Rishika and Saksham, Fairmont Jaipur

What do the Eiffel Tower, Facebook and Indore’s Freito Cafe & Restaurant have in common? They inspired the charming ‘arranged with love’ journey of Rishika and Saksham who tied the knot in Jaipur. Their wedding celebrations with outstanding decor was planned and managed by WeddingSutra Favorite – Dreamzkraft. Here, groom Saksham shares all that unfolded on his special day.

How We Met
“Rishika and my marriage was sort of arranged! Let me explain – my parents were out for dinner with their friends and saw a beautiful girl sitting with her family at a table close by. As it turned out, their friends knew them. They told me about her when they got home, and I reached out to her on Facebook. However, she didn’t respond for a while. Finally, I turned to my parents’ friend for help who in turn spoke to Rishika’s mother, who then spoke to Rishika. At that time she was not ready for marriage at all, and it took some coaxing before she even replied to my message. Eventually, however, she did reply, and we decided to meet for a dinner date that lasted for four hours. Nine days later I asked her if she would date me and five months after that I popped the big question.”

Proposal
“The Eiffel Tower in Paris is an undying symbol of love. Freito Cafe & Restaurant is a place in Indore that is designed to look like the Iron Lady of Paris. Since we couldn’t go all the way to France, this is where I asked her to marry me. I made sure that the atmosphere was romantic and also played the guitar for her.”

Wedding Venue
“Our functions were spread across Fairmont Jaipur and Le Méridien Jaipur Resort & Spa, and the cocktail party was hosted at Jaigarh Fort. Both the properties were beautiful, had a royal Rajasthani feel and provided the guests with the modern amenities as well.”

Wedding Planning
“Rishika and I met about six to seven event companies before we finally came across Dreamzkraft and we couldn’t be more thankful for finally chancing upon them! Their level of professionalism and organization are outstanding, and they deliver what they promise. They heard us out very patiently and then came up with multiple ideas and options for all of our functions. The kind of detailing they factored in even while explaining what they had in mind for each of our functions was remarkable. We could imagine exactly how everything was going to look like at the wedding and despite that, in reality, all of it only looked better! It has been almost two months since the wedding, and we still come across people who praise the decor at our wedding.”

Wedding Functions

Mehndi
“Our nuptials began with a very colorful mehndi. The rooftop of Fairmont Jaipur was decked with lots of quirky elements, such as pineapples made using marigolds, chandeliers created with pom-pom strings, kitschy umbrellas, dreamcatchers made with ethnic print fabrics and more. Rishika and I, both wore green for this function. While I went with a Shantanu & Nikhil drape kurta with a Nehru jacket, Rishika looked resplendent in a full length embroidered jacket with a lehenga by Dolly J.”

Sangeet
“The decor for our sangeet combined romance and glamour. Our photobooth was fashioned to look like a book which we called the ‘Book of Love’ since it had our story written on one side. Candles, flowers, and branches were used to add to the aesthetics. We had a large stage with an LED backdrop and a night filled with performances. The highlight of the sangeet, however, was my entrance on a life-size motorcycle prop which was harnessed and attached to a rope. For this function, I wore a black Shantanu & Nikhil outfit while Rishika dressed in a Matsya lehenga.”

Poolside Lunch
“This function had a very Western feel to it with wooden furniture and lots of babys’ breath flowers, jute bags, elements made of white paper and so on. We had planned a few activities like chocolate making and block printing, and we had Suryaveer perform along with his band Ehsaas. The vibe was very relaxing. A white Manish Malhotra crop top with a trail skirt was Rishika’s pick for this function while I wore a wine blazer with white trousers.”

Reception
“We decided to switch things a little for our wedding, so we had our reception the night before our pheras. The theme here was inspired by a regal garden, so we made use of lots of red roses and lush foliage. We also had red drapes and gleaming chandeliers to set the right mood. At this function, Rishika looked every bit the bride in her red Sabyasachi lehenga, and I opted for an embroidered sherwani from Shantanu & Nikhil.”

Wedding
“Our pheras took place at the poolside of Fairmont Jaipur. The setup was very traditional and made use of a lot of flowers. We had Chugga Khan and Manganiyars who are folk singers from Rajasthan perform for us at this ceremony. Rishika looked lovely in peach and red lehenga while I wore a brocade sherwani by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.”

Cocktail Party
“Our cocktail party which was hosted at the Jaigarh Fort had Morocco-inspired decor. One of the most interesting things of this night was the route to the fort. We knew that to reach the venue, our guests would have to walk a 300-meter stretch and we wanted to make that entertaining for them. So all along the route, we had interesting features planned for them. There was a red carpet lady, girls performing fire stunts, guys playing the violin and other such artists all along the way. This kept the excitement alive and kept the guests wondering what was in store for them ahead. At the function we invited Salim–Sulaiman to perform for our guests. For this function, I wore a Nivedita Saboo tuxedo while Rishika picked a Gaurav Gupta gown.”

Indore Reception
“Our second reception was held at The Grand Bhagwati Palace in Indore for our guests who weren’t able to make it to Jaipur. The hotel’s facade looked like a palace and Dreamzkraft created the most beautiful decor using white flowers and green leaves. There was no end to the compliments we received for this event.”

Advice For Couples
“Take your time when planning your wedding: We started our wedding prep 10 months before our special day. That way stress levels are low. After all, you only get to plan your wedding once so make sure it’s a fun experience and not a stressful one. Be present in each moment and enjoy every stage of your wedding. Also, choose your outfits well ahead of time. Get all your trials done at least a month before the wedding date to avoid last-minute hassles.”

The Wedding Makers
Venues: Fairmont Jaipur (Mehndi, Reception, and Pheras), Le Méridien Jaipur Resort & Spa (Sangeet and Pool Side Lunch), Jaigarh Fort (Cocktail Party), The Grand Bhagwati Palace, Indore (Reception)
Wedding Planner: Swishin’ Events
Decor:  Dreamzkraft
Bride’s Outfits: Dolly J (Mehndi), Matsya (Sangeet), Manish Malhotra (Pool Side Lunch), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Reception), Gaurav Gupta (Cocktail Party)
Groom’s Outfits: Shantanu & Nikhil (Mehndi, Sangeet, and Reception), Sabyasachi (Wedding), Nivedita Saboo (Cocktail Party)
Makeup Artist: Shayli Naik
Entertainment: Suryaveer – Ehsaas band (Poolside Lunch), Threeory (Reception), Chugga Khan and Manganiyars (Pheras) Salim–Sulaiman (Cocktail Party) The Royal Int’l Symphony (Reception Indore)
Wedding Invitations: Regal Cards, Indore

Photography: The Wedding Story

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