Rhea Kanodia and Utsav Shah, The St. Regis Mumbai
Embracing Mumbai's monsoon with thoughtfully curated designs, this couple's wedding celebrated the beauty of going with the flow.
Every wedding has a story, but Rhea Kanodia and Utsav Shah’s celebration was as much about embracing change as it was about celebrating love. Designed with intention and layered with meaningful details, their monsoon wedding found beauty in the season instead of resisting it. Every emotion, both big and small, was captured with remarkable sensitivity by WeddingSutra Favorite – Wedding Rollers, whose photographs preserve not only how the celebrations looked, but exactly how they felt.
How They Met
The couple shares, “We met at a Diwali party that neither of us wanted to attend. We were both cribbing about having to be there, completely unaware that we were about to meet the person we would eventually marry. It sounds almost too perfectly written when I say it now, but that is genuinely how our story began.
The years between that Diwali party and our wedding day weren’t always easy. We have had moments that tested us, circumstances that could have pulled us apart and times when simply loving each other wasn’t the easiest thing to do. But we chose each other. Again and again and again. And somewhere along the way, I stopped wondering whether we would make it. I just knew we would.”
Wedding Planning
Looking back at their celebrations, Rhea credits Wedding Rollers for preserving the moments that would have otherwise slipped by unnoticed. She shares, “There are parts of your wedding that you remember clearly, and then there are parts you don’t even realise happened because you were living a hundred emotions at once. Wedding Rollers gave those moments back to us.
They captured the obvious moments, of course, but what means even more to us are the ones in between. The expressions we didn’t see. The reactions happening behind us. The way our families looked at us when we weren’t looking back. The laughter, the tears and those tiny seconds that would otherwise have existed only once and then disappeared. When we look at our wedding through their work, we don’t just see what the day looked like. We remember exactly how it felt.”
Wedding Functions
Mehndi
Designed around the monsoon, the mehndi featured cheerful umbrellas, cabanas, mandala-inspired motifs and fragrant mogra, creating a setting that felt vibrant yet perfectly in tune with the season. Every element embraced the rains instead of working around them, giving the celebration its own distinct character.
Wedding
Soft pastels, flowing drapes and abundant florals set the tone for a ceremony that felt intimate, elegant and understated. The blooms blended seamlessly into the space, while an open mandap replaced the traditional four-pillared structure, allowing family and friends to surround the couple throughout the ceremony and making every moment feel shared.
Advice For Couples
Reflecting on the experience, Rhea encourages couples to let go of perfection and stay present on the day that matters most. She shares, “You will fight over things you never imagined two people could possibly fight about. A flower, a table placement or a guest list will suddenly feel like the biggest problem in the world. But then the wedding actually arrives, and none of it matters.
Stop being the person planning the wedding and allow yourself to be the person getting married. Something will probably not go according to plan. You might be running late. A detail you spent months obsessing over might go completely unnoticed. Let it.
What you will remember is walking towards the person you love, seeing your family and friends around you, and the countless little moments that make the day unforgettable. Everyone tells you your wedding goes by in a second. I never really understood it until mine was over. So be there for every second of it, simply as two people who found each other and are surrounded by everyone they love while promising to choose each other forever.”
The Wedding Makers
Venues: Bawri, Mumbai (Mehndi); The St. Regis Mumbai (Wedding)
Décor: Fleuron & Co
Photography: Wedding Rollers
DJ: DJ Zal
Bartenders: The Tipsy Co.
Makeup: Glamm Squad by Shradha Luthra
Hairstyling: Rekha Hariyani
Bride’s Outfits: Seema Gujral
Groom’s Outfits: Seema Gujral
