Four in the morning at Koyambedu
How we buy two hundred kilos of flowers before sunrise, and what we check before a single garland is strung.
Marigold, jasmine or roses: choosing flowers by function
Which flowers suit a wedding stage, a seemantham, a pooja room or a reception, and how each holds up in the heat.
Families often come to us with a picture from a wedding they liked and ask for the same flowers. Sometimes that works; sometimes those flowers would wilt by noon in Chennai, or are not the custom for the occasion. Here is how we usually choose.
Marigold is the backbone of most of our work. It is bright, inexpensive, holds its shape for twelve hours or more even in heat and is used at almost every Hindu function. We use orange and yellow for thoranams, stage backdrops and pillars. For a muhurtham that starts at 6 am and a reception that ends at 10 pm, marigold is the safest choice.
Jasmine, our Madurai malli in particular, is for fragrance and for the bride. It goes into the bride’s hair, the oonjal swing and the garlands exchanged at the wedding. It browns within about six hours in open air, so we string it on the morning itself and keep it in damp cloth until needed.
Roses add colour and softness to receptions and stage tables but bruise easily and droop in direct sun. We use them indoors, on centrepieces and the stage front, often mixed with chrysanthemum, which lasts longer. For poojas, homams and the griha pravesam, we lean towards mango leaves, banana stems, tulsi and lotus where available, because they belong to the ritual. For a seemantham or a naming ceremony, families often prefer soft colours: white jasmine, pale chrysanthemums and pink roses with green leaves. Tell us the occasion and the timings, and we will suggest flowers that look right from start to finish.
