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Destination Hyderabad – Taj Falaknuma Palace to Host Grand Wedding

In November 2010, when Taj Falaknuma Palace opened its doors, the lavish property was touted as the next amazing luxury destination for weddings. Since then the former private palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad has hosted many high profile soirees including weddings and anniversary celebrations of Bollywood and international celebrities.

Between February 23rd and 25th, Vihang Sarnaik, son of prominent politician Pratap Sarnaik from Maharashtra, is tying the knot with Anahita Paghdiwalla, a Parsi girl from South Mumbai. After a whirlwind romance and a formal proposal in the UK, the groom and his bride-to-be began the search for their dream wedding venue. They wanted a palace setting in India, and after visiting Jodhpur, Jaipur, and Udaipur, the next stop was Taj Falaknuma Palace. This 32-acre property ticked all the boxes – it offered a tranquil ambiance, ultra-luxurious interiors, and a European royal heritage-meets-modern Indian elegance setting.

Taj Falaknuma PalaceTaj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad
Taj Falaknuma Palace

Taj Falaknuma PalaceThe proposal at The Brighton Pier in Brighton, England

Vihang Sarnaik, an architect by qualification who is now in the construction business, tells us about how it started and the journey so far. “When we stepped into Taj Falaknuma Palace our first reaction was ‘It can’t get better than this!’ We’ve stayed at many heritage palace properties in Rajasthan, the Middle East, and Turkey but we were sure that Taj Falaknuma Palace would provide an experience like no other.”

We asked Vihang what has been his most enthusiastic contribution to the wedding planning process, besides the venue selection of course. He shared, “The coordination, logistics, and travel arrangements are being taken care of by our wedding planners – Milestones to Memories (MtoM). Since I quite enjoy the creative process of planning events, I keep sharing ideas with MtoM, and our decor designer Heena Patel of Amaahyaj Baroda. The other exciting part is planning the pre-wedding shoot, and brief for the wedding photos and film, so the super-talented and dynamic Anand Rathi of Reels & Frames is on my speed dial. No celebration in our home is complete without a lot of thought on what food should be prepared and how it should be served. We’ve had extensive meetings with the teams at Taj Falaknuma Palace, and the details have been finalized in consultation with my brother Purvesh Sarnaik who runs catering company ‘Purple Carrot.'”

The wedding celebrations will commence with a floral-themed mehndi at the hotel’s Pool Lawns which will be followed by a haldi ceremony at the Zenana Courtyard. The theme for the sangeet is ‘Glitzy and Techno’, and it will take place at the Falaknuma Main Lawns. The wedding ceremony theme will have a ‘Paithani and Gara’ (Maharashtrian groom and Parsi bride) vibe, and the finale celebration will be the reception which is being planned with a ‘Royal’ theme.

Taj Falaknuma PalaceTaj Falaknuma Palace Poolside

Around two years ago, the Taj Group of Hotels commenced their new initiative ‘Destination Hyderabad,’ and they showcased their plans at WeddingSutra Engage – Hyderabad edition. Speaking at WeddingSutra Engage the city’s top bridal and wedding influencers including designer Anushree Reddy, wedding planner Dinaz Noria and Shalini Bhupal of the GVK group spoke about why Hyderabad – with its rich culture, heritage venues and modern infrastructure – is perfect for destination weddings.

Taj Falaknuma Palace
Taj Falaknuma PalaceHorse-drawn carriages, palace butlers and a heritage walk make you relive Hyderabad’s grand history at Taj Falaknuma Palace.

Aarti Manocha of Milestones to Memories (M2M) who is planning the Vihang-Anahita wedding tells us about her experience of working in Hyderabad: “We’ve planned many royal theme celebrations in Rajasthan, so for the longest time I wanted to work at Taj Falaknuma Palace. The property has the most picturesque outdoor spaces, and the families have booked all the 60 rooms at the hotel for three-day celebrations. The VIP guests and senior members of both families will be staying at the Taj Falaknuma Palace itself. The rest of the 300 guests will be staying at other hotels in the city. It’s been an amazing and stress-free experience planning a celebration in Hyderabad, and after this wedding, we look forward to many more memorable experiences here.”

Watch this space for more photos from Vihang-Anahita’s wedding or follow us on www.instagram.com/weddingsutra.

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