Elaborate yet Contemporary
By Jaspreet Soni

Marita a cosmetic dentist and Sameer an advocate got married on 9 Dec, 2011. Marita is Manglorean Catholic and Sameer is half Marathi half Nepalese so their wedding was a celebration across cultures.

Princess Wedding Gown
Marita always wanted a fairytale wedding where she would look like a princess and her prince charming will sweep her off her feet. For the Church wedding she wore a stunning off white strapless empire waist satin gown with a Princess skirt and intricate beaded embroidery.

Joan Boutique, Bandra
Marita says: "I always wanted to have a royal British kind of wedding where I walk down the aisle in a big elaborate dress. Since my wedding was planned in a hurry, the biggest challenge was to get my dream wedding gown done in time. When I started visiting stores, I realized that most of them were booked. Then my best friend and my bridesmaid Beverley told me about Joan who has a boutique in Bandra. Her cousin got her wedding dress from Joan and she could not stop gushing about it. When I met Joan, I had a very different picture of gown in my mind. I used to collect wedding gown pictures and put them in an album so I had a defined idea. Joan listened to my vision, put together the pieces and then made few sketches combining her expertise and my ideas. We had discussions over two weeks so I could decide on the design. When Joan showed me the final sketch, I realized it was what I wanted."

Custom made hairpiece and minimal Jewelry
Marita accessorized her gown with sterling silver and crystal jewelry by Gitanjali and a custom made hairpiece for an all-new dimension. She says: "I always wanted a beautiful hairpiece to peep out of the veil. I did not quite like what I saw at the stores. So I selected few designs at an imitation jewelry shop in Lokhandwala and got them customized to form an elaborate hairpiece. With an elaborate gown and equally grand hairpiece, I wanted to wear minimalistic jewelry so I chose small sphere studded with crystals and matching earrings."

Copper gold and maroon lehenga for the after-party
As per Manglorean Catholic traditions, brides wear a red and gold saree (Sado) for the second half of the reception. But Marita did not want to wear the traditional colored saree, so she decided on a contemporary yet traditional lehenga. Her mother-in-law took her to Aishwarya, the store in Crawford Market; there she saw a beautiful maroon and copper gold lehenga. She says: "I loved it because of its unique work-- velvet embroidered using silk threads very unlike the regular sequins and zari. It had the traditional colors yet completely different kind of embroidery; a perfect amalgamation of tradition and fashion."

Marita's makeup was done by Minee R Khanna.

Photographs courtesy :
www.clydeandkaren.com
www.facebook.com/clydeandkaren