Real Weddings

SOPHIE AND ANDREW Planning a wedding abroad has its challenges, but Sophie had a clear vision of what she wanted for their idyllic celebrations in a French Chateau

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We met at a music festival in the North of England and for our fist date, since I was at University in Manchester, Andrew got the train down and we spent a memorable day together in Manchester. It was the first of many. Andrew whisked me away on the most incredible ski trip to Whistler, Canada. After the most perfect first day of skiing, he suggested we have drinks and a swim in the outside pool and hot tub. It was snowing, and the setting was so beau tiful. We then went back into our room where there were roses and champagne waiting. The fire (in our room) was roar ing and as we sat by it chatting, Andrew got down one on knee. And I could not help but say yes. The wedding planning was both fun and stressful. I had a clear vision of the type of wedding I wanted and luckily Andrew was happy for me to take the lead. I thought it would be easier hav ing such a clear vision, but I think it actually made it harder because sometimes it was difficult to find things or execute ideas exactly how I imagined. As we are based in Dubai, and the wedding was in France there was a lot of organisation and late-night calls needed. From finding our venue to the wedding week, we were plan ning for nearly a year and a half.

We had a three-day wedding weekend in South West France. All of our closest family and friends flew out. We began with drinks on the Friday then had a BBQ and pool party on the Sunday at the Cha teau. The main event – in the gardens of a beautiful 14 th century Chateau in rural France called Chateau de la Bourlie – was on the Saturday, and it was the most in credible day. We couldn’t have wished for anything more special. After the ceremo ny, we all walked around to the back of the Chateau which had views of the valley for the reception. We had festoon lights draped over the courtyard and candle-lit tables so as the sun set, it all felt incred ibly romantic. We later moved into an old barn and danced late into the evening.

THE DETAILS Dress: Susanne Neville exclusive for The Wedding Gallery, London; Her shoes: By Far; Groom's attire: Bespoke from Collars & Cuffs; Wedding rings: Cara Jewellers; Our bridesmaids: Asos Bridal; Flowers: Jenny Fairbanks; Cake: La Nectar (Caterer); Wedding song: You’ve Got The Love - Florence & The Machine.

WEDDING TEAM Venue: Chateau de la Bourlie, Urval France Date of wedding: 7 September 2019 Planner: Rosie Green Events Caterer: La Nectar Makeup: Emily Naylor Honeymoon: South Africa, Mr & Mrs Smith Photographer: Richard Skins Photography

NEHA AND ADEEL From the start Neha and Adeel’s romance wasn’t only about the flowers, the moonlight and date nights… it was also about the utmost commitment towards each other

Photographer: Hitesh Chhabria

WEDDING TEAM Venues: Kino Cottage, Juhu, Mumbai; Gallops; Mahalaxmi Racecourse Mumbai Date of wedding: 12 January 2020 Planner: Neha Adeel & Co. Caterer: Venue Makeup: Make Up My Mansi. @mansididwhat Photographer and videographer: Talking Pictures By Hitesh

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Adeel and I worked in different divisions of the same company in Dubai and were introduced to each other at a work get together. My heart definitely skipped a beat and later into our romance, I found out that it was similar for Adeel too. One of my friends was visiting Dubai and I took the opportunity to ask Adeel to drive me to the airport. He did one better and asked me out for dinner. It ended up be ing a dinner at Soho grill, picking up my friend and then all of us partying together late into the night.

We kept arranging dinners and ap pointments just to be in each-others company. I am a very practical girl, and my friends would actually say I have no romantic bone in my body. Adeel is my exact opposite. He told me his company was having a recreation programme over the weekend at The Ritz Carlton- Al Hamra Beach, RAK. When we reached there it was to a beautiful dinner set up in a chalet where Adeel got down on his knee to pop the question. Of course, I said yes.

We got married in Mumbai, India. The planning took us nine months, and eight flights back and forth between Dubai and Mumbai. It was the most in tense and crazy period of our lives. Trying to co-ordinate all the suppliers over weekend trips, and international phone calls was a lot of hard work, but abso lutely worth it in the end.

Our wedding itself was spread over three days of great fun and merriment. We had friends and family flying in from all over India and the world. The henna function – where I got my hands and feet decorated with beautiful designs, and Adeel’s name hidden in it – was fol lowed with lots of dancing to the beats of the Punjabi dhol (drums). Later that af ternoon we had the haldi ceremony and in the evening a rock ‘n’ roll party for all our friends. The second day was a lot less hectic. We had an intimate brunch with our closest friends and a private photo shoot. The third day was reserved for our official wedding registration at the court house, followed by a reception with lots of delicious food, music and dancing.

THE DETAILS Dress: Mehendi Outfit Designer - Reet by Bhavna & Shweta, Dubai; After party Dress: Lace & Beads; Reception Outfit Designer: Soltee by Sulakshana Monga; Rings: Fergus James; My shoes: Valentino; Groom's attire Mehendi: Purusham, Mumbai; Grooms attire Reception: Gaurav Gupta; Grooms Shoes: Shutiq India; Our bridesmaids: Their Own; Flowers: Arth Eventertainment; Cake: The Cake Lady, Mumbai; Wedding song: XO John Mayer; Unique touches: Handmade favors for guests. Colourful pouches filled with combinations of Indian jewellery & Jenga blocks placed on tables signed by guests.

Indian Brides Say ‘Yes’ to Lehengas Near and Far (Ver-y Far)

Words: Sapna Maheshwari

After an 18-hour journey from New York to New Delhi in De cember sandwiched between my parents, I wanted nothing more than to take a long show er and dive under the covers. But we were there on a mission, and time was scarce.

So, one brief pit stop at our hotel lat er, we were yawning in a car on the way to Chandni Chowk, a famously crowded mar ket hawking everything from textbooks to hardware supplies. The maze of stalls is so sinuous that cars can only travel so far, at which point we clambered into an auto rick shaw and told the driver to head to Asiana Couture. I nervously hoped that it was as good a store as my distant cousins had claimed on our WhatsApp group chat.

Finally, at the end of a dimly lit alley lined with heaps of vibrant saris and the oc casional stray dog, we found the store. And so began a frantic week of shopping for my bridal lehenga, aka my wedding dress.

The notion of shopping in India for my June wedding in Connecticut has struck many of my friends and work colleagues as unusual and even glamorous. But for many South Asian brides, as well as people marry ing South Asians, this sort of high-pressure, whirlwind trip is a normal rite of passage in the lead-up to their weddings. Count less stores are visited where shopkeepers attempt to discern your tastes as they trot out garment after garment. Scratches may be left on your arms from trying on so many richly embellished clothes. Decisions have to be made quickly, which is a challenge be cause most stores do not allow photos.

“It was the most intense 10 days of my life,” said Maya Eichler, a 31-year-old prod uct manager at Uber in San Francisco, who shopped in Mumbai, India, before her wed ding in June 2017. “Every hour was planned.” Jennifer Welch, a 30-year-old govern ment employee in Washington, who married her Indian American husband last year, said that she and her in-laws planned a trip to Mumbai and managed to find two lehengas for their fusion wedding in just four days there. While she had fun, she noted, “a lot of chai got us through it.”

Pop culture has made it easier to explain the colour and customs of Indian weddings since the days of Bend It Like Beckham.