The bold, the beautiful, the lively and the unique! This was all the things that our bride Preethi is made up of! One long chat with her, and we feel energized! She is full of enthusiasm, gushing all the little details from meeting her Swaroop to finally marrying him. This bride who got married at Art of Living Ashram in Bangalore, has taught us, the art of living life on our own terms! We are super excited about sharing her story with you, so please read on!
Hello Preethi! Thank you so much for taking the time for us, we loved your wedding pictures, your jewellery and everything else! We can’t wait to know more!
Thanks to Shopzters for featuring my wedding story! Going through all the emotions and feelings once again is a pleasure and I can’t wait to go through them again while recalling them for you.
So how did you meet Swaroop? Please tell us the first meet!
So I was traveling to Bhadrachalam, and on the journey I met a friend of mine. She was a close friend of Swaroop. We got talking and she told me about him. She was all ‘You will be great together!’ and all that. I was like ‘Let me think about it’. She passed on his horoscope and it was a match! When I told her that, she passed on his number! I still remember, it was a Saturday and AR Rahman’s concert was on! I was waiting for his call, and he finally did! The first thing he said was ‘Sorry, I was working’ and the next day, we met at a restaurant.
So what happened next?
Well, then his parents checked the horoscope as well, and it matched, but that was not all! We both are staunch believers of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – the ‘Art of Living’ Guruji. We both wanted him to make the final call. I went to Guruji and asked his take and he liked him as well! So we went ahead!
Were you guys alike?
Actually no! Ha Ha! We are completely different! He is very calm and collected, and I am a chatterbox! We were so very different, that he got a little intimidated and so he went and paid a visit to guruji! After guruji gave his nod, there was no looking back! We had the ring exchange at Bangalore, in the Ashram itself in May and a week later, we had a small engagement here at Chennai.
Did you have any idea about how you wanted your wedding? Any wish list?
I wanted a different wedding! Something that takes place outdoors, or in a different location! So we went ahead and chose the Ashram. He is an investment banker and I was a HR professional. I did not like that much, I wanted to try something different, so I joined the Ashram and taught kids. I travel a lot because of that, and I thoroughly enjoy this job! I do a lot of designing on the side, and because of that, I designed all my sarees and blouses and got them woven and stitched at specific places! Also, I went through this article on Shopzters, one about contrasting blouses. That helped so much! Thanks guys!
Aww! You’re most welcome Preethi! It’s our pleasure! So do you like to dance? How was your Sangeet? And what did you wear?
First, let me tell you what I wore for my Sangeet, then we can chat about what actually happened at the Sangeet!
Lehenga – It was actually a gift from my brother. I wore it for his wedding and it is very close to my heart! So I decided to wear it for my Sangeet. I got it redesigned by Vanitha Prasad.
Jewellery – I wore a Kundan Set from Madhuriya Jewellery. There is one thing I must mention here! These jewellers are associated with the Ashram. They maintain 400 schools! So whatever profit they make, the proceedings go to the welfare of the school!
Makeup – It was done by Sagar. He is a friend and he is from Maharashtra. It was very sweet of him to make it for all my events!
Photography – All events were captured by @studio-31-by-pranesh-photography#. Pranesh is a very good friend and he was an obvious choice. The engagement was shot by Vignesh and the wedding was shot by Yogesh and team. These guys are awesome! They have a smiling face, very friendly, encouraging and treat us like family! We loved their work and I would suggest them for anyone reading this!
Mehndi – Faabee did it for me and I loved it! I wanted something unusual, so I gave her a list of things I wanted added, like the Eiffel Tower, King and a Queen, the alphabets P and S, a Sunrise and a Sea! She did them all! I wanted animals too, especially an Elephant. I LOVE elephants! But since I had got it done for my engagement, we did not go ahead with it.
Venue – It took place at the ‘Art of Living’ Ashram. The Décor and Catering was also taken care of by them. There is something that I must mention. Whatever event takes place at the Ashram, the proceed go to the charity, so if someone is looking for a beautiful location and a wedding with a cause, then this is the best place to get married! :)
After the Sangeet, we had a dance party. According to a Telugu custom, the bride is supposed to present a bouquet and invite the groom. Since I wanted it to have a personal touch, I went to Sowcarpet, and after a lot of searching, for a heart shaped basket. I loaded it with flowers of my choice and gave it to him! Then the dancing began! I must tell you this about Swaroop, he comes across like this super quiet guy, but he rocked the dance floor! All of us were amazed, he was very good! We then danced and danced! That was an evening to remember.
Awesome! Tell us about the wedding!
Well, the wedding took place at the Ashram as well! It was beautiful for more than a few reasons! Guruji took the time off his busy schedule and dropped by and blessed us! Swaroop and I were very touched by his gesture! The next thing was when Swaroop came on an Elephant! He knows how much I love elephants, and he did that, which just got me so excited!
Saree – I designed it, and got it weaved by Prakash Silks! Love them both! My love for Elephants made sure they were present on the Saree! I had Elephant motifs added on my saree.
Blouse – They were all done by Vanitha Prasad, She got an Elephant beautifully embroidered onto my Blouse sleeves. I loved it! Even my gown was done by her. I loved her work!
Makeup – It was Sagar again.
Venue – It took place at the “Art of Living International Ashram” at the ‘Vedic Dharma Sansthan’. They took care of the catering as well. Here, I want to mention Karthika Ramakrishnan! She was my pillar of strength! She took care of everything, all I had to do was tell her what I wanted and she got them done! Thank you so much Akka!
Jewellery – It was again from Madhuriya Jewellery. In temple sets, we always have only Goddesses engraved, but I was pretty adamant that I want Ganesh ji on my Neckpiece.
Groom – Mani’s Creations at T Nagar
Footwear – Mokshi
So, since you are from Chennai and he from Andhra, did you have one or two receptions?
Yes, we had two Receptions! I’ll tell you about the highlights of both of them!
Reception 1 – Andhra Pradesh: It was my mother’s birthday and hence it was even more special. We cut a cake to celebrate her birthday!
Reception 2 – It was at Chennai. We wanted an outdoor reception, but it had been raining for a few days, but we still went ahead! We got Chinese lanterns, 21 to be precise and lit them! It was so beautiful. A special mention for the décor, I was pretty clear on what I wanted, I even drew it for them, and they did the exact same thing! Lovely job done by Gopi Decorators.
Where did you go for your Honeymoon?
We went to Bali, and our bucket list was done and dusted with! Beaches, Island, Water Sports, Adventure Sports, we did them all! I shopped quite a lot! So much that we needed another baggage, but hey! That’s the idea right?! ;) We went through Aero Travels, they are a friend.
Anything you would like to add Preethi?
I want to thank all my family and friends for making my wedding extra special. But most of all, I would like to thank my lovely husband. Swaroop who has always been my constant support. He always says ‘Be yourself, don’t change even a little bit of who you are for anyone’ Lucky people find their soulmate, and I am lucky to not only have a soulmate, but such a beautiful person as a soulmate! Thank you! :)
