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Neetu and Abishek met almost 15 years ago in Dubai. He was a good friend of her sister, who introduced the two. Over the years Neetu and Abhishek bonded over kick boxing, pop concerts and their love for travel. But it came as a complete shock for them when they actually realized what they really felt for each other. After that, it didn’t take them long to get engaged and then married.
The Leela in Kovalam, Kerala
They got married in the beautiful beach city of Kovalam at The Leela which holds a special place in their heart. Neetu says, “Abi always wanted to get married in Kerala and I always wanted a destination wedding. We visited several properties but The Leela just bowled us over. Apart from being a stunning property on a cliff surrounded by ocean view and 5 star amenities, it has lot of character and local flavor. It has many venues within the property and for us, it was large enough to accommodate all the out of town guests. And Abi and I spent a wonderful holiday here several years back with some friends so it was special for us in that sense too.”
Neetu practically planned every single element of the decor and it was executed beautifully by her Wedding Planner. She doesn’t like over-the-top gaudy decor and that reflected in her simple yet elegant choices.
Tradition and Vigor for Mehndi
Neetu says, “For the Mehndi our venue was a typical Kerala hall where I wanted the amalgamation of tradition with youthfulness. We used gold, orange and pink to bring alive the atmosphere. The entire hall was draped with gold fabric and the traditional Indian elements gave it the ‘wedding’ feel which was all important – marigolds everywhere, a bridal swing, bells at the entrance, rangoli, diyas, colorful cushions, bangle and bindi stalls. ” She wore a beautiful yellow, coral and bright pink lehenga by a Dubai based designer and Abishek wore a blue and pink kurta.
Cream, Silver and Lavender for Sangeet
Neetu went for a subdued color theme of cream, silver and lavender for the Sangeet to balance out the DJ lights. She says, “The sangeet was held in the banquet hall. There were candles throughout the venue and the entrance was decorated with large trees and baskets full of white and lavender roses. Towering centerpieces had roses, candles, mirrors and crystals on silver linens. The stage had cream fabric and fairy lights. The dancers made the evening memorable with their Mohiniyattam dance performance. The little details like the perfect cake topper resembling me and Abishek touched the right chords.”
She wore ivory and turquoise blue lehenga by Neeta Lulla, jewellery by Ghana Singh and shoes by Gina and Abishek wore a black and silver Sherwani by Kachins, Dubai.
White, Gold and Red Theme Wedding
The venue for the pheras was a beautiful park overlooking the sea and had goddess statues and lush trees all around. Neetu says, “I chose traditional white, red, gold with hints of pink for the decor because the setting was too beautiful to be overpowered by bright colors.Everything from the horse Abi rode on to the paper fans distributed was in line with the color theme. The aisle leading up to the mandap was filled with white and red rose petals and the mandap was decorated with strings of gold beads, petals and fabric. The venue was actually not big enough for all the guests so we had put cushions on the steps as well.”
For the pheras, she wore a coral pink and gold lehenga again by Neeta Lulla, jewellery by Ghana Singh and Abishek wore a white and gold sherwani by Kachins, Dubai.
Fairy tale reception on the Beach
Neetu says, “My favorite venue and event was the cocktail/reception on the beach and here we really went crazy with lighting – string of lights crisscrossed near the entrance, fairy lights around the coconut trees, paper lanterns in pink and cream on beach shacks. Sparklers were lit by our close friends when we entered and fire crackers lighted the entire stage during our first dance. The best was the wish lanterns that our guests lit – heart shaped lanterns against the night sky on the beach was really magical! Champagne linens, and fuchsia and light pink flowers contrasted well with the lights and the effect was very romantic. “
Photographs Courtesy:
Navdeep Soni
www.navdeepsoni.com
https://www.facebook.com/NavdeepPhotography
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