Vishal and Beryl, Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Alibaug

They were born on the same day, just an hour apart. Maybe Vishal and Beryl were destined to be soulmates as their friendship changed into love over time. Here, bride Beryl shares details of their romance and fun wedding celebrations in the lush environs of the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa in Alibaug.

How We Met
“Vishal and I met as undergraduate students 10 years ago while studying pharmacy in Mumbai. Our journey has been so similar that it’s scary – we have the same educational background, work in the same profession and were even born an hour apart – on the same day! Vishal and I started off as best friends, and I was lucky to find out that my soul mate was disguised as my best friend the whole time. Vishal works for a medical device company in San Jose, and I work for a nutrition company in Los Angeles. Because of this, we maintained a long-distance courtship period for a while where we would only see each other every other weekend.”

Proposal
“Vishal proposed after our 29th birthday dinner in San Francisco. He usually is on point while choosing gifts for me, but this time, he presented me with a box while on one knee. When he opened the box, I saw that he had bought a multi-colored, flower-shaped ring for me, instead of the elegant diamond one I was hoping for. As excited as I was about the proposal, I just couldn’t hold back my horrified expression when I first saw it. I tried really hard! But, he was a good sport about it and returned it.”

Wedding Venue
“My mom and I had to convince both the families for a destination wedding. We wanted everyone to be under one roof for all the functions. We were torn between Udaipur and Alibaug as our wedding destination options. Once our families saw the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa property at Alibaug, the decision was easy – it was exactly what we were looking for. Vishal and I had not seen the property until the wedding functions. We left everything to the families to decide, which turned out to be the best decision ever.”

Wedding Functions

Engagement
“We had our engagement ceremony at the Birla Kreeda Kendra in Chowpatty, Mumbai. This was the only function we had in Mumbai. We were against a reception because it is nothing but torture for the bride and groom to be up on stage for long hours greeting all the guests. However, because we had a stage at our engagement ceremony it turned out to be a mini reception since everyone lined up to meet us.”

Mehndi
“All the other functions that followed were held at Radisson Blu Resort & Spa in Alibaug. We had a mehndi function in the morning and I got my mehndi applied a day in advance so I could enjoy dancing with our guests at the function. For our entry, I wanted something quirky, so I drove a bicycle with Vishal in the rickshaw. Vishal and I danced through the entire function.”

Sangeet
“The sangeet was the most important function for me because of my love for dancing. I was working on my sangeet playlist for the past three years (way before I had any plans of getting married). This was the one function I had taken complete control over. Our entry was a dance and it was the first performance of the night. We had about 15 dances and I danced in about 10 of them. The guests were surprised by my enthusiasm, but it was my day and they all enjoyed with me.”

Pool Party
“The next day we had a pool party which turned out to be the highlight of the wedding. We had a bubble entry and a tug of war between the girls and the boys’ side. There was music, games, hula hoops, and dancing. At one point, most of the people were in the pool.”

Casino Night
“Next was the Casino Night. My family was really adamant on having it as a treat for the guests. This was the function where Vishal and I got a break from hosting because everyone was so busy playing roulette, poker and blackjack. After the pool party, this was the function the guests enjoyed the most. The Casino Night was organized by Rollout Casino Event.”

Baraat Swagat
“Next was the ‘Baraat Swaagat’ (welcome for the groom’s procession), where Vishal came on a horse. For a change, I got ready early and decided to join the baraat. I got a lot of surprised stares because I danced in the groom’s ‘baraat’.”

Wedding Pheras
“Finally, our wedding pheras took place after the numerous events that preceded it. After wrapping up Casino Night, I barely had half an hour to get ready for the ceremony. I was overwhelmed with the realization that we had reached the end of our amazing week of celebrations, and would finally be starting life as husband and wife. When we entered the mandap, Vishal and I both were not tired but we were just so full of emotions inside us that it showed in our pictures.”

Advice for Couples
“Know what is important to you and invest your energy there. For me, the sangeet ceremony, dancing at most of my functions and my outfits were important. The decor, food, invitation cards were all secondary so I let other people take care of it. Indulge in spa beauty treatments after the wedding and before the honeymoon. Also remember that no matter what goes wrong with your wardrobe, hair or makeup you will be the most beautiful bride to your groom, so just let it all go.”

The Wedding Makers
Locations: Birla Kreeda Kendra, Chowpatty, Mumbai (Engagement), Radisson Blu Resort and Spa, Alibaug (Wedding)
Jewellery: Gewels by Mona
Makeup and hair: Farida Khan
Anchor: Mohit Jadhwani

Photographer: Nishith Dayal

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