Duhita Chadha and Sahil Pariani – Pattaya, Thailand
The charming couple from Mumbai tied the knot at Dusit Thani, Pattaya
Sahil and Duhita have been together for nearly seven years. From a construction business family, Sahil was introduced to events expert and fashion designer Duhita by common friends. It was certainly not love at first sight. Sahil thought Duhita was too snobbish and Duhita thought he was too loud!
After that minor speedbump though, the couple have enjoyed the rollercoaster, knowing they were head-over-heels in love and going to get married one day. “But Sahil didn’t think it would be so soon,” laughs Duhita.
The couple researched a lot of hotels around South East Asia. “We spoke to a lot of hotels including JetWing Blu in Sri Lanka, Anantara Riverside in Bangkok and Centara Grand in Pattaya. But for one or many reasons they didn’t work for us.” Finally, when they checked out Dusit Thani, Pattaya they realized it was perfect. “The most important factor was the level of cooperation we received from the hotel, especially their Director of Events, Wiracha Sucholthong. She was a boon to our wedding! The food, location, staff, service, everything was impeccable!”
The party started in Mumbai, with Duhita’s Mehndi at Mayfair Banquets, Worli. Duhita brought her experience as a designer to her own function and planned an India-inspired venue: flower chandeliers, cake-pops iced like mehndi, orange and pink drapes, fairy lights and a photo-booth with a bicycle. The giveaways were intricately designed silver mirrors.
The festivities in Thailand stretched over two nights and three days. “We kicked things off with a pool/beach party,” Duhita says, “We called it, ‘Feet in sand, drinks in hand’,” she grins. The couple, averse to flashy, OTT displays, opted for a subtle, classy palette of white and turquoise across the venue and cabanas. The photobooth here had different backgrounds, props and pinwheels. Part of the hospitality included a ‘sun-protection station’ loaded with sunscreen, cane-hand-fans and sun-shades for guests to pick and wear. In keeping with the décor, the bride wore a white Amit Aggarwal customized gown.
The engagement/sangeet followed. Keeping the quirky naming theme going, they called it ‘Buffet, Booze, Bad Dance Moves!’ Dance moves aside, the décor was minimalistic but gorgeous, white drapes, gold chandeliers. With an Indo-Western formal dress code, guests turned up in grand gowns and snazzy tuxedoes as performances by friends and family entertained everyone. Duhita wore a caramel Shantanu & Nikhil gown while Sahil wore a white Troy Costa suit.
The next day, the family poojas were held before the pheras. The mandap was decorated with peach drapes, white orchids and gold kaliras. Duhita wore a baby pink Sabyasachi lehenga while Sahil wore Raghavendra Rathore.
For the reception that followed, the bride wore Gaurav Gupta and Sahil wore Troy Costa. The reception was intended to be far from stuffy. The couple called it ‘DrInks, HangOver’. As guests walked past red drapes, under gold sakura trees, towards the banquet, they could see a huge tree where they could leave written tokens of love and affection for the couple.
The party could have carried on but Duhita says, “We thought adding a third night might make the event monotonous. As it was, two nights were just about perfect!”
These are some of Duhita and Sahil’s local recommendations if you’re having a wedding in Pattaya or Mumbai.
Wedding Planner- Sonam S (Thailand): +66 84-694-0032
Photography and Videography- Recall Pictures (Raonak Hathiramani, Mumbai): We saw Raonak’s work at a wedding almost 2 years ago and fell in love with it. Their work is fresh and fun!
Make up for the bride- Ablaze by Simran (Simran Thakkar, Thailand): +66 81-665-7240
Mehndi for the bride- Usha Shah (Mumbai): +91 9821121221
Wedding invitations- Shimmer in a box by Reekreate Designs (Mumbai): +91 9820557074
Smile Consultant- Dr Namrata Jadwani (Mumbai): +91 99-20-325352
DJ Taher (Mumbai)- 09820624141
Bartenders- Flaming Trio (Mumbai and Thailand)
Dance Performances- Melvin Louis, Dancepeople Studio (Mumbai): +91 9619250007
Photos Courtesy – Recall Pictures and Raj Lalwani
