Custom Star Map by Modern Map Art : A Unique Anniversary Gift Idea

That magical night when it happened! Whether it was your wedding, or the birth of your child or any other special event. What could be a better way to commemorate it than with a Custom Star Map – a map of the Night Sky just like it was at that very moment! Modern Map Art has helped me frame some of my favorite memories with a custom star map of the night sky at the time of my wedding. Let’s take a look at this very special addition to my decor, my experiences in ordering it and some memories from the day night 🙂

Stars – and their connection to Indian Weddings

The first thing that comes to mind when you say ‘Stars’ and ‘Indian Weddings’ is our Astrological map (kundali) matching. Well, that wasn’t the case here. We were so much in love that kundali matching was only a formality. But whether or not you believe in matching horoscopes, we all know that it has to be Written in the Stars when you are meant to spend your life with someone.

Another beautiful relevance is that most of Indian weddings take place ‘Taaron ki chhaon mein’ (under the stars) or late at night. Such was my own wedding too. The baraat began at around 8 pm and we exchanged garlands (jaymal) at 9 after which the reception and dinner took place. Much later in the night – at 2 am, the wedding ceremony began ending with the ‘feras’ and finally the ‘bidaai’ at 4 am or as we write on our Wedding Invitations – Taaron Ki Chhaon Mein.

Choosing the Time for My Star Map

When Jennifer from Modern Star Map contacted me regarding my custom night sky star map, one of the major details she wanted (but of course!!!!) was the time. Your custom map is created to show the position of the stars and the night sky at that exact moment.

A custom wedding star map by Modern Map Art is an excellent Anniversary Gift Idea!

Now, Indian Weddings as you know are spread over a long time and different ceremonies. Should the time be when the Pandit (priest) is reciting the mantras? Or when we take ‘feras’ around the sacred fire? Or when Bidaai takes place and I leave for my new home with my husband?

After a lot of discussion, Fabulous Dad and I agreed that the time should be of the first ceremony i.e. the Jaimal. We came to the conclusion that when we exchanged the garlands, the deal was sealed. There was no running back now LOL! So, we got our map made for 9 p.m. on the 8th of May 2004.

Getting Your Custom Star Map Done From Modern Map Art

Modern Map Art is very easy to work with. You need to give them certain information like the time and place (the night sky will be different for different locations!) and your preferences. You can check out details on the Star Map ordering page.

I gave some details like:

• Size:
• Color: Black, Navy Blue, or Dark Grey Sky (solid color for the whole poster or white poster with one of the colors above) – I went for all black with white stars
• Location:
• Date:
• Title: Some examples are: Two Become One, Our Wedding, Mr. & Mrs., The Story Of Us, Read below for mine
• Title Font:
• Message : You could add your names! We chose not to, since I planned it to display with our wooden initials.
• Message Font:
• Border: Yes/No
• Constellation: Yes/No – I didn’t go for it.
• Do You Want The Time On The Print: Yes/No

Within 24 hours, I was shown a mockup of how my Star Map would look like. After I approved it, it was shipped immediately from Latvia and reached India in less than 10 days.

A Package from Latvia 🙂

Modern Map Art uses an incredibly detailed star database with hundreds of thousands of stars, to find what the sky looked like at an exact time and place in history (or even future!). The print I received came in a paper tube and was on the finest matte paper.

Taare Hain Baarati

With Stars in My Eyes!

Yes, that’s what I chose for my title! Every Indian woman knows this very romantic song. Every girl with wedding dreams in her eyes listens to this song, every DJ plays it at weddings and I am sure many of you got it added in your wedding videos. I did too! I made a special request to my Wedding Videographer to add this song exactly at the time of my ‘pheras’. And when Jennifer contacted me about nothing but a ‘Star Map’ of the night of my wedding, I could think of no better title than this one!

Taare Hain Baarati (The Stars are our Wedding Guests!)

Here are the lyrics for those who want a quick trip down memory lane.

And here is the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g7rXOfHb6M

So there I have it – a custom print of the night sky when I married my One and Only and when the Stars became our wedding guests.

I think it a simply beautiful way to immortalize a very special occasion in your life. A wedding night star map, especially, is a wonderful gift idea for a Special Anniversary. Every map is going to be unique because it will be made according to the exact time your wedding took place (I know most Indians go by the exact minute of the ‘muhurat) and the place of the wedding or any other unforgettable moment. And it can have your name, message and other details printed on it. It doesn’t get any more personalized than this gift idea!

14 Years and Counting 🙂

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