A very special wedding (Sharanya & Pradeep)

Amongst many wedding we have attended, I believe Sharanya's (and Pradeep) will remain very special. Supriya and I are generally the one who are excited and thoroughly planning through, this one became special as Anagha and Anirudh got involved equally well. Could have been because they are seeing the whole thing as young adults. Take it the culture, tradition, relationships or also the well executed event !!  

It all started with this beautiful invite.

The devil is in the details:

Hats off to Vijay and Sapna, for such meticilous planning. I am sure they would have run through the whole event a a zillion times. Just to highlight a few that stood extremely innovative and special for me. (and I am sure, I may have missed many more of these)

A preview to the wedding rituals:

Vijay had put together a list of all the ceremonies that would be performed in the wedding with meaning/intent and few background detailing. A true preview of a South Indian Wedding, which any layman could read and make sense of what was happening in the center stage (yes, the wedding mantap was truely centre staged with all invitees seating in all four direction, so that no one is missing the visuals). It also meant that Vijay has done a whole lot of research on the rituals to summarize for the larger consumption.

Center Staged Mantap, with seating in all four sides 

Wishing Tree:

You walk into the extremely huge hall (with a very large parking space, enable us drive to event both the days comfortably), you are invited with a huge tree setup. At first glance, its a well light up tree and first place for all the selfies. (Yes, Supriya and I took a pic and instantly posted it on WhatsApp Status). More interesting was, for every guest to write a personal note and wishes to the couple that would lay hung on the tree. A Wishing Tree. 

Ring by bell & Showering petals:

 

All of us got a bell and showering petals, during the wedding with a small note, as to when and how to use. We all liberally made use of it, during the "tieing mangala sutra" echoing the hall along with the "gatti mela". A true temple feeling, which was felt close by as every one did with our own ones.

Customize with commonality:

Every event of the wedding had unique things for guests to improvize on their attire like the Peacock Pettled brooch (for sarees), which was also fashioned by men for their Kurta's.

Ever welcoming hosts:

Co-ordinating the marriage can be such a overwhelming thing. Checking on vendors, guests, taxi's, room allocations, maintenance, food etc... 

In spite of all of these, loved the way Vijay and Sapna took time with guests, could be short coversation or just simple waive acknowledging the presence. Every guest, they knew were welcomed with right mode. 

Loved the way they took time to create digital memories that will remain in our library (and in our brain memory) for a long time. (in case you did notice in the pic, Sapna is multi-tasking over the phone) 

A feast to remember:

Food is awlays the highlight for a wedding, and this one never missed it's target. A well spread of North and South Indian delicacies on the Reception Day, enabling everyone to pick one's choice of food and ending with a custom paan of various flavour including chocolate or mango (this is not a typo! They tasted yum!! ).

Hunger never crept in, as there always someone serving in the hall (paani puri, entree items like cheese pakoda) round the clock. Guests, could just continue talking and not worry about hunger. 

The mocktails were just amazing, placed just at the enterance, with delightful combinations of the best kind (Aam ka panna, pinna coloda or the regular Orange juice.)

The breakfast on the wedding day extended beyond with varieties of idlies (saboodani or kottu type), masala dose, shavige bath and kashi halwa (yum!!).

The lunch came with a menu, so that you can prepare well upfront and also know the order. You can choose to pick up a bit for taste or jump in deep for the volume.

People and catch-ups:

Of course, the wedding also enriched us with lot more interactions with relatives and friends, a few we met for the very first time, some, after a real long time. This gave us ample time to catch up, putting us on track on what has happened until now and refreshed our memory to the latest. No time was spared and digital updates made with all our selfies.

A big THANK YOU to Vijay and Sapna for organizing the event and enabling us have all the fun.