Niharika and Ashwin, Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, Thailand
Niharika and Ashwin’s wedding was a coming together of not just two families but also different cultures.
Ashwin always dreamed of marrying the love of his life by a scenic waterfront and so, he took Niharika his bride to Rayong, Thailand.
Thailand, the Land of Smiles, is second to none when it comes to hospitality and warmth and once at Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, Thailand, Niharika and Ashwin both knew this was where they were going to start their lives together.
And so followed their vibrant wedding from which the bride shares with us some of her most cherished memories.
How We Met
We’re childhood sweethearts. We met at boarding school in 2003 and dated before we went our separate ways in 2007, he to Singapore, me to Calcutta. But in 2012, he moved back to the city to take care of business and we met again.
We started hanging out without realizing that this time our relationship would evolve into a marriage. We dated for three years before tying the knot but all the while, deep down, we both knew, this was real.
Wedding Venue
My husband had always wanted a beach wedding and when he was attending a wedding in Thailand he heard about Rayong. His sister has lived in Thailand for the last 10 years and recommended it too. When Ashwin saw Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, Thailand first he really liked it so I decided to visit it we agreed it was a great place for us to get married and fit perfectly in our budget. We managed to convince my father who was keen on an Udaipur wedding, to go ahead with this property and in retrospect, we feel this was a good decision.
Wedding Functions
Welcome Dinner
Our welcome dinner saw a very small gathering as it was intended for our guests who were flying in a day prior to the all the wedding functions. For this event, I wore an outfit by Abhinav Mishra.
Pool Party
We decided to give our guests a taste of Thailand via the decor. ‘Lannathai’ was the theme for this function so the venue was decorates in paper umbrellas, origami and other papercraft elements in hot pink and orange. A bright yellow gown by Papa Don’t preach by Shubhika was the outfit I wore for this function.
Sangeet
Blue and gold was the color palette for our sangeet. Since ours is an inter-caste wedding, I wanted minimalistic, classy décor with no single cultural aesthetic dominating. We invited the Coke Studio sensation, Mr. Mame Khan to perform at our sangeet and everyone loved his performance. In line with the color scheme, I opted for a golden gown by Dolly J.
South Indian Wedding
Next morning we wed each other in a South Indian ceremony. For the decor, we made use of white drapes and added a pop of color with bright yellow flowers and gold accents. We had notified all our guests about the ceremony being a South Indian one so they wore white and gold sarees which looked beautiful. We even had a dancer from Kerala come and perform for our guests.
Pheras
Our pheras took place by the sea and the entire place was decorated in white and pastel pink. A large chandelier hung from the center of our mandap. We had called our panditji from Delhi and he was amazing in the way he kept all our guests engaged in our pheras. He made jokes in between and wrapped up the whole ceremony in an hour’s time. I wore a deep green lehenga by Sabyasachi for this ceremony while Ashwin opted for a gold sherwani also by Sabya. It was accessorized with a dupatta in the same shade as my outfit.
Reception
Victorian Vintage was the theme for our reception and we used a lot of green and white in the décor We weren’t keen on the standard practice of standing on the stage and posing with all our guests so we instructed our photographer to take pictures of us when we were on the ground meeting them. We did have a few pictures clicked on stage but only with our friends. I wore a glamorous blue gown by Megha and Jigar, Delhi and Ashwin looked debonair in a black tuxedo and a bowtie.
Advice For Couples
Look into your wedding personally if you’re looking for cost-effective options because no one will make the effort to save you money the way you would.
Wedding Makers
Venue: Rayong Marriott Resort &Spa, Thailand
Event Planner: Chirmi Weddings (Bangalore)
Decor: Oriental Events (Bangkok)
Bride’s Outfits: Abhinav Mishra (Welcome dinner), Papa don’t preach by Shubhika (Pool Party), Dolly J (Sangeet) Sabyasachi (Pheras)
Groom’s Outfits: Nikhil Bhandari (Welcome Dinner, Pool Party, and Sangeet), Sabyasachi (Pheras)
Makeup Artist: Leena Bhushan (Delhi)
Mehndi Artist: Asha Singh (Bangkok)
Invitations: E-invite designed by Be the Bee (Kolkata)
Photography: Ankit Singh (Bangalore)
