Priyanka Gandhi and Aditya Dalal, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai

Aditya proposed to Priyanka in a dreamy manner at the beautiful Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, and their lavish wedding celebrations in Mumbai were no less dreamy with fun events, delicious food, gorgeous fashions and picture-perfect settings.

How We Met
“Aditya and I met at a friend’s Diwali party in 2013. We were introduced by a common friend and got talking within minutes. We realized that we had many similar interests and got along really well. My father asked Aditya about his plans for marriage as we had known each other for for three-and-a-half years, and that is how it all started.”

Wedding Proposal
“The proposal happened right before our engagement. Aditya took me to Hyderabad’s Taj Falaknuma Palace saying that it was work-related trip and I should join him too. As we walked into the hotel, there was a cameraman there next to a beautiful setup for two, with flower petals and a cake at the East Gardens. As soon as I turned to look at Aditya, he went down on his knees with a ring! It was definitely a dream come true.”

Wedding Planning
“We had an elaborate wedding and therefore hired two wedding planners –Yolo Entertainment and Touchstone Corporate Services Private Ltd. The events were split between these two incredibly creative companies. Jueta and Pratik from YOLO Entertainment understood my aesthetics and tastes which helped in creating a systematic draft which was necessary for a beautiful and organized function.”

Wedding Functions

Engagement
The engagement function was a grand affair and was hosted at the Grand Hyatt in Kalina. We wanted the décor to look contemporary yet classic, and therefore decided to host an all-white theme. The highlight of the evening was definitely the soul touching performance by singer Armaan Malik. We even had a pianist and a special flash mob dance that lead to the exchange of rings in the most melodious atmosphere.

Haldi
“We started with fun bohemian themed ‘haldi’ event celebrations at Blue Sea Banquets in Worli. We wanted our guests to have a good time and therefore had employed ‘dhol walas’ (traditional drummers) at the entrance who played all our favorite songs. The décor was done with large orange and teal flowers and lots of largert-than-life dream catchers and drapes. We also decorated wooden benches with wheels to add to the rustic appeal of the decor. For the ‘haldi’ celebrations, I chose to wear a colorful floral skirt by designer Simran P Kohli with a crop top along with some fun floral jewellery.”

Durga Puja
“We thought of hosting a traditional Durga Puja for which we had an ongoing Bengali Theme. Our idea was to replicate the Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata. We had specially made beautiful idols of the Durga Maa, and also had singers who sang beautiful Bengali ‘bhajans’ (spiritual songs). For this pious ritual, I went for a brocade and net saree by Zeenat from Private Collections that not only made me look good but also feel absolutely beautiful.”

Mayra
“The ‘Mayra’ function is a ritual that involves a ‘Gujarati Garba’ from Bride’s maternal uncle (Mama’s side) and both the sides of the family enjoyed it with equal aplomb. We love music and therefore had singer Parthiv Gohil who kept our spirits high throughout the evening. We had a colorful marigold and rudraksha décor that perfectly complemented my green and golden lehenga by Zeenat from Private Collections.”

Mehndi
“For the mehndi, we followed a traditional Rajasthani theme and had incorporated colourful umbrellas and bangles as our stage decorations. I wanted to remain comfortable yet look stylish for the event so I wore a beautiful dhoti and sherwani top by Anamika Khanna.”

Cocktail Party
“We had an American retro theme for our cocktail party which was strictly meant for youngsters in the family. We had a fun decor items set on dinner tables, vintage car photo-op, a jukebox, pop art bar and everything that represented an American retro setting. DJ Sumit Sethi’s upbeat songs and the unlimited cocktails kept us all grooving till the wee hours of the morning. To match with all the enthusiasm, I had worn a stunning cocktail gown by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla that sure kept me grooving the entire night!”

Sangeet
“This was by far my favorite event and had a Cirque Du Soir theme. We hosted our sangeet function at the luxurious surroundings of the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. The decor was a literal representation of our dreams and was entirely decorated with candy trees, a carousel, illuminated stage, and lounges. Our grand entry was meant to be a Cirque act – accompanied by the most adorable clown dwarves, stilt walkers, candy floss girls, rover dancers and other cirque artists in a procession. Jade Couture’s midnight blue lehenga sure was the perfect ensemble for this crazy sangeet night.”

Wedding
We had a Vrindavan theme for the wedding which felt nothing less than a Jodha – Akbar set. My wedding gift to Aditya was the execution of my painting on our wedding invitations. It was my mom’s idea as she had designed the entire card, which was further executed by Ikon Cards with the inserts made by Sketch design studio.

We had three entrances – A Var mala, Jai mala and finally, the pheras! We had separate stages for each of our wedding rituals – the Jai Mala stage was built like a dome temple, and the final pheras stage was designed to resemble a palace-like structure. Swar Alaap’s live classical melodies and shloks made for a beautiful accompaniment during our pious union. Since we had a Vedic wedding, wherein I chose to wear a traditional Gujarati saree. I went with an off-white and red panetar saree from Jade Couture by Monica and Karishma, and accessorized it with an uncut Jadao Jewellery.

Reception
“Our French Chateau themed reception party was set amidst the backdrop of a beautiful chateau garden, cherub fountains and lots of flowers. We had even created an Arc de Triomphe figure to welcome the guests at the entrance. Jazz music entertained our guests who all enjoyed lip smacking food arranged by Foodlink. I wore a beautiful off shoulder wine red gown from Jade Couture by Monica and Karishma that looked great!

We followed up all the Mumbai festivities with a grand Delhi reception at the Taj Mansingh hotel. We had entirely decorated it floral décor which included lots of roses with glass panels and candles. The dreamy décor was perfectly matched with my baby pink lehenga and top by Zeenat from Private Collections

Advice for couples planning their wedding
“Even though I wanted to be a part of every single planning process, sometimes you just need to leave it to the planners as they know the best. Enjoy your wedding functions, party with your friends, enjoy this time with your loved ones and share the little joys of this significant occasion with them.”

Wedding Vendors
Location: Blue Sea Banquets, Tote on the Turf Club, Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, Taj Mansingh hotel, Delhi, Taj Lands End, Mumbai, Sofitel BKC
Bridal Trousseau: Simran P Kohli (Haldi), Zeenat from Private Collections (Durga Puja & Mayra), Anamika Khanna (Mehndi), Jade Couture by Monica and Karishma (Sangeet, Wedding & Reception)
Mehndi Artist: Mame Khan
Wedding Planners: Yolo Entertainment, Touchstone Corporate Services Pvt. Ltd.
Entertainment: DJ Sumit Sethi (Sangeet), Swar Alaap (Durga Puja), Parthiv Gohil (Mayra) Armaan Malik (Engagement), Chintoo Singh on Rabab- Bidaai, Reception- Fusion Beats
Wedding Invitations:Ikon cards, Sketch design studio
Catering: Foodlink

Photography & Videos: The Wedding Story, Morvi Images

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