Megha and Shyam, JW Marriott Jaipur Resort & Spa, Rajasthan

Megha and Shyam’s love story began on a dating app and led to a unique proposal and dual weddings incorporating both their cultures. The North Indian wedding celebrations held in Jaipur were conceptualized and planned by WeddingSutra Favorite – Weddings by Ekta Saigal Lulla. The special moments were captured another WeddingSutra Favorite – Reels and Frames by Anand Rathi. Here, bride Megha shares photos and highlights of her Jaipur wedding.

How We Met
“I moved to Singapore for work and decided to explore the dating app world. I signed up for this app called ‘Coffee Meets Bagel,’ and that is where I bumped into Shyam. We met in June last year and went on a couple of dates over four months. I wasn’t very interested in him initially because I thought he only spoke about himself and wasn’t interested in learning about me. But things just worked out for us, and we finally started dating in November last year. Our parents met in April this year, we got engaged in May and had our Telugu wedding in Hyderabad at the end of August this year. Our Registry took place in Singapore in early September, and finally our North Indian Wedding in Jaipur followed this November.”

Proposal
“I was in London for a business trip where Shyam paid me a surprise visit. He took me to the Greenwich Meridian line and went down on one knee. Since this is the imaginary meridian line from the North Pole to the South Pole passing through the Airy transit circle (where North meets South), it is just like our story of two states where North also meets South. He also waited for the clock to strike 12 so it could be in his words ‘The middle of the middle of the middle!'”

Wedding Venue
“I always wanted to get married in Jaipur which is the place of my birth, and we have visited our family in Jaipur every year even after we left India in 1994. So it was a no-brainer when it came to deciding on the city for the wedding. JW Marriott had just opened in Jaipur about six months ago, and we had heard about this venue through close family friends who live in Jaipur. It was the perfect hotel to host the number of guests we were expecting at the wedding (around 450). Plus, we could have all the functions in the same venue and yet provide a different feel for each event.”

Wedding Planning
“The team of Weddings by Ekta Saigal Lulla (ESL) has been amazing throughout our wedding planning. What I like most about the team is that they are young, flexible, patient and very friendly. They understood what we wanted to achieve and were creative with each event.”

Wedding Functions

Youngster’s Party
“This was held at Castle Kanota which is a beautiful heritage property away from Jaipur city, in Kanota village. We wanted this first night to be an icebreaker where friends and cousins from both sides meet each other for the first time. We wanted the decor to be very light since the property itself is very beautiful, with low seating arrangements and bonfires. The decor was perfect with lots of lanterns, low sofas and cushions spread around. We also had a game master who played lots of games with the crowd to ease everyone in, and our mixologists were on a mission to get everyone drunk (which they succeeded in doing)!”

Pool Party
“We had a bar and DJ alongside the pool for people to enjoy themselves and recover from the night before. We wanted to create a mood which would relax them instantaneously and get them all set for the next few days.”

Welcome Dinner
“This was the first night with all our guests under one roof. We had Meet Brothers as our performers as we wanted this to be a fun and lively evening. The theme was ‘Casino,’ and it was suggested to us by the ESL team. We had some beautiful game tables outside in the lawn such as poker and roulette as well as thematic decor.”

Mehndi
“This function was truly my mom’s doing, and she got everything she wanted. She wanted to have the ‘mela’ (traditional fair) theme with a lot of stalls, colors and food carts, and we got exactly that. There were a lot of chaat counters alongside ethnic shoes and bangle sellers. The decor was very Rajasthani with beautiful bright colors, and everything was tastefully done and executed. We even had ‘Phoolon ki Holi’ (Holi with flowers) which was a lot of fun. Shyam and I made our entry on one of those vintage scooters with the buggy seat on the side.”

Sangeet
“I wanted the sangeet to have a mirror theme, and that is all I mentioned to ESL. They collaborated with the wedding decorators and gave us amazing decor that matched the theme perfectly. Gulmohar Gardens as a venue is stunning and to top it off, Shyam and I felt like royalty thanks to the grand entry that ESL planned for us. There were fireworks and sparklers all around us with the ‘Mastani’ girls dancing to the tunes. There were various surprise acts throughout the evening for guests followed by a family sangeet, where all our loved ones put in a lot of effort to practise the choreography and amaze everyone.”

Wedding
“The theme for the wedding was again suggested to us by ESL in conjunction with the wedding decorators. We picked the ‘Lotus-sutra’ option, and the color theme was pastel pink and green. Shyam entered in a horse carriage and a vintage car, and I walked to the mandap under a floral canopy and then sat in a beautiful palanquin. The menu was a mixture of Rajasthani, Sindhi, and Hyderabadi cuisines, and we also had the famous ‘chillas’ of Jaipur at the wedding.”

Reception
“We hosted our cocktail reception at JW Marriott’s beautiful terrace, and the decor was just right with candles and lamps all around us. Guests enjoyed the performance by a trio band from Dubai as well as a beautiful fireworks display organized by the ESL team. The party then continued downstairs in the ballroom of the hotel where the theme of the decor was ‘Enchanted Forest.’”

Advice for Couples
“My only advice to couples getting married would be that in case you are working, please try and take at least a month out of your working schedule just before the wedding, because there is always a lot to do.”

The Wedding Makers
Venues: Gulmohar Gardens, Kukas, Jaipur (Sangeet), Castle Kanota, Jaipur (Youngsters Party), JW Marriott Jaipur Resort & Spa (Wedding and Reception)
Wedding Planners:  Weddings by Ekta Saigal Lulla
Decor: Capital Tent, Jaipur
Caterer: Kukas Jaipur, Fork & Spoon
Bride’s Outfits: Chamee & Palak (Welcome Dinner), Tarun Tahliani (Sangeet), Falguni and Shane Peacock (Wedding), Manish Malhotra (Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Habito Clothing
Jewellery: Gehna Jewelers, Mumbai and Sri Jewelers, Hyderabad
Makeup Artist and Hairstylist:  Natasha Moor and Herman hairstyle
Entertainment: DJ Shadow, Anushka Arora, London and Gunjan Utreja
Choreographer: Juhi Soni
Mixologists: Flaming Trio

Photography: Reels & Frames by Anand Rathi

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