Somewhere deep in the lockdown phase last year, Deepak contacted us from Ireland. A few calls and a zoom meeting later with both Deepak & Pooja, we were on-board. From there on, its been an incredible journey with them!
Deepak & Pooja’s story started in the lockdown phase itself, with an arranged marriage match. Soon in about four months, they had made the decision. And as they say, when its meant to be, then everything falls in place!
What would remain with us throughout is how warm these two were in the whole process. And of course they look so adorable together, with a very ethereal and effortless chemistry. They were also open to many suggestions that we had to offer. And Infact the biggest one was to do a wedding in the outdoors. We made them realize that the difference would be really huge compared to doing the wedding indoors, and they in turn went about in convincing their parents. Together, they supported whole-heartedly in the vision we had for their wedding. And the result is for you all to see here.
South indian weddings are generally beautiful – with the pretty kanjeevarams, the immersive and significant rituals, the early morning light and the happiness all around. In this wedding, we got more than that. The best part was how both Deepak and Pooja reached out to each other, and always had a playful way of smiling, teasing and looking at each other. When you enjoy your wedding rituals so much, the pictures definitely talk about them. Here is their wedding blog story, scroll down to see the happiness & love. The beautiful and newly opened Janki Resorts played a great host as well.
Thank you Deepak & Pooja for having us, we hope to see you in some part of the world, someday soon!
Ankita and Varun’s love story started with a simple swipe right, and thereafter very soon, they decided to get hitched. They say, marriage wasn’t a conscious next step, but it happened quite naturally to them.
Ankita always dreamt of having a proper proposal, a dream that even Varun knew about. So, Varun planned an outing for them in Mahabaleshwar where they were keen on going and picking strawberries. However, Ankita’s suspicions arose when he asked her to wear ‘something nice’ the day before! On the drive over, She knew that he was planning to propose as she spotted a square-shaped box in his jeans pocket. After the strawberry picking, they went to Le Meridien and were taking a tour of the property when he led her outside to a foyer which was beautifully decorated with roses, candles, and a custom-made pillow read ‘Ankita, will you marry me?’Ankita recounted that nothing could take away the magic of that moment when it actually happened, and ofcourse she said ‘yes”.
We were Ankita & Varun’s core entourage throughout their journey of “starting a lifetime” – starting from the Roka, Pre Wedding and finally the Wedding. Before you proceed to see the photo-set, checkout their quirky pre wedding film, including the vibes and feels of Pune City!
Ankita & Varun’s nuptials kickstarted with a mehndi ceremony for both of them. Ankita’s mehendi was hosted by the pool while Varun had his mehndi on the rooftop. Their mehndi also doubled up as a welcome party which let guests break the ice with plenty of dancing, all thanks to the dholwalas and boliyaan, who were present at the venue. This was definitely a fun-filled event where everyone mingled freely without formality. Dressed in a contemporary turquoise blue lehenga with floral embroidery, Ankita was all smiles as she posed with her girl squad. Varun, however, made a striking contrast while complimenting her in his white bandhgala.
Engagement, Cocktail and Sangeet The same evening after the mehndi, they had their cocktail and engagement party that also doubled up as their sangeet, which surely was a grand event. Just before the performances began, they presented their Pre-wedding Film before everyone which we had shot for them. They also surprised their guests with a performance by Sophie Choudry, who packed an energy-fueled performance. Following which, all their family and friends joined in on the stage as they exchanged their rings. And the party went on till the wee hours of the night, one memorable night to remember surely. Keeping the decor in mind, Ankita wore a stunning mermaid purple gown as she made an entrance hand in hand with Varun, who donned a deep blue velvet bandhgala.
Chooda & Haldi
The morning of the wedding saw an intimate and beautiful chooda and haldi ceremony of Ankita. True to tradition, Ankita donned a simple bright yellow salwar kameez for her chooda ceremony.
Wedding
For her big day, Ankita chose an off white and gold embroidered lehenga, and she looked stunning in every way. Her room was filled with the banter of friends and family, who simply could not stop raving about how gorgeous she looked. Later, we made portraits with her bridesmaids and family, and as she headed for her new journey, she raised a toast with her girls.
Varun on the other hand looked dapper in a pastel hued sherwani. The baraat was a crazy affair, as the groom made an entry amidst a lot of dances, in a vintage car.
The couple wanted the phere outdoors and kept that in mind, as they scouted for wedding locations. Spurred on by the news that The Ritz-Carlton was about to open in Pune, they visited the property just as it was nearing its finishing stages. The victorian interiors and its overall grandeur truly impressed them, and that way the decision was made.
For the wedding, The Foyer at The Ritz-Carlton was magically transformed into a pastel-hued venue to accommodate their vision of a floral wedding mandap.
Thereafter, the dreamy wedding happened. Ankita and Varun made an entry together, hand-in-hand, a beautiful sight to behold forever!
Reception The festivities concluded with a reception held at the same venue as the engagement and cocktail. Dressed in a silver lehenga paired with elegant diamond jewelry, Ankita looked radiant as she posed with Varun who donned a subtle polka dotted three-piece suit for the occasion.
After a heartwarming speech by Ankita’s dad, they met all their family members and exchanged greetings. The celebrations ended on a high note, as Ankita & Varun converted a part of the ballroom into a dance floor so that everyone could groove the night away. Thats how #varuntheankswerisyes happened in full glory. We are thankful to Ankita & Varun and the families, for making us a part of their beautiful celebrations!
Ain had always dreamt of a man who’d be halal, i.e. genuine, warm and accepting of her. Sarmad too had a dream woman in his mind – someone down to earth, simple, and not materialistic. It was a sheer stroke of destiny how these two, who had met at the birthday party of a mutual friend during college, kept in touch and separated, only to meet again, years later!
Though Sarmad had shown his interest in Ain during college itself, she had remained focused on her studies and the distance grew them apart. Flash forward to a few years later, a friend asks Ain about Sarmad’s marital status for herself, which leads to Ain inquiring him. The two get talking, sparks fly and they decide to get married in turn!
When we received the news of them getting hitched, we were beyond thrilled. This meant covering another wedding in the valley, after Ain’s sister, Hafsa’s Wedding, which we had covered four years ago and kept in touch with them ever since. From then on, Ain loved our work, always encouraging us and stating that when it would be her turn to marry, she’d definitely hire us. And true to her words, she did!
We were in Kashmir during the communication shutdown situation, we were challenged. Nonetheless, we persevered and witnessed, as well as captured, a beautifully done Kashmiri Wedding. Following is their love story, in shots. Before you scroll down to check them out, catch some glimpses of the god’s paradise that is Kashmir!
You might have noticed that we put up a picture of Ain’s decked-up home in the post as well. That’s because the beautifully decorated home with its humongous size and architecture had us so bowled out that we couldnt help but be awed. Legend has it that homes like these can accomodate close to 200 people in the living room itself! For this very reason, we couldn’t resist capturing it and decided to let you have a look as well!The wedding, or Nikah, took place in the evening at Moghal Mahal. It was an Asalatan Nikah, which meant that the bride and all her female relatives were on one side while the groom and all his male relatives were on the other with a curtain placed between the two as a partition. Ain’s entry was marked with Wanwun, which were traditional folk songs sung by the womenfolk in the room, to honor the occasion. The Qazi recited Quranic verses, asked for the consent from both sides and then prayed for the newlyweds. Looking back, we realize that our bride’s wedding ensemble was nothing short of artwork! Ain was truly pretty as a picture in an ensemble that was encrusted with beads, pearls, and sequins. She paired the cream-colored outfit beautifully with stunning blue jewelry set, complete with meenakari and polki work. Just as handsome was our groom Sarmad, who wore a black sherwani and grey churidars, accessorized with an embroidered pashmina with intricate Kalamkaari work and a grey sehra. The final Ceremony, called Satim Doh was held on the seventh day of the wedding. For this occasion, Ain wore a teal blue gharara with a lemon-colored dupatta, hand-embroidered in zari and dabka work. Sarmad went with a deep bottle-green kurta from Vikas Makhija with white churidars and a printed Nehru jacket. Guests from the bride’s family were invited over for a feast at the groom’s house and Wazwan was served here as well. Scroll down to see this beautiful wedding set 🙂
Even after back to back shoots, this day last year in December felt really good. A cute little setup at Kino’s Cottage with flowers, a small backdrop by the sea, a quick ring exchange followed by champagne and toast!
Anwesha & Raghav got engaged in an intimate ceremony at Kino’s Cottage. They are my juniors from ILS Law College, Pune. Naturally, I was quite excited about this shoot. Also probably because it was an intimate event with around 50 people in attendance, who were just there to celebrate the joys and love of the couple with all their hearts.
This is how this day went and ended with a beer and Khao Suey by the beach 🙂
Shot by Soumi Goswami & Vishal Kawa Decor by Karan Decorators
Rishika Lohit – Tennis Player Rishika’s Wedding at Vijayawada
A love-story unlike any where India’s Lawn-Tennis champion Rishika was won over by an IITian and Data Scientist – Lohit.
Rishika and Lohit, first came in contact through their parents. Being a professional Tennis player, Rishika’s parents were finding it difficult to look for a good match for her. Their initial thought was to look for proposals from boys settled in US and hence Rishika parent’s decided to send her for Lawn Tennis training for a whole year to US, just to see if she would like US to settle in. By the time Rishika started liking US, the destiny had Lohit for her who was based in Hyderabad itself. They started texting each other and hit it off immediately. The first thing she noticed was their shared sense of humor as she puts it, “He laughs at my lame jokes”. You will get a better glimpse in their chemistry from their film itself.
Lohit, on his part, was armed by the information passed on by his parents, and a few google searches knew that Rishika was a catch! Meanwhile, Lohit was charmed by Rishika’s humility and down to earth nature and decided that she was The One. So when she returned home from the US and met him for the very first time at the airport, he proposed!
In her own words, this is how the crazy proposal went –
“When we finally were going to meet, we both were so nervous, we barely slept that night. We knew the connection was strong but the fact that we never saw each other and wanted things to be exactly how we are imagining it to be made us feel that way. Fortunately, things did turn out the way we wanted and the connection was true! He proposed on day 2 with a no-option-answer, as his note said – “Will you marry me”? 1. Yes, 2. Not no.”
The first event we covered for the two was at Tatipaka. The ceremony was called Pellikoduku and started early in the morning. Purifying the groom was the purpose of this ceremony. Lohit, dressed in a sherwani-chudiar attire, saw his outfit quickly change colors as he got covered in oodles of turmeric paste, flowers and water. A fun scene indeed!
Day two began with shooting the Mehendi Ceremony at Vijayawada. This was followed by Sangeet, where the couple, with friends and family in tow, danced the night away.
The duo looked picture perfect with Rishika dolled up in a Peachy-colored Lehenga and Lohit in a Nehru jacket and Kurta-Chudidar. We were so thrilled to capture them having an absolute blast. Their beaming faces and wide smiles just spoke volumes about the fun they had!
The next day’s ceremony, called Pellikuturu, was held for the bride and took place at Vijayawada as well. With daybreak yet to happen, the ceremony began at 5.30 am. Rishika was a vision in pastel-colored Kanchi Saree, accompanied by flowers that adorned her and completed the look.
Following this, the Wedding took place in the evening, at the SS Convention Hall, and continued late into the midnight, ending with the Muhuratam Ceremony.
For the wedding, Rishika had dressed to the nines and looked every bit the South Indian belle in a red Kanchi Saree. No less was Lohit, who looked just as dashing in a red and beige Sherwani Chudi suit! Together, they made up for some lovely couple shots!
Amidst the chaos of the wedding, our sporty bride kept her spirits high and flying. The funky photo-shoot we had with her friends is a testimony of just that.
The wedding came to an end with the Vratam Pooja, which was held at Hyderabad. Starting relatively late, at 7.30 am, we captured the couple taking part in the function with Rishika decked up in Kanchi Saree again and Lohit, in a Kurta and Chudidar piece, as they headed for the home run.
We truly enjoyed covering this wedding. The beauty of the coastal Andhara, replete with its overarching Palm trees, endless green cover and traditional homes has shone through our photos. Our time spent with the duo was an enriching experience. We got to immerse ourselves in their culture once more, after covering Rishika’s cousin’s Saket and Sri Lakshmi’s Wedding at Vijaywada in 2018 and witnessing the joys and nuances of a traditional Telegu Wedding. Thank you for choosing us again, we wish you both a healthy and happy married life!
