There are weddings, and then there are regal, elegant weddings. Mohit and Tulika’s wedding really sets the bar high for royal soirees. Brides-to-be: brace yourself for some swoon-worthy wedding lehengas (they literally left us gasping!). Our bride, Tulika, holds a Master’s Degree in Fashion Design from Milan and her eclectic sense of style is evident through the DIY details of her gorgeous gorgeous wedding dresses. These and other timeless elements seen in today’s real wedding will all be a lesson in understated perfection..read Mohit and Tulika’s romantic story and get all the details below:
We met:
Mohit and I met in Washington DC on August 15, 2013, three days after my birthday. I was visiting my brother and sister in law in DC. On my brother’s encouragement, I agreed to meet new people. Mohit’s sister insisted the same and we ultimately connected via a professional networking organization. He invited me out to dinner and gifted me a box of chocolates from Godiva at the end of the evening. I was charmed by his gesture but mostly by his great sense of humour-especially when we opened the box to find them all melting from sitting in his car throughout the day! We met again 2 days later and the rest is history….
Our proposal…
Mohit arrived for my birthday in the middle of the week in August 2014. He was being “overly casual” and avoiding eye contact when I asked him about our plans for the week. He actually left the room one afternoon to perform some rather suspicious “work” related calls. August 12 is my birthday and we celebrated with brunch, a movie, and then dinner in Chicago where I tried to hi-jack the proposal by taking him to a beautiful garden late at night near Lake Michigan. He very sweetly gifted me a brand new Kindle that day. On the day after my birthday, we were rushing for a meeting with friends and Mohit wouldn’t stop talking about some random restaurant that his friend told him about that we just had to try. By the time we reached the top floor of the Hancock Building, I recognized the Signature Room, one of Chicago’s swankier restaurants. At our table, I was greeted with a beautiful red rose and the waiter popped open a bottle of champagne. For an hour, we chit-chatted like a normal couple and I wondered, if perhaps, I had misjudged the purpose of the romantic ambiance. When the waiter arrived with desert, I had given up on my suspicions of a marriage proposal. I let my eyes wander to the plate as the waiter removed the cover. Written in chocolate-(to commemorate our very first date), were the words “Will you marry me?” A blue velvet box with a stunning pear shaped diamond ring sat amidst a bed of chocolate covered strawberries..
I saw Mohit’s mouth moving. He was saying something about sharing our lives together and other beautiful words that I didn’t hear because I burst into tears. I remember nodding and sobbing, my vision blurred with tears. I learned later that his private “work” calls were actually calls to my father and my brother to ask them permission to marry their daughter / sister. He is such a gentleman. Of course I said yes!
Our wedding theme/colours…
The theme was Regal Elegance. We focused on understated sophistication and beautiful rich colour tones.
For the Sangeet – The colour tones were peacock blues and purples. The Palm’s lighting and floral decoration danced with sapphires, lavenders, and the whole family of blues.
The Wedding – We went full on scarlet red. The mandap flowers had a slightly varying range of red flowers to add some dimension to the floral display. Scarlet rose petals filled copper bowls on each seat.
Reception – Rich gold hues with blood red accents from the roses. The theme was elegant splendour.
SHOES: Jimmy Choo
JEWELRY: Bholla Jewelers for Bridal Jewellery. May Jewellers in Washington DC, for my wedding ring. Tanishq for family.
MAKE-UP: Kabir Kumar
HAIR: Monsoon
My dresses: All were my own collection. I found the lehengas in various bridal stores around Delhi and then had them customized with my own ideas. Since, I have Masters degree in Fashion Design from Milan, I knew how to experiment with silhouette and fabric. I loved the idea of creating something absolutely personal for my wedding.
His suit…
Mohit’s mother and sister took charge and shopped all over Delhi before finally deciding to have his Shervani custom made. The end result was fantastic – he looked so handsome!
The decor…
Our mandap was set up near the windows in a large space at the Leela. An aisle ran down the centre of the audience and was demarcated with pillars and flowers. Large gold Ganesh statues welcomed the guests at the entrance of the room. Each chair held a copper bowl with red rose petals. Our mandap had gold pillars with red hanging flowers and soft chiffon curtains on the sides.
We chose our photographer because…
We loved the candid story telling that our photographers’ portfolio demonstrated. We are not fans of the cheesy shots where people pose stiffly next to each other. We wanted every moment of the day to be captured in its truest form. The candid imagery story telling was the biggest selling point for us.
We chose our wedding coordinator because…
My best friend’s aunt recommended the wedding coordinator so that we could focus on bigger issues rather than the arguing with vendors about the nuance of lavender versus purple flowers.
We chose our venue because…
The Leela is breathtaking. My mom and I took a research trip back in August before the January wedding and we fell in love with the grandeur of the hotel. The food is also heavenly. We were really taken by the wonderful diversity and the infinite menu options.
Our menu…
We had a good mix of both India and international. We chose eccentric dishes such as beet salads with exotic cheeses and decadent deserts from India and Europe. We didn’t want to pigeonhole the menu from one place but wanted to offer our guests a perfect blend of the best of everything across the world in Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian options.
Our honeymoon…
We will be going on our honeymoon in another month. We are focusing on Europe and will likely consider Italy and France. While I have lived in both countries, it will be a first time for Mohit.
My favourite part of the wedding day…
I enjoyed the quiet time in the morning when my hair and makeup team were working on me, my sister in law, and my mom. We were in the beautiful bridal suite at the Leela and sipped on drinks while the photographer candidly took pictures of the simple moments.
My piece of advice for other brides…
Try to smile through everything no matter how crazy everything might feel. It will all be over sooner than you expect. Try to savour the moment.
Stationary – Meneka Cards
Bridal Jewelry – Bholla, Tanishq, and May Jewelers
Photographer – Prism Len$ Photography
Submit your real wedding story and photos to us at [email protected].
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