Akshya Sundaresh and Dhruv Bhanotha, The Leela Palace Jaipur
This UK-based couple celebrated their diverse heritage from four different states of India with a serene destination wedding in Jaipur.
Opting for breezy themes and paying homage to their assorted roots, London-based Akshya Sundaresh and Dhruv Bhanotha flaunted their love for everything desi at their destination wedding in Jaipur. Planned by WeddingSutra Favorite – Plush Weddings, the celebrations went ahead seamlessly, just as the couple had envisioned!
Wedding Planning
Akshya shares, “We both live and grew up in London but were born in India, so wanted to go back to our roots and get married in India to have a true Indian wedding. Together, we are from 4 different states in India (Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala and West Bengal) so we knew straight away that we were in a unique position to bring together different corners of India and wanted the ‘4 states’ theme to be represented across all our events.
Ruchika & Utkarsh of Plush Weddings was just incredible as they guided us through every small detail of the wedding right from choosing the venue, dealing with our 1000 requests comments and questions, working UK hours and weekends, going through excessive numbers of excel sheets and then the thing they did best – was the execution on the day! They made it feel so seamless and took all the worries out of our hands. By the end of it all, they felt like a part of the family.”
Wedding Functions
Mehndi
Akshya shares, “We started with a bang at the rooftop sundowner mehendi with an Indian bazaar theme, which then followed on to the sangeet with dance performances from friends and families, food from all four states, and of course, an epic after-party.”
Sangeet
Hosted indoors, the sangeet was inspired by the local Rajasthani culture with a stage decorated with thikri-work that dazzled under the spotlight. High-energy performances, thikri-work furnishings, red roses and crystal vases accentuated the venue to give an added edge of luxury.
Pooja and Haldi
Akshya shares, “For the second day, we went for a very breezy theme, i.e., blue pottery. Rather than opt for a conventional all-yellow haldi, we wanted to experiment with hues. The guests wore yellow or orange while Dhruv and I wore ivory outfits. Overall, it was extremely playful as our friends had a gala time slathering us with haldi!”
Wedding
For the big day, the couple went for grandeur as Dhruv arrived with a traditional baraat. The bride shares, “Dhruv’s baraat was a typical one with a horse and it also had a moving DJ. It was an Arya Samaj Wedding Ceremony that took place during the day followed by a South Indian lunch. We went for a sage green, gold and ivory colour palette. The wedding was followed by the reception which had more British influences with a table plan and sit-down dinner. First dance, speeches, cake cutting and of course the after party afterwards!”
Reception
Advice For Couples
The couple shares, “Wedding planning will never be stress-free, so just embrace the ride and enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime process! On the day, let go of the small details and just soak in every moment of your special day.”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: The Leela Palace Jaipur
Wedding Planner: Plush Weddings
Décor: The Wedding Saga, House of Nandini
Bride’s Outfits: Debyani Co. (Mehndi and Sangeet), Kanakavalli (Wedding), Seema Gujral (Reception)
Makeup: Chaitali Sengupta, Ruchi Arya Uppal
DJ: DJ Sunny Deepak, DJ KA
Photography and Videography: Folio Haus
