Sahana and Pratyoush, Goa

Coming from different backgrounds but similar in upbringing, Sahana and Pratyoush’s love story is full of nostalgic charm that doesn’t fail to make one smile. Their simple and elegant Tam Brahm nuptials were held in Goa surrounded by lush greenery that was meticulously planned by Weddingsutra Favorite – Marriage Colours who made the bride’s vision come true in a series of tasteful and minimalistic ceremonies.

How They Met
Sahana shares, “We met in school as 16-year-olds, still unsure of what exactly one needed in a life partner. Even though we come from different backgrounds, we are similar in our upbringing and come from loving families. Ours is a typical case of opposites attract and our story started at the Embassy of India School in Moscow. Pratyoush is an army brat and by some alignment of the universe, his dad was posted in Moscow of all places in the world. This is where we first met, at an Indian school in Russia where we shared our woes on computer science and the board exams. Fast forward to a few years later, I was working in Dallas, Texas and he came to the USA to pursue his Master’s degree. Eventually, the distance grew shorter, as I moved to Chicago and he moved to Milwaukee.”

The Proposal
“For the longest time, Pratyoush had no furniture in his Milwaukee apartment. On the 3rd of September 2017, we drove to his apartment from Chicago only to discover that we forgot his house keys. When we finally got back to the apartment, I walked into a living room filled with white balloons. He had spent all his evenings after work, blowing balloons to fill the apartment. The balloons looked like clouds as he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. When I said ‘yes’, he told me to find the 1 balloon amidst the 200 balloons that had the word ‘yes’ written on it. I spent an entire hour doing that!”, recalled Sahana.

Wedding Venue
The couple spent a long time searching for the perfect venue, and finally settled on Goa for their destination wedding. “Since I hail from Chennai and Pratyoush is from Lucknow, we thought Goa would be a great place for our destination wedding. At the same time, we wanted to bring in elements of both our cultures at the wedding. It was Pratyoush’s older brother who found the Holiday Inn Resort during our search. It was a gorgeous property right by the beach and that is exactly what we wanted, a sunset background by the beach during our North Indian wedding ceremony. It’s also surrounded by all types of foliage which gives it a relaxing vibe that we collectively loved. The food and the quality of service were also top-notch.”, says Sahana.

Wedding Planning
As the wedding went ahead smoothly, the duo was extremely satisfied by the flow of things and couldn’t stop praising Marriage Colours for playing their role as planners so perfectly. Sahana goes on to share, “Overall, we felt satisfied that we had paid equal importance to both the north and south Indian weddings. Marriage Colours executed our vision perfectly. They displayed patience, as we were insistent on using minimal and tasteful decor which caused a lot of back and forth. They were extremely sincere and went the extra mile to make sure everything was what we wanted it to be. We were particularly pleased with the expertise in choosing and making all the decor pieces – there was not a single guest who left without complimenting us about the decorations.” With Makeup by Pragna making sure the bride looked her best and photographer Vivek Krishnan capturing the happy moments the wedding went ahead without a glitch and was a dream come true for the pair who reveled in simplicity.

Wedding Functions

Mehndi
The three days of celebration kicked off with a mehndi function, which was full of laughter and banter. The bride shares, “The theme for the mehndi was a playful peach and blue combination. Since our entire theme was a silver sand wedding by the beach, there were pops of blue and peach colors throughout the decor. There was also an ombre flower wall behind the bridal seating area which looked captivating. Our planners did a fantastic job of creating a photo booth of large flowers which kept our guests entertained. We also had a bangle and bindi cart to keep the guests occupied.” For the Mehndi, Sahana chose a simple red outfit with a printed floral dupatta that she stunningly accessorized with red bangles, floral earrings, and a radiant smile.

Sangeet
Sangeet was an evening function that had a regal yet minimalistic theme with soft pink and burgundy hues. The stage for the performances was a muted gold wall which was decorated with soft pink and red flowers. The glowing candles added a dreamy vibe to the entire decor and made the backdrop come alive. “We had such a happy time watching the dance performances everyone had put together and felt so much love from our families. My husband was fully involved in the details, so much so, that he was caught running to the DJ in his shorts 30 minutes before the event started! The night ended with all of us on the dance floor and nobody wanted to go back to their rooms.”, shared Sahana. The bride and groom were inspired by the decor as Pratyoush donned a burgundy kurta and Sahana chose a baby pink embroidered kurta.

Haldi
“We had our haldi done side by side. The floral hangings made of marigolds were just stunning. The floral beauty of the whole decor was extremely beautiful and the candid captures of the haldi are some of our favorite photographs.”, says Sahana. For the function, both, Sahana and Pratyoush chose to go traditional. The bride sported a yellow lehenga with gold floral motifs while the groom donned a printed kurta.

North Indian Wedding
“The baraat assembled at 4.30 PM for our dusk wedding. Pratyoush’s family and friends looked so happy in all the pictures, and it was even more joyful for my husband as he loves to dance!”, says Sahana. When quizzed about the ceremony, she said, “I took my sweet time getting ready. My mom and sister helped me don the jewelry and my dad ironed my lehenga. We loved how the mandap looked against our wedding outfits. I was very particular about the flowers used in the chaadar during my entry, and Marriage Colors went all out to procure the right kind of flowers that I needed. We had a particularly interesting priest who explained the significance of all the mantras as we repeated them. The wedding was followed by a reception and dinner. Additionally, we also had a band who entertained everyone for the rest of the evening, and my dad and I also joined in to sing a song. It was a memorable day for us as we fed each other dinner for the first time as husband and wife.”

South Indian Wedding
“The setup for the day of our South Indian wedding was very traditional and really brought the vibe of Chennai to Goa. There were many elements that took our breath away, especially the thoranam walkway. For our oonjal ceremony, the classical decoration was extremely well executed. The mandapam itself looked lively and bright, and it is a sight I will cherish every time we think back to our wedding. I especially loved the playful parrot origami within the roof of the mandapam and the kolam designs on the platform. Our day started early. By the time I arrived, Pratyoush was returning from his Kasi Yatra and I enjoyed the crisp morning air, the nadaswaram (traditional instrument) being played and the company of dear ones. After exchanging garlands, we were seated at the swings and fed pazham. One of my favorite moments was when my sister-in-law helped me put on my toe rings. I watched as Pratyoush took the priest’s instructions very seriously, he had his game face on the whole time. My uncle helped me co-create a Tam Brahm wedding rituals pamphlet to share with the guests, to explain each ceremony.”, shared Sahana. The South Indian wedding was then followed by a banana leaf lunch. The bride looked radiant in a vibrant purple silk saree with zari borders which she accessorized with a maang tikka and ornate hairpins. Pratyoush also went the traditional way as he donned a crisp white dhoti for the function.

Advice For Couples
“A wedding is a memorable series of events for any couple. It can be hard to make choices, especially nowadays because there are great expectations of huge pomp and show. We tried our best to decide on the most important things and budgeted accordingly. We really loved how understanding our planners, photographers, and makeup artists were when we emphasized, we did not want it to be cinematic, we just wanted it to reflect us as people. A wedding can be beautiful, but hopefully, the marriage is too. For that, we would just encourage being transparent with your families and each other, about related costs, priorities, and sequence of events. Good luck!”, shared Sahana.

The Wedding Makers
Venues: Holiday Inn Resort Goa
Wedding Planner and Décor: Marriage Colors
Groom’s Outfits: Jatin Malik Couture (Sangeet and North Indian Ceremony)
Bride’s Outfits: Dabka Dori (North Indian Wedding), Nalli (South Indian Wedding), Thari (South Indian Wedding)
Jewellery: Narayana Pearls, Mortantra
Makeup: Makeup by Pragna

Photography: Vivek Krishnan Photography

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