We get hundreds of real wedding submissions in our inbox, but what really gets us excited are inspirational ones that capture the bold dynamic. Today we have for you an inspirational wedding story of biker babe (she happens to be India’s only female motorcycle blogger and an international model as well!)-Priyanka Kochhar. Not all brides dream of big weddings or red beaded dresses and Priyanka is no different. For all of her prewedding events and the main ceremony, she insisted on keeping natural hair and makeup. Likewise, she chose a golden beige palette for the main ceremony, enlisting the help of close friend and celebrity stylist Nelly Wadia to assist her. Without further delay, here are the photos of the event captured on film by The Photo Diary.
Bride and Groom : Priyanka Kochhar and Rishaad Mody
We Met: I met Rishaad through a common friend who was his colleague at that time, at the first Formula One Race in Delhi at the Buddha International Circuit. My phone was out of juice and his was the only one ‘alive’ at the end of the day. So I requested him to take my pic with F1 driver Nico. He teased me that I would have to share my cell number with him if I wanted him to send the images. I was instantly drawn to his kind eyes and witty sense of humour. The rest is history!
Our proposal– There was none. We had known each other for years and knew we were meant to be together.
Our venue and why we chose it: The Mehendi ceremony was held at my place in Pune. The engagement an Sangeet were at Sun N Sand, Pune. The main ceremony was at The Poona Club and reception at The Ladies Club. We chose these for their convenience and availability.
Our Prewedding events: I had so much fun those 4 days! I have always been loud and brash and never the shy and traditional types; so I danced my heart away! The Mehendi was most fun and it was an intimate event with just a few of my close friends, cousins and of course a few of Rishaad’s relatives. We had our hands mehendi-covered but that did not stop us from dancing all night to the beat of the dholak!
Our ceremony– My family gave me the wedding I have always wanted: simple, no-frills and minimalist. I have been a tomboy growing up, and never the one to go for traditions-and they let me be me. Also, Rishaad is a Parsi whereas I am a Punjabi. The two cultures are extremely different so we decided to just take the best of both ceremonies. And that meant not to taking the Pheras like we do in Punjabi weddings, because Parsis are fire worshipers and consider it offensive to circle fire. A point I must mention here is that my dad had had an eye surgery just before the wedding, but he and my mom made sure that that did not get in the way of the events.
We also had a blessing ceremony where we said our vows to each other.
What was the best part of the wedding: Oh gosh- all 4 days were great! But I must mention a bit about my grandmother. I love her very much and am very close to her. Despite being so frail, she got on stage and dedicated my favourite song Kabira to Rishaad and I. I got extremely emotional then and just could not hold back. Also, my brother has been in the US for a while and that had made up grow apart a bit. But the wedding got us closer again and I am very grateful for that. I was also extremely emotional during the bidaai.
My dress and trousseau- Being a professional model represented by TFM and Wilhelmina Thailand helped me choose the look for all 4 days. I insisted on keeping my entire look minimal from the jadau jewelry to my makeup and outfits. Nelly Wadia is a close friend and a trusted stylist- I completely entrusted all 4 looks to her and she pulled them off impeccably. She chose the flowers, accessories and colours, helped me budget and even got fellow designers on board for all 4 looks.
Advice for brides-to-be: “I think it’s more important to dress oneself up than go berserk with the larger picture. It’ll all work out in that photo frame when you’re in it.”
All images: The Photo Diary
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