Twisha and Tejas, Mexico

Tejas and Twisha pulled off a traditional Gujarati wedding in the beautiful environs of the Playacar Palace in Mexico. Bride Twisha shares how the gorgeous setting included pretty Gujarati accents and traditional themes.

How We Met 
“Tejas and I met in a wedding in 2003 when I was 16, and he was 18. For me, it was a crush at first sight. However, our friendship began three years after that, when I reached out to him via Friendster. I was teaching abroad at the time, and he was kind enough to be my pen pal. In 2007, I took a spring break trip to Chicago with some of my girlfriends to get to know him better and meet him face to face after so many years. Four days later, on the day I was leaving Chicago, he jokingly asked me to marry him. Both of us entered a long-distance relationship during our college years.”

Proposal
“Tejas proposed to me in Thousand Island, Toronto. While it was a surprise for me, my best friend Tyfanny knew about the entire plan. She convinced me to attend her friend’s barbeque party and forced me to change when she found out that I was planning to go there in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. When we got off the ferry, I was looking for a bunch of Jamaicans, but instead, I saw some Indians in the trees. I thought it was not a big deal because it was a long weekend and there were a lot of tourists there. When I looked closely, I saw Tejas in the middle of the park on one knee, and I began to cry instantly! The Indians among the trees were his best friends Bindi and Arjun who were taking pictures. Later in August that year, we had our traditional engagement.”

Wedding Venue
“My sisters and I, along with our wedding planner Jasprit from L’Escape, visited Mexico to explore some properties and we fell in love with Playacar Palace in Playa del Carmen. We wanted a boutique all-inclusive resort, and Playacar Palace proved to be just that. Situated in the perfect location of the safe downtown, it offered a beautiful sandy beach and the brilliance of the scenic ocean.”

Wedding Functions

Welcome Night
“The Welcome Night was the first function that marked the beginning of our wedding celebrations, so we wanted it to be a relaxed and casual affair where our guests could interact with each other freely. The decor for this function was inspired by the beautiful peacock, and we even incorporated peacock feathers as part of the table decor. Grownups and kids were handed goodie bags at this event.”

Vidhi
“We followed a Zen Garden theme for our ‘vidhi’ (religious ritual) where we had a small prayer ceremony, followed by a ‘haldi’ (turmeric application) ceremony. The backdrop featured an outline of Lord Ganesh using flowers, and it proved to be the highlight of the decor of this event. For this function, I wore a light floral print saree which I paired with floral jewellery.”

Garba Night and Mehndi
“Our sangeet was a dance party complete with choreographed dances performances, impromptu ‘garba’ (traditional Gujarati dance) sequences and rocking beats by Toronto’s DJ EM. The decor for the night was inspired by Morocco. Tejas and I coordinated the colors that we wore for this function. Both of us opted for navy blue and red – I picked a midi-dress that featured Indian thread work on its bodice while Tejas chose a Pathani kurta pajama with a golden bandi jacket. We even had mehndi artists for this event so all our guests who wanted a break from the dancing could sit down and get their hands covered in pretty henna designs. The ‘pani puri’ (Indian street snack) stand was an absolute hit amongst our guests.”

Wedding
“Turquoise, ivory, and fuchsia were the colors that ruled our wedding. This was complete with the gorgeous backdrop of the ocean and gold accents. One of the highlights of the decor was our aisle runner that was decorated with petals which were used to created beautiful patterns. It looked lovely! I wore a white lehenga that was paired with a baby pink dupatta, and Tejas chose a sherwani in the same color.”

Reception
“Our reception was planned outdoors with red paper lanterns and strings of lights as the decor elements. However, due to the weather, we moved the event indoors to an air-conditioned venue. We wrapped ‘dandiyas’ (Gujarati dance sticks) as favors and had a mix of Gujarati and North Indian dinner menu. The menu and the table numbers that we had were printed in Gujarati. During the cocktail hour, guests were handed glasses with their names and straws along with their respective table numbers. Tejas wore a black suit with a bow tie, and I wore a pink and blue lehenga.”

Advice For Couples
“Have patience, listen to all sides and be supportive of your spouse. Hiring a wedding planner is a must, whether you are having a destination wedding or not. Of course, don’t stress about the little things as everything was always turns out beautiful!”

Wedding makers
Venue: Playacar Palace, Mexico
Wedding Planners: L’Escape Vacations Inc., Toronto
Décor: Saku and Group Gama, Cancun
Makeup and Hair: MVP Artistry, Playa del Carmen
Mehndi: Darcy Vasudev, Mexico
Caterers: Gulab, India Place Restaurant, Mexico
DJ: Maneet Lotay, Ontario

Photography and Videography: Playa Weddings, Mexico

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