About Me
I live in Bombay and I work in the Event Management field and have my own company called On Cue Productions. We stage manage all the big awards nights and pageants in India from Filmfare Awards to Miss India. I have been doing this for the last 12 years. I met my husband Jasjeet Singh while working, he was modelling for some extra pocket money while doing his Engineering degree in Bangalore and we met while we were both working on an event.

My look for the wedding
Being from the event and fashion industry I have always had a lot of exposure to the best clothes, make-up, accessories and the latest trends so I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted for every occasion down to the last detail and getting it together was very easy but time consuming!

My company works closely with a lot of stylists so when it came to choosing my make up and hair stylist the choice was wide open! But make-up maestros Bharat & Doris Godambe are like family to me since we have worked together since so many years. As soon as my wedding date was finalised I informed them since they usually get booked months in advance. They unhesitatingly cleared their calender for me and came to Koh Samui as our guests and also my stylists! It was very special to have them there!

7th August – Mehndi function on the beach
I have been a huge fan of Sabyasachi's (Sabya) clothes and I was dying to wear an outfit by him at one of my functions. Since this was a casual beachy function the outfit had to be cool, comfortable and light. I knew exactly what I wanted from Sabya's prêt range but unfortunately the stores that stock Sabya's clothes in Bombay don't take orders on the prêt line so with the help of my office girls who handle backstage on Sabya's shows and a friend of mine who was shooting with him I sent him a note requesting if he could make an exception and make a prêt outfit for me on order! I had sent pics of myself, my measurement, and reference pictures of what I liked from his collection. Sabya was so touched by my note that he decided to gift me the outfit! The outfit was beautiful. It was an old rose print cotton kurta and perfectly suited the occasion of a mehndi, sagri cum choodi ceremony on the beach! I wore simple ancestral kundan earrings with it as they were to be taken off when my in-laws family had to perform the sagri ceremony which is a Sindhi ceremony where the bride is decked up in floral ornaments!

Mehendi on the Beach

7th August – Dinner Party
For the dinner party I wore a simple yet elegant peach lace corset and lehenga made by a friends mother who is a designer- Falguni Davda. It was an Indo-western creation and was perfectly suited for a party by the pool.

The Dinner Party

8th Aug- Gurdwara Wedding
Since we were in Koh Samui but doing an Indian wedding we decided to make it as traditional as possible with all the colours and festivities our Indian weddings are known for. The colour theme was Orange & Pink! And the theme carried through from us, to the decor, to the kids clothes to the head scarfs and fans given out at the Gurdwara!

My mother is the store manager for Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla in Bombay and I have known Abu and Sandeep for over 10 years now. So there was no element of doubt on who was making our outfits. When you know and have access to the best in Indian Couture why go elsewhere. Abu and Sandeep and the entire team at their store took special care in ensuring our outfits were exceptionally nice! Thanks to their outfits we felt like a King and Queen on that day. My outfit was a short pink orange kurta with a beautiful long dupatta to cover my head! It had exquisite gota work embroidery on it. I wore an ancestral set of Kundan Jewelery that went well with the outfit! My husband wore a Sherwani with dull gold simple embroidery in a cream colour with pink threads running through it. He had grown a beard so he could wear a turban and look like a traditional sardar for that day! I have never seen a better looking sardar in my entire life

The Sikh Wedding

8th August- Sangeet
We had a sangeet party that night to celebrate the wedding. The location was a beach side resort with the party partially by the beach, pool and indoor. All you could see is the ocean lit up in turquoise blue at night and to compliment that I wanted us to wear outfits in shades of aqua which I found ideal for a beach side party!

We found really nice complimenting outfits at Shantanu & Nikhil in Bombay. I wore a very Indo-western Lehenga. The top was a ruched chiffon empire line sleeveless top and it went with an ornate leather work Aqua, beige and gold lehenga with aqua netting underneath! I have a passion for putting flowers on my hair so I wore flowers tucked in on one side of my hair. The make up was a bit bolder and more fun...less traditional! My husband was clear he wanted to wear just a simple kurta and stay cool and comfortable so he selected a kurta that complimented mine in cream with little aqua hints and an aqua kurta & stole. We looked well co-ordinated together, much to my delight! The jewellery I wore was gifted to me by my in laws.

Sangeet

9th- Exchange of vows on the beach in the evening followed by a reception.
This was the nicest of all our occasions. It was co-ordinated down to the very last detail! We did the entire bridal entourage that a Christian wedding has.. from the Best Man, to three brides maids, page boys and flower girls. The colour was ivory and pink and transcended through to everything.

I went a little mad trying to find outfits for the bridesmaids as they were all of different shapes, sizes and heights! Eventually I went to designer Lascelles Symons who I have known from his modelling days to help me out. He made beautiful flowy pink Grecian gowns in georgette in different styles but in the same fabric. The girls looked really pretty and each one's outfit suited them individually. The page boys outfits were designed by me and executed by a men's tailor! The flower girls outfits were made by my friend Karen who makes dresses for kids! They were perfectly embellished with pink rose buds and a wreath and she even made their flower baskets to match!
 

Exchange of Vows

I wore a strapless lace corset with a organza skirt with a trail and a hint of lace at the hemline. The two piece set was a bridal gown when put together. It was rather simple but very elegant. I had picked up this gown at a small Atelier in London over three years ago and was so relieved that I still fit into it! It was completed with a net veil with diamantes sprinkled on it! I added to the ready outfit a stole that went across the shoulders to make it a little more conservative and comfortable. Abu and Sandeep also decided to bling out the top corset a little more with diamantes which just added the perfect finishing touch on the gown! To complete the look I wore shoulder duster diamond earrings only and as a last minute addition a simple small cross gifted by a friend which I placed on a make shift pink ribbon around my neck!

My husband wore a simple white linen suit with a soft pink shirt and a light pink rose corsage to complete the look in his button hole! My makeup was very simple, yet pretty and iridescent; very little base makeup and soft pink lips and rouge! Bharat out did himself with doing the best job ever on me! And as proof of that my husband had tears in his eyes when he saw me come down the isle; which is definitely a first in our 10 years of seeing each other! I was clear from the beginning I wanted flowers in my hair and no tiara etc! Doris swept my hair back in a comfortable up style and arranged the flowers beautifully! I was very pleased with the way I looked and felt at this function and I was comfortable and cool all evening! I danced all night and still not a hair or flower was out of place!

Where I Shopped
I shopped mostly with people I knew well so I was sure they would put in the best they could for me! I did monitor what I wanted and had reference pictures for almost everything from the outfits, silhouettes, colours, to decor , accessories, hair and make up looks, kids clothing! It prevented a lot of heart ache from last minute surprises!

For things like bangles, latkans and payals I shopped at Tip Top in Bombay. I am a huge accessories freak so I had been collecting things I saw on many trips abroad-- like flower clips, handbags, rings etc and they really came in use during my wedding. There is a small store called Aarti at Chandralok building at the end of Napean Sea Road in Bombay-- that helped me out with a lot of small things for the ceremony like decorated trays, bandhni baskets, brocade envelopes for the Millni ceremony etc ..these small things show up in pictures so it pays to look for the best and what will go with your wedding rather than ignoring these details!
 

My advice for Brides-to-be
a. Plan and reference what you like and what you want before your wedding. Start cutting out things and saving them. Go through bridal & fashion magazines, visit exhibitions etc so you are updated with what is available where. Know what you want so you are not disappointed later.

b. Make a grand master list of what's to be done with a rough time schedule and divide responsibility so your not stressed in the last minute. Don't try to be a super woman and do it all yourself or last minute!

c. Its a stressful time for you, your groom and the families. Understand ..misunderstandings, temper tantrums are a part and parcel of wedding planning! Go with the flow ..don't let it freak you too much! Fights happen. Find a way to get your way diplomatically ! And try not to be a Bridezilla..much easier said than done for sure!!!

d. Pay attention to the smallest details every little thing matters! It's in the details that your wedding will be unforgettable to not just you but to your guests. And its the small things you do that will be remembered eventually.

e. Try to think of how practical your garment, make up & hair style are for the occasions and what you need to be doing in them. I found leaving my hair down at the sangeet bothered me no end because I was dancing, we were outdoors and it was hot and sweaty as hell. Similarly my sangeet outfit though I loved it and wouldn't have altered it even for the heat was a boiling inferno! My gown should have had a hook to put the trail up when we were on the dance floor so I didn't need to worry about people stepping all over my trail and keeping a distance from everyone.

f. Try to get away from the BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING concept. Organise all the occasions and functions etc you want but restrict the guest list to who you really want there! This is a battle ground to be fought with your family but its well worth it! The smaller the wedding the more enjoyable it will be! If you need to invite everyone you have ever met ..do that for one occasion like the reception!

g. Vow to yourself you will enjoy your wedding what ever it takes and if things go wrong or a miss go with the flow ..don't let it spoil your most precious day! HAVE FUN! This day will never come back and make the most of it. And for Lord sake please eat at your occasions ...with all the dancing, partying and fun we had we never ate a single meal at any of our occasions and its the biggest regret we have as friends tell us the menus & spreads were amazing!