Shop, eat and chat at this new wedding centre

CHENNAI: From wedding invitations, photographers and wedding dresses to decor, gift articles and jewellery, the new wedding experience centre by Varnamala, inaugurated on Wednesday, has it all. 
It houses Fifth Angle Studios, Varnamala Decor, Vummidi Anjaneyulu Jewellers, Kreshya jewellery, Manam Boutique, Lotus Wedding Store and Convo @C17 cafe. Filmmaker Venkat Prabhu and actor Vaibhav Reddy were the chief guests at the inaugural function.

“We took this effort to make weddings a hassle-free experience. This is a new concept in Chennai. We have premium wedding brands providing direct services. Personalised services are also available,” said Niranjana V Manoj, head of operations, Varnamala.
Speaking about customisation, Ravi Paladugu from Manam boutique said, “Themed weddings are the current craze and you cannot find everything in readymade shops. At Manam, we not only customise Kancheepuram silk but we also work on tussar, muga and matka fabrics, which few stores in Chennai do. Elegant jamdani weaves and kantha stitches forming beautiful and unconventional patterns on saris are available on our shelves.”

Apart from wedding-related services, the place also hosts the second branch of Convo, India’s first conversation cafe. It attempts to bring back the good old conversation and fun around a coffee table.
The restaurant-cum-cafe has been conceived as a gadget-free ambience. All patrons are requested to place their mobile phones in the jammer corner and have a hearty conversation with their loved ones. “Mobile phones, tablets and social media have become an addiction so much so that they have become inept in making real-time friends or have a simple conversation. That is why we have come up with this concept,” said Ashwin Somasundaram, founder, Convo. To break the ice, the café has many conversation starters in the form of board games such as Otrio, Klask, Dr.Eureka and Jishaku.
Varnamala Wedding Experience Centre is located at No. 49/13, Habibullah Road, T Nagar