Natalia and Pallav, Seville, Spain

Spanish native Natalia tied the knot with Pallav at a civil wedding ceremony in England where the groom hails from. The celebrations continued with an extended Hindu wedding ceremony in Spain which was completely planned and executed by the couple along with their friends and family. Here’s bride Natalia relives the excitement of the beautiful celebrations by recalling some highlights.

How they met
“Pallav and I met five years ago in Seville and reconnected two years later through Facebook while we were both traveling solo in Asia. We started exchanging photos and sharing experiences from our different trips. Once we were back in Europe, we decided to meet and the rest is history!”

Wedding Functions

Civil Wedding
“Our civil wedding in England was a very simple ceremony at the registry. We said ‘I do’ surrounded by our close family and went for a drive in the countryside followed by lunch. For the ceremony, I wore my mother’s wedding dress. My sister-in-law, Laura Patel made me a lovely bouquet along with the table decor which was crafted using delicate gypsophila.”

Grah Shanti
“Before Pallav’s family traveled to Spain for our wedding functions, they held a ‘Grah Shanti’ puja in England for their extended family and friends. The courtyard of their home was decorated with plants and flowers, a day bed was brought over, and a backdrop was erected with a wooden frame and sarees. We also painted and gave away terracotta pots and planted succulents as favors.”

Mehendi
“Our mehendi ceremony was a laidback and intimate affair hosted for all our friends and family members coming from Spain and abroad. We chose a funky bar-cafe with a front garden called La Casa Azul for the function. I wore a Shyam Narayan Prasad anarkali, and Pallav picked a Philocaly Nehru waistcoat with blue chinos from Zara. The decor was simple as the bar itself was quite colorful. The multicolor banner photo backdrop, cushions, and paper marigold garlands were handmade and designed by us and our friends.”

Wedding
“Our wedding ceremony took place at Villa Luisa, a beautiful 20th-century house in Moorish style with a turquoise domed fountain that was used as a backdrop for the ceremony. The mandap and venue decor was designed by a good friend Enrique Hidalgo who is an extremely talented interior designer. His vision was executed by Cartamo Flores. We wanted the setting to look as rustic as possible with bougainvillea flowers, greens, flowers in pots, reed peacock chairs, and cast iron day-beds with white upholstery. The silk and block print cushions were crafted by my mother using old sarees and fabrics bought from Udaipur. My lehenga was purchased from Weaver Story, a Banarasi designer based in New Delhi. The wedding ceremony was followed by lunch under the shade of canopies, the tables were covered with magenta and green tablecloths, and a central wooden table with elephants and flowers. It was great to see all our Spanish and international friends dressed in Indian clothes. Some of my friends got very creative and draped their sarees in innovative ways.”

Reception
“Our wedding ceremony was followed by a reception soiree hosted the same night. The dinner table was set with golden Moroccan plates and matching cutlery. I wore a dress by Spanish designer Alejandra Valero for Intropia, while Pallav opted for a Philocaly bandhgala suit.”

The Wedding Makers
Venues: La Casa Azul (Mehendi), Villa Luisa (Wedding, Reception)
Decor: Enrique Hidalgo
Florist: Cartamo Flores
Caterers: Alberto Mejias
Groom’s Outfits: Philocaly, Zara
Bride’s Outfits: Shyam Narayan Prasad, Weaver Story, Alejandra Valero for Intropia
Jewelry: Mortantra (Wedding), Antik (Reception)
Makeup Artist and Hairstylist: Christiane Ogorek
Invitations: Micrapel Bodas
Stationery: Anila Patel

Photography: Coral & Stone Photography (Civil Wedding, Grah Shanti), Kuny Diamond (Mehendi, Hindu wedding, Reception)

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