While wedding season in India and most other parts of South Asia doesn’t typically begin until November, it starts to take shape in many parts of the Western world from June onwards. In fact, that actually means we’re in the thick of it…right now!
Weddings may symbolize color, festivity, joy, ritual, and the ultimate joining of two families, but it also is often synonymous with scrambling, time management, expenses, worry, and above all else, making sure the entire experience is worth the time and effort of its attendees.
Because let’s be real, at the end of the day, the pomp and circumstance of a wedding ceremony, especially one as lavish as a South Asian one, is mainly to benefit the guests. South Asian culture is all about the mehman-nawazi, so to speak, the pampering of the guests. So why not have them be part of the most curated bits of a wedding too?
That’s where JoJo Laali comes in, a boutique wedding beauty salon that provides services like hair, makeup, draping, and more curated care for the wedding guests themselves, extending those luxuries beyond simply the bride, the groom, and the wedding party. As the brand itself says, “The guests who travel the farthest and show up the loudest for the couple are usually the ones left to fend for themselves when it’s time to get ready. JoJo Laali exists to take care of them too, not just the bride and groom.”
JoJo Laali promises the kind of specific care and attention that weddings of the modern age deserve, where we’re moving away from the luxurious excess to more meaningful and special connections. It aims to go beyond the glam and aim to provide a space for the guests to begin the celebrations early, with the help of local artisans and specialists.
The brand comes from Sanjana Bhandari, a third generation hairstylist whose work has even walked down the runway of New York Fashion Week. Bhandari pivoted from years spent in the corporate space to turn her side hustle into her full-time passion, and is carrying forward a family legacy. In fact, even the name, JoJo Laali, comes from a Kannada lullaby her mother sang to her as a child.
“Millennial couples redefined the aesthetic of Indian weddings, but Gen Z is redefining the soul of them,” she tells SEEMA. “Today’s couples are trading performative grandeur for sustainability and authentic connection. Jojo Laali exists within that evolution, crafting intimate celebrations where every guest experiences the exquisite, high-touch care of the inner bridal circle.”
Pulling from her own experience not just as an accomplished hair and makeup artist working behind the scenes, but a modern bride as well, she’s hoping to turn JoJo Laali into a space that can give South Asian weddings a more personal touch. “Indian weddings have evolved dramatically over the last decade; shaped by cinema, Western sensibilities, and the intimate scale ushered in by recent years,” she explained to us.
“Modern couples increasingly demand meaningful choices, favoring local craftsmanship and lasting community impact over fleeting excess. At Jojo Laali, we design for that exact shift: curated gatherings of 50 to 200 guests where every single guest receives the deep, bespoke care traditionally reserved for the mother of the bride.”
JoJo Laali is hoping to create experiences for weddings on-site, a “beauty destination” if you will, that feel more individually thought out and curated to each specific ceremony. When wedding season rears its beautiful yet monstrous head later this year, why not leave some of the worrying to the wayside this time?
Check out more on their website, plus more of Sanjana Bhandari’s work on SEEMA.com
Image credits: Anupa Rao
Location credits: SaffronStays Arabella, India
Hair/Makeup: Jojo Laali
