Akshita and Prekhar, Ramada Lucknow

Life is like a roller coaster they say and Akshit and Prekhar couldn’t agree more. After facing all the ups and downs in their relationship these thwarted childhood sweethearts finally kowtowed to fate and tied the knot in Lucknow preparing for a lifetime of happiness. The bride and groom share with us their story.

How We Met
“I hate you” was the first sentence that she ever said to me, and the feeling stayed for a long time. We were in class 9 and were at loggerheads for ages. Eventually she saw the humor she had misread as arrogance and I saw the sweetness behind her shield. We hoisted a white flag that turned into a red rose and a high school love story was born. But what’s a story without the Indian masala?

Our parents thought we were too young and brought the terror of “career” upon us. They made sure we didn’t cross each other’s paths again. After high school, destiny threw us bait by landing us in colleges merely 200kms apart. Long night talks on the phone, birthday surprises, meetings all began to become a big part of our lives. Once again, thinking that we are completely ruining our lives and our careers, we were asked to stay away, so much so that even the thought of seeing the other would be a crime.

Life went on and we both made peace with the arrangements. We didn’t contact each other for three and a half years even though my best friend was her roommate and closest friend.

In 2013, during the last semester of college, she got placed in Chennai – where I was studying, and this time we decided to either burn our bridges or cross them together. And that’s how it all started. Fast forward to 2018, we are now happily married to each other!

Wedding Venue
Choosing Ramada Lucknow as our wedding venue was completely unexpected, as none of us live there. A family friend had suggested this newly constructed hotel so we decided to check it out. Logistically it made sense. Lucknow is centrally located and convenient, as most of our relatives and friends live in and around New Delhi. And it was something different from the usual destination wedding options. The hotel itself is beautiful. The outer façade is huge and impressive. The management folks were very welcoming and helpful while making all the arrangements.

Wedding Planning
Naman Verma Photography was the team behind all the wonderful captures from our wedding. Finalizing Naman as the wedding photographer was the quickest decision I have ever made. I just had to pray that he would be available for the dates! His creative process leaves you spellbound.

The wedding invitation was designed by my mother and Siddharth from Red Square Communication, Kolkata. My mother wanted a minimal yet royal invitation and since it was only a one-page card, the designing had to be optimized. After brainstorming for ideas for weeks we created a design that combined regal jharokas with fresh peach flowers in a wax sealed envelope.

Ajay from Body Care and Cure was just brilliant. He did the makeup for my sangeet and wedding. Since I prefer natural makeup, he gave me a very soft look on both the days while tweaking the eyes and lips according to the color of the lehengas.

Pinterest was a big inspiration for me when deciding on the different themes for the functions. The Bull Wedding Planners were very accommodating and got the décor done just as I wanted.

Wedding Functions

Pre Wedding Shoot
We had our pre-wedding shoot done a day before at The Residency, Lucknow. It’s an archeological site with many ruins dating to the British era. The old-world charm of the place was what attracted us to it, and it was also one of the places that both of us had visited during our school trips!

Mehndi
This was a small family function with lots of dancing and fun. The theme I chose was ‘a splash of colors’, with minimal floral décor. We added umbrellas and colorful drapes around the takhat seating.

I wore a peach gota lehenga from Meena Bazaar and matched it with Gota jewellery made by Fidkaa, Kolkata for this function.

Sangeet
The sagai and sangeet function was held in the evening at the outer lawns where we all froze to death! However, at an Indian wedding, when it comes down to dancing, no one really cares about the weather. Once the rings had been exchanged, everybody hit the dance floor. Our friends coordinated with all the relatives and put up some amazing performances.

The theme was inspired from the colors of a peacock and the décor showcased hues of blue, green and purple. We even added a touch of Morocco to the mix. I found a moon-shaped backdrop on Pinterest which we recreated as a photobooth feature.

A royal blue velvet lehenga from Palki, Kolkata was my outfit of choice for this function. I paired it with a Kolhapuri choker set from Joyalukkas.

Haldi
For the haldi, the decor was all yellow! Even our family coordinated their outfits and wore either yellow or orange. It’s difficult to imagine a Punjabi wedding without the dhol! So we had a team of dholwalas setting the mood and once all the haldi ceremonies were done, everybody was up on their feet, dancing to the beats while chugging beer simultaneously. Prekhar’s friends gave him a special beer bath during the ceremony!

I opted for a yellow and fuchsia gharara which I designed myself. I had picked up a gorgeous cloth necklace from Auroville in Pondicherry. I loved that so much that I eventually designed the outfit around the neckpiece!

Wedding
Finally, for the main event, we went with the pastel shades of pink and peach and a light floral background for the mandap.

I wore a cherry red lehenga by Karigar in Kolkata. My mother had an amazing imitation set made with Ahmadabadi Polki in Calcutta which I paired with my outfit. My mathapatti was actually a necklace to which we added a maangtikka. Prekhar wore a pista green sherwani from Gujralsons, New Delhi.

Advice To Couples
Have a rough picture in your mind of how the functions should happen and how the décor should be. This is a good start. Next, you can chalk down minute details about everything, be it the dress, décor, favors, or even the menu.

Have a few anti-stress tips at hand, or have your siblings help you out. Relaxing in between the functions is very important!

Wedding Makers
Venue: The Residency, Lucknow (Pre-Wedding); Ramada Lucknow (Wedding)
Wedding Planner: The Bull Wedding Planners
Bride’s Outfits: Meena Bazaar (Mehndi), Palki Kolkata, (Sangeet), Karigar Kolkata (Wedding)
Groom’s Outfits: Diwansahib, New Delhi(Sangeet), Gujralsons, New Delhi (Wedding)
Jewellery: Fidkaa, Kolkata (Mehndi), Joyalukkas (Sangeet)
Makeup Artist: Body Care and Cure
Choreography: Arya Dance Academy, Kolkata
Invitations: Red Square Communication, Kolkata

Photography: Naman Verma Photography

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