A Forest Themed Mahabaleshwar Wedding That Absolutely Slayed!
BY Sakshi | 17 Jul, 2023 | 1306 views | 11 min read
Where do we even begin with Divya and Darshan's wedding? It was just so unique, so special, that we had to feature it! Their wedding, which took place in Mahabaleshwar, had so many standout things- right from that gorgeous fairytale mandap to forest themed pheras, splendid decor in every event, and not to mention- the glorious outfit choices for both the bride and the groom! There were cute little additions made by the couple for the guests which were delightful too! This is the kind of wedding where you know everyone, especially the bride and groom had the time of their life! Take a look for yourselves!
Magic Motion Media did a fabulous job with the photos- capturing all the special moments beautifully!
Meet Divya and Darshan
It was at an office party. I had recently started working in the digital department of the fashion wing IMG Reliance, now RISE Worldwide and he worked in the Sports wing. He saw me one day in office and in his words, "fell head over heels in love" with me. The same week there was a party and although I don't recall meeting him at the party at all, he struck a conversation He started flirting but I wasn't looking for anything really so it culminated into a wonderful friendship, but there was obvious chemistry between us and despite job changes, we were inseparable, it eventually turned into romance and after a long and consistent pursuit, I eventually said 'Yes' in the backdrop of a glistening sunset in Goa.
Mehendi
For the Mehndi event, we wore bold colours and prints, and it matched was matched with the energy of several drums being played by all our guests in a drum circle organised by our dear friends. The background had huge pots of bougainvillaea in various colours along with acrylic signages, while acrylic chairs were used for the seating arrangement to let the colours pop. It deepened my love for flora even more if possible. We had a swing with vines of leaves that was inspired by a Anita Dongre campaign several years ago which my girl friends and I had loved and wanted to replicate some of the photos.
Haldi
We wanted our gujju family to have a great time so we had a Gujarati-themed Haldi with Bandhani and Lehrya as the dress code in as many colours as possible (not just yellow) and the DJ played Garba tracks to which everyone danced in perfect gujju style. The decor was rather offbeat with terracotta pots, a spinning wheel and orange and white marigold flowers patola print fabric and small elephant decor because I love elephants.
Engagement
Our ring ceremony had an indo-fusion eclectic vibe put together in the shades of berry red, black and sparks of gold. It was further enhanced with floating candles inspired by The Great Hall in our favourite Harry Potter films.
Sangeet
Our sangeet was a glitzy night under the stars, and we had a concert-like stage with LED graphics and lights which was inspired by our love for music and reminiscent of the many music events we attended as a couple. Unlike other couples, we were dancing to practically every performance that was put together. Our songs were chosen not because of popularity but because of how much we loved them.
Wedding
We wanted our wedding to be green and white. Very foresty and dreamy. I walked into a green and white meadow, on the lyrics of “Turning Page By Sleeping At Last” sung by this amazing vocalist with a guitarist and a violinist. The mandap was this spectacular white halo that our designer created keeping in mine our love for white flowers. I believe there were over 2500 roses suspended to make this happen. We had this amazing flutist who we had founds months ago and he played all through the wedding ceremony. A forest-themed wedding, the seating arrangement involved wooden benches that looked like tree barks and a fog machine was used to create an illusion of walking into a fog filled forest.
Reception
The same setup was transferred to our reception, with a lot of fairy lights and cozy candlelight colour. It was was a classy black-tie affair, where dinner table tops were suspended from trees to replicate a swing and each of them had a chandelier on top of it. Our dear friends giving the most heartfelt speeches amidst warm cosy lights, making it look absolutely surreal. There was a photobooth with pinky fingers intertwined to showcase our togetherness and love.
Our ring ceremony and reception night had a live band playing our favourite tracks throughout.
From The Bride:
Our wedding took place on March 6, 2022. We wanted the wedding to first and foremost be an extension of our own personal style and interests. To us, every aspect had to be in synergy with the other and we also weren't concerned about trends. The vision was always to ensure that not only the guests but the immediate family and we both as a couple had a great time. Often in entertaining the guests and following cultural protocols, the family and the bride and groom don't get to enjoy the wedding as they're supposed to. Darshan and I were sure that we didn't want that to be the case and in fact, we were the two people who had the most amazing time at our own wedding. Our decor was finalised keeping in my our outfits (not the other way round). Keeping this brief in mind the planner and the designer worked in perfect tandem. The creatives represented my love for lilies, the décor was an extension of our vision of keeping things stylishly tasteful. The food menu was curated basis the vibe of each event.
The cocktail and drinks menu was also thoughtfully designed. We spoke for hours with the band lead and DJ to create the set lists, the wedding favours and gifts and thankyou gifts were all carefully selected and had a personal relevance. Our wedding was planned in 45 days and was intimate, personal, tasteful and spectacular. Just like we wanted it to be. All of the vendors worked so wonderfully together. Truly a dream team.
We wanted to party hard every night and so we did. There was an after party each night and the DJ played a pre-discussed playlist of different genres each night.
I was very detail oriented and our functions included a unique giveaways. Like a perfume bar, bath salts, corsages and boutonnieres, pop corn as a snack for the ride back home, earrings for women, etc. In fact, even the cocktails were personalised based on our favourite movie characters.
Vendor Reviews
Venue: Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa
A picturesque lush green and cozy venue with comfortable rooms. They needed some handholding at the start but eventually they caught on and gave very good service.
Makeup Artist: Kajol Mulani
Kajol was someone I scouted a long time ago because I used to love Pooja Hegde's looks and she was the artist to do her makeup. She was so on point with with what I needed, fuss free. We'd all the looks pre-decided and we decided to tweak somethings on the spot which was handled beautifully. It was a breeze working with her. I didn't even have to look up to the mirror to see if it was going well. She made me look and feel like myself which was the goal.
Hairstylist - Misheeta
A quiet albeit talented girl, she was in sync with the makeup artist and really good at what she does.
Wedding Planning: Mpire Events
They are a fabulous team of hardworking people. They made us feel super understood and secure and on the days of the wedding, we were pampered and kept worry free. Fab fab team. Vikram and us became such good friends over the process and it's a wonderful feeling to have that happen.
Photography: Magic Motion Media
Another amazing team. Everything was seamless. The photo video output brings us so much joy every time we see it and it really is a testament of how good a team they are.
Decor: To The Aisle
Prerika is superb, absolutely fantastic. She listened, understood and offered insight on our vision and eventually the execution exceeded our expectations. As a client, I had specific ideas and was particular that the wedding reflect our sense of style and aesthetic. Moreover, my partner and I wanted to work with people who came on board and got personal instead of looking at it as business because weddings are as intimate an affair as it can get. She shared that thought process and co-incidentally, her sense of aesthetic matched ours and it was a delightful experience to bring it all to reality. Due to unforeseen situations, our outfits were made before we knew where and what time we'd be engaging in our events but she flawlessly designed the decor revolving around what we had chosen to wear and it turned out absolutely wonderful. There is a sense of calm when working with her and her team as they are immensely sure of what they're doing. 6 events were designed for our wedding festivities and each looked so wonderfully beautiful that we were spoilt for choice to pick a favourite. They used the existing architecture of the venue, something I personally believe is better and more challenging that turning the whole venue around into looking like something entirely different. They believe in accentuating the beauty of the venue and using it to their advantage. It makes for a sight for sore eyes. She is invested in every project herself, unlike many who take on several projects unable to give personal attention. I was able to trust her fully, without needing to check on the details during the festivities because she gave that sense of assurance. There were several unfortunate series of events leading up to the wedding but she took it in stride and was a model human being. We are so immensely happy with how things went that it makes us want to get married again, a feeling I personally never thought I'd have. Much of that is credited to To The Aisle.
Mehendi Artist: Darshana
I'd gotten her to do my friend's mehendi before because I'd really liked her designs and when it was my turn, I didn't look any further. My style wasn't the typical bridal mehendi and instead I wanted a tribal fusion design. She got it right and is very intricate with what she does. No fuss, very reasonably priced.
Groomwear: Raisson D’être by Govind Mehta
Govind Mehta is a genius who creates the outfits basis the clients personality and style. The fitting is inch perfect and we love him for that.
Bartending: The Wedding Bartenders
Very professional, they put attention to detail and even their outfits were coordinated to match the event decor. Strong thumbs up.
Vendors: Venue: Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa; Makeup Artist: Kajol Mulani; Wedding Planning: Mpire Weddings ; Photography: Magic Motion Media ; Decor: To The Aisle ; Mehendi Artist: Darshana's Mehandi Art ; Bridal Outfits: Prints by Radhika (High Tea), Shantanu Nikhil (Engagement), Torani (Mehendi), Kresha Bajaj Koesch (Sangeet), Amreen Sandhu Atelier (Haldi), Shyamal Bhumika (Pheras), Gavin Miguel (Reception); Bridal Jewellery: Manubhai Jewellers & Jet Gems (Engagement and Sangeet), Amrapali Jewels & QBIK (Mehendi); Groomwear: Telons (High Tea), Shantanu Nikhil (Engagement), Kasbah by Nishchaiy Sajdeh (Mehendi), Govinda Mehta (Sangeet, Pheras and Reception), Eleven Brothers (Haldi); Drum Circle: Taal Inc.; Band: Bhavya Raj Experience; DJ: Jay Weather; Flutist for Pheras: Vibhor Mathur; Bartenders: The Wedding Bartenders ; Graphic Designer: Two The T; DIY Perfume Station: The Perfume Lounge; Hairstylist: Misheeta
