Dreamy and Dramatic Look

For her destination wedding at JW Marriott in Phuket, Jakarta-based Samara Melwani wore creations by Anjalee-Arjun Kapur, Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi and Shantanu-Nikhil.

“I changed the Wedding date, so Cory could do my Make-up”

Says Samara: “I wanted a very dramatic look for every wedding function. Yet I didn’t want to look like a Christmas tree. To achieve the looks, I got in touch with make-up artist Cory Walia. In the first meeting with Cory, I felt a ‘click’. Cory does not do trials and I felt comfortable after meeting him, while earlier I was sure I would finalise on a make-up artist only after a trial. In fact, I moved the wedding date by a week, just because Cory was unavailable on the original wedding date. I was super-happy with his make-up and loved the looks and hairstyles he created for different functions.”

Traditional creations for the Sangeet and the Wedding

For the Sangeet, I wore an orange lehenga with gold prints and dull gold anklets by Shantanu & Nikhil. I wanted a traditional, yet modern look for the Sangeet, as I wanted it to look very different from my Sabyasachi wedding outfit. Hence, we decided on the dull gold anklets. I teamed it with a blouse with bronze swarovski crystals. To feel comfortable, I wore wedges so I could dance. Thankfully, I danced comfortably and happily all night!

For the wedding ceremony on 6th December, 2009 I wore a Sabyasachi creation. A green lehenga teamed with a dull gold blouse, an ivory dupatta on the shoulders and a red dupatta worn as a veil.

Indo-Westerns for the Ghari

For the Ghari ceremony I wore an interesting Manish Malhotra ensemble. Bronze harem pants with a short pink anarkali and an olive green shrug. For the ghari dinner, I wore an Anjalee & Arjun Kapoor gown. With Swarovski and pearl work, and floral prints, it was perfect for the celebration by the beach.

Shantanu & Nikhil for the Reception

For the reception, I wore a creation from my favourite designers—Shantanu and Nikhil. I wanted an Over the Top gown, and I knew only the duo could do a great job. They designed a stunning maroon ball gown. I wore black fishnet gloves to cover the mehendi, since mehndi and ball gowns don’t go hand in hand. The jewellery was designed by my mother, a gemmologist who owns a jewellery store in Jakarta. A three line diamond necklace with a tear drop shaped pendant and a black stone in the centre to match the gown’s black lace; and matching earrings with solitaires and black stones.