Jashan and Karan, Sydney
This Sydney wedding included a heady mix of traditional rituals, Bollywood, Rajasthani regalia and lots of dancing.
What began as a brief romance in high school ended up in a glorious wedding! Jashan and Karan, along with their families, pulled out all the stops for their Sydney wedding which included seven functions. Here, bride Jashan shares some highlights and fun memories.
How They Met
Jashan shares, “Karan and I met as teenagers in the early years of high school through mutual family friends and hit it off, but our initial romance was short-lived. Karan soon moved away for medical school to another state, but we found each other again on social media and realised that the spark still remained. We started dating again, and after four years of flying to and fro from to and fro to meet each other, he finally moved and we decided to take it to the next level.”
The Proposal
“I was back in town for one night between two overseas trips and Karan planned a nice dinner to make the most of our one night together. I was clueless as I got dressed and we both walked down under the Sydney Harbour Bridge when suddenly I saw a red carpet, roses and helium balloons with a sign that said ‘MARRY ME.’ The moment I said ‘Yes,’ our family and friends popped out from behind the wall.”
Wedding Venues
“We were adamant on the Four Seasons Sydney as our reception venue as the interiors and opulence of the hall suited our formal reception and outfits. The wedding ceremony took place at the Glenwood Gurdwara Sahib, with lunch at Grand Royale. Our sangeet venue was Cherrybrook Community Centre, which was decked out for the night in a Rajasthani theme, and my mehndi venue was Vinegar Hill Memorial Centre, which was splashed in florals. The rest of the events took place at our respective homes.”
Wedding Planning
“Karan and I planned the wedding ourselves, with some help from my planner from PartyRickshaw (a gift from my sister), and numerous mood boards with Karan, my hair and makeup artist and decorator. Makeup artist Nikki Arora worked with me for over a year to perfect every single look of mine keeping in mind the outfits, jewellery and accessories. My henna artist was Henna by Payal. Our decorator Debbie from Shagun Events also helped me to create the most amazing decor for all seven events, ensuring that everything suited the vibe perfectly. Our photographers and videographers Rolling Canvas Presentations were an absolute delight, and lots of fun during the week and captured both of us and our loved ones in gorgeous candid moments.”
Wedding Functions
Sangeet
“The festivities kicked off with a sangeet themed on Rangeelo Rajasthan, a homage to my father’s residential state. I wore an emerald Anita Dongre outfit, while Karan wore a black sherwani by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. My decorator helped us create a royal haveli on stage, with tie-dye buntings and fairy lights throughout the hall. We had plenty of dance performances, including ones with 50 people and synchronised moves along with a lot of drums and songs. We added a photo booth and a customized drinks menu and enjoyed the night partying with all our loved ones.”
Vatna & Karan’s Haldi
Karan’s haldi ceremony or ‘Vatna’ was a homely affair for the family with traditional marigold decor, followed by geet and a jaggo. For this occasion, Karan donned a simple midnight blue kurta by Anita Dongre, which he later swapped for a textured blue kurta by Anita Dongre for the ‘Jaggo’ ceremony.
Maiyan & Jashan’s Haldi
Jashan’s Haldi ceremony or ‘Maiyan’ was a sunny neon celebration followed by a holi party where everyone had a blast. She looked sunkissed in a yellow outfit by Arpita Mehta as her loved ones smeared her with turmeric before breaking out the colors for Holi fun.
Jashan’s Mehndi
The bride donned a purple lehenga with exquisite blush embellishments by Manish Malhotra. The groom matched her in a purple bandi jacket. The floral affair was made memorable with a surprise entry by the groom, performances by the two mothers, aunties, and the bridesmaids, as well as an all-time favorite Bollywood medley. The highlight of the night was a ‘Mimosas and Samosas’ bar and a gift bar with old soul Bollywood lyrics for each type of gift.
Jaggo and Chooda
The traditional ‘Dhol Jaggo’ and ‘Chooda’ ceremony was a golden affair accented with jasmine flowers to bring out the vibrant orange of the couple’s outfits and the red of the bride’s bridal bangles. The ‘Dhol Jaggo’ celebration was a lively event where everyone took to the streets and houses of neighbours. The bride’s citrus sharara by Abhinav Mishra perfectly matched Karan’s warm peach outfit.
Wedding
“The day started off on a high with a bouquet of roses, a lovely handwritten letter, and a Cartier Love Band to match my existing bracelet, all from Karan. After this, we had a fun shoot at both houses with our families and wedding parties. The decor was kept delicate with florals and pastels, to bring out the bold red and gold of our outfits by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Our family and guests wore ensembles that matched the baby pink and mint green detailing of my lehenga. The nuptials were held at the Glenwood Gurdwara, followed by the ring exchange, lunch, and drinks at the Grand Royale.”
Reception
The festivities concluded with a lavish reception that featured a decor palette of black, white and gold interwoven with greenery. While the highlight was a surprise performance by the groom for the bride, the event was made memorable by heartwarming speeches by loved ones. An enchanting first dance on the hit number ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Pass’ by the couple was a finale of the week. The bride wore a stunning white lehenga by Sabyasachi Mukherjee which she paired with Tyaani Jewellery, while the groom wore a classic black tuxedo. Guests were given little care packages as a thank you gesture for being part of the festivities.
Advice for Couples
“Remember to plan for a marriage, not a wedding. Remember why you’re doing this and you won’t have a case of the post-wedding blues! Also, plan as early as possible. It allows you to have a spare time period for things to go wrong and for you to remember things that you may have forgotten without a meltdown. And finally, live it up! Take those shots, make your face hurt from smiling, and break out into thumkas on the dance floor!”
The Wedding Makers
Venues: Four Seasons, Sydney (Reception), Glenwood Gurdwara Sahib (Wedding), Cherrybrook Community Centre (Sangeet), Vinegar Hill Memorial Centre (Mehndi)
Wedding Planning: PartyRickshaw
Decor: Shagun Events
Groom’s Outfits: Anita Dongre (Vatna and Maiyan), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Sangeet and Wedding), M J Bale (Pheras), Suit Supply (Reception)
Bride’s Outfits: Anita Dongre (Sangeet), Rana Phulkari House (Vatna), Arpita Mehta (Maiyan), Masaba Gupta (Maiyan), Manish Malhotra (Mehndi), Abhinav Mishra (Jaggo), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Wedding, Pheras and Reception)
Jewellery: Tanishq (Vatna), Outhouse (Maiyan), Raabta by Rahul (Sangeet, Jaggo, Wedding), Anita Dongre (Wedding and Pheras), Tyaani Jewellery (Reception), Lelet NY (Reception)
Floral Jewellery: Prune India (Maiyan, Jaggo, and Wedding)
Mehndi: Henna by Payal
Makeup and Hair: Nikki Arora4
DJ: DJ Vinny
Photography and Videography: Rolling Canvas Presentations
