A Big Fat South-Indian Wedding Fit For Royalty!
The gala wedding of Thenusri, an only child and Chakravarthy on the 3rd of June 2018 left both family and guests awestruck! The couple had a beautiful fairy tale wedding that they will cherish for a lifetime. The arranged marriage became a story that the much-in-love couple will tell their grandchildren with joy.
The meeting took place on a memorable day in April 2017, after which the duo took a few months to solemnize their union. Once they were sure of their commitment to one another, they had a small engagement ceremony on the 15th of September 2017. The families decided to choose 3rd of June 2018 as the wedding day, giving ample time to the love birds to enjoy their courtship.
There were many small functions that interspersed the period. The notable function was the Patrika ceremony which was attended by about 200 people. There was an event where all guests assembled at the groom’s house to witness the making of the Mangal Sutra and the Pooja. Once this was done, EDC of Hyderabad was roped in to make the invitations. The company did a great job with subtle and graceful invites that made the guests look forward to the ceremony.
Dance practice was a process that was thoroughly enjoyed by the families. And the much-anticipated event was concluded on the 27th of May 2018 followed by the rocking DJ event. The “My Village Resort” in Anikati was the favoured venue as the locale is awe-inspiring. The A-Cube Projects team led ably by Ambika Agarwal did a breathtaking job. The coordinated designer outfits from @shantanu-nikhil-hyderabadclothing# were ethereal and the matching décor added to the wow factor! The dance floor was decorated as a Mandala and the entire Sangeet came alive.
The violin, piano and flute recital by Shravan Sridhar and the team of the Non-violinist project was a performance to write home about. RJ Maha from Hello FM and VJ Rakesh from Sun Music made the music of the fully home-grown Sangeet memorable. The dance recitals by the family were followed by the DJ VK’s grooving music mixes and kept us dancing into the wee hours. Uncle Sam from Samskriti caterers in Chennai served Burmese soup, achaari paneer tikkas, paan shots and beautifully presented mocktails that set the foodie in us free.
The 31st of May saw the Haldi and Mehendi ceremonies being concluded. The bride was resplendent in a yellow lehenga duly customized for her for the haldi ceremony. The bridal jewellery was floral, replete with bracelets, hip garlands, earrings, maangtika all fashioned out of flowers by Kavita of Pellipujada in Coimbatore. Nagrajaparna were the decorators and they made the venue look stunning with an umbrella placed right in front of the house as a show stopper. The background had an embossed lotus which complemented the Haldi and mehendi theme.
The Unjal or the swing for the mehendi was also in the yellow theme, encrusted with marigold flowers. The Tarun Tahilani lehenga was regal and elegant, gracing the bride with élan. The talented budding mehendi artist Zeba Feroze, who did the bridal mehendi descended on the venue with 67 girls who anointed the bride and the groom’s family with mehendi. The ceremony was intimate and a lot of fun with the Mama’s family as the Mamaseer function was held immediately after. The mamaseer outfit was a lehenga from “Bagicha” in Benaras. The beautiful bride was a sight fit for royalty.
After a day’s rest the day of the actual engagement ceremony, the 2nd of June saw the bride reaching the Codissia mandapam early, dressed in a half saree by Tulsi. The décor conceptualized by Viji of Coimbatore was very ably executed by Aparna. The makeup was done by @make-up-ibrahim# and hairstyle was by Vijay Raghavan. The half saree was replaced by a saree gifted by the groom’s side and was beautifully draped by Saraswati.
The reception was another grand affair with the bride draped in a @sabyasachi-hyderabad# creation. The venue décor was again conceptualized by Viji and executed by Aparna, who is also a dear friend. The flower chandeliers, the check design with custom-made crystals and the lip-smacking dinner laid out by Saraswati caterers was a divine sight.
The amphitheatre outside the hall was transformed into a concert like a scenario with musical stalwarts like Shweta Mohan, Hari Charan, Sathya Prakash, Anita and band made the ambience electric.
@vipin# made the wedding functions special. He started with a pre-wedding shoot at Pondicherry and kept posting stories on Instagram. The wedding day also had a mini photo session that enthralled the couple and family. These were to be the couples’ memories of the nearly yearlong celebrations that saw the beginning of their love-filled life.
