Sheetal and Vijay – Phuket, Thailand
They established a bustling enterprise together. And then they fell in love. Sheetal and Vijay tell us how they went from business partners to life-partners and about their destination wedding in Phuket.
How we met
A common friend asked me to go to the gym that day and I hurried through my errands so that we could lift weights together. As I walked into the gym, I saw my friend and Vijay in the lobby. It was the first time I laid eyes on my future husband but I didn’t know then that that moment would change my life forever.
We started hanging out and realized we both had a passion for business and started an import/export company together, specializing in wholesale and distribution of consumer electronic brands. Our business and relationship has been going strong since.
Wedding Venue
In Asia on business, with a weekend to spare, we received an invitation to the wedding of a family friend of Vijay’s. We didn’t go to the wedding but managed to join him when the festivities were over. We arrived in Phuket and in the taxi ride to the hotel, along the coast, I counted ten different shades of ocean blue. Nothing like I’d ever seen! It was beautiful. When we arrived at the Angsana Laguna Phuket Hotel, as we stepped into the lobby, my heart melted. It was like the gates of heaven had opened up to receive us, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to paradise!’
When it came to selecting our wedding venue there was no need to look anywhere else. The Angsana is The Place. It has beautiful modern Thai architecture, lush landscaping, a private beach, a beach club pool and constant live entertainment around the property. My favorite place in the hotel is in front of the lagoon by the poolside garden. Turn right and you see the walkway all the up to the lobby. Look left and you see the picturesque lagoon leading to the majestic Baan Thalay Thai restaurant.
But the main draw with The Angsana is their exemplary management and staff. The management team, Mr. Marian Vrabel in particular, went above and beyond for us AND our guests. Vijay and I can proudly say that each of our guests came up to us and praised the hotel staff saying they have never experienced such service!
Wedding Events
We wanted an intimate wedding and our guest list of about 100 people enabled us to give all our guests one-on-one attention. They were all from overseas and the majority had never been to Phuket or Thailand for that matter. So we designed a packed event schedule, three days long to give them a wonderful experience.
Day 1
Siam Soiree Welcome Dinner and Mehndi (7-11:30pm): This was our ‘Thai night’. The menu was pan-Asian: Thai, Mongolian, Indian, Japanese, etc. We had Thai décor and Thai foot massage stations so our guests felt pampered.
Glow Party After Party (midnight): For the jetlagged, this was something to do and the party was a hit with black light, glow sticks, neon furniture, DJ, live sax player and glow-in-the-dark body painting!
Day 2
A Sailor’s Dream Pool Party (12-4pm): The dress code was ‘Nautical and Nice’! It really felt like we were sailing the high seas with Xana pool, on the beach, dressed in stripes of white and blue with sailor girls and mermaids performing.
The live band, The Entourage were in full swing, there were carnival style food stations and sailor hats for all.
Lovely Sangeet (8pm-5am): The theme of the evening took inspiration from the ‘Lovely’ song from the film ‘Happy New Year.’ This was our Indian night, with a full Indian menu, a cocktail hour set up with Dhaba/Street Food style décor and dinner. The entrance had a grand opera-house style draping with beautiful women performing flying acrobatics. As you entered, it felt you’d walked into a Bollywood movie set. Lights, Camera, Action!
Day 3
Beachfront Wedding (4pm): This was a childhood dream come true. We got married on the sandy beach, watching the sunset. It was magical!
A Classic Affair Reception: A black tie event with a gold and black theme, we wanted a romantic, candlelit dinner with all our loved ones who travelled so far to join us for our wedding. It was beautiful, enhanced by The Entourage band who crooned classic melodies by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Buble.
Wedding Planning
Everything you’ve read about our wedding happened only because of the ‘I Do Etc’ Wedding and Event Planner team. They made our dreams come to life a hundred times over. They took complete control of everything we asked them to handle. If we had a question, the response was always, ‘it has already been taken care of’. They went above and beyond our expectations. At every event, we walked in as bride and groom and were blown away so I can’t even imagine what our guests were thinking.
The Wedding Makers
All the vendors and entertainers that were a part of our wedding were phenomenal.
– I Do Team Wedding Planning (Bangkok, Thailand) – Best wedding planners ever!
– DJ Kilogram (Mumbai, India)- He knows his music and his crowds! He played all hits from across the 90s, Noughties, top 40s, Punjabi, bhangra, hindi, Bollywood hits, EDM, reggae, latin… He is also an excellent MC and great at getting everyone to hit the floor.
– Ablaze Makeup (Bangkok, Thailand)- Simran Takkar and her team made sure the women in the family and I looked like we were out of a magazine!
– Entourage (London, England) – Andre and his team brought their talent to every event and our guests couldn’t get enough!
– Flaming Trio (Bangkok, Thailand) – Best mobile bartenders ever! They made sure our guests didn’t leave the dance floor by bringing drinks to them and holding the glasses while they danced! How thoughtful! There may have been some funnels used! Great times!
– Colomono Photography Team (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) – These guys were everywhere! They even use drones! They worked a same-day edit of the wedding that was shown at the reception and it was amazing!
Photos Courtesy- Colomono
