Real Weddings: Force of Nature

The Details

The Bride and Groom’s wedding outfit: both head-to-toe in Sabyasachi.

The Bride’s reception outfit: Manish Malhotra. Diamond earrings and bangles, Riya’s own.

The Groom’s reception outfit: Arjun Kilachand.

The Venue: The Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

The Wedding Planner: Elegant Events & Company.

The Wedding Designer: White Lilac Inc.

The Photographer: Mili Ghosh Photography.

My advice 

Wedding planning is always stressful for any bride and groom, so remember to stay calm, compromise your viewpoints with your partner, have fun with the details, and do exactly what both of you want for your special day. You only get these days once, so make it count.

Our reception was uniquely casual and fun.

Elements that encapsulated the reception were greens arranged with mirrored tables, hanging white flowers, candles, and a circular white marble dance floor. We wanted to ensure our guests had an amazing time and were comfortable, so we had no set timeline for events or assigned seating.

I envisioned my wedding to be in a natural setting.

Capturing the essence of the surrounding beauty; trees were used as the pillars of the mandap, which were adorned with rustic lanterns. The lush staging combined with the cliffs and ocean behind, made for a picturesque setting.

We wanted our wedding to be inspired by nature, but still intimate and private.

The majestic cliffs and dreamy scenery of Rancho Palos Verdes, Carlifornia ticked all points on our checklist and suited us well.

I love that we hosted a few ceremonies at home and others at a location.

My mehendi was at my residence, which was decorated with simple string lights and floating blush and white lotus flowers. We hosted a garba night with a twist at Ankur’s house with colourful umbrellas and Moroccan-themed festive lighting and traditional décor.

Ankur set up a scavenger hunt in my house.

He took advantage of the fact that our families were coming to town; they helped him plan the proposal. The riddles eventually led me to a final love letter. As I read the letter, he appeared and went down on one knee.