Apeksha and Swapnil – Udaipur, Rajasthan

Bangalore girl Apeksha tied the knot with Nagpur based industrialist Swapnil at a magnificent destination wedding in Udaipur. The couple met at a common friend’s post-wedding party at a Volleyball Court in Nagpur. Here, Apeksha (Api) writes about their love story, Swapnil’s unique proposal on Valentine’s Day and their epic celebrations in the city of lakes.

About Us

Swapnil being from Nagpur and I from Bangalore, the chances of getting to know each other were very thin (I had visited Nagpur just once before we became friends and he would rarely visit Bangalore). But, we feel it was serendipity as they say; as if we were brought to that one spot so we would end up being together! When we bid each other goodbye after the meeting we decided to keep in touch. We spoke occasionally on phone but neither of us made a special effort to make it work long-distance. But the phone calls became more frequent and gradually we grew fonder of each other. In the two year period, we were often in two different countries but we kept in touch through phone/ skype/ texting and made sure we met up at least once a quarter. We got married on July 15th, after which I moved to Nagpur where Swapnil owns and runs a printing & packaging conglomerate, whilst I am in the process of setting up a retail store for international foods.

The Proposal

Since we lived in two cities, surprising me was always a task for Swapnil! So to pull off a surprise Swapnil landed in Bangalore few hours before the ‘scheduled’ time. Meanwhile our friend and Wedding Planner who knew we would get engaged soon, called to tell me about a very good bridal makeup artiste from Delhi who is visiting Bangalore, and said she’d like me to meet her. All this while Swapnil was at the coffee shop working on the proposal, and I headed out with a friend to meet the makeup artist. Just when I reached the destination I saw a huge 20×20 flex hoarding which said ‘Will You Marry Me Api?’ in bold red font with red hearts all around it! I couldn’t believe my eyes! In my head I was still thinking I am meeting the bridal makeup artist! This was right in the middle of heavy traffic and I just stopped the car not even realizing I was causing a traffic block. Barely able to gather my excitement I managed to park the car away from the traffic block and peek down from my steering wheel to see Swapnil on his knees with the most beautiful ring; and behind him was a band- a saxophonist, a guitarist, a vocalist all playing to ‘you fill up my senses’!! The irony was that my senses were just fixed on Swapnil and nothing else! And all this was captured on film too! A man of detail indeed Swapnil! He just made my Valentine’s day and my life!

Wedding Venue and Planning

We decided to get married in Udaipur because we were very keen on a destination wedding, and we wanted a location that gives everyone a feel of the heritage and royalty of historic India. After visiting many locations, we felt Udaipur fit all our requirements right. We then went on to visit several heritage and palatial properties in Udaipur, and after our recce and research we chose Lake Pichola as the wedding venue.

We hired two wedding planners- Nilay Verma from Refuge Events, Nagpur and Pritie Jain from Bling Mushrooms, Bangalore. Since Swapnil and I were in different cities, it felt easier to divide the work and responsibilities between the two planners.

Wedding Celebrations

Swapnil is a Maharashtrian and I am a Kannadiga Brahmin, so our functions and themes were coordinated with our respective cultures, as both of us wanted to celebrate a mix of both traditions. Our functions included:

A colorful Haldi event (Maharashtrian)

A ‘Casino Royale’ theme Mehndi (Maharashtrian)

A fun-filled Sangeet and formal Cocktail

And finally the Wedding Ceremony which was held as per South Indian Brahmin traditions.

The early morning wedding was an all-new experience for Swapnil who often joked about the irony of it all, a late riser who has to wake up too early on his special day.

I wore creations by Anju Modi for all the functions while Swapnil’s wear was from Badasaab.

Our advice for to-be weds

Every big wedding includes stressful pre-planning, but you know how they say, if everything goes as planned then there’s no fun in that. Also, no matter how much you plan or time and efforts you put it, there will always be some glitches. Hence, don’t over-think about how something is not happening your way or the way you planned it to be. Its all a part of the dance, so sit back and have a drink and enjoy as you watch it all unfold and fall into place.

The Wedding Makers

We had a lovely team to help us plan our dream wedding just the way we wanted it to be! Right from the planners, photographers, videographer and the make-up artist, all of them made our big day special and a memorable experience for all guests:

– Vinayak Das and Snigdha Sheel (Photo Tantra)
– Vishal Punjabi and team (The Wedding Filmer)
– Shefali Shetty, Shimsha Shetty from b:blunt (Khar, Mumbai)
– Wedding Planners- Nilay Verma (Refuge Events), Pritie Jain (Bling Mushrooms) 
 

Photographs Courtesy- Vinayak Das and Snigdha Sheel (Photo Tantra)

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