Bhubaneswar: Every wedding is the culmination of a beautiful story – celebrating two individual’s unique reasons for a blissful union. So when one sends his/her wedding invitation, s/he is telling their unique story.
No doubt, wedding invitation cards have a very important place in Indian marriages. Aside from inviting people to witness a delightful union, it speaks volumes about a new relationship between two people and their respective families.
Over the years, the design and format of these invitation cards have undergone several evolutions keeping pace with the times. Not so long ago, wedding invitations were sent with inscriptions on banana leaves. Gradually, paper replaced the banana leaves and now invitations are sent via various media, including the Internet.
Orissa POST spoke to some city-based businessmen engaged in printing and selling invitation card to learn about their importance as well as evolution over the years.
According to Pratap Kumar Das of Bandhan Cards in Cuttack Road area, despite the advancement of technology and advent of the Internet, traditional invitation cards continue to rule the scene. Moreover, even today people, especially those belonging to the Hindu community, prefer to print invitation cards with Sanskrit shlokas with images of Radha and Krishna and use terms like jaimala (exchange of garlands), aashirvad (blessings of elders), mangalphera (taking seven rounds around the holy fire).
Similarly, Christian wedding cards have a penchant for including quotes from the Bible.
These days, the more affluent usually go for the vintage-style designs or designer cards accompanied with gift boxes. Some even print the photographs to the bride and groom on the wedding cards.
The price of the cards varies depending on the material, design and format. Most wedding cards come in the range of Rs 15 per piece to Rs 600 per piece.
Gunjan Agarwal of Gunjan Cards at Old station area of the capital city said. “In terms of design, invitation cards have undergone a sea change and every time people come to our store demanding something different. The regular designs of religious figures such as Lord Ganesha and Radha-Krishna are embedded in rich texture to seek the blessings of these God.”
According to Agarwal, the latest trend is people preferring designer invitation bags instead of cards. Mostly these bags are made of paper and cardboards, but some even come in different fabrics. Some people also send sweets and gifts designed to match the invitation cards.
Sanjay Agarwal of Shubh Ayojan informed that these days many people prefer invitation documentary. “We shoot a video film running for seven to eight minutes wherein the bride and groom and their family members invite relatives and friends to the marriage in audio-visual and subsequently upload it on various social media platforms. The entire cost comes to around Rs 10,000.”
