Exotic flower haldi decor at The Tamarind Tree, Bangalore

Exotic, here, means tropical: flowers and leaves with strong shapes that read from across a courtyard. Heliconia, bird of paradise, celosia plumes and hanging amaranthus give the arrangements their shape, while marigold, chrysanthemum and bougainvillea carry the colour and banana leaves, monstera, palms and ferns fill in around them. The palette keeps haldi's yellow and orange and pushes it into red, magenta and burgundy.

Guests arrive through a tiled-roof gate wrapped in marigold strings and foliage. Inside, the welcome corner pairs a name sign woven from coconut fronds with a cream chhatri hung with marigold and jasmine strings, woven leaf mounds, red heliconia and heaps of marigold in terracotta pots, with a terracotta horse beside them. Nearby, a wooden swing hangs from a tree on ropes wrapped in leaves and flowers.

The haldi itself takes place in a tiled-roof wooden pavilion. Two large brass urlis rimmed with marigold, each holding a low wooden stool, sit at the centre of the stage. A canopy of marigold, bougainvillea and greenery hangs from the eaves, and beds of tropical flowers line the edge, so the colour reaches the floor in every photograph.

The verandahs and courtyards work as the backdrop. Canopies of marigold strings, pink bougainvillea and ferns hang from the eaves with cane bells, pink paper cones and yellow tassels. Below them, low seating in orange with yellow bolsters lets family sit close to the ceremony. The base of a courtyard tree becomes a bed of marigold and bougainvillea, and the courtyard steps are lined with tall arrangements in red and yellow painted urns beside the stone elephants.

Lunch is set in the courtyard at round tables in orange velvet with dark Chiavari chairs, each centred on a brass-framed geometric terrarium of heliconia, bougainvillea and palm. A white coconut bar cart on bicycle wheels serves tender coconuts from shelves dressed with pink and orange flowers. Up close, dried orange slices, bead strands and cane baskets give the arrangements texture.

If you want a haldi like this, choose flowers for how they hold up in daytime sun and how they read in photographs, not only for their names. Firm, waxy tropical flowers such as heliconia and bird of paradise keep their shape outdoors, while marigold and bougainvillea give volume. Plan for turmeric too: keep velvet and cushions away from the haldi stage, put the urlis and stools on a surface that can be washed, and leave a clear path for guests to come up in turns.