Sanchita and Manish, Goa
Sanchita and Manish had a 'Monsoon Wedding' in Goa but the rains didn't dampen their vibrant celebrations where their loved ones showered them with blessings.
Sanchita and Manish’s three-day-long nuptials in Goa were planned keeping the weather and energy levels of their loved ones in mind. Here, groom Manish shares all the details of the celebrations that were beautifully captured by WeddingSutra Favorite House On The Clouds.
How We Met
“Sanchita and I were both vaguely familiar with each other with sort of a mutual appreciation right from the time we were in high school. However, we never really got to know one another then. Fast forward to the third year of university in the US, and we both found ourselves together in the same business school. We interacted with each other progressively as the months passed. It wasn’t love at first sight for either of us (although that would’ve saved time), it was an admiration and fondness that built over time. By the fourth year of college, I was genuinely interested. A year later, very fortuitously, we both ended up back in Dubai and started seeing more of each other, and after that, there was no turning back.”
Proposal
“For our proposal, I convinced Sanchita to take a trip to a small island called Koh Tao in Thailand. One evening when we were there, against the view of the beautiful bay and mountains, she saw a guy in a boat holding up a sign that lit up the night sky and said, ‘Marry me’. Her initial responses, however, wasn’t ‘Yes!’ – the things that she said were ‘You don’t have to do this.’ and ‘Does my mom know about this?'” Sanchita was very impressed when she found out Manish had got the sign all the way from Dubai through the security without her even having a clue. “It required planning in some detail – from coordinating with the hotel, the restaurant, getting the batteries for the light, arranging for the boat guy, getting a photographer… But it was all worth it. We danced to our favorite song after that and I sang a bit – it was a perfect night in every sense.”
Wedding Venue
“We were looking for a cozy wedding venue with about 130 rooms so we could have the whole hotel to ourselves. We were keen to find one that had some element of nature to it. We eventually chose Alila Diwa Goa – a venue we had known of since the beginning of our search. It is a beautiful hotel, with a quaint reception and veranda, lots of greenery, a scenic pool and deck, and comfortable rooms. It ticked a lot of boxes for us, but since we wanted our June wedding to be outdoors, a big consideration was the weather since it would be both hot and rainy. The layout of the property, however, was perfect for a monsoon wedding with its covered walkways so moving between venues was not a hassle even when it was raining. For two of our events, we had to make use of air-conditioned tents and had to leave the rest to our luck. Fortunately, things turned out just fine!”
Wedding Planning
“House on the Clouds were our photographers for the days of our wedding. Siddharth Sharma and his team are very talented and easy to work with. Our wedding planners created the exact feel we wanted at the wedding, and we loved it. The band that had performed at our wedding was CandyFlip Sundae as our wedding planning team at Mpire Events recommended them. We gave them a list of the songs we would have liked to be performed beforehand. Our in-room hampers and return gifts were created by Levantine, and our second return gifts were shawls from Vintage Shades which were appreciated by all our guests. Pakkhi Pahuja did Sanchita’s makeup, while Saleem and his team helped our guests with theirs. Mpire Events also booked henna artist Saalima to do the mehndi application.”
Wedding Functions
Haldi
“A small Ganesh pooja flagged off our wedding celebrations, and the first function that we hosted was our haldi. The decor included lots of yellow and orange marigolds. Staying in line with this color palette, Sanchita wore a bright yellow saree, and I wore a cream kurta.”
Mehndi
“We had an intimate mehndi with just our close family and friends in attendance in the night, on the same day as the haldi. For this function, Sanchita wore a teal Patiala ensemble with floral jewellery, and I opted for a pink bandi from Manyavar, Dubai.”
Sangeet
“The next day, we hosted our sundowner sangeet that started at 4 pm and got over by 10 pm. We were sure that we didn’t want a frenzied wedding where functions went on till late in the night and were followed by early morning ceremonies the next day. So we planned our functions in a way that there was a good breather between two functions.The sangeet took place on the pool deck and the hotel’s bar. Considering that it held partly indoors and partly outdoors, we were worried because of the rains. However, we were lucky because it rained all day and stopped just 30 minutes before our event. This allowed the sangeet to start smoothly and the rains resumed when the party was in full swing indoors! The dress code was elegant casual. Sanchita wore a pink and mint green lehenga by Papa Don’t Preach by Shubhika purchased from Aza in Bandra, Mumbai. She teamed this with earrings from Minerali and a bracelet from Jewellery Unlimited. I wore a pink bandh gala from Vavci in Dubai and teamed it with a printed pocket square. I also wore a pair of blue breeches from Telon in Mumbai.”
Pheras
“The pheras took place at the hotel’s Vivo Lawn where a tent had been set up to protect everyone from the heat and rain. We were faced with a downpour on this day, but like any baarat, ours too wasn’t deterred by the rains. All in all, everything went smoothly thanks to our planning team. The decor constituted of white and peach drapes with flowers in the same colors. Sanchita wore an orange lehenga from Roopkala in Santacruz, Mumbai, with a necklace from Mehta Brothers, Khar, and a ‘maang tikka’ (forehead ornament) from Curio Cottage. I picked a white sherwani and Patiala trousers from Telon. as well as cufflinks from Vavci, Dubai, and a red turban.”
Reception
“The reception took place in the hotel’s ballroom, and the dress code was formal. So, I wore a blue tuxedo and a white tuxedo shirt, both custom made by Sameer Patel. My black satin bow tie was purchased from Vavci, Dubai. Sanchita wore a white dress by Reeti Arneja and matched it with earrings from Jewellery Unlimited. Lots of music and even more fun shaped this night.”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: Alila Diwa Goa
Wedding Planner: Mpire Events (Mumbai)
Bride’s Outfits: Papa Don’t Preach by Shubhika (Sangeet), Roopkala (Pheras), Reeti Arneja (Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Manyavar (Mehndi), Vavci (Sangeet), Telon (Sangeet and Pheras), Sameer Patel (Reception)
Jewellery: Minerali (Sangeet), Jewellery Unlimited (Sangeet and Reception), Mehta Brothers (Pheras), Curio Cottage (Pheras)
Makeup Artist: Pakkhi Pahuja (Mumbai)
Makeup Artist for Guests: Saleem
Mehndi Artist: Saalima
Band: CandyFlip Sundae
Wedding Favors: Levantine, Vintage Shades
Photography and Videography: House On The Clouds (Bangalore)
