Smridhi Sibal and Bharat Dhingra, The Gateway Resort Damdama Lake

Fashion stylist and consultant Smridhi Sibal’s wedding to Textile entrepreneur Bharat Dhingra was the perfect confluence of their distinct tastes and personalities translating beautifully into an intimate, fuss-free celebration at The Gateway Resort Damdama Lake in Gurgaon. Planned by WeddingSutra Favorite – Riwaaz-e-Rishte, the wedding relayed the couple’s enthusiasm and exuberance of having waited an entire year to celebrate their special day! Their happiness and free-flowing energy is evident in their pics.

How They Met
College sweethearts Smridhi and Bharat knew each other for more than a decade before deciding to take it to the next level. “We have been inseparable since we first met and always knew we would end up marrying each other. Although I expected for our families to meet and plan the wedding, I never expected a proposal, but little did I know!” smiles Smridhi. After his initial plans of popping the question to his lady-love got thrown off by the Pandemic, Bharat ended up going down on one knee on Smridhi’s birthday in August of 2020. Not wanting to be the only one enjoying the adrenaline rush of a surprise proposal, Smridhi planned her own proposal at the exact spot where they first met in college, and went down on one knee to propose to him too!

Wedding Venues
After their initial idea of a grand wedding was swapped in favor of an intimate, fuss-free celebration including just their loved ones, the hunt for the ideal destination ensued. They settled on The Gateway Resort Damdama Lake located in Gurgaon, a lush property with stunning views of the waterfront and hilly vistas located close to the capital. With 78 cosy rooms and natural beauty all around, it was the perfect choice for a memorable celebration.

Wedding Planning
Planning the wedding amidst the Pandemic was no walk in the park, and the couple entrusted the team of Riwaaz-e-Rishte to breathe life into their ideas for the perfect celebration. Smridhi shares, “The silver lining was that it helped us realise our choice of a really small wedding in the lap of nature with only our closest friends and family in attendance. Anisha, the founder was brilliant to work with! Being close to us in age, she could relate to our curiosities, visions and concerns, and we ended up becoming friends in the process”. Anisha in turn shares, “We of course faced a lot of roadblocks while planning the wedding in the middle of the Pandemic. The initial idea was to host a big fat wedding in Delhi which later changed to an intimate destination wedding. We also had to contend with constant change in the number of guests and rooms required for them as per the changing protocols. Being a creative professional herself, Smridhi had great ideas and always focused on the little details while Bharat made sure she got what she wanted. From the invites to the room hampers and even cocktail ingredients, Smridhi went down to the little details adding tons of value to the experience. We had a ball planning the wedding together!”

The couple’s close friend Vedika Mohan of The Wedding Design Company, who had also planned the groom’s proposal previously, took over the décor details, while the team of Dhanika Choksi Photography and WeddingNama handled the photography and videography respectively. The bride’s experience with the fashion and bridal industries worked in her favour while choosing their outfits, makeup artists and other vendors. The couple kept the entire vibe light and relaxed with subtle decor, so they could enjoy to the fullest with their loved ones.

Wedding Functions
Mehndi
The celebrations were kicked off with some home pujas before an intimate bridal Mehndi at the hotel with just 25 guests. Retro Bollywood tunes set a fun mood for the sundowner function getting everyone to groove as the bride and her joyful tribe got mehndi applied to their hands.

Haldi
The next day started with a vibrant Haldi lunch to welcome all the guests. A backdrop of marigolds, tuberoses and different textures of props crafted a traditional ambience with a modern feel against the lush environs of the venue. The bride swapped the white embroidered kurta she wore for the lunch to a bright yellow kurti for the Haldi ceremony. The lively ceremony saw peals of laughter and revelry.

Sangeet
The sunny exuberance of the Haldi was followed by a colorful Sangeet sundowner. The couple did away with the usual glitzy metallics in favor of a chic outdoor function with natural green decor highlighted with pops of color and charming vintage props such as typewriters, pots and old books. Red roses and brilliant yellow sunflowers made for an unusual but stunning floral choice, as did the cane furniture and woodland feel of the couple’s seating arrangement. The groom struck a dapper pose in a black sherwani while the bride opted for the modern elegance of a jacket-lehenga. The couple and their guests danced the night away to the rousing performances of DJ Ajay Nautiyal and musician Shruti Dhasmana, with the groom’s high octane performance even making it to a newspaper feature.

Wedding
The next morning started with the Choora ceremony, followed by a sunset Baraat and Wedding. Dressed in a minimal yet striking gold lehenga by Sabyasachi, the bride walked in to the tune of Arziyaan by Devangi Chopra, while the groom arrived in a vintage car wearing an ivory sherwani. The couple was the picture of happiness as they exchanged varmalas to Prateek Kuhad’s ‘Oh Love’. The decor of white drapes and flowers cast a serene ambience against the greenery of the venue which was enhanced further by elaborate structures of leaves, including the mandap. The ceremony was followed by an after party where the band Chizai kept everyone grooving on the dance floor while tangy chaat creations from United Chaat House, a Jäger machine at the bar and custom cocktails kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning.

The Wedding Makers

Venue: The Gateway Resort Damdama Lake, Gurgaon
Wedding Planning & Hospitality: Riwaaz-E-Rishte
Decor Design & Execution: The Wedding Design Company
Groom’s Outfits: Diyam Mehta
Bride’s Outfits: A&R Rhea Kapoor (Haldi), Anamika Khanna (Sangeet), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Wedding)
Jewellery: Poonam Wadhi
Makeup: Pallavi Devkifor (Mehndi), Gayatri Sharma (Sangeet), Jasmeet Kapany (Wedding)
Hair: Arya Ruchii
Invites: Written in the stars
Stationary: Paper-it by Nikita Kalrafor
Sweets: Meethi Reet
Entertainment: DJ Ajay Nautiyal, Shruti Dhasmana, Chizai
Photography: Dhanika Choksi Photography
Videography: WeddingNama

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