“Love is a friendship that has caught fire.” – Ann Landers
‘When colleagues turned friends and finally lovers, a cross-cultural wedding was only inevitable!’
The Story
Sparks flew between Jasnoor and Rakesh in the City of Joy- Kolkata where they both had been working together. Starting out as colleagues, their bond gradually developed into a warm friendship. Things took a turn when they both realized they are fond of dancing together! To recount this in Jasnoor’s words who says, “ I think we fell deeper in love every time we danced together. From dancing together in office parties, events, out with friends, our sangeet dance performance to the impromptu dances we break into now and again when the right music comes up, all these things brought us closer. And apart from that we are both big foodies and have enjoyed exploring different cuisines together and cooking for each other.”
Isn’t this a refreshing story?!
The Proposal
When you’ve clicked with someone so well, then everything else becomes an extension. Hence, even in their case, there was no planned proposal as such as they both knew they wanted to be with each other forever. The decision to tie the knot was mutual. However, Jasnoor ensured that she gets the proposal she always envisioned. She says, “After massive complaining on my end, Rakesh finally got down on one knee in Goa during our wedding pre-shoot!”
The Wedding
Jasnoor and Rakesh’s wedding was a lovely cross-cultural experience of cultures and cuisine in their Punjabi meets Keralite style wedding. They decided to host their wedding festivities in Ludhiana, Jasnoor’s hometown and bring a splendid end to their festivities by hosting a reception in Thiruvananthapuram, Rakesh’s hometown. As they were both working in Mumbai at that time, all their wedding planning was done via video calls! Jasnoor elaborates, “It wasn’t easy! But it was definitely super fun. My biggest advice would be to start at least 6-7 months in advance and have your little army of helpers! We both shopped for our rings, his whole wardrobe and part of mine from Mumbai where we lived. For the rest, our families coordinated, we visited our hometowns for shopping trips and video calls came in handy! We shortlisted jewellery, clothes, invitation cards, venues over video calls!”
She also further adds, “I was super picky and we ended up customizing almost everything. My sister was my true Maid of Honour, helping me shortlist and book the photographer, makeup artists, mehendi artists, decorators etc. We went through so many options for each of these and saw detailed reviews, portfolios etc and booked between one to four months in advance. I had been following Think Tonk’s work since undergrad! I liked his candid style so he was my first choice for the functions in Punjab. For Kerala we chose Colorpadam Photography who turned out to be great at capturing our happy moments as well! I think it’s super important to be clear of what you want, go through tonnes of reference pictures and figure out what kind of look you want, what kind of photography, venues etc. For makeup I was super clear I wanted something very light, I did not want to look like paint had been plastered on my face!! We chose well recommended local salons for the other function and Zareen Bala for the wedding.
We customized almost everything! The lehenga design, the sangeet attire, the jewellery, the mehndi, the choora everything was a mix of at least 3-4 designs which I loved. We designed our own Save the Date card, Rakesh’s best friend designed the invitations from his side & we made dress codes for all functions.
About the Photographer
Think Tonk and Colorpadam Photography were roped in as the wedding photographer for all the events. They captured each and every moment beautifully and the stunning images captured are a testimony to this fact. The couple recount having a very positive experience collaborating with the team.
The Dream Team
Photography- Think Tonk, Colorpadam Photography
Bridalwear- GKX Mallet, Upneet Juss, Panihari