A tribute to the wedding season, the 5th Delhi International Jewellery and Watch exhibition organized by ITE was a big hit. The show, which was held at Pragati Maidan, laid more emphasis on all aspects, which go into making of a wedding. From kundan to gold to diamond, it was a jewellery shopper's haven with a large variety of designs, finish and prices. For pure gold jewellery it was Guptasons and Chawla jewellers all the way with their exquisite range of bangles, pure gold sets, rings, chains and karas.

The latest trends in gold jewellery included antique finish adorned with kundan and semi precious stones. 'Polkhi' i.e. uncut diamonds that give a very royal look are a rage this season for the bridal trousseau. Another trend seen was diamond jewellery studded in platinum or white gold.

Diamonds are surely forever, and Omi Jewels, Jewel Palace, Sawansukha were some of the stalls that had a large variety of diamond ornaments. A stall, which drew the maximum crowd, was Sun Jewellery, as the uniqueness of the jewellery was that it had 1 gram of gold and a finish of 24-carat jewellery, and the prices were unbelievably reasonable.

For variety Calcutta based B.C. Sen and Co was the stall to head, from semi formal, formal to heavy and very heavy jewellery in diamond, gold and kundan. Chandrani Pearls a reputed name in pearl jewellery had large collection of pearl jewellery. De Beers and some of its unmatched award winning diamond jewellery designed by professionals were stunning.

As for the clothes, you could find clothes for all occasions. From 'shagan' to 'mehendi' to wedding to reception. Some of the designers who participated were JJ Vallaya, Ritu Beri, Ritu Kumar, Leena- Ashima Singh, Anita Jindal, Neelam Saxena. Big stores like CTC plaza, Frontier Bazaar were in hot competition with small players like Meenu Sharma, Jyoti Gupta, Kanahi etc. The trend in clothes was a shift from the typical bridal colours like red, gold, maroons to pastels, peach, royal blue and even white and beige. Short kurtas in crepe, georgette, in net and with Swarvoski crystals, silver sequins and beads, also zardozi, dabka work gave a very Indo- western look. Typically Indian work but western and slim cuts and silhouettes. Salwars being replaced by culottes, cigarette pants and parallels. Saris in net, crepe with a new form of kundan work and evergreen Kashmiri embroidery were a delight.

Men had a fair share too, with embroidered sherwanis, kurta churidars with stoles and shawls. Also the trendy shirt collar and 4 button men suits in vibrant hues like pinks, creams, blues and blacks.

Can the wedding be complete without flowers, mehendi, gift packing, furniture and even a website? Flower arrangements by Ferns and Petals, Gift packing, chimes and bells by Women's world, Mehendi tattoos in silver, gold and glitter were some of the other attractions. Other promotions included free subscriptions and wedding planners by Bride and Home magazine, free registration by abcmatrimonials.com, fashion shows, Arabic mehendi and henna putting stalls.

At the end this fair created a record of sorts with a live wedding, which the organizers say, was the highlight of the five-day exhibition. Truly marriages are made in heaven.. And this fair was a witness to the stuff dreams are made of.

- Jyoti Narang