Nusrat Jahan and Nikhil Jain, Six Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey

A courtship that took the entire state of West Bengal by storm, Bengali film sensation and All India Trinamool Congress’ MP Nusrat Jahan’s celebrated romance with ace industry designer-entrepreneur Nikhil Jain culminated in the two tying the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony at Bodrum in Turkey.

The festivities spanned four days and ace wedding makers were involved at every step, be it WeddingSutra Favorites – Pink Whistle Man for the invitations or the evocative photography of all the action and emotions by Knotting Bells. However, it was WeddingSutra Favorite – Weddings by ESL that single-handedly ensured that all the ceremonies and soirees were executed to perfection.

How They Met
The tale began with Nikhil selecting Nusrat as the ambassador for Rangoli Couture, his designer brand. He felt that Nusrat seemed totally indifferent to him initially. However, the two kept working together until one day Nikhil asked Nusrat out for a date despite feeling jittery. Nusrat agreed, however, much to his dismay, she ended up calling him her ‘buddy.’ Although initially taken aback due to the fear of being friend-zoned, Nikhil still decided to try his luck and continued to woo Nusrat till she too started liking him. One thing led to another with the two eventually falling in love. The rest, as we all know, is history.

The Proposal
Nikhil was reported saying, “It (the proposal) was on my birthday last year. On November 17, Nusrat hosted a birthday party for me. Three to four days before that, I decided I would propose to her. We went out for dinner. I was driving, and she sat beside me. All our friends were following our car. There were butterflies in my stomach when I stopped the car in front of the Victoria Memorial at midnight. I told her that two of my friends were fighting in another car and requested her to get out of the car so that we could intervene. Once she did that, I went down on my knees, and proposed to her. I asked her, ‘Will you make my jawlines ache forever?’ She said ‘Yes.’ It was an emotional moment for us.”

Wedding Planning
The heat of Kolkata had completely ruled out the option of getting married there, so Nikhil considered options like Goa or a hill station. However, Nusrat knew that she wanted to get married in Turkey. Having started her career with ‘Shotru’ that was shot in the country, Nusrat wanted to begin her new journey in the same place. However, apart from the Turkey wedding, the couple also hosted a reception at ITC Royal Bengal in Kolkata for their professional acquaintances. 

Although the busy schedules of the couple kept them from being able to put their personal attention into planning the ceremonies, Ekta Saigal Lulla, the founder of Weddings by ESL, ensured that no stone was left unturned in planning Nusrat’s dream fairytale wedding. With an eye for detail and keen precision, the wedding planning team took care of every minute element of the wedding right from the decor to the hospitality of the guests. With painstaking efforts that were put in creating an affair as opulent as this, Ekta together with her adept team indeed put together a show of sheer grandiose. Read on to know how.

Invitations
Nusrat and Nikhil’s bespoke wedding invitations were designed by Pink Whistle Man. Taking inspiration from the hobbies and work of the couple, the invitations featured a cross-stitch theme that reflected Nikhil’s saree business and Nusrat’s love of painting. The invitation design also wove together the couple’s wedding events in silk threads and with crochet elements.

Wedding Functions

Yacht Party
The wedding festivities began with a boisterous party hosted on a private yacht. Themed ‘Summer Funk’, the soiree saw the gorgeous couple and their guests having a gala time dressed in their floral, summery clothes. Nusrat looked alluring in a white and pastel floral gown which fit the theme perfectly.

Mehendi
Nusrat’s mehendi ceremony was a vibrant affair with a bohemian vibe which saw guests turning up dressed in vibrant colors. A morning ceremony held in the lush lawns of Six Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey this function had minimal yet colorful decor that blended perfectly with the blue sea that the venue overlooked. The bride and groom opted to wear white ensembles which provided a nice contrast to the rest of the proceedings.

Sangeet
The sangeet of West Bengal’s favorite couple was an opulent soiree. Dressed in a glamorous, star-studded silver-grey lehenga, Nusrat looked like a bonafide diva. She walked into the venue holding hands with Nikhil, who looked dapper in his black bandhgala ensemble. The couple epitomized romance as they danced together and had the audience spellbound by their performance.

Haldi
Borrowing from the rich tint of turmeric, Nusrat and Nikhil’s haldi ceremony had a ‘yellow’ theme. The bride entered the  ceremony on a palanquin which was carried by her band of brothers and friends. The couple made for a cheery sight in their yellow ensembles and sat side by side as their loved ones smeared turmeric paste on them.

Wedding
Nusrat was a traditional bride in her stunning red lehenga. Guests dressed in pastel colors cheered the couple at the seaside ceremony. The venue decor included festive floral arrangements which enhanced the charm of the perfect-picture setting as visualized by Weddings by ESL.

White Wedding
Always having dreamt of walking down the aisle wearing a gorgeous bridal gown, Nusrat planned a white wedding ceremony as well. She and Nikhil exchanged vows against the beautiful backdrop of the sea, this time in a white wedding ceremony. Nusrat’s bridesmaids wore dreamy mint green outfits that matched the bows-ties worn by Nikhil’s groomsmen. Posing against a gigantic floral and leaf wreath that overlooked the sea, the couple looked heavenly and their happiness was tangible.

Reception
Unlike the close-knit wedding ceremony, which was attended only by close friends and family members of the couple, Nusrat and Nikhil’s reception soiree at ITC Royal Bengal was a massive affair attended by the who’s who of Tollywood and the TMC party. Mamata Banerjee, the CM of the state of West Bengal graced the reception to bless the couple along with the other senior ministers of the state. The decor for the reception was limited to jasmine flowers. Nusrat looked surreal in her maroon Sabyasachi lehenga standing beside her groom Nikhil, who looked dapper in his Rohit Bal outfit.

The Wedding Makers
Venue: Six Senses Kaplankaya, Turkey, ITC Royal Bengal (Reception)
Wedding Planner: Weddings by Ekta Saigal Lulla
DMC: Inventum Turkey
Groom’s Outfits: Rohit Bal (Yacht Party, Mehendi, Wedding, White Wedding and Reception), 100 Park Street by Kiro Chowdhury (Haldi), Shantanu & Nikhil (Sangeet)
Bride’s Outfits: Rangoli Couture, Shantanu & Nikhil (Sangeet), Sabyasachi (Reception)
Stylist: Sandip Ghoshal
Makeup Artist: Sayanta Dhali
Choreographer: Sharmistha Majhi
Invitations: Pink Whistle Man

Photography and Videography: Knotting Bells

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