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Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal's haute white wedding took place in their hometown of Vasai where the two first met each other and fell in love.

Rhea and Snehal knew there was no better place to exchange their vows than the town where their love story first began. They flew back from the US and got on board two WeddingSutra Favorites to be a part of their big day. While the team at Reflexion by Nishchay Shinde was assigned the job of capturing their wedding celebrations in timeless frames, makeup whiz Kajol R. Paswwan was given the responsibility of making the bride look her most beautiful. Rhea shares highlights of her big day.

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

How We Met
“We both were born and brought up in Vasai, a small town on the outskirts of Mumbai. All our lives we stayed five minutes from each other and had dozens of mutual friends and went to the same school (he was my senior by five years) but our paths never crossed. Snehal first saw me at an anniversary party back in December 2009 and vividly remembers my big eyes and the pesky pimple I was sporting. It was only two years later that fate, my cupid cousin who also happens to be Snehal’s best friend and few online clicks finally brought us together. He made the first move and said ‘Hi’ – I responded with question marks. I knew of him but just wanted to give him a hard time! Lucky for me, he didn’t give up that easy. That random chat preceded a series of daily conversations, and before we knew it, we found ourselves talking to each other for hours until sunrise. We went on our first date when he finally came home from San Diego in December 2011. Needless to say, we hit it off immediately. After a month of many wonderful dates and a very tearful goodbye later, we knew we were in love. In 2013, I decided to move to Montreal for my Master’s degree and just to be a little closer to him. It wasn’t easy, but after almost two years of Skype calls and online movie/dinner dates, we met again in San Diego, and it was perfect. This was a big milestone for us and the time when he knew he wanted to marry me.”

Proposal
Snehal shares how he proposed to Rhea. “At some point when I was moving ahead with life with her by my side, I realized that I wanted this to keep happening, forever. I found the perfect ring and waited until Rhea decided to take one of her usual yearly trips to San Diego in the summer of 2015. I picked her up from the airport and decided to take her to Mount Soledad after a very low-key dinner. It is one of our favorite spots in San Diego especially at night, the relaxing vibes and peaceful views of the city from this hilltop is everything. When it was almost the time to leave. I got down on one knee, pretending to tie my shoelace but instead pulled out the ring and waited for her to turn around. While she was still trying to figure out what was happening, I took the opportunity to ask her to marry me. I will never forget the way she looked confused with tears in her eyes and said, ‘Yes! Yes!’”

Wedding Venue
“After six years of our long-distance relationship that started in Vasai, we knew we wanted to get married there. It’s home for us and holds a very special place in our lives. The wedding ceremony took place at dusk and was held at my childhood church of ‘Our Lady of Remedy, a stunning 400-year-old cathedral in Vasai village which made a perfect setting for the ceremony. After we took our vows, the reception was held later that same evening at Snehal’s parent place. An empty ground in their backyard that served as the perfect blank canvas for us to conceptualize our rustic outdoor wedding and was large enough to host 1200+ guests. The best part was the spectacular view of the pitch-black sky above and dancing the night away beneath the stars with our family and friends.”

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Wedding Planning
“The wedding day goes by in a flash. So we made sure to take mental snapshots throughout the day. Besides that, we also invested in a good photographer/videographer, since their work is the way you’ll relive every moment for years to come! Hiring Reflexion was the truly best decision we made!”

Wedding Function

Wedding
“Unlike most Indian weddings, ours was a one-day affair. The Catholic ceremony was officiated by my Godfather who is also a priest, at my parish church and we exchanged traditional vows at the altar in front of our family and friends. I wore an alabaster ombre tulle ball gown by Miss Hayley Paige with iridescent Chantilly lace appliqués on the side of the bodice for the ceremony and reception. It was a perfect combination of what I envisioned my dress to be – whimsical, modern yet romantic. For the ceremony, I paired the gown with a chapel-length veil with a Chantilly lace border with a conservative Jenny Yoo cover up. Snehal had the ‘I found the perfect suit’ moment when he first tried on his Ermenegildo Zegna suit. The moment I walked down the aisle until the end of the ceremony, we both couldn’t take our eyes off each other. After we became husband and wife, we gathered with our guests for photos before heading back to the reception.”

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Reception
“Since we were on a time crunch and a full outfit change was not possible, I decided to play around with the accessories. For the reception, I donned a Miss Hayley Paige angel wings bolero to add a fun twist to my minimalistic gown. The processional to Snehal’s family home and the reception was led by our wedding tribe dancing to the tunes of East Indian folk songs. We held a cocktail-style reception, serving his and her signature cocktails – Peach Bellini (Bride recommends) & Mint Julep (Groom recommends) followed by dinner and more dancing. Regarding the decor, the overall vibe was very rustic and vintage with a sprinkle of glitz and glamor. I wanted lots of whites and pastel flowers in the setup. We also decided to incorporate flower suspensions with cages and arches of different heights for more dimension. Some of our favorite decor pieces were the entrance bamboo tunnel with string lights, floral swing photo booth, lounge cages and extravagant cocktail bar that made Snehal very happy. The Wedding Factory truly brought our decor visions to life.”

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

Rhea and Snehal, Mumbai

The Wedding Makers
Venue: Our Lady of Remedy Church, Vasai
Decor: The Wedding Factory
Florist: House of Flowers by Marry Me (Bridal and bridesmaid bouquets & groomsmen boutonnieres)
Bride’s Outfits: Miss Hayley Paige (Wedding), Jenny Yoo (Wedding), Miss Hayley Paige (Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Ermenegildo Zegna (Wedding and Reception)
Jewellery: Neil Lane, Tiffany & Co., BHLDN, Nadri
Makeup & Hair:  Kajol R. Paswwan
Wedding Invitation Designer: Minted (Save the dates)
Wedding Invitation Suite: Paperclutch Etsy Shop
Wedding Website: www.Minted.com
Cake: Signature Cake by Shweta

Photography: Reflexion by Nishchay Shinde

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