Amrin and Theo at Taj West End, Bangalore
They bonded instantly over breakfast croissants and coffee. Amrin shares sweet moments of her romance with Theo, and their wedding at The Taj West End in Bangalore
Our series, ‘Featured Weddings’ brings you wonderful moments from weddings held at the finest venues across different cities. Here, bride Amrin tells us all about how she met her soul mate and their wedding celebrations in Bangalore.
How we met
I was flying for Cathay Pacific Airways when I first met Theo, who hails from South Africa. He was the pilot of my flight from Bangkok to New Delhi. We bumped into each other during breakfast at the Taj Palace in New Delhi and connected instantly. It’s said that a hearty breakfast is the best way to start the day, and it proved perfectly true for us – today, two months into our marriage, we couldn’t be happier!
Wedding Venue and Decor
We chose to get married at historic The The Taj West End in Bangalore. The Taj brand will always be special for us as we first met at Taj Palace in New Delhi.
Theo’s family members from South Africa were visiting India for the first time, and we wanted them to experience the beauty of Indian culture and memorable wedding traditions – such as a colourful sangeet.
It was important for us to create an environment where our guests could mingle easily with us, and also see our love and closeness. We wanted them to remember our relationship after the wedding got over, instead of some fancy, overblown theme. So we opted for an elegant and chic wedding that reflected both our personalities.
We got in touch with ‘I Do’ wedding planners in Bangalore, founded by Rashida Mazhar Mala, who in turn put us in touch with Venkatesh Lakshmi and Sneha Kar of Coffee Stains for our wedding shoot. Soon everything was in motion, and our creative wedding planner Sanya Blumberg helped us pull of a truly memorable event. I got immense help from Mr Chintu of Panchkesri Badera Jewellers in finalising my bridal bling.
The beautiful poolside of The Taj West End was brightened up with vibrant garlands of yellow and red marigolds on outdoor divans, and around the podium, while individual flowers were strung from its ceiling.
This floral, festive look was a perfect backdrop for a fun sangeet in the evening where my friends performed choreographed dances in all their finery, which led to a session of freestyle thumkas by everyone who was there, young and old. The twinkling fairy lights that were placed between the garlands decorating the podium lit up as the evening gradually turned into night – and the effect was magical!
We had the formal nikaah ceremony indoors the next evening that was followed by a formal dinner on one long table that could seat 60 people. Mr Saji at the hotel recommended this unique dining style, and I think everyone felt like they were a part of one large, loving, noisy family. The experienced staff managed to provide excellent coordinated service to all at the table. We kept the decor of our indoor events very simple with an elegant white draped backdrop festooned with striking floral arrangements.
Theo and I now are now looking forward to renewing our vows all over again according to South African customs. We can’t wait to hold another wedding in the beautiful vineyards of Cape Town and are excited about planning another do all over again.
Amrin wore a stunning red and gold sequinned lehenga by Sabyasachi Mukherjee teamed with diamond jewellery and elaborate henna adorning her hands for her pheras.
The venue was decked up in minimalist decor of yellow and saffron genda phool (marigolds) and fairylights.
The personalized place cards and thoughtful wedding favors consisted of M&Ms.
The Wedding Makers
Venue: The Taj West End, Bangalore
Wedding Coordinator: Vineetha Kotarthil
Make-up artist: Saugat Das
Bridal lehnga: Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Jewellery: Panchkesari Badera Jewellers
Photography: Coffee Stains
Wedding Planners: ‘I Do’
Photos Courtesy- Coffee Stains
