Chandni Dumbhalia and Shiv Patel, Fairmont Jaipur

Chandni Dumbhalia and Shiv Patel showcased their affinity for their Gujarati roots with their grand destination wedding in Jaipur. The union was planned by WeddingSutra Favorite – F5 Weddings who carefully curated a charming mix of traditional and modern events.

How They Met
Shiv and Chandni first stumbled across each other’s profiles via a dating app. Their conversations flowed effortlessly, despite the miles that separated them. Amidst the grandeur of Fairmont, Jaipur, they sealed their love with a royal wedding fit for a fairy tale.

Wedding Planning
Ajay and Purvi Modgil from F5 Weddings give us an overview of the planning process: “Shiv and Chandni grew up in New York and California respectively but have the perfect Indian personalities within themselves. They were sure of wanting to have their wedding in Rajasthan. To host a royal Indian wedding that fulfilled their dreams and at the same time, made their international guests experience the intricate culture of India in all possible ways. We booked a return – Charter for all the groom-side guests coming from Surat to Jaipur. This was for about 180 guests. Upon reaching the hotel, they were welcomed by eight horses holding royal flags with the couple’s monogram printed on it. On reaching the hotel porch, they were greeted by an entire Rajasthani troupe that included six ghoomar dancers, two Kachi Ghodi Dancers, two Punjabi dhols and 1 tutari player. Not just that, on entering the hotel, the guests were on a royal red carpet leading into an area of personalisation where we had created a memory lane for both families. While experiencing this memory lane, we had a ravan hatta player playing soothing music for the guests. At the check-in, the guests were welcomed with traditional colorful turbans and bangles with a non-alcoholic welcome drink. Since their guests were big on alcohol, we even created a floral wall which said ‘Ring the Bell for Champagne’. Upon ringing the bell, the guests would be given a glass of champagne from behind the wall. Our idea was to make all guests feel welcomed at each point till they check in and have an experience.

With the couple’s priority on guest entertainment, we ensured a stellar lineup of artists for every function, managing logistics and fulfilling all requirements seamlessly. From small to grand events, every moment was filled with captivating performances, delighting guests throughout the celebration.”

Wedding Functions
Sufi Night
Ajay and Purvi share, “Their welcome dinner was a Sufi night. The idea was to give this function a very relaxed yet grand vibe. The décor included a fusion of mirrors and lights with a Sufi edge. The couple walked down the grand Fairmont staircase with 30 cold pyros, leading into a fireworks show.”

Haldi
The next morning, everything was yellow and white to give it a traditional Haldi look. The couple entered on a royal Enfield leading into the haldi ceremony with urlis full of Vicco turmeric and fun flower showers. There were a lot of fun stalls at the haldi ceremony – life-size jenga, beer pong, 90s candies, Turkish ice cream, and Aperol spritz cart, to name a few. The celebration ended with a helium balloon release with all guests and the couple involved toasting their forever love!

Sangeet
As hardcore Gujaratis, the couple transformed the sangeet into a colorful Garba night. The entire décor resembled a colorful Navratri night. Ajay and Purvi share, “We started the function with the couple to enter on a fun version of the song ‘rangilo maro’. It then led to the ring exchange ceremony and fun family performances. Renowned Bollywood garba singer, Kinjal Dave performed with full energy while the guests enjoyed playing garba and dandiya.”

Wedding and Reception
The wedding celebrations commenced with the Gujarati ‘Satak’ ritual where morning prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha to remove all obstacles from the couple’s path. This ritual flaunted an indo-western look with blue pottery decor elements.

The baraat was all things fun as Shiv entered on a vintage car with a DJ truck and a royal parasol. Six Punjabi dhol players and 12 men lofted up regal parasols to give the baraat a regal look. Chinese-style parasols protected the guests from the heat while customised cocktails kept them cool. Ajay and Purvi share, “The baraat was welcomed with fun performances from the bride’s side. To add to it, there was even a ‘no entry without tax’ ribbon cutting before Shiv entered to add to the fun! Chandni was sure she did not want traditional décor for the wedding since all her other functions had a traditional look. So for the wedding décor, it was all white and green. A traditional Gujarati troupe recited the wedding – amplifying the auspicious vibes of the ceremony.” A reception followed with toasts, speeches, cake cutting, seated dinner for the guests and a first dance.

The Wedding Makers
Venue: Fairmont, Jaipur
Wedding Planner: F5 Weddings
Makeup: Rema Neirma
Hairstyling: Simran Kaur
Entertainment: Swaraag (Sufi Night), Kinjal Dave (Sangeet), Vaishali Gohil (Wedding)
DJ: Krish Mulchandani
Emcee: Almost Aayush
Bartenders: Drinq
Photography: ShutterDown

Related Articles: