Radhika Merchant Flower Dupatta by Floral Art | Photo credit: Special Arrangement

Hours before Radhika Merchant’s haldi ceremony, a group of five people Artisan Srishti Calcuttawala sat around a pile of fresh flowers at her floral art studio in Vile Parle, Mumbai. She then stitched them together to create an ornate floral dupatta and jewellery. Little did she know that in just a few hours, her work would start trending on social media. This is flower bed The dupatta that Radhika Merchant wore for her Haldi ceremony was accompanied by a custom Anamika Khanna silhouette.

The dupatta measures nine feet by two feet and has black tagarYellow button daisies and Thai crown flowers | Photo credit: Special Arrangements

“It was done in a very short time. The ceremony was on July 8 and we got a call from Rhea Kapoor’s team on the evening of the 7th,” says Srishti, who specialises in floral jewellery. She usually gets orders a month in advance, but she didn’t want to miss this opportunity. “The brief we were given was that they wanted black tagar Srishti says, “It gives a very Indian look.” So, the next day Srishti and her team went to the Dadar flower market to buy flowers. black tagaryellow button daisies and Thai crown flowers. Then it took them six to seven hours to complete the order.

Floral jewellery by Srishti and her team | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The dupatta measures nine feet by two feet and is bigger than the floral dupattas worn by most brides. “We also made a choker, a long necklace, haath phool and kalira (a necklace that brides wear on their wrists) for Radhika,” says Srishti.

This is not the first celebrity wedding for which Shrishti’s company has made floral jewellery. Earlier, they have made kalire for Sonam Kapoor, dried flower kalire and earrings for Katrina Kaif, fresh flower bracelets for Alia Bhatt, fresh flower matha patti for Karishma Tanna etc. She told that the trend of floral jewellery has increased in the last 10 years.

Kavita Kapoor and Srishti Calcuttawala | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

When Floral Art started in 2002, they began making bouquets, home décor and dowry packaging. “It was started by my mother, Kavita Kapoor, who is an ikebana expert. Around 15 years ago we started experimenting with floral jewellery. Wearing flowers has been a part of Indian culture for many years. It took us a year to master the skill,” she says.

Floral accessories usually last for a day. The jewellery and dupatta cost around Rs 27,000, says Srishti. Though floral dupattas are not uncommon, the one worn by Radhika has generated interest. “We often see brides wearing a dupatta on their heads, but here it is wrapped around the bride. It is more grand and the overall atmosphere was good. And now, we are getting enquiries from brides getting married in November and December,” laughs Srishti.