Real Weddings: Picture Perfect
It was a "fairytale" sunset celebration for Meha Patel and Shamal Patel, both of whom work in their family businesses. The bride looks back at how, spreadsheets in tow, the “wedding of her dreams” was planned.
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THE VENUE
We chose Abhinav Bhagat Events and Show Makers India. Abhinav became like family and it was really easy to work with him. I had my planners, photographers, hair and makeup artists booked before I even had a venue!
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Going Bananas Photography
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THE BRIDE
For the welcome lunch, I wore white and grey trousers and top with a yellow cape by Anamika Khanna. A gold and bluegreen lehenga by the same designer got my vote for the sangeet. I wore lehengas at the mandvo and wedding too: a yellow one by Anita Dongre for the former and a white, flowery Sabyasachi for the latter. And finally, for the reception, I opted for a lehenga again, this time, a pink and silver one by Falguni Shane Peacock.
THE GROOM
Shamal wore a pastelcoloured kurta pyjama for the welcome lunch and a navy bandhgala with white Jodhpuri trousers, gold elephant buttons and a blue patan patola pocket square by Raghavendra Rathore for the sangeet. A yellow kurta pyjama by Anita Dongre was his pick for the mandvo. He donned a Sabyasachi green sherwani at the wedding and a Tom Ford navy tuxedo at the reception.
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A piece of advice
Have fun, plan in advance, and most importantly, work with an event planner you’re friends with.
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All in the details
The mehendi had flowers, bright pinks, yellows and traditional kacchi godhi dancers, while the sangeet was drenched in red and gold with chandeliers, candles and a peacock made of flowers. It was all about fun at the mandvo, a typical Gujarati pre-wedding ceremony that invokes the blessings of Mother Earth and marks the start of the mandap construction. There were giant baby pink lotuses, origami hanging birds and a massive snakes and ladders game as the dancefloor. My wedding mandap was built on the base of a waterfall that served as the backdrop, lined with hundreds of candles. And finally, the magical reception had fairy lights, a saxophone player and shades of black, white, and green.
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In perfect sync
I wanted a destination wedding in the mountains and the moment I walked into the Taj Aravali Resort & Spa in Udaipur, I fell in love. The location, décor and ambience—everything came together perfectly.
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A global affair
We hit it off thanks to our shared love for travel at a mutual friend’s wedding in Nairobi in December 2016. A couple of years later, Shamal proposed to me on a bridge in Rome and we got married in Udaipur in November 2019.