#SnBthaitheknot

Dusit Thani Hua Hin

 

DAY 1

 

Welcome Night

‘Red Carpet Soiree’ themed welcome night to begin the show. The glittering ceremony décor was highlighted with red and gold theater-style bling with somw fusion of a typical Indian cinema halls. To bring the design to reality we curated the entry with worlds renouned  names on the red carpet. The entry to the venue was shaped like that of a theatre entry in the UK. Entire passage was paved with huge posted of some wedding blockbusters with old-age style bulbed frames. There were huge statues of oscar lady used as props all around. Inside we had a box office corner as photo-booth. Table center-pieces were pop-corn bags  with real caramel pop-corns for the guests. Several movie stars cut outs enhanced the decor further! To add to the fun we had Amitabh Bachchan & Shahrukh Khan’s look-alikes who entertained the guests throughout the evening. 

 

DAY 2

 

Sangeet

Moroccan styled sangeet for our much-in- love couple. A huge ballroom was turned into a beautiful set with rich golds and deep greens with hues of reds all around. Huge initials of the couple formed the backdrop where the friends of the couple performed a special musical dance to showcase their love story. The highlight was the sangeet where entire family came together to celebrate the beautiful union. Needless to add, the party rocked till wee hours!

 

DAY 3

 

Wedding

A beautiful set-up was created by the lagoon in lush green lawns. A dome-shaped mandap loaded with flowers was the focal point. To  compliment the setup, we had an ombre flower petal aisle thrown in right in the center. Pastel shades of chair linen on gold tiffany chairs bought the whole decor together. The bride came on a boat in a true royal style and guests enjoyed the pheras under the stars, before a beautiful firework display mesmerized the guests further. 

 

Reception

The couple specifically wanted to have a cocktail hour before the reception began. Champagne was served before the doors to banquet was opened to guests. 

The reception was a bespoke event with a sit-down setup. There was a table for each guest and the theme of each table was based on disney characters. 22 beautiful tables were specially designed keeping a different character in mind. Beautiful silhouettes graced each table with majestic crystal candlebras, shining linens and floral centerpieces. 

A head table was the highlight of the evening with a dance floor under a floral gazebo. Tons of hanging orchids and roses made the venue dream-like. A beautiful several tiers cake with a cake topper stating ‘Happily Ever After’ bought the dream like sequence to reality. 

 

Wedding Makers

Wedding Planner: Foreign Wedding Planners (foreignweddingplanners.in)

Decorator: Foreign Wedding Planners (foreignweddingplanners.in)

Photographer: The Director’s Cut (the.directors.cut)

DJ: Chai Singh (djchaibkk)

Venue: Dusit Thani Hua Hin (dusitthanihuahin)

Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa

 

DAY 1

 

Welcome Party

The guests had arrived the same day amongst lots of Thai dancers provided by Tourism Authority of Thailand.

In the evening,  a simple sun-downer was organized as a welcome for all guests. Held at the beach,  this was the most befitting venue for a sun downer event. Pretty peaches, creams and pinks took over the hues for the lovely setting sun. A beautiful fire show was organized by some very talented dancers from Thailand. 

 

DAY 2

 

Pool Party

Before the other rituals began the family wanted to let their hair down with a casual pool party. Organized with the pool on one side and sprawling ocean on the other,  the guests had a time of their lives here. Decked with sunflowers, yellows and hues of blue, the tropical theme was bought out amply! A striking rain shower ensured the guests shook a leg before jumping into the pool. It was a hot afternoon but the whole family jumping into the pool was the highlight of the event. 

 

Sangeet

An Indian style Sangeet was curated with rich colours of deep maroons, bright golds & lots of bling. The set-up was enhanced with candles, delicate floral vines with Moroccan lamps lending a touch of royalty for a beautiful ambience. Both sides of the family put forth stunningly choreographed performances. 

 

DAY 3

 

Wedding

It was raining throughout morning,  yet we delayed but didn’t change the venue.

White was the inspiration for this gorgeous hill-top nuptials. The bride wanted a vintage style and charismatic wedding ambience,  hence we stuck to plain white with lots of pretty detailing. Admist torrid rains and a rather unpredictable weather, FWP Team managed to create this lovely wedding with natural tones further enhanced with sheer drapes for the special day. The bride wore deep red and stood out against all-white tones of decor.  The baraat started from lower lobby and the groom came on a majestic elephant all the way to the hill. 

 

Reception

This ‘Bling & Sparkle’ themed reception with striking golds and red colours infused with unique led-fabric for bewitching starry night effect. We created a custom-made floral chandelier surrounded by beautiful crystal strings, delicate glass centre pieces lending a very elegant finish.  A beautiful jazz band from Thailand played as the guests made their way into the ballroom.  Heart-felt speeches and the first dance of the couple were the main highlight of the evening. 

 

Wedding Makers

Wedding Planner: Foreign Wedding Planners (foreignweddingplanners.in)

Decorator: Foreign Wedding Planners (foreignweddingplanners.in)

Photographer: Samsara Studio (samsara.studio)

Make-up artist: Paveena Rathour (paveenarathour)

DJ: Chai Singh (djchaibkk)

Venue: Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa (rayongmarriott)

Avani+ Hua Hin

#BubsLife

How did you and your husband meet?

We were introduced through Karan’s cousin with whom Simran went to high school with. After meeting the first few times and getting to know each other better we ended up staying in touch and being in constant contact and so our relationship blossomed from there and we got together in November, 2015.

 

The Proposal

The proposal started off with a private sunset boat ride on the chao phraya river with champagne, strawberries & chocolate which then docked at the exclusive Chakrabhongse Villas which is a former royal palace by the river built in 1908. The venue was entirely booked out for the proposal where the floors were scattered with rose petals and a private candle lit dinner table was set up on the dock by the river overlooking the beautiful Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) where Karan got on his knees and popped the question which was then followed by a 10 course dinner that was curated specially for the evening consisting of our favorite Thai dishes and champagne.

 

Where was your wedding held?

We chose Avani+ Hua Hin primarily because it was a new venue and one that had not hosted a local Thai-Indian wedding before and so instead of venues such as Sheraton Hua Hin or Dusit Thani which frequently hosts Indian weddings, we decided we wanted to do something different and new and hence why we chose the property. We also really liked the property and how it looked and were promised that the service will be exceptional which it was throughout the wedding.

 

What functions did you have during the wedding? 

Our wedding functions were spread between Bangkok and Hua-Hin. We kick started our wedding festivities with a Mehendi Lunch at Sofitel Sukhumvit called ‘Let the Mehandiness begin’. The theme that was conceptualized for this event was an English Tea Party with accents of an Indian touch in pastel color tones. To keep in touch with the afternoon flair we had a white spirit bar along with a specialty Margarita and Mojito cocktail bar, which worked out really well. A never been done before live cooking station we included was the Chocolate Energy Ball station where the pastry chef at Sofitel did an interactive demonstration of live healthy desserts that guest could enjoy at the event and take home. The lunch was then followed by high-tea where we had canapes, macaroons and other delightful foods such as lobster rolls & truffle caviar sandwiches for our guests to indulge on before heading home.

The next day was a Mehendi lunch at the bride’s house which was held at the Event hall of the bride’s gated community. The theme was again to keep it bright and colorful and the food was a mix of Thai and Indian Chowpati classics. There was a Maiya dinner at the Grooms house the same night with family and friends present for all the traditional ceremonies followed by dinner.

Our next main event, the Golden Darbar was the wedding day itself held at the Gurudwara in Bangkok. The morning started off with a baraat at the Groom’s house which kicked off the big day with up tempo music and coconut water which really rang in the celebratory mood for the family. The wedding day was a solemn affair minimally decorated in the hues of peach. As it was the Sikh temple, room for décor is limited, but there was no compromise on the food as we are such foodies. We had a selection of over 40+ items from hot plate buffets to live stations all set up in the Gurudwara for our guests to indulge in on our big day.

The post wedding celebrations were all held at Avani Hua-Hin.

Our first for this part of the celebrations started with a party we called Sunset Symphony, a sundowner cum welcome dinner, in a rustic earthy vibe keeping the vibe and feel chic and chill for all our guests. For our food this evening, we created a Food Island with all lives stations which allowed guests to interact while getting food and also set the tone of an evening well spent drinking, dining and dancing. We had our band Twin Strings all the way from Mumbai play throughout the sundowners and welcome dinner to set the mood of the evening and keep our guests entertained while they indulged on all the food that was on offer with a stage setup overlooking the beautiful and pristine Andaman Sea.

Following the sundowners and welcome dinner was our Kickin’it like a G after party. A party themed to focus on Streetwear and stylish Sneakers as both of us are true hip hop heads. Everyone was asked to come dressed in their best sneaks and street gear to party to old school, new school and desi tunes till the early hours of the morning. The décor for this event felt like an underground club. We converted half the ballroom into a raging club for the night all fit with a long LED display bar, a graffiti dance floor an adidas shoebox DJ booth, and of course lots of premium alcohol. It was an urban wonder. We also had a separate after party for our adult guests which was held at the hotel’s Jazz bar called Blue Biscuit and the theme for this party was Everyday I’m Ghazzalin’, where all the adults were sat in an auditorium setup watching our band Twin Strings play acoustically to all the Indian classics that brought back fond memories for our parents and all their friends. Ofcourse we also had a separate bar and food set up for them at the venue.

Wat’er you waiting for was the perfect morning after party by the pool. It was a black white and rose gold luxe décor setup by the pool with cocktail tables and bar stools in the water itself accompanied with giant rose gold swan tubes for people to enjoy an afternoon in the water and sun. Again, for an afternoon bar setup we went with a list of favorite cocktails, white spirits and a specialized Gin bar with a wide selection gins, tonics and garnishes for our guests to customize drinks to their own choice. The entertainment for the afternoon was a sax player and a percussionist that gave the party a very beach club vibe. The food once again was all live stations of over 30+ varieties varying from Thai, Indian & Italian cuisines. For our non-alcoholic guests, we also had set up a Tea Bar so they were not left out. We also had a Thai Massage area for our guests recovering from the first night of partying as well as Spin the Board and a few other drinking games for the people who were ready to keep the party going till the night.

Our last event was our Reception party which also acted like a Sangeet where our friends and family performed and gave speeches. It was appropriately titled You Color my World and the décor for this evening was an enchanted garden filled with loads of beautiful flowers and hints of romance and classic chic feels with acrylic chairs, chandeliers, square, LED Backdrops and round seating accompanied with an entire lounge area in the middle of the ballroom to give the setup a formal yet relaxed feel. The highlight of our reception was our especially curated Whiskey Bar offering over 7 different types and labels and the first time ever done by our caterers a Grazing table serving an assortment of cheeses, cold cuts, live shucked oysters, lobsters, fondues and flambés. This along with our mixologists doing bar tricks and the over 30+ live stations kept the party on till the early hours of the morning with entertainment from our Dj, percussionist and violinist setting the mood and keeping the dance floor packed throughout the night.

Our wedding was truly a reflection of our families and us as a couple. We wanted a chilled, out of the box vibe for all events and our key focus was the F&B and entertainment at each event which we believe is the most critical part of any event. Over the course of 5 days and 6 events we served our guests a variety of food that did not repeat and all our food was prepared fresh and on order with the use of only live stations. A concept which had never been done before and something we really wanted to do ensure our guests get the best of what we were trying to offer. The bar was purely a reflection of what we all enjoy drinking personally. At every event we had a specialized bar and we had specialty food items which is something we wanted to do to differentiate our wedding from ones that have been done in the past. A lot of emphasis was given to details that were important to us such as the food, alcohol and other services such as a 24 hours grab & go counter – where our guests could pick up soft drinks, water, snacks, chocolates, hangover kits etc at their convenience and which I am sure left a great impression on all our guests. It makes it so much easier to host friends and family when you know you will enjoy and have thought of all details for each and every moment of your own wedding. 

Wedding Makers

Wedding Planner: Mantra Events (@mantra_events)

Decorator: Design by Peerapach (@dp_designbypa) and malaflore for Bride’s house Mhendi and Gurdwara

Photographer: Black Tie Project (@blacktieproject)

Invitation Designer: Pixie Dust Mumbai  (@pixiedustdesign)

 Bartender Team: Bangkok Bar (@bangkokbarmixologist)

Welcome Dinner Band: Twin Strings (@twinstringsofficial)

Percussionist: Vency Coutinho Mumbai (@vencypercussionist)

 Violinist: Madina (@madinaviolinist)

Saxophonist: Antonio (@antoniosax)

Catering: Red (@redcateringbkk)

 Additional Catering: Palayana Hua Hin (@thepalayana)

DJ: Jeff from Dubai (@djjeffdxb)

6th July 2019 

Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queens Park

#FoundNiMo

Nikhil Dodani, The Groom, born and raised in Bangkok Thailand.
Monisha Sawlani, The Bride, born and raised in Panama City, Panama.

 

How did you and your husband meet?

Our story began in June 2017 somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We were both vacationing on a seven-night cruise which embarked from Singapore. With 3,840 passengers aboard the Voyager of the Seas, we somehow managed to find each other, and never let go.

On the cruise, formal suppers were hosted in where families would be assigned to their fixed seats every night. That’s where Nikhil first spotted Monisha. Four nights of eye contact were exchanged until Nikhil finally had the courage to speak to her.

By the time conversations developed, it was time for passengers to disembark. Thankfully Nikhil had the nerve to ask her for her contact details!

Over thousands of messages were shared over the course of four months; until Nikhil decided to fly down to Panama to celebrate his 29th birthday with her. 

As their conversations grew, Nikhil finally mustered up the courage to invite Monisha to Dubai in order for them to spend their first Valentine’s together.

This seven-day adventure brought in loads of shared memories and inside jokes along with really getting to know one another better. And this is where they knew they were meant for each other. From the rustic Dubai Safari to a full-fledged romantic Dinner in the Sky: this was a trip of a lifetime! 

 

Tell us about the proposal. 

In the month of June 2018, they both realized their commitment to one another, their incredible respect and love for their families and friends, and commitment to achieving career goals and aspirations: they were no longer afraid to take the next step.  

Once again, Nikhil hopped on a plane and flew down to celebrate his 30th birthday with her in Panama.

During the very same trip, Nikhil asked Monisha’s parents for her hand in marriage, and a couple of days into the trip, he proposed to the love of his life at a beautiful rooftop restaurant setup with roses, pictures and candles! Enjoyed a fancy dinner and popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate! The proposal took place at a private terrace of an amazing fusion restaurant called Azahar.

 

How and why did you choose your wedding venue?

The hotel is located smack in the middle of Bangkok city – which would be extremely convenient for guests residing in Bangkok. Additionally, this hotel was able to accommodate a larger scale wedding given its multiple ballroom options. Given the hotel’s large property, we were able to host different occasions in different ballrooms – providing a unique experience for our guests.

The Marriott was able to provide a tremendous variety of veg/non veg cuisine: Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, and Lebanese.

Additionally, there were no limit to number of live stations we could put up. Guests generally enjoy eating off live stations as the food is fresh and comes in smaller portions – allowing them to experiment the entire assortment.

Guest room vacancy was also a decision factor. We were also expecting a lot of foreign guests; in which the hotel was able to provide us with rooms.

 

What was your favorite moment from the wedding?

Our favorite moment was seeing all our family and friends fly down from 56 countries specially to celebrate our love. Made us feel special and loved.  

 

What was the most unique aspect of your wedding?

The Mehndi and Ring Ceremony Cruise Party! The dance floor was packed and it provided a unique experience to our guests to party down the Chaophraya River!

 

Did you face any challenges while planning the wedding?

The biggest challenge we faced was the bride, Monisha, not being in Bangkok during most of the wedding planning, which resulted in longer lead-time in decision-making given the 12 hour time difference.

 

Do you have any advice for couples getting married in Thailand?

• Do plan way ahead! – at least eight months in advance.
• Have just one representative from the family deal with the vendors – Having multiple family members speaking to vendors results in miscommunication and creates more room for mistakes.
• Leave everything up to the wedding planners the day functions begin – it’s your time to enjoy your own wedding! 
• Trust the planners blindly – they will deliver!
• Enjoy every single moment during your wedding! It’s a once in a lifetime experience that will never come back and it is definitely the best moment of your life! 
• Do take pictures every moment you can! My husband and I are still hoping for more photos!

 

Wedding Makers 

Wedding Planner: Shanaya Celebrations

“I’ve worked closely with Shanaya at one of my best friend’s wedding. They’re flawless.”

Make Up Artist: Drama Queen Make Up by Marisa

“Natural and modern make up”

Photographer/ Videographer: Koro

“They make trailers far better Hollywood.”

Wedding Decorator: Design by PeeraPach

Mehndi Artist: Lavina

Mehndi & Engagement Cruise Party: The Grand Chaophraya River Cruise

Wedding Choreographer: Kavita

Entertainment: DJ Ash

Catering: Rang Mahal, Belaire Bangkok and Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park

Website Vendor: Appy Couple

Alcohol and Mixology: Dr. Mixology

600 Guests 

6 Events

Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort

#HeerSatYes 

How did you and your husband meet?

We met in Singapore in 2016 at a bar while we were out with our individual group of friends. He entered the bar, walked by my table and held gaze with me for a few seconds while walking to the washroom and did the same thing again when he came out. So a few minutes later, Satvik realised that the friend he came out with was a mutual friends of ours and he told him to introduce us immediately! We spoke for a while and being a great singer, Satvik’s friends were asking him to sing while we were all standing around in the bar and he sang the song “tum hi ho” while looking into my eyes the entire time and I sang along with him! We connected almost immediately. Things escalated over the months and we got together in Jan 2017 and by Dec of 2018, we were engaged! 

 

Tell us about the proposal. 

The proposal was extremely special! We planned a trip to Dubai in the winter to go visit my sister and her family and to attend a wedding there (so I didn’t suspect anything!). The morning after we landed in Dubai (12 Dec, 2018), he told me he had booked a resort for us for 2 nights somewhere and he had me packing and leaving for the resort within 1 hour! We got in a car and I had no idea where we were headed, and an hour later, we pulled up at the Bab Al Shams Resort and Spa, Dubai. It was a beautiful location, right in the middle of the desert and it is known to be one of the most beautiful places to catch the sunset as the name of the resort literally translates to “Gateway to the Sun”. He told me we were having dinner that evening to catch the sunset. He first brought me to a rooftop bar that overlooked the endless desert, where he pulled out a “secret” Instagram account he created with notes and videos of all our special moments, milestones, memories and even a video from a year back of him saying “will you marry me” but of course he was waiting for the right time in our lives to share it with me. The posts on the instagram were posted on the very days those memories and milestones happened over the year, which meant he was planning this entire thing for a year! So it took me back in time while reading them. I teared up reading it and the last post said “our lives are about to change” and after I read that, we were escorted to a beautiful set up right on the desert. The sun was setting so beautifully in the back, and he got down on one knee and proposed! He also got a photographer to capture the whole moment. We both teared up soaked in the moment and the sunset before we had an amazing dinner in a private cabana with our own butler, cocktails, shisha and a secluded bonfire set up. 

 

How and why did you choose your wedding venue?

We both love to travel and we are big beach junkies, and so, Phuket was a perfect destination for us since it was close to Singapore and had amazing beaches with beautiful turquoise waters. We went to site visit about 8 hotels while we were in Phuket and when we went to Hyatt Regency, we immediately fell in love with it because it had a beautiful lawn that overlooked the beach and we envisioned how amazing the Mandap will look on the lawn. We also wanted a small and intimate wedding as we only had 6.5 months to plan our big day as we were also planning our big move to New York City which was happening 3 weeks after our wedding! Hyatt was a nice resort for an intimate wedding as we felt it would be cosy for a small number of guests like ours (150 Guests). It also had a beautiful pool side deck where I envisioned our Mehendi event perfectly. Their ballroom was also just the perfect size for our number of guests and so we felt it would make it a lot more intimate, warm and special. 

 

What was your favorite moment from the wedding?

There were countless of favourite moments, but I would have to say that it was at our first dance during our reception as we both sang and produced our own first dance song (“Zara Zara”) where he sang the Tamil version of it and I sang a part of the Hindi version. It was a moment so special to us as we connected while singing to each other at a bar and it was in that moment we realised how far we had come! It was also special as the realisation of being officially married finally hit us and it was a beautiful feeling. 

 

What was the most unique aspect of your wedding?

What made it unique was that we had a 2 states style wedding and a Tamil Brahmin wedding is so different from a Sikh wedding- so it was full of culture for all our guests and especially for us to immerse in each other’s different customs, religions and cultures. We also tried to incorporate our cultures into different themes like a banana leaf lunch, cocktail names such as “Chennai Shaker, Lungi Island, Patiala Sling and Balle Bombs”. 

 

Did you face any challenges while planning the wedding? How did you overcome them?

Yes we did! We had only 6 months to plan our wedding as we wanted to get married before moving to NYC and we couldn’t delay our move. So with limited time, it was quite stressful. We initially went with a Koh Samui/Phuket based planner and we hired them and it was going great until 1 month before our wedding, we were just not happy with the unreliability. Since we chose our vendors very carefully, we didn’t want to carry on with someone we couldn’t trust anymore and so we took a risky but very worth it decision to switch to Wizkim Wedding (whom we had heard such great reviews about) in the last month and they were a dream come true! They were honestly the best team ever! Sagar who was our planner understood what we wanted, took note of every detail and he told us to just relax and be stress free and to just trust him and we knew we could do exactly that! Although this was the biggest challenge, it was a blessing in disguise at the end and now when we look back at it, we realised how resilient we were as a couple to overcome it even though time was not on our hands!

 

Do you have any advice for couples getting married in Thailand?

I would say, make use of all the culture, food, and beautiful beaches that Thailand has to offer when choosing your venue. Choose a location based on your personalities as I really feel you enjoy your wedding a whole lot more when its in line with your vibe whether you choose to get married in the hustle and bustle of a city like Bangkok or if you’re a beach junky and prefer places like Phuket or Koh Samui! People in Thailand are always so warm, kind and hospitable so just remember to relax and trust their services and to just enjoy your wedding instead of stressing because it goes by so fast!

 

Wedding Makers 

Wedding Planner: WizKim Weddings 

Make Up Artist: Paveena Rathour 

“I knew I wanted Paveena Rathour as I knew her personally from before from when she did my sisters make up and she is not only talented but so wonderful to work with.” 

Photographer/ Videographer: Colomono

“Colomono was who we always wanted as we had seen their work over the years and we are so happy we went with them as they had a lovely and fun team who became more like friends over the 3 days and who we still keep in touch with and we absolutely love how they captured our moments!”

Flower Jewellery: Prune India 

Wedding Favors & Gift Bags: Design Tuk Tuk 

 

150 Guests

6 Events