Ashni Shah

Ashni, a graphic designer tied the knot with Real Estate Professional Naman, an American by birth who chose to work in his favourite city Mumbai. They first met at his friend’s home and have known each other for four years. Ashni has been a globe-trotter since she studied Fashion in Milan, Psychology in United States and travelled from the South Pacific all the way upto the Arctic, but like Naman, her favourite city is Mumbai.

Wedding at the Radisson Blu Resort and Spa, Alibaug
Ashni and Naman got married on 17th of December 2012 at the Radisson Blu Resort and Spa, Alibaug. “The resort provided a perfect setting for our outdoor wedding. Our Pheras were from twilight to sunset, giving us a breathtaking and picturesque background”, says Ashni. To signify the completion of every phera of the wedding, Chinese lanterns were lit and released into the sky. The Mehndi and Cocktail functions were held at two different banquets of the resort and the high-tea was arranged in the resort’s beautiful courtyard and lawn. “The wedding and the one year of planning has been one of the most endearing times of our lives as we planned everything on our own”, explains Ashni. She designed all the wedding gifts by herself including baggage tags, party survival kits, itinerary and food hampers in every room. The resort has a lawn called the ‘Spice Market’, so as a token of gratitude the couple gifted a pouch filled with famous Indian spices to their guests. Ashni adds, “Naman and I interacted with each other for the first time over a game of UNO at a common friend’s house. So to commemorate this beginning, I made ‘UNO cards’ for all our guests to leave a note for us on it as a memoir”.

Wedding Shopping
Says Ashni: “My style is to wear something different yet exuberant and classy; and I love to wear ensembles with hints of pink.” She adds: “I shopped in Mumbai and I got lucky with visiting a few designers. I picked outfits from TarunTahiliani, Shantanu and Nikhil, Minaxi, Harpreet and Rimple Narula, Gaurav Gupta, Manish Malhotra and Amara.”

Tarun Tahiliani Lehenga for Sangeet
For the Sangeet, Ashni picked a white, beige and gold net outfit from Tarun Tahiliani against the contrasting ‘colourful sangeet’ backdrop. The fit, flare and tulle of the lehenga was exactly the way Ashni wanted it and the embellished blouse from Tahiliani’s Fashion Week Collection was stunning and unique. To match the elegance and classy style, Designer Narendra Kumar designed Naman’s velvet brown Bandhgala with a touch of maroon on the buttons and the pocket square.

Shantanu and Nikhil outfit for Reception
Ashni dazzled in a Shantanu and Nikhil outfit designed for the reception. “It was ‘love at first sight’ when I saw the outfit. I entered the store, tried on the outfit and the sale was done in five minutes!” she exclaims. The grey and yellow combination of raw silk studded with Swarovski crystals was perfect for the occasion. Naman wore a classic black and gold Manish Malhotra sherwani, with a blend of brocade, velvet and linen paired with black stylish pants teamed with patent leather shoes.

Mehndi ceremony
Ashni picked a red Lehenga ordained with gold cutwork designed by Minaxi from Calcutta and a traditional Rajasthani style blouse. Naman wore a red tail-coat Sherwani from Rohit Bal and balloon Patiala pants by Arjun Khanna.

Western formal Cocktail Night
Ashni looked gorgeous in a chic flowy can can black gown with bronze shimmer designed by her favourite designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil. Naman’s conspicuous grey Japanese style tuxedo, designed by Narendra Kumar, was teamed with a black and white polka-dotted bow tie. “The night was brewing with romance and we were ready to ‘set fire to the rain’ as we waltzed to the beautiful symphony of vitamin string quartet” says Ashni.

Intricately embellished Lehenga for the Wedding
Ashni wanted a traditional yet different outfit for her wedding day. “I didn’t wanted to wear the red and white Panetar saree traditionally worn by Gujarati brides. And I didn’t wanted to wear colours I wore for the previous functions. So my wedding ensemble was a lovely combination of a parrot green lehenga and a turquoise blue blouse embellished with gold and a deep purple dupatta. The beautiful tassles completed the outfit designed by Harpreet and Rimple Narulafrom Delhi.” Naman wore a simple beige and gold brocade Sherwani by Arjun Khanna with eye-catching big dimonte purple buttons along with a purple dhoti and safa. At the after-party the couple decided to keep their attire casual yet stylish. Ashni wore a fuscia pink floor-length churidar from Amara, and Namana light blue Burberry shirt, with antique watch-button vest from Arjun Khanna and polo pants from Raghvendra Rathore.

Hair and Make Up by Ojas Rajani
Ashni says, “I was extremely comfortable with Ojas and trusted her blindly. She did a fabulous and commendable job and her team made sure that I was ready on time for every function.”

Jadau and diamond jewellery
The gold and Jadau sets which Ashni wore were mostly pieces of family heirloom, originally owned by her mother and father’s mothers. “Teaming up wasn’t tough as diamonds paired perfectly well with my Sangeet, Cocktail and Reception outfits, while the conventional Jadau creation was perfect for the wedding”.

Maangtikas being Ashni’s favourite accessory in Indian jewellery, all the women were given Maangtikas made out of sugar (shakariya) during the wedding ceremony.

Ashni’s tips for brides-to-be
Work around colours for your outfits, deviate from your style and try to be a little different. Co-ordinate your outfits with your spouse so it looks good in pictures too.

• Enjoy each and every wedding function to the fullest. It is the most exhilarating experience of your life as you will seldom get a time when all your friends and family are at one place and where excitement and love is at its threshold. Each and every person commented that “Naman has been the most enthusiastic groom they’ve ever seen’, so here’s my tip for grooms-to-be. ‘Enjoy your wedding to the fullest and dance like you’ve never danced before!’
• Smile and take loads of pictures at every occasion for they are memories you will cherish for a lifetime.
• Make your wedding personal. After all it’s all about you.

More recommendations

• For a gel polish manicure/ pedicure that lasts for two weeks without peeling- visit Vous (at Nepean Sea road).
• Use a shampoo that works for your hair and ubtan for skin daily for five minutes.
• For the most relaxing and therapeutic massages- go to Jiva Spa at Taj Wellington Mews, Colaba.

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