Bengali weddings have a ritual involving wedding tray decoration, where the two families exchange gifts or trousseau. Also known as tatta in local terms, some of my fondest memories of any wedding are that of decorating the tatta although I’d always make sure to skip the one with the huge fish in it.
Wedding tray decoration and the gift exchange that follows is a ritual deeply intertwined with the tradition surrounding a Bengali wedding and needs to be performed correctly. This article here deals with the A to Z of wedding tray decoration, from essentials to craft ideas, do-s and don’t-s and even professional wedding tray decorators.
WEDDING TRAY ESSENTIALS, Everything that goes into the process.
Tatta suchi
This is basically the index and keeps track of everything going in the gifts.
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Holud er tatta
The turmeric or holud that is supposed to be used during the gaye holud is sent with the gifts.
Mishti doi, Fruits, sweets
The tatta also comes with big boxes and bhars of mishti doi (sweet yoghurt), fresh and dry fruits and sweets.
Fish or Mach er tatta
Sometimes I get annoyed when my non-Bengali friends joke about Bengalis loving their fish a little too much and then I remember a Bengali biye’s tatta includes a complete fish decorated like it’s a bride with sindoor, paan and an odhna. Seemingly random, it is actually a connection to our roots.
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Clothes for the bride, groom and immediate relatives
The bride, groom and their immediate relatives are gifted clothes. Usually, the clothes are origami-ed into really cool shapes and designs often resembling say, a butterfly or a bird or maybe even a cat.
Dhoop, deep and other religious items
The boron dala also as kulo goes with the wedding gifts. This contains all the items of religious significance. Kulo decoration is something that you’ll need to consider as well.
The most popular ideas of Bengali wedding tray decoration include crafting clothes into animal, bird or flower shapes. For example, a saree that has been folded to look like a butterfly, a Punjabi that has been crafted to look like a swan etc.
There’s also craft materials that you can buy in stores to up your tatta decoration game. In West Bengal, you’ll find shops dedicated specifically to tatta decoration materials: trays, coloured cellophane, decorative tatta shuchi etc.
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WEDDING TRAY DECORATION: DO-s AND DON’T-s
Do-s
- Start well on time
- Tatta is a lot of work. It’s always best to start at least a week or two before the gaye holud to make sure all of the stuff is packed and ready on time.
- Find people good with craft to help you with it
- Doing the entire wedding tray decoration by yourself is not feasible, it’s going to take you way longer than it should, you better find people who are in general good with craft to help you out.
- Make sure that the idea is well communicated
- If there’s a team of 5 people handling the wedding tray decoration, make sure the aesthetic you’re going for is communicated to them all. Everyone should be on the same page, and all the trays should usually have the same theme.
- The day of the gaye holud when all the trays are being carried over, make sure they’re handled safely.
- While you go craft shopping, make sure the cellophane you buy is of good quality and doesn’t tear when you cover your trays with it.
- Fix the items properly. Never think it’s enough tape, for then you’ll have underestimated the ability of the tatta to go haywire. The trays shouldn’t come off loose during the car ride to the bride’s/groom’s place either.
Don’t-s
- Don’t overcrowd the trays with decoratives. Keep it simple and elegant.
- Don’t buy too many or too few. When you’re shopping for the materials, estimate the proper amount so that you don’t have to rush to the shop at the last moment and also that the stuff doesn’t go to waste.
Next up are a few Bengali wedding tray decoration ideas I had in mind that might get your creative juices flowing
- Peacock using dry fruits.
- Bridal dolls where the dress is made out of chocolates (Ferrero Rocher balls stuck together to make it look like a skirt.)
- Toiletries and cosmetics (Saban, Tel, Shampoo etc.) stacked up to make buildings for a cityscape.
- Make a lotus or rose out of towels.
- Sprinkle dry flowers on the trays for a rustic touch.
- You can also use trousseau trunks in different shades for a cleaner and organised look.
- Use clear cellophane instead of coloured ones.
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Like I’ve already mentioned enough times, wedding tray decoration is hard work, it requires skill and time, and it’s not unusual to not want to deal with it among so many other things. What can you do then?
Worry not, given below are a few of the best wedding tray decorators in town for you.
Petal Crafts
Petal Crafts are a one-stop solution to Bengali wedding tray decoration and other design-related services. They even have their shop in South Kolkata, where they help their customers out with tatta related issues.
Anuradha’s Tatwas
Anuradha’s Tatwas provide a wide range of Trousseau/Tatta packing for weddings. In addition to the designs, they already have they also customize the tatta according to their customer’s wishes.
Wrapsody
Wrapsody is a Kolkata based Bengali wedding tray decoration venture. They’re a versatile team specialising in attractive tatta packaging. They offer a wide variety of designs to choose from and provide quality results.
Thats A Wrap!
Thats A Wrap! makes your gifting experience a memorable one with gifts wrapped with nothing but love. Among all their services, wedding tray decoration is one of the prominent ones.
Magic Creations
Magic creations is a passionate group of individuals whose hard work is clearly reflected in their products. They offer the best photo album designs in the market and their experience in this field makes them an even better option to go for.
