Raashi and Aayush, Anantara Kalutara Resort, Sri Lanka
Aayush and Raashi wed at a relatively new resort in Sri Lanka which was convenient for their guests and offered a lush, lovely space for their outdoor wedding ceremony.
From a proposal on a secret beach in Europe to a beautiful wedding at Anantara Kalutara Resort, Sri Lanka, Aayush and Raashi’s wedding celebrations were all about family bonding, friendly bonhomie, and breathtaking vistas. Their memories were captured by WeddingSutra Favorite – Knotting Bells – and the couple share highlights of their wedding below.
How We Met
Aayush Thakkar, the owner of Lush Homes, a home furnishing brand, decided to meet fun-loving Raashi Seth when a common friend planned to set them up. Raashi, who is also into home decor, is the owner of the Casa Vida brand. Aayush decided to add her on Facebook and started talking to her directly. They felt a spark between them and soon started having fun conversations. Finally, on a trip to Croatia, Aayush decided to pop the question at one of the most beautiful beaches of Europe, Stiniva. It’s a secret beach which has no road access – people have to swim to it. Aayush stood in the beautiful waters of the Adriatic Sea and played their favorite song, after which he went down on his knees and proposed. All Raashi said was, “Finally!”
Wedding Venue
“We were both sure that we wanted a destination wedding. We were considering a lot of options like Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Since we wanted to keep travel time to a minimum for our guests, we picked Sri Lanka as it had properties that met our requirements. We fell in love with Anantara Kalutara Resort when we visited it. The resort was just eight months old back then, and our wedding would be the first Indian wedding to be hosted there. The staff and Mr. Giles, the General Manager of the resort, went out of their way to give us a special experience.”
Wedding Functions
Pool Party
The wedding festivities kicked off with a fun pool party held in the late afternoon and included some unique decor elements. Raashi and Aayush share, “The resort boasts of a beautiful pool, so we decided to start the wedding with a pool party. The color theme for the decor of the pool party included blue, green and yellow hues.”
Sangeet
“The highlight of the sangeet was the color theme that included black and marsala. The stage was set and the lighting arrangements added to the mood of the evening. All the performances for the night were entertaining, and we couldn’t stop dancing until late that night!”
Haldi
The haldi ceremony was an intimate affair with only the close family and friends in attendance. A simple yet colorful setup was created with fresh florals making it an elegant affair.
Wedding
“Our wedding venue was outdoors – we hosted the ceremony on the lawns which had a beautiful lagoon behind it. Unfortunately, it started raining heavily. We got stressed as the ‘baraat’ (groom’s procession), and wedding was in the open. But then as soon as the time came for the ‘baraat,’ the rains stopped, and everything was beautiful after that. The sky was beautiful, and we got amazing images during our ‘varmala’ (garland ceremony).” For the ceremony, Raashi wanted the mandap decor to match her outfit color. Hence the wedding decor for the wedding included shades of pink in elements such as drapes and flowers which turned out to be beautiful. Everything was aligned with the picture we had in mind.”
Reception
“The reception was all white, from the linens, stage, flowers to the white bar. We envisioned the dreamy impact that white would have as the dominant color for the reception, and we were right – the setting was perfect! Glamor, glitz and all things shiny were the order of the evening.”
Advice for Couples
“There is a lot of planning that needs to be done a few months before the wedding. Enjoy the process as the wedding celebrations will pass by very quickly, without you realizing it. But it’s these things you are going to cherish for a lifetime.”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: Anantara Kalutara Resort, Sri Lanka
Wedding Planner: Magical Moments (Sri Lanka)
Bride’s Outfits: Arpita Mehta (Pool Party), Cherie D (Sangeet), Sabyasachi (Wedding), Gaurav Gupta (Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Neeta Lulla (Sangeet and Wedding), Govinda Mehta (Reception)
Makeup and Hair: Priya Todarwal and Shagufta
Entertainment: DJ Madoc, DJ Pritam
Bartenders: Dr. Mixology
Photography: Knotting Bells
