Sahil & Priyanka Goa : A colourful destination wedding where bride and groom turned wedding planners for the ceremonies!

“They say you feel butterflies in your stomach when you fall in love, but with him, I feel it all has calmed down. In fact, I feel the most secure and comfortable when with him. There is no better feeling than when you know your partner can bring out the best version of you, you never knew you could be!” – Priyanka, the bride

About the Couple
Sahil is a Demand Planner and Priyanka is an architect. They share many common interests but each one has a very different lens of perspective towards things. Although they were introduced to each other by their parents and had a shaky start, things turned out for the best in the end for Priyanka and Sahil. 

The Proposal
It’s the small things and innocent gestures that make the most difference. There was no formal proposal that turned the table for the couple but rather a certain fondness for each other that grew with each passing day. It was one such evening when the two were on their way back from a friend’s party when Sahil confessed his love for Priyanka. Like Priyanka said, “It was very instinctive, like an effortless intake of breath. I have always been head over heels when with him, and this felt so special, I was lost for words. It is the sweet gestures and little things that kept getting the bond stronger.”

The Wedding Planning
“Our wedding was a grand celebration of love and friendship. Everything was planned by me and my husband and it was all a surprise for our families as well. We knew exactly what we wanted and planned all the events together to reflect our personal styles. It was to be extremely personalized and that’s exactly how it was.”

Priyanka immersed herself in wedding planning with Sahil, spent six months finalising a beautiful and perfect close-knit and opulent destination wedding. Goa seemed perfect since nothing in Mumbai fit their criteria. There was a lot of travelling involved for Priyanka and Sahil, each month during the wedding planning including two trips going back and forth between Nasik, Mumbai and Goa but in the end, it proved to be worth the effort. 

Also, in order to avoid wastage, the couple chose e-invites designed by none other, the bride herself. Since it was a monsoon destination wedding in Goa, the e-invites had a tropical theme to them with each function having its own unique template.

DAY 1:  Welcome Lunch, Engagement & Sangeet
The first day of their wedding celebrations began with a welcome lunch for all the guests followed by the engagement ceremony. As the sunset, people started getting ready for the function – the Sangeet/Cocktail Night. 

Keeping in mind the ambience of the event, Priyanka and Sahil went for a dark-coloured theme of black and blue, with a pop of bright flowers to highlight the right areas. A fairytale seating with a giant floral wreath, cascading lights and an LED screen set the stage for the couple. The bar’s quirky decor stating ‘Drunk in Love’ matched the dance floor. A classic photo booth with their personalized logo and fairy lights looped the entrance corridor. 

DAY 2: Haldi & Themed Lunch & Wedding 
The next morning started with the Haldi/Chura ceremony for Sahil and Priyanka. The decor elements were kept very traditional and colourful. Bright marigold flowers were used as the main element, with low seating and vibrant cushions to keep it informal and cosy. Right after it, the couple hosted a tropical-themed lunch party, maintaining the vibe of Goa. It had a vibrant, boho decor comprising of festoons, floral rings, barrels, flamingos, pineapples and a cute photo-booth that displayed the wedding hashtag.

Finally, time for the main celebration in the evening. The wedding decor had a royal vintage touch to it, with the white-and-gold theme emphasizing the luxurious celebration. Sahil decided to ditch the ghodi tradition and his baraat came in a vintage car instead. The decor elements had Roman pillars, vintage pots, chandeliers, jalis and drapes around the ballroom. 

Priyanka looked dreamy in a traditional red bridal lehenga embroidered with floral motifs as she made her way to the mandap under the phoolon ki chadar with bright pinkish-purple flowers. She wore a jewellery set bedecked with kundan work. Sahil wore a sherwani with peach and golden embroidery and accessorised his outfit with a cream sehra and golden dupatta.

The couple was showered with rose petals as they exchanged varmalas. The pheras were outdoors,semi-covered considering the weather. Perfectly located gold and white mandap outside the verandah, with candles, floral chandelier and crystal strings as main elements. This was followed by the maang bharai, finally ending with an emotional bidaai. It was a beautiful ceremony that moved their friends and family to tears.

About the Venue
“We shortlisted a few resorts in goa, but once we were at Holiday Inn resorts, we knew this was the one. The property is beautiful, spread across a huge land, with a quaint reception and veranda, lots of greenery, a scenic pool and deck, comfortable rooms and Cavelossim beach along with the resort, was the cherry on the cake. The connections between the indoor and outdoor spaces in the resort let us enjoy all our functions, not missing on the surrounding beauty and moving between venues was not a hassle even when it was raining.” – Priyanka, the bride.

About the Photographer
“Rajesh Dembla and his team are humble, polite, patient and very efficient. Not only are they flexible to your needs but also understand what you want and put all their effort to make it perfect. I usually dislike the traditional poses and photographers intertwining instead I love candid shots. They did exactly that, in all our functions nobody was bothered by any of them and they did their work silently and smoothly. Camera Crew made our wedding look grand, which we will cherish for our lifetime.” – Priyanka, the bride

The Dream Team
​​​​​​​Venue: Holiday Inn Resorts, Goa

Makeup: Mabel D’Silva, Mumbai

Hair: Vidya Hairstylist, Mumbai.

Decor: The Wedding Pheras, Mumbai

Photographer & Videographer: Camera Crew, Mumbai.

Bridal Jewellery: Notandas Jewellers | Nora Jewellers, Mumbai
| Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Nasik

Outfits:
Bride – Asiana Couture by Payal Keyal, New Delhi | Kalki Fashion, Mumbai

Groom – SS Homme, Mumbai | Kora by Nilesh Mitesh, Mumbai.