From meeting at a friend’s wedding in India, to a dreamy proposal on a yacht in Singapore, Reshma and Ankit’s story seems like something right out of a romance novel. Similarly, their wedding wasn’t far behind. The intimate Bengaluru wedding, was the perfect combination of their Punjabi-Konkani heritage and their Singaporean connection which resulted in a cozy, dreamy wedding that left a lasting impression on everybody’s minds.

 “I knew exactly what I wanted for my wedding and got in touch with a few wedding planners in Bangalore. But Antara was the only wedding planner who built upon my ideas and gave me many options with regard to even the tiniest detail. She was also very respectful of our budget. This was the reason I decided to go ahead with Katha Weddings as my wedding planners,” reveals Reshma.

But planning a wedding in a different country and having to make important decisions from thousands of kilometers away is a very stressful task. Being a detail-oriented bride, Reshma wanted every little element of the wedding to be perfect. “Most of the things were decided over phone or Skype calls and only two visits to India, before the wedding. It was a huge relief to me that I had such an efficient wedding planner. Antara handled everything so perfectly and things turned out just the way I wanted them to,” says Reshma.

The wedding festivities began with the bride and her sisters having a small mehendi event at home, while the rest of the events took place at the wedding venue, Temple Tree Leisure. Having an outdoor wedding was something that Reshma had her heart set upon and Temple tree Leisure turned out to be the perfect venue.

The entrance of the venue for the sangeet was quite a sight! It was completely lit up with fairly lights, quirky bulbs and even a board with the couple’s initials R & A on it! The entrance décor also included personalized elements like caricatures of the couple with fun quotes which made guests smile right from the beginning.

Many more fairy lights, bulbs and lanterns lit the pathway that lead to the open air lawn where the sangeet took place. To give the venue an atmosphere of a party, the entire lawn was covered with a faux roof made of streamers that ended with the stage itself. The stage looked spectacular and was a canopy made with beautiful lights and golden fabrics.

The evening started off with a bang when the bride and groom had an impromptu musical entry with the DJ playing “Dil le gayi” as they made their way in. This was followed by lots of interesting games that included everybody and were a fun way to begin the night. And then, as “Jashn-e-bahara” played, the couple exchanged rings in a very sweet and romantic way.

One of the interesting elements of the evening included the wonderful cake that was cut by the couple after the ring ceremony. “Since we are both lactose intolerant, we needed to find a cake that would not only be vegan, but also taste and look amazing. It was a great feeling when it actually became a reality!” exclaims the bride, Reshma.

While there were many speeches and fun games that were played, a certain Singaporean tradition that the couple followed, stood out. “Yam seng” or cheers in Cantonese was shouted loudly while everyone raise their glasses high and raise a toast to the couple, wishing them happiness in their new married life that is to follow. The atmosphere was pushed to a new high with everyone trying to be as loud as possible in order to bless the couple.

No sangeet is complete without nach-gaana. “Though I’m not really someone who dances, Ankit and I did do a couple dance which was choreographed by his friend in just a day. Our friends then flanked the stage and we were part of a flash mob with them. There was also a group dance, after which the dance floor was open to all,” explains Reshma. The couple then danced the night away with their near and dear ones.

As part of one of the pre-wedding rituals, a sehra or safa had to be arranged immediately for the groom’s sehra bandhi that was to take place the next morning. “When we told this to Antara and requested her to arrange for one, she managed to get not one, but three options for us, even on such short notice! She was a true lifesaver that day,” recalls Reshma.

After all the fun and frolic, the focus was more on the rituals and traditions on the wedding day. The guests were greeted at the entrance of Temple Tree Leisure by a traditional bronze statue of Lord Ganesha, bronze lamps and a lovely flower rangoli. The décor followed a theme of white, golden and pink and traditional flowers, lamps and fabrics were used to decorate the entire place.

As the bride and groom wanted to make sure they follow all the Konkani and Punjabi rituals, they had an early start to the day and even got two separate pandits. While the groom’s side had the sehra bandhi and the baaraat, the bride simultaneously had some Konkani rituals and the chooda ceremony.

Dressed in a beautiful silk saree, hands folded, the bride walked in under a Phulkari chunni that her brothers were holding. She looked like royalty as her friends were scattering rose petals along the bridal path. The Konkani wedding rituals were conducted first and the garland exchange was accompanied by flowery showers. This was indeed a spectacular sight to watch!

The bride then went and changed into a lehenga for the Punjabi pheras. Though the ceremony ran a little long, the newly wedded couple were in bliss and were extremely happy! A small photo reception followed and the couple was blessed by their family and friends.

A friend of the bride who loves sketching all the places she visits, also made a sketch of the wedding ceremony as it was happening. This was something that you normally don’t see at weddings and was quite unique.

“My wedding turned out to be a truly memorable experience, not only for me, but also for each and every one who attended it. I am so thankful to my parents for letting me take complete control and plan my wedding the way I always wanted it. But none of this would be possible without Antara or Katha weddings. She made sure that the place looked beautiful and that the wedding ran smoothly, with no glitches whatsoever. She definitely enriched the wedding experience and won us all over with her sweetness and professionalism,” concludes the bride, Reshma.