Palak and Pankaj, The Ananta Udaipur
With an enviable wedding wardrobe that entailed ensembles by Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna, Shyamal and Bhumika as well as Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, this bride made a dazzling style statement at her self-planned destination wedding.
A beautiful amalgam of colors, trends and emotions, this big fat Punjabi wedding was indeed an ebullient affair, perfectly reflected in these gorgeous clicks by WeddingSutra Favorite – House On The Clouds, who lived up to their reputation of mesmerizing captures at Palak and Pankaj’s wedding. The couple have been raving about them long after the wedding. Here’s bride Palak telling us all about wedding while sharing her favorite pictures from the celebrations.
How they met
“I’m from Jaipur and Pankaj is from Delhi. We met at Manchester Business School. Within two days of having met, we became the best of friends. When we returned home, we could barely spend a few hours without calling or texting each other. We made the effort to visit one another and that’s when we realized we were in this forever.”
The Proposal
“Pankaj surprised me with the dreamiest proposal ever! He sort of tricked me into visiting a friend’s home. He’d decorated it beautifully with lights and candles. As I entered, he went down on one knee and proposed to me with a gold band that had a very special inscription.”
Wedding Planning
“We planned the entire wedding down to the minute details. Being part of every little process was a lot to handle but it also made us realize the importance of personal involvement. Also, we have to admit, we think planning our own dream wedding was actually a lot of fun!”
Wedding Functions
Mehendi
“We wanted people to sit back and soak in the warm winter sun so we went for a relaxed, flamingo beach theme. We used pink, purple and green across the décor, specially crafted flamingos and jute elements. We also had bangle-makers in one corner so people could learn how Rajasthani artisans work their magic. Punjabi singers specially flown in, performed live to set the mood for the big fat Punjabi wedding that was to follow.”
The bride was dressed in a gorgeous royal blue lehenga with multi-coloured appliqued work for her mehndi designed by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla while the groom wore a mint-green kurta with a rich silver gota design, crafted by the same designer.
Sangeet
“The sangeet was all glitz and glam. Burgundy, black and silver was the color palette. The venue was lit up with candles. We had a mirrored bar where our guests were served delicious signature cocktails. I’ve always loved to dance and was very particular about how I wanted the stage set up. But I was thrilled to see how perfectly it all turned out with LED screens on the sides and a huge bulb installation in the center. After the performances, the DJ and a percussionist performed non-stop well into the night! Pankaj and I were the last ones to leave the dance floor.”
The bride’s sangeet demeanour was resplendent with a gorgeous warm-coloured embroidered lehenga designed by Anamika Khanna while the groom looked dapper in black suit with an intricate silver design on the neck by Mnaish Malhotra.
Haldi and Choora
“Pankaj’s haldi and my choora ceremonies took place simultaneously in the same space so guests could attend both easily. Everything was beautiful and bright in yellow with fresh marigolds and gota adornments across the venue.”
For her haldi and choora ceremony, Palak wore a peach gota sharara which she picked from Jaipur based Veera Designs. The groom, on the other hand, was dressed in a yellow kurta by Masaba Gupta.
Wedding
“We decided to stay traditional to our roots and our décor for the wedding featured shades of red and gold. Lots and lots of flowers, candles, bells… in fact each seat had a bell which guests rang as I made my entrance.
The beautiful decor and mesmerizing background music was the perfect setting. We also had a BollyJazz band play some poignant retro Hindi songs to set the mood!”
Palak’s bridal ensemble was a beautiful peach and red creation by Shyamal and Bhumika while her groom was resplendent in an Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla sherwani.
After Party
“We went straight from the wedding ceremony to a boisterous after-party! Hosted inside the hotel ballroom with no specific décor, all we needed was a dance-floor and a playlist to facilitate a night of pure, non-stop dancing. Pankaj and I wanted to end the wedding with a bang and it was exactly as we planned. We even wore matching fur jackets with lights for that last leg of the celebrations! The night indeed was as crazy as it could get.”
Reception
“We had a formal reception in Delhi for the guests who couldn’t make it to the wedding in Udaipur.”
Advice for couples
“It’s very important to invest in good photographers and make-up artists. You tend to spend a lot of time hungry and sleepless and these are the people who’ll ensure you look fabulous irrespective! I’m really glad I had a great photography team to capture my wedding. Their pictures were fabulous and help me relive my big day- every day!”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: The Ananta Udaipur
Wedding Planner: Facts and Fiction PVT LTD, New Delhi
Groom’s Outfits: Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla (Mehendi, Wedding), Manish Malhotra, Masaba Gupta (Haldi), Dolce and Gabbana (Reception)
Groom’s Accessories: Christian Louboutin (Sangeet and Reception), Amrapali (Wedding Kalgi), Sabyasachi (Wedding)
Bride’s Outfits: ASAL by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla (Mehendi), Anamika Khanna (Sangeet), Veera Designs, Jaipur (Haldi), Shyamal and Bhumika (Wedding), Manish Malhotra (Reception)
Jewellery: Rawat Jewellers, Jaipur (Mehendi, Sangeet)
Makeup Artist: Pratibha Biswas, Delhi
Entertainment: John Key, Bombay.
DJ: DJ Sahil, Jaipur
Choreography: EDCC Wedding Choreography, Jaipur. Mandy, Delhi
Invitations: Aastha Pandya, Jaipur. RK designs, Delhi.
Photography and Videography: House On The Clouds
