Deepak and Gahana, The Leela Kovalam

Deepak studied to be a mechanical engineer and wound up in the automobile industry. He’s from Dubai while Gahana is currently doing a PhD in Melbourne, Australia. Here’s a sneak peek into their gorgeous celebration meticulously planned by F5 Weddings and captured by WeddingNama.

How we met
The couple were introduced by their families in Dubai and after getting to know each other over a year, they knew it was meant to be. Everything fell into place like a puzzle after that.

Proposal
Their cute official proposal was a tribute to Gahana’s favorite chips brand. Deepak, offering her a packet of Indian Magic Masala Lays chips, asked her to share her chips with him for the rest of their lives.

Wedding Venue
The Leela, Kovalam was their only choice for its spectacular views and gorgeous venues. Also, it’s a relatively uncommon location for weddings and the couple wanted to explore a new place.

Wedding Planning
We had F5 Weddings come on board to take care of our wedding planning. They were very patient with all the requirements that we wanted taken care of. Right from brainstorming to find solutions to the hurdles that we faced, to executing to a tee everything that was planned, they ensured that everything was carefully looked into. In fact, they even helped us in picking our wedding venue! Our number one priority, however, was ensuring that our guests were satisfied and having fun at all times and our wedding planners managed to achieve that. While we always knew that the team is super hardworking, it was on the last night when we truly got to appreciate all their efforts. That night when everyone had been moved into the ballroom, there was a special candlelight dinner planned for the two of us. This was the first time we got to actually move around the event venue alone as a couple and see the décor. This, in fact, was one of our favorite moments from the entire wedding and we were so touched by the kind of work team F5 had put into making our day so special.

Wedding Functions

Welcome Dinner
The festivities started with an intimate welcome dinner for the bride, groom and their immediate families. The décor was minimalistic and classy! Chinese lanterns dangled from trees while fairy lights and punch bowls with candles were used to make a stunning starry roof. The centerpieces for all the tables were gumballs put into mason jars with mirror base and a few flowers. Close relatives applied mehndi while others enjoyed karaoke and antakshri.

Swagatham
A traditional Kerala welcome was organized with a Kerala folk dance performance and the traditional Shingalimelam band to welcome all guests. The lobby was decorated with a huge wishing tree. Hampers were placed in each room with a note from the bride and groom. The hamper was filled with fun eatables and drinks for the guests to relish and there was also a hangover kit at hand, just in case.

Sangeet
The sangeet evening was celebrated with a Filmfare Awards styled theme. The guests walked down a red carpet, accompanied by bouncers and were stamped with the wedding logo. F5 Weddings created a media wall where the paparazzi took interviews and pictures of all the guests. Engagement pictures were displayed on either side of the walkway. The most hilarious and entertaining part of the sangeet was a small skit with dances and scenes on how Gahana and Deepak met and fell in love. Conceptualized by F5 Weddings, it was performed by friends and family.

Mehndi
With a little consideration to most guests who had to recover from their journeys from all over the world, F5 Weddings decided to commence the festivities on Day 2 with a traditional ‘Rajasthani Mela’ themed Mehndi. The bride and groom made a grand entry with Dhol walas. The entire poolside was decorated with colorful Rajasthani latkans and puppets. There were all kinds of mela activities – balloon shooting, pottery, lac bangle making, a parrot fortune teller, a chaat-wala, and foot massages. Mehndi and giveaways were on offer for the ladies who had their pick of maang tikkas, clutches, stoles and parasols. The men meanwhile enjoyed a mean poker set-up specially organized for them.

Sufi Night
The night’s theme colors were navy blue and maroon. Florals and drapes accentuated the pathway that had a huge installation in the lobby. At the entrance to the ballroom, bottles of precious attar, embossed with the wedding logo, were given to each guest as a tribute to this night. Moroccan lamps, hookah stations and twirling LED Sufi dancers added to the whole experience. Adil Hussaini mesmerized all the guests with his singing.

Wedding
The much anticipated day of the wedding began with baraatis dancing to the tunes of the DJ, set alight by the sound of live dhols. Deepak entered with royal panache on a horse chariot while Gahana looked stunning as she arrived under a beautiful floral chaddar. The wedding ceremony took place at the lawns under a floral mandap, a massive ‘Ek Omkar’ as backdrop. The pathway to the mandap was adorned with floral arrangements.

Post the pheras there was a rustic style Sadhya lunch. Urlis and Kerala lamps along with tons of yellow marigolds and banana leaves were used as décor. Kathakali dancers performed and the photo booth looked gorgeous with South Indian ornaments and banana leaves.

Reception
Wedding done, it was time to kick back and relax at the Rustic Sundowner – Beach reception in the evening. The entrance was a pink wooden door decorated with flowers. White tents with white sofas were arranged on the beach. The bride and groom made a grand entry, bursting through a poster announcing that they were ‘Just Married’ and were followed by an entourage of their friends and closest family members. Sonu Sebastian – a liquid drummer performed and the guests were totally absorbed by his act. Jyoti from Goa (The Crystal Show) pulled off an amazing performance too. The party then shifted indoors into the ballroom where the legendary Amit Mishra performed and everyone grooved to his tunes till the wee hours of the morning.

The Wedding Makers
Venue: The Leela Kovalam
Wedding Planning: F5 Weddings
Brides Outfits: Rohit Bal (Mehndi), Gaurav Gupta (Sangeet), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Pheras), Myraa (Reception), Anjali and Arjun (Sufi Night)
Makeup: Varsha Gidwani
Grooms Outfits: Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Mehndi), Vavci (Sangeet, Pheras, Reception), Studio Himmat (Sufi Night)
Entertainment: DJ Tahir, Amit Mishra, Bryden and Parth, Adil Hussaini, Sonu Sebastian, Jyoti

Photographer: WeddingNama

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