Eisha and Sanjay, Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, Thailand
Eisha and Sanjay's wedding ceremonies included triple the fun as they had a court marriage where they first met, a Christian wedding as well as traditional pheras at the Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa in Thailand.
From the bride ‘calling the shots’ to Charlie Chaplin movies, Eisha and Sanjay’s wedding celebrations were packed with uniquely memorable experiences for their families and loved ones. Here, bride Eisha shares all the merriment that comprised the vibe of their triple wedding ceremonies.
How We Met
“Sanjay owns a tech firm in the US, and I work at an event company in Dubai. Both of us moved to India recently and first met each other when a close friend of mine introduced us to each other at a bar in Mumbai. After many dinner dates and months of courtship, Sanjay popped the question in Dubai.”
The Proposal
“Sanjay planned a beautiful dinner at the Segrato restaurant in Madinat Jumeirah. The restaurant management arranged a romantic setting in a secluded area of the restaurant facing the seafront. My brother, who is a filmmaker, planted hidden cameras and his photographer in the setup area to capture the proposal. Oblivious to all of this, I assumed the evening would be one of our typical date nights. Upon entering, I saw the staff smile more than usual which was a bit weird. A bottle of champagne down and some delicious food later, the manager came to the table and gave me a wooden box. The top of the first box had the date and location of our first date. Inside it was another box, and inside that another one… till I came to the box with a ring in it, which was engraved with the words ‘June 13, 2016’ and ‘Will you marry me?’. Then Sanjay got down on one knee and declared he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. After the engagement, we got our marriage registered at the same place we first met – the Bar Stock Exchange in Bandra, Mumbai. Our loved ones were part of this memorable occasion.”
Wedding Venue
“Our planner Nipunika gave us many options of hotels to choose from, and Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa was one of them. We flew down for a week to Thailand and tried out all the places, but nothing came close the vision we had for our wedding other than Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa. The team at the hotel were very warm and walked us through the whole property with patience, keeping in mind our likes and dislikes and helping us envision our wedding. The rooms were spacious, the view was spectacular and every Ocean View Room offered a gorgeous vista from the windows. The food was an absolute seller for us and I loved every dish on the menu.”
Wedding Planning
“Both Sanjay and I prefer minimalistic and classic decor and each function was designed keeping that in mind. With a ratio that included 80 per cent youngsters and 20 per cent others, we thoroughly designed the event accordingly. Sanjay gave me full liberty on picking what decor and theme for every function. He only had one condition – that all the functions should start post noon- including the puja, so that the guests could dance all night until breakfast was served!”
Christian Wedding
“We chose to get married on the beach with the natural sunset as our backdrop. The decor that I had envisioned for this was one with a breezy and dreamy feel to it. The entrance to the beach had two wooden doors with our initials on it and light floral decor. The altar featured twigs in arcs with white and pink flowers, and the aisle had our name and the date printed on it. The bridesmaids wore pink, and the groomsmen wore blue suits to coordinate with our outfits. Family and friends danced towards the aisle to ‘Uptown Funk’ by Bruno Mars. I was walked down the aisle with my brother with the song ‘Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri playing in the background. Sanjay and I wrote our own vows and promised to be with each other till our last slice of pizza! I wore a long white gown with a trail by Sophia Tolli, and accessorized it with a necklace from Bafleh Jewelers.”
Youngster’s Night
“We then moved on to the Youngster’s Night which was a pajama-themed night where guests wore customized eye masks at the entrance. The projectors in the club had black and white Charlie Chaplin movies playing while shots were laid out on the bar in abundance. We had so much fun that night that the maid of honor broke her wrist, the bride’s brother broke his front tooth, one bridesmaid had a concussion, one puked her dinner and one guy forgot where his room was and was found sleeping in the corridor by the DJ in the morning!”
Mehndi
“The theme of the whole wedding was “The Bride Calls the Shots”. Hence every function had shots lined up at the bar. The mehndi ceremony was held in the center gazebo of the resort which is magnificent and accommodated all guests well. I chose to wear a yellow crop top and printed skirt by Manish Arora, and accessorized it beautiful floral jewellery from Floral Art. After a long night/morning of drinking, we decided to cure our collective hangover with a pool party! We chose the Island View Pool as our setting for the mehndi which had eye-catching pink and blue sea-facing gazebos for guests to relax in.”
Sangeet
“The decor of the sangeet was entirely done in blue, purple and gold. I really wanted an island bar at the center of the ballroom so no one had to sprint across the ballroom for drinks, or even have an excuse to not have a shot. The island bar had rows of shots always lined up in a 360-degree setting. The sangeet was a great event wherein our close friends Ankur Parikh, Parikshit Balochi (RJ in Dubai) and DJ Nitesh burned the dance floor with amazing music. Through this all, I decided to dance with my guy friends on ‘Kala Chashma’. Even though Sanjay had two left feet, he surprised me with a special dance performance to ‘O, O Jaane Jaana’ which was adorable! My steel grey outfit by Manish Malhotra was a complete stunner and perfectly suited my glitzy sangeet.”
Wedding
“The day started with pujas and the ‘haldi’ (turmeric application) ceremony. Pakkhi, my makeup artist, did a brilliant job on me for every function and absolutely aced my look for the pheras. For my wedding ensemble, I chose a red Sabyasachi Mukherjee lehenga and accessorized it with stunning jewellery from Mehta Emporium in Mumbai. Sanjay didn’t want to come on a horse but wanted to be a part of his ‘baraat’ (groom’s procession) and dance along now and then, so he decided to lead the ‘baraat’ procession on a buggy. I always wanted a ‘baraat’ myself and decided to dance towards the mandap. A buggy was waiting for me when I arrived and my friends and family joined into my own ‘baraat’! The mandap was probably my favorite set up of the whole wedding; it was picked by my dad and executed perfectly by Nipunika. The beautiful ramp over the pool with features on them led up to the mandap, while the bells chimed as the wind blew it was surreal. We read the seven vows ourselves in English, while our friends and family witnessed Sanjay and I get married for the third time!”
Reception
“The reception’s decor was done entirely in gold and white. We didn’t want a stage so we kept a long family table, a dance floor and the shots bar, of course. The night began with us cutting the cake with the traditional ‘talvar’ (sword) followed by speeches by our family and friends. I danced the night away in a gorgeous gold number by Rohit Verma, and minimal jewellery, which looked fabulous.”
Tips for to-be-wed couples
“Sanjay and I got married in court prior, so living together while planning helped. Remain calm through the planning. Make sure you brief the planner when you get to the venue on exactly what you are expecting so you don’t have to worry. Always do a thorough background check before hiring your wedding photographers. Last but not the least, it is your day so have fun and enjoy the process.”
The Wedding Makers
Wedding Venue: Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, Thailand
Wedding Planner: Elan by Nipunika
Bridal Trousseau: Sophia Tolli Gown from The Bridal Showroom, Dubai (Christian wedding), Manish Arora (Mehndi), Manish Malhotra (Sangeet), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Wedding), Rohit Verma (Reception)
Bridal Jewellery: Bafleh Jewelers, Dubai; Floral Art and Mehta Emporium, Mumbai, Siroya Jewelers, New Delhi
Makeup Artist : Pakkhi Pahuja
Photography: Deepak Ramrakhiani, Studiohouse85, Dubai (Pre-wedding shoot); Uttam Videos, Bangkok (Wedding)
