is a scary situation. Luckily with LATIN ASIA, we truly understand the meaning of a destination Indian wedding, which is to EMBRACE marriage and collectively work together, where each of the members of the wedding: bride, groom, immediate family, hotel members, vendors, priest, musicians, photographers, etc. -- EVERYONE has to participate actively to make this happen. So it is not surprising to see vendors, hotel members, priests and aunties all together participating and doing things together. Something totally opposite to western style weddings where every part does its own part separately.

My LATIN ASIA team and I understand how to embrace this collective effort and we happily participate from beginning to end on every destination Indian wedding we do. For 2015 alone, we did 81 destination Indian weddings from scratch to end, each one with an average of 3-day events. So if you do the math, you'll see that in 2015 alone, we attended 243 days of destination Indian weddings! And we were so happy and proud to be part of each of them.

For more information on LATIN ASIA's services, visit their website at: www.weddingcancun.mx or contact the team directly at [email protected]

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Sakurako Yakushiji, COO, Master Florist & Decor Expert of LATIN ASIA, has impeccable logistics knowledge, extraordinary floral design skills with a Masters degree and international license in Japanese floral art. Having her own Hindu wedding ceremony at Agra India, she and her team understand the deep meaning of what it takes to create a dream Destination Indian wedding regardless being Hindu, Sikh or Ismaili Muslim. Saku has trained people from scratch not only to execute great performances, but to make every member of LATIN ASIA a better person creating new opportunities every day.