Meghana and Dhruvil, Udaipur
His Gujarati family wore Kerala 'mundus', and her Malayali family enjoyed traditional Kerala dances in Rajasthan. Check out Dhruvil and Meghana's nuptials that included cultures of three Indian states.
Meghana and Dhruvil went to London for their higher studies and were united by cocktails and clumsiness. However, their two different cultures came together beautiful during their Malayali-Gujarati wedding celebrations. Here, bride Meghana shares with us photographs and memories by WeddingSutra Favorite Preach Art from her big day.
How We Met
“Our ‘How We Met’ story takes us back to London, UK, where we met during our Master’s programme. We met outside a central London club where we had gone to attend a Bollywood-themed party. We realized that we both had two left feet and we loved Long Island Iced Tea. We traveled across Europe together with our common friends, and never realized when our equation slowly changed from strangers to acquaintances to best friends and finally to lovers. Things took a rather filmy turn as our parents met during our graduation and differences between Malayali and Gujarati cultures disappeared when our parents expressed their joint joy and happiness upon seeing their children graduate together.”
Proposal
“Dhruvil proposed to me when I least expected it. Both of us along with 10 of our closest friends were on my birthday trip when he asked me to marry him. In the background were our friends cheering away for us as the sun set in the picturesque Himalayan setting. The best part? He even got our parents’ permission for all of this!”
Wedding Venue
“Since we both lived in different states we chose a third one for our wedding, and what could have been a better location than Udaipur, Rajasthan. We were looking for a place that was a little private and had a quintessential Rajasthani feel to it. So, the moment we visited Hotel Fateh Garh we knew we had found our perfect venue. Located away from busy city streets of Udaipur located on a hilltop overlooking beautiful Lake Pichola – it was perfect!”
Wedding Functions
Welcome Sundowner
“We wanted all of our family members to get to know each other better and embrace each other’s cultures on the first evening, and a relaxed sundowner seemed like the best way to achieve this. Our first event, therefore, was all about karaoke, fun drinking games and lots of dancing to break the ice. We had never seen our families dance so much! They genuinely had the time of their lives. Since this evening was meant to welcome our guests, I made my entry to ‘Swag Se Swagat’ from the movie ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’. My friends who entered with me carried color bombs with them to add a little bit of drama. I wore a pink gown with floral details by Anushree Reddy while Dhruvil wore a Van Heusen suit and a pink shirt that complemented my attire.”
Mehndi
“We gave the mehndi function a fun twist by creating a mini Kerala at the venue. Each guest dressed up in traditional attire of Kerala, and we also got the Udaipur Kerala Samajan to perform traditional dances. The decor was beautifully done with Malayalam signboards, banana trees and flower rangoli (pookalam). Other highlights included Malayali-themed games and coconut water with vodka. Watching our ‘Gujju’ (Gujarati) family in ‘mundus’ (Kerala dhoti) was priceless. I entered the venue with my bridesmaids who danced to ‘Mangalayam’ from the movie ‘Bangalore Days’. My saree for this function was Pranaah, Kerala, and jewellery from Joyalukkas in New Delhi.”
Sangeet
“The sangeet was inspired by Rajasthan and was complete with cuisines that are native to the state, lovely decor, traditional dancers and family performances. Dhruvil and I entered the venue in royal style with ‘mashaal’ (fire torch) bearers following us. What made the evening even more special was the surprise performance by Dhruvil who never dances. Both of us dressed up in shades of blue for this evening. I wore the prettiest lehenga by Payal Keyal, and Dhruvil wore an Indo-Western outfit by Amaare. My jewellery for this event was from Tanishq.”
Wedding
“The wedding ceremony was conducted as per Gujarati traditions, and a few Malayali rituals were incorporated into it too. The decor was designed around pastel pink lotuses and made use of lots of lotus buds. Even the ‘phoolon ki chaadar’ (floral canopy) under which I entered featured the same flowers. I wore a red lehenga by Asiana Couture in New Delhi and teamed it with jewellery from Jewel Ocean. Dhruvil donned a sherwani from Jade Blue in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.”
Advice for Couples
“Think hard and write down what kind of wedding you want to and work around it. Make lots of lists and set practical timelines for all your tasks. Delegate tasks to friends and family members well, as most of the time they want to help but don’t know which are the areas where you need them. Choosing the right wedding planner is important especially for a destination wedding so hire someone who understands your vision and is flexible.”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: Hotel Fateh Garh, Udaipur, Rajasthan
Wedding Planner: Ankit Bhargava
Bride’s Outfits: Anushree Reddy (Welcome Sundowner), Pranaah, Kerala (Mehndi), Payal Keyal (Sangeet), Asiana Couture, New Delhi (Wedding)
Groom’s Outfits: Van Heusen (Welcome Sundowner), Amaare (Sangeet), Jade Blue, Ahmedabad (Wedding)
Jewellery: Joyalukkas, Delhi (Mehndi), Tanishq (Sangeet), Jewel Ocean (Wedding)
Photography: Preach Art
