Scenic Wedding In The Hills With Just 12 People & Progressive Rituals

There are weddings, and then there are BEAUTIFUL weddings, which not only look picture perfect, but have more than meets the eye too. And this one here, definitely took our breath away. Everything about it was gorgeous- right from the scenic locale to the bride's pretty pastel lehenga, to that mandap infused with floral magic, and of course, the tweaks and thoughts that went into making this wedding the couple's own. Not only did Soumya and Chakra choose to have only have a headcount of 12 at their wedding, they also had 2 priestesses perform the ceremonies, which were without a Kanyadaan. We loved their idea of custom mangalsutra bracelets for both the bride and groom- definitely a wedding celebrated like that of two equals! But the cherry on the cake was definitely Beginnings For You★ 4.8 's sublime photography, that captured all the beauty perfectly. 

Meet Soumya and Chakra

 

 

Haldi

Mehendi

Court Wedding

Wedding

     

From The Bride:

We both are based out of the San Francisco Bay Area and planning the wedding remotely was not an easy task. I was working towards a promotion at work and my fiancé then stepped in to take care of all the wedding arrangements. I was quite stressed at work, so was not able to commit so much time for the wedding preparations but my fiancé spent countless late night hours getting on calls with all vendors and contractors in India to make our dream wedding happen.

I grew up in an equal household and embodied the same values when I became a woman and thus I wanted a wedding that symbolised my world view about equality, sustainability and progress. I was fortunate enough to find my life partner who also shares the same values as I do. 

We knew we wanted to have a traditional yet modern, progressive wedding - which meant no Kanyadaan, no customs that favour a particular sex over another. We reviewed each and every ritual and made it equal. We had custom mangalsutra bands for the both of us, we took our Pheras together and every wedding ritual was performed by our parents on both sides.

We strongly wanted the person who performed our rituals to also share the same values as we did. In a field dominated by male priests, it was a dream come true to have two hindu priestesses solemnise our wedding. They sat down with us for multiple sessions and customised every hindu ritual to make it equal and progressive. It was a shared commitment towards inclusivity and equal representation to have them for our wedding. 

I wanted an extremely intimate wedding, I wanted only the most important people in my life to bless us as we start our new life together. There were only twelve people including the bride and groom who were in-attendance during the ceremony.

I wanted to set an example for the upcoming generation in my family and young girls who probably share a similar vision for their wedding values like mine, that traditional yet modern weddings are truly possible. 

The day of the ceremony everything came together like a perfect day. There were light showers in the morning and to enjoy the rains my fiance and I went on a short two mile run in the woods about an hour before the wedding to get the wedding ceremony started. 

Our photographer, logistics coordinators, wedding planners, makeup and hair were all  women owned business and LGBTQ+ positive allies. Our wedding team was diverse, accepting, ambitious, inspiring, fun and cooperative. We truly are privileged that we were able to expose ourselves to this extraordinary community and foster friendships that will last a lifetime.

Vendor Reviews

Photography: Beginnings For You

Simran was our first and only choice for our wedding photographer. We had seen her work before and the way she plays with colours was exactly what we wanted. We didn’t want any moody, dark or saturated pictures for our wedding, we wanted fun, playful and vibrant and that is what we were delivered. Her fun attitude towards her life is truly reflective in our work. 

She and her team were committed to capturing every detail. Simran is a force of nature, her commitment and passion towards her craft is truly infectious. She is patient, understands the bride’s vision and captures it to perfection. I enjoyed talking to her so much, I felt I was talking to a friend. She was empathetic, compassionate and understanding through all of it.  She went above and beyond by creating special videos of the wedding festivities which was not part of our original package commitment.

Her attention to detail is remarkable. She became a family member by the end of it. During our wedding registration, she jumped all the barricades to capture the moment when we signed our papers. I can’t recommend her enough, we wanted her to capture some drone shots and she went lengths and breath to get her team to make it a reality. 

Her pictures came out so stunning that I’d want to get married again! Lol. 

Venue: Taj Madikeri, Coorg

The resort was our first holiday destination together as a couple and we wanted to honour the place by hosting our wedding there. The staff and hospitality is truly exceptional. They worked closely with our planners to organise truly the best experience. I was truly impressed when they created a vegan Coorgi menu to accommodate my dietary preference. 

Makeup Artist: Vishal Charan

Vishal is a celebrity makeup artist, he has worked with all the leading ladies out there. I was grateful to secure his time for my wedding. We spoke once before my wedding festivities and he understood exactly what I wanted - Effortless glam bride. He treated my makeup like jewellery for the face. We kept it natural and uber cool. Vishal was not only professional but also so understanding of everything I wanted - which included playing with colours, fun embellishments etc! One of the best decisions of my life to have him for my big day! I would recommend him a million times over to anyone out there. Simply the best.

Hairstylist: Divya Naik

Divya is a celebrity hair stylist, She is a known industry hair stylist who specialises in curly hair. I’ve known Divya as a friend first and I knew probably ten years ago that Divya would do my hair for my wedding. Having her during my wedding festivities was so relaxing and comforting. A lot of hair stylists have zero to limited experience in working with curly hair girlies like myself but Divya is simply beyond phenomenal. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to let my hair down during my main wedding function, which is generally not the traditional route and most brides would probably not opt for it but Divya saw my vision and executed it to the T! The ease at which she did my hair was just excellent.

Both Vishal and Divya were a dream come true for me! I’ve truly made great bonds with both of them and cherish every moment spent during the wedding. 

Wedding Planning: Divya Vithika

Divya & Vithika were the real stars of the show.  We wanted everything floral and a mix of both modern and traditional decor. The team sent us mood-boards and vision charts to select themes for the wedding. We worked with them to identify the vegan dishes to be served during the ceremony, they coordinated our logistics, and entire Taj Madikeri events. 

It rained profusely on the day before the wedding and her team were up from 10pm till 5am on the day of the wedding, working through a literal storm to set up the mandap and set up the flower arrangements. 

Bridal Lehenga: Anamika Khanna

Team Anamika khanna is the best bridal outfit team out there. I did all my fittings online through virtual video sessions and they fit me like a glove. I flew to India fifteen days before my wedding and the first thing I did was try on my bridal lehenga. When I saw it first, I thought the shade of pink was lighter than I wanted. They re-did my entire lehenga in a record time of five days! I was so happy with the final colour and style. I felt like a pink princess, exactly what I wanted. I cannot thank them enough for their agility, patience and resilience towards making a bride happy.

Shoutout to Madhvi from team Anamika Khanna. Girl, I owe you a big one! 

Wedding Priestess: Dr. Bramaramba Maheshwari 

We found her through WedMeGood. We knew we wanted to have female pandits conduct our wedding ceremony. In a field dominated by male priests, Dr. Bramaramba Maheshwari is breaking all male bastions and proving to the world otherwise. During our planning sessions, we felt we were working with an elder in our family. She was incredibly kind, patient and understanding of our requirements. Her Shishyas, solemnised our wedding. They explained the significance of every sloka/mantra to the wedding party in English during the ceremony. 

 

Vendors: Photography: Beginnings For You★ 4.8 ; Venue: Taj Madikeri Resort & Spa, Coorg; Makeup Artist: Vishal Charan; Hairstylist: Divya Naik; Wedding Planning: Divya Vithika Wedding Planners★ 5 ; Bridal Lehenga: Anamika Khanna★ 4.8 ; Wedding Priestess: Bramaramba Maheshwari★ 2.8