Sunayana and Shashwat, Tijara Fort Palace, Rajasthan
Sunayana and Shashwat served up many delights of royal Rajasthan such as cuisine and music at their wedding.
Sunayana and Shashwat’s wedding combined Malayalee and Punjabi traditions and was a three-day affair full of fun and bonding. Turning the moments into memories was WeddingSutra Favorite – The Photo Diary, and their gorgeous invites were crafted by another WeddingSutra Favorite – Izhaar by Core Designs.
How they met
Says Sunayana, “It surprises everyone to find out we met on a matrimonial site. We both were sure that we wanted to give each other time and space to really get to know one other before we made any decisions. We spent time together and with each other’s families, but held off our parents meeting one another to avoid any pressure and take things at our own pace. After seven months of dating, we knew we wanted to spend our lives together. “
The Proposal
Despite having picked the ring together, Shashwat wanted to give Sunayana her dream proposal and planned out the surprise with the help of her mother. The bride shares, “He called me down to Pune to iron out an argument we had about the wedding planning. An exhaustive trip later, I reached there with a splitting headache and a foul mood. Little did I know what was in store was not just going to turn my day around, but my entire life! I walked in to candles, champagne, my favorite meal, and the love of my life down on his knees! It was perfect.”
Wedding Venue
“I’m from Bombay, and he’s from Delhi, so we decided to have a destination wedding. We wanted a place that was romantic and also exuded a feeling of royalty. We zeroed in on the Tijara Fort Palace in Rajasthan, which is part of the Neemrana Group, for its exclusive location and panoramic views. The staff of the hotel went out of their way to cater to our every need, and the owner of Neemrana Properties, Mr. Aman Nath himself came down on the last day to ensure we were having the time our lives.”
Wedding Planning
“We wanted our wedding to be super fun and intimate. We wanted our guests to partake in the wedding and not just sit around. We also were keen to celebrate both our cultures so our wedding was a fun mix of South and North Indian customs. The team of Marry Me Wedding Planners gave shape to our vision, while Classic Wedding Concepts executed the decor for each function.
We chose Monisha and her team to capture our wedding functions. They made it super easy for us, without having the camera right in our face which let us enjoy ourselves to the fullest. Looking at the pics now they have managed to capture every emotion throughout and we couldn’t actually believe that this was our wedding. Our festivities are literally immortalized for eternity by The Photo Diary. Monisha also had a great idea to take away our nervousness and had us down a couple of shots before doing our video bytes; it was super fun and natural, exactly the way we wanted!.””
Wedding Functions
Sundowner Mehndi and Sangeet
The first function was a sundowner mehendi that progressed onto the sangeet. With a giant Jenga game setup, a priest with a fortune-telling parrot, UNO and assorted board games, the evening was filled with fun activities for everyone. The sangeet included a performance by traditional Rajasthani dancers and musicians. The culinary offerings featured live counters and snacks such as popcorn, candy floss, chaat, and kullad biryani among others.
Malayalee Wedding
“The next morning began with the Malayalee wedding. It was a white wedding with tall temple lamps and brass bowls decorated with flowers everywhere, and a beautiful temple inspired mandap. We had a sit-down Malayali lunch for which we had flown in our caterers from Kerala. I didn’t want to wear the traditional saree, and opted for a white Sabyasachi Mukherjee lehenga instead.”
Cocktail
The bride’s love for Middle Eastern culture inspired an Arabian Nights theme with Morrocan lamps, purple drapes and peacock feathers. The extensive menu included Mediterranean, Vietnamese, and Italian cuisines. The do-it-yourself Sunday bar also turned out to be an absolute hit. “Everyone let their hair down and partied till the wee hours of the morning. The biggest surprise, however, was Shashwat who surprised me with not one, but five performances!”
Haldi
“The final morning began with an intimate haldi ceremony. Everyone dressed in shades of blue, and it was a very relaxed affair with impromptu singing and dancing. We had a traditional Rajasthani lunch which included one of the best laal maas and ghewar we’ve ever tasted.”
Punjabi Wedding
The final function was the Punjabi wedding. The bride wore a stunning midnight blue lehenga by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The groom swapped the traditional entry on a horse and chose to ride in on a Harley. “We had our garlanding ceremony at the top, on the stairs, with rose petals raining down on us. The best part was when the shoe stealing ritual took place. I told Shashwat I won’t enter the mandap until he handed over his shoes, so he had to give in! He then had to spend half our pheras on his phone as an erroneous cancellation of our hotel booking for our honeymoon had him texting the hotel under his sherwani’s dupatta.”
Advice for couples
“Learn to relax and enjoy the wedding. It’s hard to let go of control, and things are bound to go wrong anyway, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to remember all of that. So just chill out and enjoy the attention!
Also, take some time out during the wedding to spend it with your partner. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and this will help keep you connected”.
The Wedding Makers
Venue: Tijara Fort Palace, Rajasthan
Wedding Planners: Marry Me Wedding Planners
Decor: Classic Wedding Concepts, Mumbai
Bride’s Outfits: Papa Don’t Preach by Shubhika (Mehendi), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Malyalee and Punjabi wedding), Sonaakshi Raaj (Cocktail), Tanvir Rim & Saniya (Haldi)
Jewellery: Jhaveri Jewellers and Hazoorilal
Makeup Artist: Varsha Gidwani
Hair stylist: Ritika Kadam
Mehendi: Kundan Mehendi (Delhi)
Bartenders: Flaming Trio, Delhi
Choreographers: Yash Pandya
Wedding Cake: The Bakers, Delhi
Invites: Izhaar by Core Designs
Photography and Videography: The Photo Diary
