Urvashi and Abhijeet, The Patra Bali Resort & Villas

Urvashi and Abhijeet, pulled out all the stops when planning their destination wedding. Designed to wow with innovative themes and striking decor, the celebrations in idyllic Bali were meticulously planned by WeddingSutra Favorite Varawedding.

Bride Urvashi shares details below.

How we met
“We’re from very different professional and geographic worlds,” Urvashi says, “Abhijeet is an IT consultant working in Accenture Denmark. I am cabin crew with Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong. On the 19th of August, 2017, I was in Amsterdam on my layover and Abhijeet was on an office trip. After my post-flight beauty sleep, I went out clubbing and Abhijeet saw me dancing and approached me with such a sweet and naughty smile. We spoke, danced and before leaving the club, he asked for my number. We started talking a lot on the phone, FaceTime, Skype and grew closer.

One night, as I was telling him about a terrible flight I’d had, where I had injured my right arm while handling the overhead lockers – I began to cry. It was hard for me to cook and eat as I lived alone in Hong Kong. Two days later, he was at my doorstep! He had travelled all the way from Denmark to Hong Kong to take care of me.

When I felt a little better, he decided to go back to Denmark and I accompanied him to the airport. I knew I had fallen for him but couldn’t admit it. Just before entering for security check, he turned back, hugged me, said those three magical words and gently kissed me on my cheeks and left. That’s when I realized that he was the one for me and I love him too.”

The Proposal
“After 2 months of dating, he surprised me on one of my operating flights from Paris to Hong Kong. He surprised me when he booked himself in business class where I was working on that flight. In the middle of the flight, he goes down on his one knee and popped the question in front of all the people around. I burst into tears as he spoke beautiful words and won my heart and soul. He and I were looking forward to entering the magical world of marriage!”

Wedding venue
“Abhijeet and I wanted a destination wedding outside India. I’d been to Bali, its culture is very resonant and it was well within our budget. And then, there are the exotic resorts! Since I was a little girl, I had always dreamed of marrying by the sea so Bali was perfect in every way. It also helps that my family is settled across the world – Australia, Finland and USA and Bali felt like the right choice considering the convenience of traveling.

The Patra Bali Resort & Villas was chosen based on their online reviews and the package they provided suited our requirements. The resort was sea facing with amazing villas. Also, it’s very close to the airport so commuting for the guests was easier.”

Wedding Planning
“Our wedding planners did a tremendous job! They considered all our requirements very diligently and made sure to fit everything into the given budget. Jenny of Varawedding worked hard, kept all the details in mind and took care of all the requirements. The decorators were outstanding and all the guests loved the decor and the details. Abhijeet and I were lucky to find these professionals to make our special day memorable.”

Pre-Wedding Shoot
“Our first day was all about welcoming our guests and having them settle into the hotel and introducing everyone to each other. We also managed to squeeze in a pre-wedding photo shoot across various locations – beaches, hills and a beautiful garden at night. I had also chosen to shoot at night because I thought it was a new and exciting idea.”

Wedding Functions

Mehndi
“Our families rarely get to meet since we live all over the world so we took the opportunity to have a baby shower for my sister. We saved the mehndi for the evening and there was good music, dancing and the highlight was a memory run on a big LCD screen which showed pictures from our childhood till the present.”

Wedding
“The last day started with prayers and puja. A Haldi function took place followed by a fun ‘finding the ring’ game. This involved digging into a big bowl filled with rice, crystals, flowers, a few pebbles, milk and a ring. The bride and groom have to search for the ring with one hand without looking. The one who finds it first wins.

Abhijeet and I were fighting over this and he kept holding my hand in order to restrict my chances of winning. It’s fun and crazy! We ended up on a draw and declared it a mutual win.

The next function was a baraat followed by an engagement, the nuptial ceremony and in the evening, the reception function. The reception was fun with more singing and dancing through the night.

Each function had a signature color. At the Mehndi, the colour was green. For the Haldi- Yellow and white of course. The wedding ceremony was a vision in pink and white and the reception was color flexible. During the wedding ceremony, it all seemed so fun and exciting. Being an Indian bride, our guests thought I would shed some tears, however it was simply me enjoying my big day with a big smile on my face.”

Advice for Couples
“Choose the best professionals – wedding planners, photographers, videographers etc. Keep in mind things that went wrong at weddings you’ve attended and pre-empt those by having a solution or Plan B ready. Timely booking of flights is necessary to avoid hefty ticket costs. This also applies while booking the venue as good resorts are sold out quickly especially during the peak season or festivals. Excellent advance planning means you can get married at a much more affordable price.”

The Wedding Makers
Venue: The Patra Bali Resort & Villas
Wedding Planner: Varawedding
Wedding Décor: Silverdust Decoration
Bride’s Outfits: Aishwarya Design Studio (Mehndi and Wedding), Lulus (Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Manyavar (Mehndi), Arvind Bhai Khatri (Wedding)
Makeup Artist: Maretta Hana
Photographer: Studio8 Bali
Videographer: H2O Video Works Bali

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