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Namrata and Chinmay’s Long Distance Wedding- planned in US, held in Dehradun
Bridal Fashion and Beauty - Mar 20, 2014
Namrata, a Programmer with Apple in San Francisco and Chinmay, an Analyst in Chicago were introduced to each other by their families. Their wedding took place in Rishikesh close to Chinmay’s hometown Dehradun at a beautiful resort, overlooking the Ganga. The couple share their experience with planning a Doon wedding.
How we Met
Namrata and Chinmay first met in San Francisco, where he was visiting friends on vacation. As they got to know each other, Namrata jokes “I made sure that he could shuck an oyster, cook a barbecue and prepare my favorite ‘Gaajar ka halwa’. I also confirmed that he enjoys Salman Khan Movies and doesn’t feel sleepy or disinterested when I am shopping. But on a serious note we knew we were made for each other when we realized that we share the same passion for travel, food, music and movies.”
Chinmay officially proposed to her at the Chicago Botanical gardens, and soon it was time to plan their wedding in India, where their parents live.
The Wedding
Namrata and Chinmay along with their families decided to host the wedding in Chinmay’s hometown, Dehradun. Says Chinmay: “We felt Dehradun would be the perfect place for our wedding. We visited many venues in Dehradun, Rishikesh and Mussoorie. We wanted our wedding to have a ‘destination wedding’ feel without breaking the bank; we wanted a location with a beautiful backdrop, a hotel with a well-trained staff, and a venue big enough to accommodate all the guests.” After visiting different venues, they chose to host their Wedding ceremony in Ganga Kinare, Rishikesh- a charming retreat nestled snugly on the banks of the tranquil River Ganges and overlooking the Rajaji National Park, and the Reception at The Solitaire- a modern and contemporary hotel in Dehradun which breaks the traditional concept of luxury with ultimate syle and boundless energy.
Ganga Kinare, Rishikesh
The Reception
The Solitaire hotel, Dehradun
Wedding Planning
As Namrata and Chinmay were based in the US they faced a few hiccups while planning it over the phone and through email. Miscommunication with hotels, a spelling mistake in the wedding cards and calming down worried parents were just some of the issues they had to face. Not to forget all the stress with the clothes. Namrata elaborates: “Chinmay communicated his Sherwani measurements over phone. In a classic case of Chinese whispers some of these measurements were lost in the bad network resulting in an oversized Sherwani! It took considerable amount of hard work to get it back in shape at a short notice.” Another challenge she mentions: “Through the entire process of guests RSVPing and then changing their mind, the estimate for the hotel rooms kept changing and we ended up booking excess rooms.”
Wedding Vendors
Our venues/ hotels and wedding vendors with whom we had a good experience-
Makeup Artist- Megha Bangari from ‘Spoil Me Beauty Salon’did a fantastic job in giving Namrata a unique look for each of the functions.
Photography- ‘The Dream Diaries’ were meticulous, energetic and very creative.
Hotels- The team at The Solitaire hotel did a great job with decorating the Reception venue, they also handled the event well with little supervision by the family. The team at Ganga Kinare made sure that the guests enjoyed the spiritual and the ‘close to nature’ feel of the wedding. Many of our guests were put up at Hotel Calista; their staff were friendly and they accommodated our last-minute requests.
For our new blog post series, ‘Long Distance Wedding’ we’re featuring couples living abroad who planned a wedding in their hometown in India. We want to hear your story, how you shortlisted venues and your experience with the wedding planner (if you hired one) and other vendors. Write to us at editor@weddingsutra.com with your wedding photo and required details (below), and we’ll get in touch if you’re selected to be featured.
Name of Bride and Groom
Where you’re based or where you were based when planning the Wedding
Where (venue + city) you got married and when (date)
Photos Courtesy- The Dream Diaries
