Every year, I tell myself I’m going to keep it simple.

And somehow, every year, the plan changes somewhere along the way.

For 2026, I started with a very specific idea. I wanted an all-white Ammavaru setup inspired by mountains and snow. I had already started imagining what that would look like when I went to a local decor rental store and came across the white elephants and a few other pieces.

I brought them home thinking I would just try them out. Instead, the elephants completely changed my plan. I loved how they looked around Ammavaru, so the mountain and snow idea was out, and a new design started taking shape.

I kept the soft white palette, but added fresh banana leaves, blush pink flowers, hanging pearls, lotus buds, brass birds, and touches of gold. Some elements were planned, while others were added simply because they felt right as the setup came together.

There was plenty of moving things around, stepping back, changing my mind, and trying again. But that’s pretty much how this process goes every year.

I start with one idea, Ammavaru takes me in a completely different direction, and somehow it all comes together in the end.

And I absolutely love where we ended up this year.

Sources

• Ammavaru jewelry: Old World Tales
• Decor items: @kairagiftworld
• Decor from @kairagiftworld
• Ammavaru jewelry from @alankaranbyanitha22,  Old World Tales

The Backdrop

I actually started with a completely different idea for this year’s decor. My original plan was an all-white setup with a mountain and snow-inspired theme.

But while looking for decor at a local rental store, I came across the white elephants and a few other pieces. They weren’t part of my plan at all, but I decided to bring them home and see if I could make them work.

And I’m so glad I did.

The elephants completely changed the direction of the design and ended up stealing the show. I gave up on the mountain and snow idea and started building the rest of the backdrop around them.

I kept the white base I originally wanted, but brought in banana leaves, soft pink flowers, hanging pearls, lotus buds, brass birds, and touches of gold. The result was still light and mostly white, just in a completely different way than I had originally imagined.

Sometimes the best part of decorating is letting the original plan go.

The Flowers and Greenery

I knew I wanted the flowers to stay within the softer color palette, so I kept most of the arrangements white with touches of blush pink. I used baby’s breath, white flowers, pink roses, and lotus flowers, arranged in brass and silver vessels at different heights around Ammavaru.

The greenery became just as important as the flowers. Once I moved away from my original all-white mountain and snow idea, the banana leaves were what really helped take the design in a new direction. They added height, contrast, and a strong traditional element while keeping the setup fresh.

One of my favorite arrangements was the simple bowl of baby’s breath with pink lotus flowers. It wasn’t complicated, but it worked beautifully with the rest of the decor.

The combination of white, soft pink, and fresh green ended up becoming a big part of the overall look.

The Hanging Details

This was probably one of those details I made much more complicated than it needed to be. 😂

I wanted something hanging across the backdrop, but I didn’t want traditional heavy garlands. So I used pearl strands, gold chains, tiny pink lotus buds, leaves, and brass birds.

The little brass parrots were one of my favorite finds. They’re such a small part of the overall setup, but I love seeing them tucked between all the pearls and flowers.

You don’t necessarily notice every individual piece when you look at the full backdrop. But together, all those little details made a huge difference.

[Insert detail photos here]

The Elephants

The elephants were never part of the original plan.

I found them while renting a few decor pieces locally and decided to take a chance on them. Once I brought them into the space, I knew immediately that my original mountain and snow theme wasn’t happening anymore.

They were just too good.

I placed one on either side of Ammavaru and surrounded them with banana leaves, flowers, and lamps. The white worked beautifully with the backdrop, while the gold details connected them to all the other gold and brass elements in the setup.

They ended up framing Ammavaru perfectly and became one of my favorite parts of the entire decor.

Sometimes you find one piece that changes the whole plan. For me, it was these elephants.

Dressing Ammavaru

For Ammavaru, I chose a soft blush pink saree with gold detailing. Since the rest of the setup was mostly white and green, the pink added just enough color without feeling too strong.

Once the saree was pleated and draped, we started layering the jewelry, flowers, and all the smaller details.

And as usual, I kept adding until someone probably needed to tell me to stop. 😂

I love this stage because this is when Ammavaru really starts to come together. You begin with the basic form, and with every layer of fabric, flowers, and jewelry, she slowly transforms.

This year, the soft pink against all the white flowers, fresh banana leaves, and gold details turned out even better than I had pictured.

The Crown

The crown was one detail I really make myself every year.

I built and decorated it piece by piece, layering the different gold elements, stones, pearls, and jewelry until I got the height and shape I wanted. I also added the long hanging ornament on the side, which ended up being one of my favorite details.

It took some trial and error because there was no finished crown to simply put on Ammavaru. I had to keep adding, adjusting, and stepping back to see if the proportions looked right.

Once it was finally in place, though, it completely changed her look.

With so much detail in Ammavaru’s jewelry, I wanted the crown to feel just as special, and making it myself made it even more meaningful.

The Jewelry

I definitely didn’t hold back on the jewelry this year.

I layered pearls, necklaces, earrings, bangles, anklets, hand ornaments, and statement pieces with pink and green stones. Because the saree was such a soft blush pink, I could add a lot of jewelry without the overall look feeling too heavy.

I paid attention to the smaller details too. Her hands were decorated with jeweled ornaments and fresh roses, her feet had layers of anklets, and even the kalasam above her head was covered with jewelry.

The close-up photos are probably my favorite because that’s where you can really see how many individual pieces went into creating the final look.

The Pooja Details

Once the main setup was complete, I started bringing in all the smaller details that make the space feel ready for the actual pooja.

I used silver lamps, brass vessels, jasmine, flowers, banana leaves, bangles, and smaller Ammavaru displays throughout the space. I carried the same white, soft pink, green, gold, and silver tones into these areas so everything felt connected to the main setup.

I didn’t want every corner to look exactly the same, so each area had its own arrangement while still repeating a few elements from the main decor.

These may be smaller details compared to Ammavaru and the backdrop, but together they helped bring the entire celebration together and made the space feel complete.

My Ammavaru in All Her Glory

And this is where we ended up.

Definitely not the mountain and snow-themed Ammavaru I originally planned. 😂

Instead, the rented elephants changed the entire direction of the setup. The white backdrop, fresh banana leaves, soft pink flowers, hanging pearls, brass details, blush pink saree, and all that jewelry slowly came together around them.

And right at the center was Ammavaru, wearing a crown I made myself.

That’s probably what I love most about this year’s setup. It wasn’t something I planned perfectly from the beginning. The design changed as I found things I loved and started putting them together.

Sometimes you have to let go of the original idea and see where the process takes you.

In this case, I’m very glad I did.

Here she is, my 2026 Ammavaru.