Nandita and Prabhav, Khao Lak, Thailand
From Thailand to New York and back again - this wedding was a journey of love and laughter for everyone there.
Nandita and Prabhav took a while planning their first date, but falling in love only took a New York minute!
For their wedding, they made their way to Thailand – the country where the bride grew up and had WeddingSutra Favorite WeddingNama document the details of their big day.
The bride takes us through their celebrations.
How We Met
Nandita and Prabhav met on Bumble in New York City. They made and canceled plans to meet several times and then they realized that they lived in the same building! Things progressed fairly quickly for them after that. Nandita had moved to New York but Prabhav had been living there for almost a decade so she didn’t have to work hard for a social life since Prabhav already had many friends. He made the transition from Bangkok very easy for her.
The Proposal
The couple had already casually discussed wedding plans so when they took a vacation to Tulum, Mexico, Nandita hired a photographer to take some photos of them in that picturesque location. They were outside Casa Malca (Pablo Escobar’s mansion) when at one point during the shoot, the photographer told Nandita to hold Prabhav’s hand and look in the other direction. She turned around after the photographer told her to let go of Prabhav’s hand and lo and behold, Prabhav was down on one knee. She did not see it coming at all! It was obviously really clever on his part because she had planned the whole shoot herself and he just hijacked it for the proposal!
Wedding Venue
With all their friends and families scattered across the globe, they decided to have a destination wedding. Thailand was the best choice because they both wanted a beach wedding and the place happens to be close to the bride’s heart. The JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa has a sprawling secluded beach and several venue options. The Marquee Hall is completely bare and gives you a chance to decorate it ground up without any restrictions on themes and creativity. The food here is spectacular and they have great Indian chefs who offer plenty of options for vegetarians. Additionally, most rooms have access to South East Asia’s longest pool.
Wedding Planning
The couple handed over the responsibility of capturing all the beautiful moments from their nuptials to WeddingNama. Sharing their experience of working with the team, the bride says, “When it came to hiring our wedding photographers, we didn’t want to cut corners since they were going to be capturing some of the most important moments of our lives. WeddingNama did a phenomenal job photographing every last detail as candidly as possible and scrolling through the pictures has been such a pleasure. We feel like we’re reliving every moment of the wedding and everyone looks like they were having a great time – so many hugs, laughs and smiles!
Aakash and Ankita were keen to give us a final product that spoke to us, taking all our suggestions and requests and weaving them into their unique style. They were a very attentive and passionate team who also came highly recommended by my friends and our wedding planners. We couldn’t be more thrilled with our trailer and photos!”
Wedding Functions
Welcome Sundowner
The welcome sundowner, ‘A Seaside Soiree’, had a white and gold color scheme with a lot of drapes accented with vines and fairy lights. Nandita wore a Herve Leger metallic fringe dress while Prabhav opted for an all-white linen shirt and shorts with a bespoke baby pink jacket and a silver bow tie to match the brides dress.
Mehendi
“The theme for the mehndi was ‘Oh So Boho’. The venue was set up with cabanas and an ikat print bar. The colorful dance floor was under an orange canopy with the ceiling decorated with tassels. On the tables were placed paper bags printed with the wedding logo and stuffed with flowers. There was also a rain dance corner right by the beach which was the highlight of the event! Nandita made an entrance dance with her closest girlfriends and sisters. She walked to the tunes of ‘Dear Future Husband’ by Meghan Trainor and this left Prabhav totally surprised. Nandita’s pink and green ankle length lehenga, and Prabhav’s kurta in complementing colors, were both from Anita Dongre along with her jewelry which was from Pink City by Anita Dongre.
Sangeet
The decor for this function was an ode to the city where the couple found love. The decor palette made use of ink blue, blush, rose as well as pops of black and white. They recreated the street sign from where they lived in New York, the backdrop of the stage was the city’s skyline and a pop art drawing of NYC was propped behind the bar. The signature drinks menu was all based on New York and their lives.
Nandita wore a white Manish Malhotra lehenga paired with jewelry from Graff and Prabhav opted for a navy blue sherwani with white embroidery.
Wedding
“Maroon, red, peach and white dominated the wedding décor. Nandita wanted a rustic, minimalist mandap with bold, fresh roses. She had this image in her head of what she wanted it to look like and somehow Élan Events by Nipunika managed to create it exactly as she pictured it. She was left stunned. Other details included floral petal cones, candles, bamboo signage and a floral carpet leading to the mandap.
Nandita wore the traditional bridal color, a red lehenga, by Sabyasachi while Prabhav’s white sherwani was from Absoluto The Design Studio.
Reception
The setting for the final function was dreamy and belonged in a fairytale. The colors chosen were rose, peach, cream, white and purple with sparkles of silver and fairy lights for an enchanted touch. The bride loved the decor that had sakura trees which dotted the venue.
Advice For Couples
Nandita shares pointers to keep in mind for future brides:
Practice your dances in your outfits. My reception outfit was a little too long for me because of which I kept tripping over my dress while Prabhav kept stepping on it during our choreographed dance.
Take a few minutes during every event to appreciate everything that’s happening around you. It truly is a surreal feeling to have so many people show up for you.
The Wedding Makers
Venue: JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa
Wedding Planner: Élan Events by Nipunika
Bride’s Outfits: Herve Leger (Welcome Sundowner), Anita Dongre (Mehndi), Manish Malhotra (Sangeet), Sabyasachi (Wedding), Ganit Etc. (Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Anita Dongre (Mehndi), Absoluto The Design Studio (Wedding)
Jewellery: Pink City by Anita Dongre (Mehndi), Graff (Sangeet)
Makeup Artist: Jida Makeup Artist
Hairstylist: Vishnu Witsanu Natethip
Entertainment: Entourage, from London.
DJ: Sameer Naik
Wedding Stationery: Moor Designs
Bartenders: Flaming Trio
Photography and Videography: WeddingNama
