Neha and Rutesh, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach

Neha and Rutesh’s journey started at a professional seminar – but things progressed quickly on the personal front once they got talking. Here, bride Neha shares highlights of the wedding celebrations held in Mumbai which was beautifully captured by WeddingSutra Favorite – Lights and Stories.

How We Met
“Rutesh and I first met in 2011 when we were both attending a 15-day long professional seminar but did not interact at that time. However, we met again at a reunion in 2016 and got talking as he was seated next to me. To our surprise, we hit it off well and constantly joked with each other. We started spending time together and having long conversations over late night phone calls. Gradually, we realized that we were compatible and that’s when we decided to take our relationship to the next level.”

Wedding Planning
“To start off with, we had our core family members as our wedding planners. Our siblings helped us manage all the aspects, no matter how small. Their efforts resulted in a dream wedding for us! While shortlisting a makeup artist, I wanted someone who could give me a traditional look for the wedding and a modern one for the reception. I selected the stalwarts Bharat and Dorris to glam me up. They and their team did a fabulous job and choosing them was the best decision I took. While considering a wedding photographer, we wanted a person who was creative yet understood what we wanted. When I saw Pramod’s work from Lights and Stories, I was blown away! His pre-wedding photos were like a dream, and even our wedding pictures turned out so well that I can relive every moment of my wedding through his pictures. Our invites were from the famous Girgaum market, and we were presented with a huge range of the cards from which we could select the ones we liked.”

Wedding Functions

Sangeet
Neha shares, “The decor for our sangeet was elegant and included a lot of fresh flowers.” The couple wanted an evening of subtle elegance with a big dose of glamor, so the decor included rich drapes and warm lighting with plays of light and sparkles. Neha wore a vibrant pink and orange lehenga, and Rutesh donned a sherwani with a cross jacket.

Mehndi
“The mehndi was a mela-themed function, and I feel that the decor for this event was the best we had amongst all the functions. The blend of colors and a photo booth with some bedsteads was a decor highlight. I wore a beautiful yellow mirror corset with a draped dupatta and floral jewellery to match the colors of the decor.”

Wedding and Reception
“We had a lawn wedding so we could play around with the decor as we liked. For the day ceremony, we had a photo booth, a tree with couple suggestions, Instagram picture corners, live counters and a beach-facing mandap which was beautiful. I wore a quintessential red lehenga for the pheras, while Rutesh looked regal in a white sherwani. For the evening, the decor included beautiful Chinese lamps which cast a picture-perfect glow. We also organized live sitar players to entertain the guests. There were round tables facing the beach where our close family and friends mingled while enjoying the beautiful vibe of the venue. All in all, it was a fairytale wedding!”

Advice for couples
“Keep calm and enjoy all the days, right from preparations to the pheras. Everyone is investing their efforts to make your big day special and even if things don’t turn out the way you planned, its okay to let it go. After all, you’re still going to get married, and that would be the most memorable experience for both of you.”

The Wedding Makers
Venue: Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach
Makeup Artist: Bharat and Dorris

Photographer: Lights and Stories

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