Mehak and Sajal Goa Zuri White Sands Resort Wedding

A couple who fell in love at Facebook and not on Facebook!

It is quite common for two people to meet via social media, date, fall in love and get married! In fact, many today have the Internet to thank for introducing them to their soulmates or better halves! But here’s a couple who met at Facebook and not on Facebook! Meet Mehak Bhatia and Sajal Jain who met while working at Facebook in Vancouver seven years ago.

Both, Mehak and Sajal are software engineers who happened to move to Vancouver to work at the same time. They were both new to the city and as there were very few Indians in their office, they bonded and hung out together. That is how their love story began…

While it wasn’t love at first sight for either of them, they both felt a great sense of comfort by being around with each other. Being friends, they were aware of each other’s quirks, likes and dislikes. They also discovered that they enjoyed doing things together. As they both felt the same, a uniqueness shared only between them, they realised they were meant to be!

The Proposal

The proposal had to be a surprise, right? Else, where was the fun in it? Planned as one, Sajal asked Mehak to pack a bag for their 4-day impromptu trip to Alaska. It was their anniversary so she did not have any doubts and went along with the plan.

“On our anniversary night, he had booked a surprise Northern Lights tour. Unfortunately, the lights didn’t show up that night. This ruined his plans as he wanted to pop the question with the Northern Lights in the backdrop. I could see that he was upset so I hugged him and that’s then when I felt a box in his pocket. I looked at him and asked, “what is it?” and his smile gave it away. He took me outside the tent, went down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I, of course, said YES!” says Mehak.

Planning the Wedding and the Wedding Venue

The couple wanted an intimate wedding and this would be possible only if they planned a destination wedding. Therefore, they started researching various locations – beaches, hill stations, palaces, forts and even forests! They finally came to the same conclusion – GOA.

“We were completely smitten by the dreamy beach wedding pictures,” says Mehak.

However, planning the wedding from one end of the world was no easy task. “It was hard, especially because we were sitting halfway across the world. I think if you are remote, it’s really important to do extensive research and also be very clear on your requirements as you don’t have the flexibility to go and see things prima facia,” says Mehak.

However, they both took the difficulties in their stride and treated the wedding planning as their pet project. They outlined a very intricate, high-level plan and created milestones and deliverables for themselves.

“We spent almost 7-10 hrs every week for 4 months to plan our wedding,” says Mehak.

The idea to have a destination wedding in Goa was to let their friends, family and even themselves have the time of their lives.

“We had observed that in most Indian weddings – the bride and groom get so overwhelmed with all the rituals and logistics that they often forget to have a good time. Everything we planned was optimised to achieve this goal 😊” – Mehak.

Planning their Wedding Decor

The couple was very clear since day one that they wanted to get married in a dreamy mandap set on the beach. While everything had to be intimate, no part of the décor would be ostentatious. These important points while selected their venue as well.

We picked the venue which had a private beach with pristine white sand – Zuri White Sands Resort.

“For the décor, “we checked out a lot of beach wedding photos online and found the ones that we loved. We shared what we like with the wedding decorators for inspiration, and they did exactly what we had imagined.”  

The Wedding and other Functions

They had four functions in Goa – the mehendi, sangeet, haldi and the wedding. These functions were planned over a span of two days. They followed this up with a grand reception in Mumbai.

For the mehendi, as it was a day function, the vibe was super fun. Mehak wore a beautiful lavender and pink Papa Don’t Preach Lehenga. It was fun and flirty!

For the sangeet, they had a black and white Victorian theme. They loved dancing and so did their friends and family. They had 40 performances on their sangeet and that’s why they opted for an open floor setup instead of a stage. The sangeet was coupled with the couple’s engagement. Mehak looked stunning in a Payal Keyal ivory ensemble. Matching the Victorian theme, Sajal wore a tuxedo.

The wedding was the couple had envisioned. It was a beautiful sundowner wedding. Like all their functions in Goa, for the wedding too, the couple chose to wear contemporary and modern outfits. Mehak stunned in a pink-peach lehenga by Payal Keyal.

The Wedding Reception in Mumbai

For the reception, the couple hosted their party in Mumbai at the Taj Mahal Palace. Unlike their wedding functions, the couple chose traditional outfits.

“I wore a traditional red Benarasi saree with heavy jewellery and Sajal wore a traditional bandhgala suit.” – Mehak.

The Dream Team

Wedding: Zuri White Sands Resort, Goa

Photographer: Razz Films and Photography

Reception: Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai

Photographer: Ronit Singh Photography

Jewellery: Raabta by Rahul

Makeup: Kajol R Paswan