Ria and Dhairya, Grand Hyatt Mumbai

Be it their sweet love story or incidents from their wedding that made it a complete roller coaster ride, Ria and Dhairya’s journey from being friends to a married couple is full of endearing moments. Here, bride Ria shares some highlights of the proposal, the wedding planning process and memorable moments from the functions.

How We Met
“Dhairya and I met each other in college where we were pursuing the same degree. We were only friends until one day he asked me if I would go out for dinner. I assumed that this would just be another meal with friends and took it for granted that the entire group would be going out together. While I was getting ready, I called one of our friends to ask her when would she be reaching the restaurant. She replied that it would be only the two of us who were going and that this was a date! I freaked out and I didn’t know what to do! I was just considering pulling out because of nervousness when Dhairya called to say that he had reached my building to pick me up. Of course, it was too late to cancel the plan, so I went ahead with it. The date went well and that marked the beginning of our relationship. We had been by each other’s side for two years, helping each other through tough situations, so we knew exactly what the other was like. We dated for five years before we decided to get married.”

Proposal
“Dhairya’s proposal panned out a little funnily. When we told our families about our relationship, they were super accepting of the choices that we had made. We decided to go to Dubai for our pre-wedding shoot and my sister, and her fiance also joined us. Dhairya was going to pop the question on a yacht. However, just a day before that, my brother-in-law who was unaware of Dhairya’s plans, asked my sister to marry him in the same way. Of course, Dhairya was unwilling to ask the big question just a day after in the manner he had intended to earlier. So he waited until the last day of our trip. That day we went to a beautiful pier on the beach, and that’s where he went down on one knee. It was beautiful. I had no idea about any of this, and was rather surprised when he asked me if I would be his wife!”

Wedding Planning
“When it came to choosing a photographer, we knew that we didn’t want to compromise since the pictures from our wedding would be the only way for us to relive our big day again for the rest of our lives. We went ahead with The Wedding Crasher and Kashyap, the founder, had become like family by the end of the wedding. He knew us so well and the kind of pictures that we would like. He had also shot our pre-wedding pictures. We are a very picky couple, so we asked his team for about 100 edits and changes in our pictures, and they have been so patient with us all along. They are a team of very talented and amazing individuals.”

Wedding Functions

Cocktail Party
“Our cocktail party was initially going to be a brunch. However, I picked out a black gown for myself from Dubai and knew that I wanted to wear that at one of my functions. Since black wasn’t an appropriate color for brunch, we changed plans and decided to host a night-time affair. To add to it, just a few weeks before the event, we were forced to change our venue and look for different options! The location for the function, which was Amadeus, was finalized only two weeks before the event and there was a lot of madness that surrounded this function, but once it all settled it looked like it was all destiny’s plan! This was the same restaurant we had gone to on our first date, and it only made sense to host our first wedding function here. It made the affair a lot more special. We did not have any decor expected for a few Instagram board cutouts that my friend, who runs Craft on Designs, made for us.”

Haldi
“This one was a small function with about 40-50 people which we hosted at our home. The theme was inspired by Japanese cherry blossoms since we wanted to shift away from the yellow palette that everyone opts for. We called a ‘dholwala’ (traditional drummer), and all my girlfriends and the ladies of the family joined us for the event. The vibe was very relaxed, and we had a lot of fun.”

Mehndi
“The theme for the mehndi was a carnival, and I wore a blue lehenga from Summer by Priyanka which I paired with floral jewellery. We hosted this function at the Malabar Hill Club, and the decor made use of lots of white flowers ‘ladis’ (strands) and roses. There were hanging elements at the entrance, and inside the banquet area, there was a canopy created using strings of flowers. We also incorporated fairy lights into the mix to add a hint of sparkle. This was the first Indian function that many of our American and Chinese friends had attended. All of them were so excited and made it a point to dress in Indian clothes. Although we insisted that it was alright if they came in jeans, they went shopping in the morning and returned in their Indian avatars! Since they were attending an Indian wedding for the first time, they didn’t know what to expect. The guys were confused if they too were supposed to get henna applied. They were like little children – confused but very enthusiastic! And it was very heart-warming to see them feeling so involved.”

Sangeet
“The Palace Halls at NSCI was the venue for our sangeet. I was the most apprehensive about this function as I am not much of a dancer. This time, however, I knew I had no choice but to shake a leg! At the event, I gave a surprise speech in which I spoke about our families and Dhairya. This was followed by my dance with my sister. We danced on ‘Tujhmein Rab Dikhta Hai,’ and the performance was dedicated to our parents. This was the one time when everyone got super emotional. The decor was inspired by the idea of an enchanted forest, so we had lots of white flowers and lush foliage. I wore a deep red gown by Gaurav Gupta while Dhairya looked dapper in a grey achkan by Mitesh Lodha.”

Wedding
“Our wedding was held at Grand Hyatt Mumbai. I left home at 6:30 in the morning for the mahurat hour, and got ready for the wedding later at the hotel itself. When I started getting ready, I realized that we had forgotten both my dupattas at home. To make matters worse, the key to my cupboard was with us at the hotel. My father who was at home at the time broke the cupboard open by pulling the door out! In retrospect, I think it was rather funny, but during that time, we flipped out! Dhairya, on the other hand, had major cold feet on the wedding day. He had such a massive panic attack that he thought he was going to faint. So he decided to nap and slept until all his family and friends arrived fully dressed up. At one point everyone had already started dancing while he was still asleep because he was stressing out! Despite it all, we did eventually get married! Our pheras were conducted as per the Jain rituals. I wore a Love Story Lehenga from Koecsh by Kresha Bajaj. For the decor, we made use of a lot of pink and white florals, and the results were just dreamy.”

Reception
“Our reception took place at the same venue, and the decor remained the same. However, Dhairya changed into a suit for this function, and I simply changed the way my dupatta was draped.”

Advice For Couples
“I would advise that couples stay calm and be prepared for things to go wrong during the wedding. Instead of worrying about things that may not fall into place, focus on enjoying everything that is happening. Also, don’t forget to make time before all the wedding madness starts to sit with your partner and just be in their company.”

The Wedding Makers
Venues: Amadeus (Cocktail Party), Malabar Hill Club (Mehndi), The Palace Halls, NSCI (Sangeet), Grand Hyatt Mumbai (Wedding and Reception)
Decor: Samani Decorators (Sangeet), Craft on Designs(Cocktail), National Decorators (Wedding and Reception)
Bride’s Outfits: Summer by Priyanka (Mehndi), Gaurav Gupta (Sangeet), Koecsh by Kresha Bajaj (Wedding and Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Raymond (Cocktail Party), Parisha Gala (Mehndi and Wedding), Mitesh Lodha (Sangeet and Reception)
Makeup Artist: Riddhi Malde (Cocktail Party and Mehndi), Pakkhi Pahuja (Sangeet), Pria Todarwal (Wedding and Reception)

Photography: The Wedding Crasher

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