Madhav Patel I trained as an architect, which means I see the mandap as a building with a very short occupancy permit. The flowers come last.
One: sightlines before flowers
The pandit must see the couple. The photographer must see all three. Guests in the last row must see something. Every floral decision follows from these three lines.
Two: the canopy sets the scale
A canopy too low makes a grand mandap feel like a tent. Too high and the couple look abandoned beneath it. Between nine and eleven feet, almost always.
Three: pillars carry weight, not decoration
If a pillar looks structural, it must be structural. Guests lean on things.
Four: build for the load-in, not the drawing
A design that cannot pass through the venue door at two in the morning is not a design. It is a wish.
Five: plan the dismantle
Every element should come apart in the reverse order it went up, by a tired crew, in the dark.
