Real Wedding: Shraddha-Sanket’s Picnic Themed Wedding

By  | 

Shraddha, our bride in this week’s real wedding feature, is a professional wedding photographer herself . Naturally it was her team (DreamGrapher) that documented her wedding day. She has shared this delightful ceremony with us; the  theme was very ‘outdoorsy’ since the couple wanted a picnic themed celebration where all  guests could relax and have a wonderful time. Here are details about how they met and their special day …

We met

DreamGrapher Indian wedding Photography

It is said one finds love in the most unexpected places and it certainly proved true in our case. Our made-in-heaven match can be attributed to an online matrimonial site. We both happened to be on that  site just for the ‘heck of it’ but were taken aback at the ‘connection’ we felt as we checked  each other’s profiles. Before we knew it, we were talking for hours on phone and texting each other through the day.

Our proposal…

Indian wedding proposal

Because of our hectic work schedules (and the fact that we lived in different cities)  it was a little difficult for us to zero in on a date to actually meet up. But finally, we fixed on a date at a Nature Resort. Luckily, we ‘clicked’ the minute we set eyes on each other. Over the next few months, we traveled often to catch up and soon Sanket told his family about me, even before proposing to me, I think he knew my answer anyway!

Our wedding theme/colours…

Style for bridal hands-Indian mehendi for weddings Indian wedding rituals for a picnic themed wedding Indian groom arrives in an unique wedding mandap

IMG_1153 copy

Within a short span of time we were busy planning our picnic themed wedding at the same resort where we had met for our first date. As with any couple, we wanted the day to be memorable not only for us but everyone who was part of it: our parents, families and friends. We wanted everyone to relax and enjoy without worries  and avoid the chaos of Indian weddings, so we chose to plan well in advance to have everything in place days before the ceremony. We do not like grand “cosmetic looking” weddings where there is too much noise, fireworks or crazy artificial lighting. Since the wedding was to be held in the evening, we opted for lots of  fairy lights and candles to illuminate the place. That along with traditional marigold floral decor  gave it a ‘ghar ki shaadi’ feel. For the mandap I was very particular that I wanted it fairly big so it would not be congested and suffocating while the havan was on. Also I wanted a touch of European feel, so we looked for Roman pillars which were  decorated with flowers to add  the Indian touch. My friends Paras and Kinjal hand-made some pompoms and other decorative things and banners like ‘ I am the bride’ and ‘Groom’s den’ for our rooms which gave it all a personal touch.

LnEIMG_1346 copy

We also wanted everyone to go back from the wedding with not only memories but mementos for lifetime; so intricately designed silver coins with our emblems and the date were gifted out by my parents to guests along with sweet/mithai platters for thanking them for being part of our big day.

My dress… His suit…

LnEIMG_0939 copy LnEIMG_1591

We both have bohemian style when it comes to our regular clothing choice, so for our wedding day we did not want anything that was not our personality. We particularly did not want to be influenced or carried away by what everyone traditionally did for their bridal attire. We also had one thing clear: we wanted outfits to make us look like a pair. Also the clothes were not to be in regular or traditional Indian wedding colours. Our vision for our look for the big day was anything but ‘sati savitri’ look for me or maharaja for him. Elegant, rich but not  desi was what we had in mind. Bearing this in mind, we began our search for attire that conformed to these points. It was not easy;  we visited quite a few designers studios as well as bridal attire outlets which didn’t help at all so we decided to get them stitched keeping a close eye on the tailor who did the outfits for us!

My bridal hair, make-up and jewelry…

My makeup artist Farin Jafri completed my dream look with her skills. For my jewelry I relied on A K Zaveri 

Indian wedding makeup artist Farin Jaffrey wedding jewelry by AK ZAVERI

Our bridal party …

Our guest list was made of select friends and family members who were all super-excited and involved. The theme was ‘picnic’, so everyone was invited  a day before to stay at the resort in their own cottages and enjoy activities like nature walk by the river or  bird watching and sports- games . Some family members helped with the decoration and other things .  Everyone had a great time!

Indian wedding guests at haldi ceremony Indian wedding guests at haldi ceremony

Invitation Cards:

My fiance designed our invitation cards and we got them printed at Vivah Designer cards.

Our Sangeet and wedding venue:

Sangeet was held at my parents house in Ahmedabad, Wedding was held over two days stay in at Resort near Ahmedabad called Aaloa Hills.

LnEIMG_1725 Indian wedding decor for picnic themed wedding

Our Photographer:

After all the months of preparation and anticipation it was time for my team to show their true talent by capturing it all on film as the day progressed. I was  more than happy that they showed the same amount of involvement and hard work as they do under my direction for my clients’ weddings. In spite of being in the wedding industry and having covered hundreds of big, small, elegant flashy, classy, destination, homely, extravagant, intimate and all other sorts of Indian weddings, I was amazed when we saw our wedding photos and videos. It actually helped me understand the excitement and expectation my clients feel, since I was now in their position. Everything was well organized from point of view of photography and video filming so nobody walked into frames or there were no glaring lights to ruin photos and all the guests were covered . All this  made our wedding one of the easiest one for DreamGrapher and the pics showed it!

About DreamGraper: At DreamGrapher, we shoot both moving and still pixels, i.e. videos and Stills. Our style is elegant, creative, candid and artistic. I personally plan, direct and edit every project along my team. We have 7 enthusiastic and independent photographers, cinematographers and editors on board. DreamGrapher is a sister venture of Lights N Effects ( A registered business entity since 2012).

Comments are closed.

Back to Articles