Akanksha Kamath and Luke Damirai, The Great Eastern Home, Mumbai

Vogue India’s former Fashion Features Director Akanksha Kamath tied the knot with London-based Strategy Consultant Luke Damiral in an intimate city wedding teeming with sweet, soulful touches. Having managed the Vogue Wedding Book in 2017, she had a distinctive approach to orchestrating her own, every detail of which was planned to perfection by WeddingSutra Favorite – Ties N Knots Weddings & Events and flawlessly executed by WeddingSutra Favorite – Atrezzo Decor.

How they met
Akanksha first met Luke in 2016 while studying fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins. Despite their first date almost getting canceled, love was clearly in the stars for them. For 6 years, they nurtured their relationship through different time zones, continents, and cultures, and finally decided to take the next step with a beautiful ceremony that celebrates their bond.

Wedding Planning
Helming the planning process, the mother of the bride worked with Ties N Knots Weddings & Events to iron out the details, while Taskeen Poonawalla of Atrezzo were roped in to design and execute the decor. The bride and her mother, who runs an NGO for women, prioritized working with female vendors where possible and curated a team that included women bartenders, wait staff, and wedding registrar, among others.

Taskeen of Atrezzo shares, “Akanksha was looking for an intimate but style-forward wedding celebration, that featured a subtle yet exclusive look for one event, while the other was envisioned to have a traditional yet surreal vibe. The smoothest start as far as the planning of decor goes was when we proposed the first design concept and they approved it with just miniscule changes. As luck would have it, they were open to innate props and florals which gave us the liberty to create new looks for both days.

With it being a cross-cultural wedding, the bride and her parents wanted to host the Mehndi and Civil Ceremony in the garden of their building to welcome their International guests with a warm, homely celebration. The Reception on the other hand was done at The Great Eastern Home, which was an exciting space to work with.”

Talking about the experience, they add “Curating a storyline with the decor at The Great Eastern Home was an enticing challenge in itself. Having multiple areas that are inter-spaced, we had to make sure there was aesthetic continuity all across. For a designer, there are umpteen challenges and hurdles while instituting what we have foreseen for a wedding look, but then again that’s the thrill of the job!”

Wedding Functions
Mehndi and Civil Ceremony
The festivities started with a non-religious havan performed by Akanksha’s grandmother and aunt under the glorious banyan tree in her apartment complex. The decor of yellow marigolds, rajnigandha flowers, ethnic brass bells, gota flowers, earthen pots, and wicker elements set a tender, tranquil note for the occasion. The couple eschewed the varmala and phera ceremony in favor of a legal registration and signing ceremony surrounded by their closest friends and family members. Sufi music and dance performances followed on a shimmering floral dance floor that stole the show. DJ Amey Lakhani kept the party going inside with his riveting beats.

Reception
The Reception for their 300 guests was hosted in the unconventional, but gorgeous venue of The Great Eastern Home – a vintage furniture store and art gallery that doubles up as an event space. The crimson color palette of the Red Room came alive with chandeliers and warm illumination, while the existing artifacts and vintage art collection added infinite charm to the soiree. Floral arrangements were artistically done around the walls and arches of the 176-year-old heritage mill, making for an evening that looked straight out of a Pinterest board.

Saxophonist Ryan Sadri entertained the guests with his musical stylings, with his music partner Kesha on the vocals. DJ Aarish Daruwalla kept everyone dancing till the wee hours of the morning. Foodlink Catering had everyone gushing with their extensive menu which included everything from modern chaat to a burrata bar, live sushi, and robatayaki, with Kahwa on tap.

The Wedding Makers
Venues: Chaitanya Towers, Prabhadevi (Mehndi and Civil Ceremony); The Great Eastern Home, Byculla (Reception)
Wedding Planners: Ties N Knots Weddings & Events
Decor: Atrezzo Decor
Groom’s Outfits: Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Mehndi and Civil Ceremony)
Bride’s Outfits: Anita Dongre (Mehndi and Civil Ceremony), Alex Perry (After-party), Seema Gujral (Reception), 431-88 by Shweta Kapur (Reception after-party)
Makeup: Vishakha Jain
Hair: Swapnil Kashid
Catering: Foodlink Catering
Entertainment: Ryan Sadri (Reception)
DJ: DJ Aarish Daruwalla (Reception), DJ Amey Lakhani (Mehndi and Civil Ceremony)
Photography and Videography: Epiphany

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