#FirstPerson: "5 #NextLevel Cool Ideas I Implemented For My Sundowner Mehendi!"

When a bride has such a fun Mehendi, how can we not feature it? Remember Sagarika from that uber cool engagement which had a gigantic engagement ring ice sculpture? Yep, she had an equally fabulous Mehendi, and everything looked so bright and happy! She planned her own Mehendi with help from her wedding planner, Gaurav Chauhan Events★ 4.8 . So over to Sagarika now, who tells us what was unique about her Mehendi function! Photography by The Story Weavers★ 4.9  captured all the fun!

The Outfit...

I wanted all my wedding functions outfits to be different in terms of the type of outfit, designer, colour and styling. I wanted the mehendi outfit to be a bright and colourful one (and it was the only day function too). Since mehendi is the only function out of all where the bride can chill the most and be comfortable – I wanted an outfit to depict who I really am. I went for a very cheerful Anushree Reddy★ 4.7 number with three bright colours light green, yellow and blue. 

The Jewellery...

There was no way I was decking myself up with lots of jewellery like other functions so I balanced it out with floral earrings, haathphools and tikka along with an emerald diamond necklace (a shade darker than my light green blouse).

The Theme & Decor...

I was involved fully in every bit of my wedding planning (even the boys side functions :p) I had a certain vision for every event and I wanted some specific detailing to complete every function.

Me and my brother left the basic wedding day planning to my Dad and uncles and took full charge of the funky new-age Mehendi we wanted it to be. We were constantly in touch with our wedding decor team and wedding planner Gaurav Chauhan on a whatsapp group who were further following up with the other vendors like the entertainment department (Vedas band), Khomcha chaat guys, mehendi walas, bangles stall guy etc etc etc. We chose Essex farms as the venue as it solved the purpose of an indoor banquet with a fairly big outdoor area. The decor for the event was done by Elusive Dreams by Pooja Gupta.

The 5 Cool Ideas...

1. Getting the Mehendi put prior to the function.

First and foremost- I along with my close family and friends got our Mehendi put a day before the function. This way we all enjoyed every bit of the function without me bothering about my bridal mehendi being ruined and not wasting even a minute sitting for mehendi.

2. The unique bridal entry.

The entry dance with my bridesmaids – everybody looks forward to the brides entry and we did in style with my super cool bridesmaids all colour coordinated (dressed in peaches and pinks) dancing along with me to the tune of a Kapoor & Sons song, and escorting me to the ‘brides jhulla’.

3. The food and bar.

The food bit (the primary necessity for a hit event)- The focus on chaat was a must for a day function so we hired Khomcha chaat who provided a lavish variety of chaats. In addition, we called for the infamous Fateh ki kachori (North Delhi) and a popular puri wala from Jammu. There was also a Molecular bar- a fusion style of creative cocktails with nitrogen gas coming out of the drinks.

4. The games at the Mehendi.

The Ladkiwala vs Ladkewala-  To make the event even more exciting, there were around 20 bongos (small drums), 10 given to each side to engage in a competition of both sides –Who plays them louder. Lets say both sides won :p

5. Hiring an emcee.

Hiring an anchor- its surprising but out of all the things this idea of my wedding planner Gaurav makes it to my top 5 list as the anchor Juhi, kept the crowd engaged at all times. Usually, the close people tend to enjoy and engage in the function more but the anchoring bit made sure everyone (all age groups present) was involved and enjoyed. She announced the bride's and groom's entry too! 

Wedding Planning: Gaurav Chauhan Events★ 4.8 Decor: Elusive Dreams by Pooja Gupta. Venue: Essex Farms. Bride's Outfit: Anushree Reddy★ 4.7 . MUA: Makeup by Meera Sakhrani★ 3.6 . Photography: The Story Weavers★ 4.9 .