The Rise of Statement Mandaps in Modern Indian Weddings

When Rajkot-based Manthan Mehta was getting married to his childhood love, Mahek Talaviya, the one thing he knew was that he wanted a wedding that nobody in Rajkot had ever seen before. In the many, many (and there were many, according to the bride) meetings with their wedding planner, Darshit Prasanna (from Astute Events), the couple finalised the details that would achieve the “groomzilla’s” (the bride’s words, not ours) goal of throwing a wedding that would be talked about in the bylanes of the Gujarati state for years to come. But there was one detail that the power team of planners (plus Manthan) couldn’t solve. You see, Manthan and Mahek wanted to get married under a large tree, but they also wanted their mandap to be positioned in a way that all the ceremonies could be visible to the guests seated around them. They could build a stage around a tree (if they managed to locate a pleasing one on the property they had finalised for the wedding), but it just wasn’t clicking.

But the wedding planning gods were in Manthan and Mahek’s favour because their planners got the idea that would satisfy all the conditions set out for the mandap. They created a fabricated tree around a natural one to increase its scale and crafted a canopy using a floral installation to turn up its impact. Building a stage around this was now easy, as it didn’t take away from the tree that the couple wanted to get married under.

“The mandap for Mahek and Manthan's wedding was envisioned not just as a structure, but as an experience which is rooted in nature and tradition,” says Darshit, “The couple wanted something deeply organic yet regal, so we chose to work around a naturally growing tree that provided both symbolic and aesthetic grounding.”

The traditional wedding mandap has seen many iterations over the years. It has gone from being just a canopy with four pillars to being the central element of the wedding decor. And like every element of the wedding decor and planning journey, Gen Z brides and grooms are seeking to add a personal touch to the mandap too. “Couples want their mandap to be a reflection of who they are—their heritage, their tastes, even their shared memories,” says Ambika Gupta, wedding designer and founder of A-Cube Project, “They’re willing to break away from traditional floral ceilings and drapes to explore mandaps inspired by art, architecture, nature, or even shared interests.”

“We’re seeing more and more couples explore non-traditional mandaps as a way to express their personality,” echoes Aashna Lalwani, co-founder of Three Entertainment. “They want to break away from cookie-cutter designs and instead create something that feels authentic to them. We’ve created mandaps inspired by everything from travel memories to poetry and even modern art. LED quotes, suspended florals, sculptural installations, it’s all about individuality now.”

Ambika recalls a request by artist Devanshi Jain for her wedding with her partner, Raghav Bhartia. The couple wanted their wedding to marry Devanshi’s minimalist, Wabi sabi-inspired aesthetic with Raghav’s larger-than-life vision for the nuptials. Amongst other details, like contemporary table settings and minimal ‘zen garden’ style decor, the A-Cube project created a grand origami-inspired mandap for the couple. Termed ‘Folds of Love’, the mandap featured tall spires of pleated fabric draped around the four-pillared mandap to resemble a structure constructed using the origami technique.

The designer, who was also behind Alanna Panday’s Roman architecture-inspired mandap, says that opting for a non-traditional mandap is not about being trendy, but putting a part of yourself in one of the most important days of your life. “A mandap is the main focal point of a wedding; it holds a lot of energy, emotion, and meaning. Opting for a non-traditional mandap allows you to bring your own narrative into that very sacred moment. It’s not about being trendy. It’s about being true to yourself and your story. When a mandap is designed to reflect the couple, it looks and feels beautiful.”

Priya Maganti, co-founder of RVR PRO and RVR Eventz & Design, adds that a unique mandap design can tie your whole wedding vibe together. “A non-traditional mandap really helps set the tone for the whole event. It creates a vibe that matches the couple’s personality. Sometimes, when you wear something like a fusion sari and place it against a heavy traditional backdrop, it just doesn’t go with the mood of the event. A more fusion mandap allows for a setup where everything—from outfits to decor—feels cohesive and intentional.”

Behind the Statement

When it comes to statement mandaps, creativity is just one part of the equation. Behind every breathtaking visual is an intricate web of planning, problem-solving, and adapting to both technical and environmental realities. “It’s easy to admire a floating mandap or a canopy of cascading florals, but getting it to not only look beautiful, but hold beautifully through the day requires expertise and foresight,” says Kinjal Adodra, founder of Design HQ, “One of the most crucial (and often overlooked) aspects is structural support. For example, if a mandap is designed to appear delicate or weightless, perhaps with minimal contact with the ground, it needs to be engineered carefully to withstand environmental forces, like strong winds.”

Ambika agrees and adds, “The biggest and most important challenge is safety. Non-traditional mandaps require a lot of backend work. You’re often working with unconventional materials in open settings, so everything from stability to setup timelines must be planned meticulously. But the payoff is, almost, always worth it!”

While strong winds and structural integrity might be the biggest roadblock between you and your dream mandap, there could be some unforeseen challenges too. “One of the biggest challenges is convincing the parents, who might not always align with the couple’s vision,” says Priya, “There’s a generational gap in terms of aesthetics. Also, like I said, sometimes the outfits, especially very traditional ones, don’t match the vibe of a more modern or fusion mandap, and that can be a bit tricky to balance.”

Sometimes the bride or groom themselves could present a challenge that, more often than not, the designer is happy to meet. This is what To The Aisle founder Prerika Puri discovered when she was working with Chitralekha Pasupuleti and Holm-Ingolf Hamann’s grand wedding in Rajasthan. “The brief from Holm was very simple and basic that he wanted a grand chandelier in the middle and a very royal mandap,” recalls Prerika, “We told him we’ll give you a grand chandelier and we'll give you a royal mandap, but with a very fresh aesthetic to it. We started searching for chandeliers, and this came across at an exhibition where we only saw the glass globes in the form of a shut lotus, and then everything revolved around the one idea, the shut lotus.” The wedding designer managed to meet the groom midway and create a stunning lotus-inspired mandap for the bride and groom.

“We’re anticipating a strong rise in symbolic storytelling, mandaps that say something about the couple, whether visually or conceptually,” says Saanya Sharma, co-founder of Three Entertainment, “Think: celestial themes, personal poetry engraved into the structure, and immersive floral experiences.” The third co-founder of the trio behind the event planning company add, “Sustainability is also a key focus. We’re seeing couples request designs made with reusable or eco-conscious materials. Tech is here to stay too, like projection mapping, kinetic lighting, and interactive installations are likely to become even more mainstream this season.”

At the end of the day, your wedding is about you and a statement mandap could be a way for your special day to be an extension of your story.

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