Akansha and Rishabh, Uttarakhand

Akansha and Rishabh, with their quirky hashtag #EkChaturNair, stole our hearts with their beautiful wedding at the stunning property of Taj Corbett Resort & Spa in Uttarakhand. Surrounded by grassy mountains on all sides, offering a panoramic view of the dense forests on the Himalayan range sits thisthe Himalayan range, this lush property was perfect for celebrating their off-beat wedding.

How They Met
Akanksha shares, “Turning on our time machine, our story goes back to our college days where I was studying in LSR, and he was a member of a Rap Group called the Triple Aces from IP University. If you’ve heard the famous anthem ‘Kudi LSR di’, it so happens to be a creation of his band. We met during those days and became close friends over a course of time. We’ve had our ups and downs in life and in our relationship, but together we’ve fought through it and have emerged stronger.”

Wedding Venue
The bride-to-be shares, “We picked Taj Corbett Resort and Spa to host a staycation wedding with all our loved ones pouring in from different cities. Two years ago, on a family holiday at the same property, my mother had casually mentioned that she was interested in hosting my wedding at this very place. The hotel is on the banks of a river overlooking a mountain, and has over 200 varieties of mango trees alone, making it the most verdant and eco-friendly space.”

Wedding Planning
“Since we were looking out to organize a sustainable wedding, Ritesh, the manager at the hotel, and his team went all out to ensure that no decoration used at the venue was ecologically harmful and helped us to get in touch with two NGOs in Ram Nagar where all the extra food from the wedding was sent ensuring that there was zero waste at all the functions. We met Mahima and Harsh from Mahima Bhatia Photography and instantly knew they were the people we needed to hire to cover our event. They were brilliant, hands-on, patient and beyond all, managed to capture our different personalities”, shares the happy bride.

Wedding Functions

Welcome Dinner
The couple, along with their friends and family, hired buses to reach the wedding venue. They all quickly changed into their fancy outfits and kick-started the wedding celebrations with a welcome dinner. The evening was full of heartfelt speeches and delicious food and drinks. The bride looked pretty in a floral printed crop top and lehenga by Anita Dongre while the dashing groom went with a blush pink kurta by Frontier Raas.

Haldi
The next day was their haldi function where the couple had the venue decorated with fresh marigolds and colorful elements which were scattered throughout the venue. The bride and her family entered wearing outfits following a yellow tone while the groom’s side was dressed in traditional white and gold kasavu sarees and mundu for the women and men respectively. The ladies from the groom’s side graced the occasion by presenting a beautiful choreographed dance. 

Mehndi
Later that evening, the couple hosted their mehndi function at the same venue where all the guests were welcomed to a traditional Kumaoni dance. The duo entered in an electric rickshaw wearing color-coordinated outfits. The groom wore a bright orange kurta, and the bride got her orange lehenga designed by the groom’s sister, Srishti Menon. The bride shares the thought process that went behind creating the lehenga, “I like to call this lehenga Aubade, a synonym for the sun. It also has a different meaning, i.e. a piece of a love song sung outdoors at the break of dawn. The lehenga featured small potlis with our hashtag embroidered on it where the guests from the wedding wrote down their special messages for us.” The to-be-weds, along with their guests later ventured out to pot plants around the property as a mark to a great beginning.

Sangeet
Their sangeet and cocktail night was all about bright lights, big smiles and lots of merrymaking. Though we couldn’t pick our personal favorite, both the groom’s side and the bride’s side sure did set the stage on fire with their impressive dance performances. For the evening the star couple picked a red Anita Dongre lehenga and an off-white kurta jacket set with red dhoti pants from Frontier Raas.

Wedding
For the wedding, the couple got a simple mandap set up against the beautiful backdrop of a burbling river. The groom was dressed in a traditional white kurta and a mundu by Frontier Raas and had their wedding date embroidered on it while the bride recreated her mother’s wedding look by wearing an elegant beige Banarasi saree with zari work and a red blouse by OhFab. Her outfit had a personal touch with their wedding date and both their names weaved into the piece by the talented artisans in Banaras who fought against time and floods to make sure the bride had the saree ready in time for her wedding. The glowing bride wanted to maintain a subtle look that didn’t look overly done. She also wanted her beautiful almond-shaped eyes to be enhanced for all her looks, which was done to precise perfection by the WeddingSutra Favorite – Ridhi Mahna of Get Gorgeous with Ridhi, who cast her magic on the beautiful bride’s face and hair. After the wedding ceremonies got over, the newlyweds had an intimate Bidaai ceremony.

Reception
Akanksha and Rishabh, along with her sister and her husband, had a combined reception at the property. The brides were dressed in beautiful Sabyasachi Mukherjee ensembles while the grooms picked their outfits from Heritage.

The Wedding Makers
Venue: Taj Corbett Resort & Spa, Uttarakhand
Décor: Pine Events
Groom’s Outfits: Frontier Raas (Welcome Dinner, Sangeet, Wedding), Heritage (Reception)
Bride’s Outfits: Anita Dongre (Welcome Dinner), Frontier Raas (Sangeet), OhFab (Wedding), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Reception)
Makeup: Zoya Bhushan (Mehndi), Get Gorgeous with Ridhi (Makeup)
Hairstylist: Ridhi Mahna, Anette
Choreography: Hashtag Sangeet

Photography and Videography: Mahima Bhatia Photography

Related Articles: