Sanah and Dushyant, The Palayana Hua Hin, Thailand
Sanah and Dushyant's engagement dinner included a special menu, created by the groom's brother, which was inspired by the couple's childhood favorites.
One call by Dushyant’s mother to Sanah led them on a lovely journey which had actually started years ago when he was her childhood crush, and entered a new phase when they walked down a beautiful beach to the mandap. Their wedding at The Palayana Hua Hin was planned by WeddingSutra Favorite – Divine Events and included lots of special touches. Here, the bride Sanah shares highlights of the celebrations.
How We Met
“On a late autumn night in 2016, I received an unexpected phone call. “Kya hum is dosti ko rishtedaari mein badal dein?” said Anju Masi. “I think it’s a good idea,” I replied, excited at the prospect of going out with my childhood crush and my best friend’s brother. “But wait, doesn’t she live in Europe!” exclaimed Dushyant when he heard about the plan. He tried to act cool but failed to suppress the grin spreading across his face. With that, we started talking, and within six months he had literally crossed oceans to be with me! And so began our journey together.”
Wedding Venue
“My brother-in-law (Dushyant’s younger brother) lives in Bangkok, and from the very beginning, he wanted a sunset wedding at a beach in Thailand. Therefore he and my father-in-law spent a few days at The Palayana Hua Hin and knew immediately that it was perfect for a small gathering of close family and friends. When we saw the property, we were sure we were going to have the wedding of our dreams there! Another thing that was truly remarkable was the hotel’s kind and welcoming staff. Sumeet, the manager, treated us like we were his family. He would stay up late at night to make sure everything ran smoothly. The hospitality was absolutely impeccable.”
Wedding Planning
“In order to plan our fairytale affair, we hired Divine Events who I refer to as ‘The Powerhouse’! Their team became like our family and treated us like their own. The girls on the team literally pampered me as if I was their younger sister getting married. It was such a great experience working with them!”
Wedding Functions
Pool Party
“As soon as our guests arrived we wanted them to loosen up and dive straight into the fun (quite literally!) which is why we decided to have a pool party. The vibe was very relaxed and most of the guests hit the pool right away. We created a large backdrop with hats. Blue and yellow drapes were used as part of the setup too.”
Engagement
“The pool party was followed by our engagement at sunset. Chef Deepanker Khosla (Dushyant’s younger brother) had a surprise sit-down dinner planned for us after the engagement ceremony. He designed a seven-course menu taking inspiration from our childhood, our likings and our shared love for butter chicken and mutton biryani. This was accompanied by a live jazz band performance and dramatic black and white decor with lights bulbs over tables alongside floral centerpieces accented with feathers. The sound of waves in the background and the cool ocean breeze made this event even more romantic.”
Haldi
“The next day began with the haldi. For this ceremony, we decided to have vibrant decor with props like umbrellas and kaleeras. The happy Punjabi spirit came shining through with my mother-in-law playing the dholki and singing ‘Gur Naal Ishq Mithaa’ and when my best friend/maid of honour surprised me with a performance on Kabira Encore.”
Wedding
“Our wedding at sunset was nothing less than perfect. I walked down the aisle with my grandfather and my father by my side while my bridesmaids and brothers carried the ‘phoolon ki chaadar’ (floral canopy) over my head. Our mandap decorated using white and pink flowers looked breathtaking and was the highlight of the decor. The most beautiful part of the wedding were the pheras and our priest walking us through the entire ceremony. I have never seen a pandit more well-versed than him. He explained the meaning behind the mantras which said that Dushyant and I are a team for the rest of our lives and in some situations, I will be the captain and in some, he will take the lead. Our wedding vows and promises were also explained beautifully by him and that added a deeper meaning to the ceremony.”
Advice For Couples
“Trust your wedding planner completely and let them do what they are best at! Sit back and enjoy the celebration because when you look back, you will want to treasure all the dreamy details you had and not the stress, anxiety, anger and commotion.”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: The Palayana Hua Hin, Thailand
Wedding Planner: Divine Events
Bride’s Outfits: ASOS (Pool Party), Amit Aggarwal (Engagement)
Groom’s Outfits: Stradivarius (Pool Party), ZARA (Engagement), Diwan Saheb (Wedding)
Makeup Artist: Supriti Batra
Photography: Fotozeed
