Bindita and Ananya, The Zuri White Sands, Goa

An eclectic mix of Bengali and Kashmiri Pandit cultures, Dubai-based recruitment consultants, Bindita Baksi and Ananya Wanchoo’s three day wedding in the month of November paid homage to their respective heritage. Capturing this wedding was WeddingSutra Favorite – Dreamcatchers Photography who aptly understood the couple’s vision and vividly captured the flavor of the two cultures in beautiful frames.

How They Met
Bindita recollects, “Wanchoo and I went to the same university but in different batches, However, we first crossed paths when we connected through the career services team at the University while I was working in London and him in Dubai. We had our first conversation over a call where he had me impressed about his company, I did take up his job offer and moved to Dubai. Three years into our dating, Wanchoo took me by surprise by proposing to me in Goa!”

Wedding Planning
Orchestrating a destination wedding is not a cakewalk and while the couple had their hands full with various wedding tasks, they handed over the photography reins to Dreamcatchers Photography who understood their brief accurately. Bindita shares, “Dreamcatchers Photography was one of the first partners we hired. Wanchoo and I wanted our wedding picture and video to reflect our cultures and their team was completely in line with our thinking. Looking at the pictures, it’s quite apparent that the team was able to capture moments special to our cultural traditions and customs. The photography team has been very indulgent of us and accommodated every single request of ours. Honestly, we couldn’t have picked a better team to capture our memories to last us a lifetime!”

For the couple, the wedding was their brainchild and a blank canvas for them to express themselves. Bindita shares, “What was most special about the wedding was that we planned every little thing by ourselves without worrying our family – they were kept in the loop the whole time, but we wanted to be in control because it was our big day. We did everything ourselves – picking the venue, shopping for clothes and jewelry, selecting the décor & vendors, coordinating with the hotel as well as working with the wedding card maker.”

Weddings Functions
Mehndi
Bindita says, “We had a poolside lunch Mehndi themed as ‘Rangeela Re’ that was colorful and fun. We entered on a rickshaw with confetti bursting on all sides. Additionally, the chaat stall was an instant hit as owing to the pandemic, many had missed out on their favorite chaat binges!”

Sangeet
Set in a large ballroom, the Sangeet was themed around ‘bling and sparkle’. Bindita shares, “We wanted to be a part of the crowd and mingle freely with our guests and hence got the emcee to conduct a few dance games with everyone present regardless of age. We had our parents dance together which was beautiful yet hilarious because both our dads have two left feet.” Wanchoo adds, “Bindita performed a beautiful solo dance after which we both took the stage by storm with a couple’s dance where all our friends joined in at the end.”

Phoolon ka Gehna, Haldi and Devgun
Since the wedding was a fusion of two cultures, Bengali and Kashmiri Pandit, it was peppered with several unique ceremonies on day two. One such ceremony was the Phoolon ka Gehna where Bindita was in the spotlight. The bride shares, “In the Kashmiri Phoolon ka Gehna ceremony, Wanchoo’s parents dressed me up in floral jewelry right before the Haldi began. For Wanchoo however, a ceremony named Devgun was performed, which was an abridged version of the traditional Haldi.” Describing the theme, she shares, “Our theme was colors of marigold – so there were tons of yellows and oranges reflecting in the décor and clothes. We had a flower shower towards the end of it and we captured some amazing moments of the entire affair!”

Wedding
A few hours after the Haldi revelries, it was time for the sunset Wedding by the shore. After an exuberant baraat and a graceful bridal entry, the couple tied the knot against a dramatic sunset sky. Bindita shares, “Our wedding rituals stretched from Kashmir to Kolkata. All the way from the shubo drishti in which the bride and groom lock eyes after the bridal entry to the posh puja where the family showered us with rose petals as we were veiled together. Also, we both wore ivory outfits which stood out against the backdrop.” As soon as they cut the cake, the sky was lit up with fireworks and the live band sang soulful Bollywood songs as the guests made their way to dinner.

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