Designer Ambika Gupta: Promoting local crafts one wedding at a time

Capri and Jaipur came together recently in a unique Mehndi brunch ideated and designed by wedding designer Ambika Gupta’s The A-Cube Project.

One of the leading design voices in the wedding and event planning space, The A-Cube Project has been quietly tweaking the sensibilities and aesthetics that define a truly beautiful and elegant experience of a lifetime.

Instead of promoting non-contextual, wasteful and inorganic props, Ambika weaves local artisanship and crafts, green, biodegradable materials and a contextual integrity into the spaces she designs.

She says, “When we got a chance to ideate and plan a Mehndi Brunch at Jaipur, it was a natural choice to use Indian fabrics in the design. Kantha, in particular, was my final choice and we called the brunch, ‘Kantha Amor.’ It is important for us to promote the riches that India has in terms of the sheer variety of handicrafts.”

But why Kantha?

The couple in question are from Mumbai but chose Jaipur as their dream wedding venue because it is in this vibrant town they had made many travel memories. Says Ambica, "The point of a destination wedding is the destination and it makes no sense if we don't incorporate its spirit in the proceedings. Why travel all the way to a place if you don't want to celebrate its uniqueness? We decided to let Kantha fabric be the signature note of the decor because it captures the rich textures of Rajasthan. We sourced most of the pieces of the local fabric from Bada Bazaar, Jaipur." Ambika adds that Kantha fabric, despite being a traditional craft has a very global and bohemian look. Since the couple are widely travelled and love Capri, the decor also channeled the vibe of the Italian holiday destination.
   
“Capri has very warm, almost Indian colours radiating from its huddled homes. There is a profusion of flowers and bougainvillea across streets and the blue of the ocean and the sky turns the city into a colourful tapestry. This reminded me also of Kantha because this fabric is almost always full of blooming colours. Plus Jaipur is the definitive Pink City and has a unique design palette that we had to incorporate in the space, be it in the form of majestic furniture or the royal canopies. Or in accents of fuschia and pink. ”