SAHANA + KRISHNA
BENGALURU & COORG
DATE
Feb 26 - Mar 1, 2020
VENUE
Groom's House, ITC Gardenia & White Petals.Bangalore & Evolve Back, Coorg
These two fitness enthusiasts wanted a wholesome celebration with an array of events hosted across a period of five days, in Bangalore and Coorg. They had already tied the knot in a London wedding and came to India to celebrate their marriage and renew their vows with family and friends. They were clear from the very beginning that they wanted their wedding to signify “Equality” and while they wanted to have a big ceremony, they wanted to make sure it was as eco-friendly as possible from start to finish.
The details we got into with Krishna & Sahana were refreshing and incredible. They made sure everything was personalised. They got a graphic designer to do a modern take on a traditional rangoli and design a monogram for them. This theme was continued to their invites that we were printed on tree free paper courtesy Bluecat Paper. They used this tree free paper for all their wedding stationary and had the monogram imprinted and used as part of most of their celebrations. They had friends and family flying in from all over the world, many of whom had never been to India before. Krishna & Sahana wrote detailed emails to each of them explaining to them what to expect, what to wear, how best to travel around later. As and when each guest confirmed their itinerary we were put in touch to take over their travel and logistics.
Krishna’s parents live in an old family heritage home in the heart of Bangalore with a quaint home having sprawling grounds and gardens, so they decided they would kick start the festivities here with close friend and family. Krishna’s mother was clear from the beginning as to what she wanted. The house must be the highlight of the evening, the colours must be bright and fun, the lighting warm and inviting and the décor elements were all the large antique pieces that belonged to the family that would be displayed. They also had the gazebo decorated with the family’s history displayed which people could read while the mehendi went on. Orange & pink fabric was used for the décor, along with fairy lights & orange marigold flowers to highlight the home and the antique elements that belonged to the home. The idols of different deities around the vast space were also accessorised with orange marigold. The whole house was ornate and looked like a small haveli all set to welcome the new memsaab.
The gathering at the house was followed by a cocktail the next night in ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru. Sahana’s vision for this was for it to feel like an old 70’s lounge right from the entrance lobby, the pathway and the corner of the hall where all the dancing would happen. The colours were red, black and gold. The entrance lobby was a ceiling to floor, red draped wall with pictures of their London wedding put up. The marble table was covered with red lace and red rose flower arrangements and red and gold lanterns were placed on it, to go with the vibe. There were large lamps and leather chairs laid out and a wooden ring with red flowers with a large leather wing back chair in front to serve as a photo op. The corridors had red drapes pulled back along its length with leather lounge seating along one side. The bar and DJ console had large wooden panels painted in black and gold mimicking a 70’s jazz club band stands with large chandeliers overhead. The corners of the room had leather lounge seating with coffee tables and table lamps all to create a feel of the 70’s.
The final event in Bangalore was a traditional Indian reception with a seated plantain leaf meal at Palace Ground. Owing to the large space of the venue and the simplistic nature of the event they decided to focus the décor to the entrances, the pathway and the stage. The colours were green, yellow and white. The pleated coconut leaves were used as the frame of the entrance and the backdrop of the stage and this was adorned with bright yellow strings of marigold. The entrance pathway had checkered fairy lights with traditional décor pieces made of palm leaves along the edges. Brass uralis and gold metal frames along the large flower rangolis were used to highlight the pathways and porticos.
With the events in Bangalore coming to a close, Krishna and Sahana took a hundred odd friends and family to an eco-friendly resort in Coorg called Evolve Back. We charted two buses full of people for the five-hour drive to the resort, planning along the way a stop with a meal.
At the resort waiting for each of the guests in their rooms was a custom-made cloth bag with custom named water canister, a handpicked gift from Sahana’s sisters’ company Tippoi, handmade soap, and some healthy snacks with a welcome note and schedule printed on tree free paper.
The Sangeeth was held at the lily pool at the resort’s main lake. The stage was custom-made to fit on the bank between with pool and the lake. The lake had custom made light fixtures that we made to float on the water all through the night setting the backdrop for the night. The colours were teal and pink with drapes and fairy lights running across the pool and lawn. All along the entrance and from the tree’s, strings of Marigold, handmade origami birds and cloth petal strings were strung. Bamboo globe with pink flower and greens and electric candles were used in various forms as centrepieces, on bamboo stands along the pool and floating on the water in the pool. The night had performances from friends and family alike and was filled with fun and frolic.
The bride and groom being great fitness enthusiasts decide the best way to cure a hangover was to get everyone to sweat it out. So mid-morning, the day of their wedding, post the night of festivities they had a fitness boot camp. The bride got everyone to break a sweat, have fun, even had them compete and gave out prizes to the winners. End result everyone was feeling great and ready for round two of the festivities.
The wedding took place at the main pool that was surrounded with rich, green foliage. So in keeping with the surrounding we decided to pick earthy tones of white, green and brown to blend in with space. All the flowers were white with greens, wooden branches and stumps were used to place clay oil lamps all around. The stage was built across the pool and a large wooden arch with strings of jasmine and orchid, greens and Edison bulbs were strung. Sahana is a scientist so in trying to add a bit of her personality to the décor we had test-tube with little white flowers hanging everywhere, beakers and flasks with theme florals as the centrepieces and white floral arrangements with electric candles floating in the pool. Overhead as the sun set the strings of raw bulbs strung across the pool created a warm setting reflecting itself in the water.
The ceremony was simple yet meaningful and beautiful. Both the bride and groom had their parents walk them in. They broke traditions and in the spirit of equality they both tied a Mangalsutra to each other. They planted a tree and poured soil seven times into it instead of doing a traditional saptapadi, they recited their own vows to each other and also listened to their family talk about values that were important in a relationship. The whole wedding was a celebration of love, family and each other.
A series of entertaining performances by IndoSoul wrapped up the evening and the marathon of events reached the finish line. The journey of the couple’s wedding may have come to an end but their adventures as husband and wife had just begun.
CURATED BY AMANATI
Keeping in mind the environment friendly wedding the couple wanted, the team at Amanati created elements such as handmade origami birds, cloth petal strings, put together all the welcome hampers. Made sure all the stationary was printed on tree free paper. Found them the band IndoSoul to play at their wedding. Designed and executed all the unique décor requirements for the spaces. Handled the logistics and travel for guests coming in from all over the world.
Photography & Video Courtesy: Mark Swaroop
