Charita and Akhilesh, Bangalore

Charita and Akhilesh’s wedding in Devagiri Farms in Bangalore featured all the big, beautiful details that were so special to the couple. Here, the lovely bride shares her experiences and tips for other couples.

How We Met

“Our story is nothing short of a real life fairy tale. I met Akhilesh five years ago in Sri Lanka. I was interning at an architecture firm in Colombo and my friends kept talking about an ‘Aki’ who was also moving there for work.

I was curious about this guy, I admit. What was it about him that had my friends always talking about him? When he walked into my life, I knew why. His polite manner, his charming smile, I was interested in him in no time.

Those five months in Sri Lanka were the most fun, exciting and adventurous times of my life. It started one night in Hikkadua. We were dancing the night away, on the beach, under the stars and at that moment we knew it was meant to be.

The funny bit is we were from the same city, we’d been to the same parties and there’s even a photograph of him with me in the background – but we didn’t encounter each other until we met in Sri Lanka. It’s so obvious that this is what was written for us. We were meant to meet in our precious little island, we were meant to fall in love.”

Wedding Proposal

“From different backgrounds, convincing both our families about our union was a giant challenge but after much reasoning they finally agreed.

A year later, in December, we decided that instead of doing separate bachelor and bachelorette holidays, we’d go back to Sri Lanka with 30 of our closest friends.

One night, he took me for the most amazing private dinner on the beach in Hikkadua, where it all began. There was a gorgeous table with flowers and champagne, encircled by countless candles and a violinist playing some of my favourite songs. That’s where he proposed. The whole experience was just unforgettable.”

Wedding Venue

“Our wedding was held in my uncle’s farm (Devagiri Farms) on the outskirts of Bangalore. I have a big fat family with lots of cousins. This farm is something that is close to all our hearts. As kids we would go out there to celebrate Diwali, New Year’s, birthdays or basically find any excuse to gather the whole lot of us at the farm. I wanted our wedding to be extremely personal and thought what better place than this to celebrate our big day. It only add to all the beautiful memories created there with my family.

Akhilesh seemed to like the idea too. And anyway, we both wanted an outdoor, colourful, intimate wedding.

It worked out beautifully and was a smart move because we hosted the sangeet and wedding at the farm and it gave us the flexibility of the events unfolding exactly to our specifications with no restrictions on décor, music, timing, etc. The sangeet especially went on for about 14 hours and was a total blast!

I also wanted to host a ceremony at my parents’ beautiful home and so we conducted the mehndi there.

Wedding Functions

Mehndi

“The mehndi had a ‘Mela Mayhem’ idea behind it. The décor was intentionally OTT with bright tents, bangle stands, chaat counters etc. Since it began early evening and went into the wee hours – I decided to play with color and light and hutes of lemon, yellow, orange and lime green.

My look was to wear a simple outfit and let the hair and make up add drama. I had pink lips to complement the pink flowers in my braid and the whole look came together beautifully.”

Sangeet
“The décor was subtle and elegant at the sangeet, shades of blush, peach and cream. The floral arrangements were minimal and we went crazy with the lights. As an open-air, evening event at the farm, we lit all the trees with fairy and focus lights and the entire venue looked magical.”

Wedding
“I wanted to have a typical South Indian wedding with a little bit of a contemporary twist.

We were going to host the wedding in the late morning on the lawns of the clubhouse at the farm. We used a warm color palette in shades of yellow, orange, pink and red. The floral arrangements were mostly marigold, except for the mandap where carnations were used, but still followed the color scheme. My favorite bit was the massive 100 year-old banyan tree that we used as a photo booth, with decorated swings and bells hanging from it. The hanging ‘CA’ logo, clad in marigolds was our centerpiece, surrounded by the bells and swings.”

Reception
“Our reception at The Royal Senate and Grand Castle, Palace Grounds was a regal affair. I wanted the backdrop to contrast my cream and gold Sabyasachi lehenga. So, we went with roses. Initially I was quite skeptical about using roses since it was a bit cliché but when it’s done right, I have to agree that it made the venue look like a royal garden.”

Advice for couples planning their wedding
“My only advice to every bride is when the time finally comes, let go of all your worries and have the best time. It is your week, some of the most important days of your entire life and you will never get this feeling ever again. It happens once, so, let loose, don’t stress about the small things and just have a good time with your partner, friends and family. Your only duty as a bride is to have a good time on your big day!”

The Wedding Makers
Venues: Devagiri Farms (Sangeet, Wedding), The Royal Senate and Grand Castle, Palace Grounds (Reception)
Brides Outfit: Sabyasachi (Reception)
Groom’s Outfit: Paresh Lamba (Reception)
Makeup Artist: Anurita Chandrappa (Mehndi), Sabrina Suhail (Sangeet, Wedding & Reception)
Wedding Cake: TCake Co.

Photographers/Videographers: Sudheer Hebbar, Paper Tiger Films, Vinay Venugopal Photography, Roma Ganesh Photography

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