Wedding card creativity at its best

New Delhi: If you can't afford high-end designer cards, fret not! Shopkeepers in the capital's favourite wedding cards destination of Chawri Bazar in old Delhi have affordable options. Whether it is paper or colour or size, everything can be customised without shelling out big bucks.Designs inspired by gods and goddesses are common on Indian wedding cards.While these are still popular, the pocket-friendly cards have gone through various changes with satin and silk fabrics replacing paper in shades of colour. Customers have become more creative and the card designing shops are playing along.Vipin Bharti, who owns Card Gallery in Chawri Bazar, sells cards that cost as low as Rs.1 per card. The expensive ones range from Rs.200 to Rs.500. His company makes changes in designs twice a year."We change designs after every six months. Sometimes, we use craft paper with digital printing or design it in a book form with pictures of Lord Krishna and Radha," Bharti told IANS.Some come out with new designs in August."We get a lot of customers in October, so we like to get new designs before that. The summer season is not that good in terms of business; so we avoid new ones during May or June. Apart from paper, we also use silk or satin to make cards," said Sunil Khandelwal of New Age Cards.Colours and designs also change on the basis of gender and theme. Black is barred, but pinks, reds, yellows, blues and many more are loved by many."When the bride's side gets the cards made, they are usually in rani pink. Chocolate brown and golden appeals to both genders. People also like to get separate cards designed for ceremonies like the ladies sangeet and the cocktail - cards showing women dancing and wine bottles are some of the designs we offer for such ceremonies," Khandelwal added.Arvind Bhargava, owner of Sundram Cards, also works on the basis of themes."Sometimes, brides want cards that match their lehengas and the decor of the venue. Once, someone wanted a lotus theme. We created a box in the shape of the flower. The card inside it looked like a leaf," he said.As far as various cultures are concerned, colours and designs remain same but the symbol of the god changes."Hindus mostly go for Radha-Krishna designs, the Waheguru symbol is popular among Sikhs, Christians like church or couple-themed designs," Bhargava elaborated.The other trend that is catching up is the use of Hindi fonts. "If someone is following a traditional theme, Hindi fonts are generally used. It's no longer just on the basis of literacy levels," Bhargava added.He also designs special cards for the in-laws on a customer's demand. "The ones that we make are either silver-coated that cost Rs.4,500 or real silver which is more expensive," he said. The latter ranges between Rs.15,000 and Rs.18,000.Metals are also used by those who want to spend at least Rs.200 per card."Boxes are in. Along with the cards, we fit a silver or gold bowl in the box. The cost depends on the size of the bowl and rates of the metal," he added. These boxes contain dry fruits or chocolates along with card.So, if there is a wedding in the family, try out these options and much more!