Beautiful Hilltop South-Indian Wedding With a Touch of Whimsy!
BY Latha Sunadh | 14 Oct, 2016 | 4861 views | 4 min read
When brides introduce us to new wedding destinations we are ALWAYS excited, so this hilltop wedding near Ooty hit all the right notes. We loved her soft , nude colored engagement lehenga and how she styled her gajra plait with it (so rustic) and ofcourse the adorable doggy photos (Half of the girls here are going awww) . Photography by The Memory Writers is gorgeous !
Meet Sowmi & Shiv
"Our families have known each other for a long time but I met Shiv three years ago when I was visiting my sister in London. We knew instantly that we were meant to be. I went on to complete my masters in Singapore, so ours was a long distance relationship for most part and even through the time difference we watched movies together, ate meals together - all through Skype. The distance made us value what little time we had together. Finally our wedding was fixed and the engagement date was set for December 2015 and the wedding in February 2016," explains Sowmi.
The Engagement
The Sangeet
The Wedding
From The Bride:
"For the engagement, I wanted something with a soft, vintage feel. I had already designed the invitation which was a dull moss green digital print with english flowers. I somehow wanted to echo this theme during the event too so I decided to do do the stage as agreen backdrop with Ivy and leaves. Aparnaa Nagaraj from Back drop events, made sure that the stage was exactly what I wanted right to the tiniest details- right from the flower filled wheel barrow to the light bulbs. I went to the hall at 6 in the morning on the day of my engagement and I was blown away by the stage.
Our wedding was set to be in Kotagiri, which is set in the beautiful blue mountains - Nilgiris. This is native to both our families and we are from a tribal society, the Badagas. We wanted a minimalistic wedding without losing the vibe of the village and the mountains. For the pre-wedding, we chose a outdoor location at Nahar Hotel. We wanted minimal decor- just enough to enhance the beauty and setting of the location," says Sowmi.
"The wedding was in a village called Thabbacombai near Kotagiri in the groom's house. Shiv's family has been so liberal with me and they even let me design the stage for the wedding. I was inspired by my in-laws wedding. There is a picture of their wedding reception sitting outside their house in the village, and I wanted a similar backdrop for the wedding. Seeraj from Ooty helped put my vision to form. Together we sourced old doors with the frame, windows and roof tiles to create a village house. We even added a light bulb and flower garlands above the door to make it realistic. If you are from Ooty, Seeraj is the person to call. He is reasonable, wants to try new things and always upto the challenge," adds Sowmi.
"I wasn't big on Mehendi, so we called a local mehendi artist from Lakshmi complex, coimbatore. My Mehendi design incorporated the Tower bridge and the London Eye, because I met my husband in London and we were going to live there. For my Engagement, I wore a lehenga by designer Astha Narang who has stores in Delhi and Ahmedabad. The second outfit was a red Kanchipuram saree from Sarangi in Chennai that was teamed with an emerald green blouse. For the pre-wedding, I wore a blue Shyamal & Bhumika saree. I ordered this through Whatsapp. The sales rep in touch with me was highly professional and and the blouse had an impeccable fit. Mahaveers Coimbatore custom made an Orange saree for me with vana sringara (forest theme)design for the wedding. I was able to design the saree - border, pallu, colour and even the the ply count for the zari to my liking. I chose to keep my blouse plain with a high neck at the back so that the rich colour will stand out," adds Sowmi.
Vendors: Venue: Engagement at Hotel Residency, Coimbatore; Mehendi & Prewedding at Bride's house; Groom's House at Nilgiris Decor: Engagement decor by Backdrop Events, Coimbatore; Pre-wedding + Mehendi + Wedding decor by Seeraj decorators, Ooty Mehendi Artist: Local Mehendi artist from Lakshmi Complex, Coimbatore Bride's Outfits: Engagement lehenga by Astha Narang ; Red Kanchipuram saree from Sarangi, Chennai; Sangeet sari by Shyamal Bhumika ; Wedding sari by Mahaveers, Coimbatore Jewellery: Shree Raj Jewellers and PMJ Jewellers, both Hyderabad Makeup Artist: Jaanmoni Das , Cochin Photography & Videography: The Memory Writers
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