This wedding story is different from the rest! It has been sent to Shopzters not to showcase what was perfect about it but to show how even if things go wrong totally at the last moment we can sail through with hope and trust! This is the Wedding of Harish and Archana at Coimbatore.
As narrated by Latha Seethapathy-The groom's mother.
January 2015
The wedding of my son Dr.Harish Shanthanu and Dr.Archana Ramesh was fixed a year earlier, to take place on December 6th 2015. Both of them were classmates in Madras Medical College, Chennai. Harish was doing his MD at New York USA and Archana at Nebraska, USA. The wedding was to be held at Coimbatore Brindhavan Hall and the reception at Hotel Accord metropolitan in Chennai. God's grace was evident from the moment the date and venue of the wedding and reception was fixed .You all know why? Chennai city was flooded on the first week of December and if the wedding had been there it would have been a total washout!
The wedding was like any other wedding these days. The bride and groom were abroad and their parents here took care of all the arrangements. They landed on November 30th at Chennai and the groom was to reach Coimbatore on the evening of Dec 1 ?for the ‘Kula Deiva’ Pooja on Dec 2nd. The bride’s family was scheduled to arrive at Coimbatore on Dec 3rd.
THE TWISTS AND TURNS!
Harish reached the Chennai airport on time but the flight was delayed by three hours. By midnight water had entered the airport and all flights were cancelled. There was no way to reach the airport because of heavy rains and flooding. Dr.Ramesh , the bride's father, then called up his driver Raja (My first thanks goes to him) who managed to reach the airport despite heavy rains and picked up the groom safely. The next day all flights were cancelled indefinitely, trains were cancelled and there was chaos at Chennai. The Pooja at Coimbatore was carried out without the groom. Concerned friends and relatives warned about road travel because all roads were blocked but Dr.Ramesh's family and Harish had to travel by road to Coimbatore. They took the Bangalore highway to reach Coimbatore on Dec 2 midnight?.
The bride and groom were at Coimbatore, but the vendors? Except for the caterer and backdrop vendor all the other vendors were from Chennai. All phones were switched off due to power outage in Chennai. The priest who was from Coimbatore had gone to visit his son at Chennai and he too was stranded there. So we finally had no clue about the photographer, beautician and the priest. With all this trouble the person who had been fixed for arranging LED screens was from Coimbatore and he too had gone to Chennai at that time. The Mehendi artist who was fixed earlier had also cancelled suddenly at the last moment due to an unexpected family commitment. This was turning to be quite a wedding now! You can now imagine our plight! After all the careful planning and booking 10 months in advance, it got messy at the last moment. We were expecting a smooth wedding because the weather is usually very pleasant in December and we never imagined this sort of roller coaster ride! Looking back now, it's surprising to see how we managed to stay cool with just two days to go and so much of confusion cropping up! Many friends and family members from Chennai had either managed to reach by road or cancelled their trip in disappointment.
After numerous no-response phone calls we just placed our trust on our vendors and carried on with the rest of the arrangements. By the morning of December 5th all the vendors finally reached Coimbatore by road. What a relief! The wedding was a smooth event. Not a single vendor failed us and all of them did their part beautifully. All our efforts of ten months showed in the grand finale! By Dec 13th? floods had receded at Chennai and so the reception at The Accord Metropolitan, T.Nagar, Chennai was also a success. My humble thanks to the almighty for making the D day beautiful for the couple in spite of the many hurdles and may his blessings be with them always! Subham!
THE VENDORS
Now for the vendors who were the real heroes of this wedding
Catering by Famous Cook, Coimbatore
Mr.Seshadri and team of Famous Cook did a splendid job with his team. All dishes at all the events were well presented and delicious too. He won a lot of praise for tasty and hot dishes, timely execution, presentation and buffet setup. A special mention: the delightful vegetable carving which was a surprise. My thanks to him!
Backdrop by Kathir
Mr.Kathir and team of Ramakrishnan decorators did an awesome job and transformed the place into a magical setting. The lighting at apt junctures, floral decor and stage were all more than what we pictured. We wanted a very simple and neat decor and just specified only how we did NOT want the decor to be and left the details to his choice and he read our minds accurately. Special mention: The green and red combo garlands, Copper tinted Interior and exterior decor. Thank you Kathir!
Photography by Amarramesh team
Dilip and team from Studio A of Amar Ramesh, Chennai landed in Coimbatore as promised and we heaved a sigh of relief when they reached Coimbatore. There was no hindrance by the quiet and efficient photographers at any moment of the wedding and their clicks will be cherished for a lifetime! Thanks Dilip and Studio A.
Makeup by Noor
Mr.Noor and team of Bridal Studio Noor did the bride's makeup and Mr.Noor reached Coimbatore right on time and his team did a wonderful job here and in Chennai. Thanks to Noor and Mrs.Kauser for the support.
Music by Nadha Sangamam
Mr.Prasanna and team gave a wonderful Saxophone performance at the Nalangu and traditional nadaswaram at the muhurtham. Thanks to the Nadha Sangamam team.
Priest Ramakrishna Iyer
Mr.Ramakrishna Iyer and his team had been booked just the previous day because our booked priest was held up at Chennai. He and his team took care of the wedding ceremony. Special mention: Their lively interaction with the bride and groom made the ceremony beautiful and unforgettable. The guests admired the way in which the ceremony was conducted. Thanks to Ramakrishna Iyer for a very satisfying event.
Mrs.Bhagyam of Thoranams took care of the setup of Ariveni pots. Special mention: Kuthu vilakku decoration using buds of Nandiyavattam. Thank you dear friend! The plate decoration by Mrs.Sreedevi was also lovely!
Costume:
Groom: Harish's dress of Kurta and dhoti was from Moksha, Chennai. Muhurtham set from Tulsi silks, Chennai.
Bridal Sarees: Tulsi silks Chennai and Varamahalakshmi Chennai
Blouse designs: Priya tailors Coimbatore, Mana design studio Chennai.
Special mention: Mr.Basheer of Priya tailors who designed the lovely blouses.
Bridal jewellery-: Vummidi Bangaru Chetty and Kirtilals Chennai. Special thanks to Mr.Kumara of Kirtilals and Mr.Nagaraj of Vummidi.
Special mention: The traditional Kempu Adigai which belonged to Archana’s grandmother was retained for its antiquity and used in the Muhurtham. The rest of the jewellery and the saree were bought to match that.
Reception at Accord metropolitan: Special mention Chef Venkatesh Bhat’s culinary treats.
Karnatic music Concert -Special mention: Dr.Kanchi Muralidhar and team.
This was one wedding which took us through a journey of suspense, fun, thrill, anxiety and joy. We had a good laugh recalling the events afterwards but one thing is certain, however meticulously you plan an event sometimes there are bound to be last minute hassles. Book trustworthy vendors who will not let you down whatever may come .Stay cool ,forget about things which cannot be done due to unforeseen circumstances ,let things be as they can be and have fun and enjoy your D day. God bless all the couples who are waiting for their big day.
