24 August,2011 07:24 PM IST | | Dhara Vora
Uttara Shah has designs on you, and she won't rest until she finds the one that's best suited for the occasion. just ask actor Imran Khan, whose wedding invite she designed
Dropping by a designer's studio for your wedding trousseau is now passe. Even wedding invites need a designer's touch, as Uttara Shah's Design Studio in Lower Parel is testament to. The store specialises in customised invites for every occasion, including birth announcements, fashion shows, anniversaries, birthdays and weddings.
"We don't do the typical catalogue designs. Clients need to book an appointment with me first, so that we can decide on the design. This can take anywhere from five to ten sessions," says the 33-year-old, who has been in the business for the past decade.
Designs for D-Day
Her one-on-one sessions have resulted in some interesting theme-based invites, including one on Udaipur -- the venue for the wedding -- an eighteenth-century Mughal card and even perfumed floral cut cards.
The use of colour is another feature of Uttara's designs that are contemporary, but still carry a mix of traditional motifs, including lotuses and peacock feathers.
"Traditionally, images of gods have been used, though, I focus more on design. I alsou00a0 don't shy away from using colours apart from reds and yellows like turquoise blues, pinks or purples," she says, adding that her designs are a far cry from the usual mish-mash of glitter, laser cutwork and gold that are indiscriminately used on more conventional invites.
Her most famous client in the recent past was actor Imran Khan, for whose wedding invite she designed a diary with invites to the various functions forming the pages of the diary.
Having a baby?
Uttara has also designed some innovative birth announcements, including one in the shape of an ice cream van with actual ice cream in it, and a cocktail party invite in the shape of an iPod, which plays music when it is opened.
The Design Studio also does pre-email invites for destination weddings, welcome notes for the guests boarding the plane and personalised hotel room entry cards, and various other knick-knacks that accompany the invites.
Eco-friendly paper
Keeping up with an increasing demand for eco-friendly invites, 90% of their work is printed on environment-friendly material. Uttara also tries to opt for environmentally certified printers.
At A-505 Marathon Innova NextGen, opposite Peninsula Corp Park, off GK Marg, Lower Parel.
Call 9930121161
Email uttara.shah@mecstudio.com
