The festivities began with a Mehndi evening at Isola at the One and Only Hotel where upon arrival at the 5 star hotel, guests were greeted with coconuts cocktails and intricate henna painting for the ladies. Mehndi is often one of the most important and fun filled pre-wedding ceremonies, which is traditionally celebrated mainly by the bride’s family. The designs are very intricate and often hidden within the mehndi pattern the name or initials of the groom are applied. The evening had a wonderful celebratory yet relaxed festival feel to it with some Bollywood music playing softly in the background, the ladies dressed in their colorful saris and all adorning the lovely red hue of the Mehndi. A lavish offering of fine Indian flavours was set out as a decadent dinner as the sun set.

The day before the wedding saw the guests journey out of Cape Town to visit Waterford wine estate for a personalized Wine and Chocolate tasting. After which they strolled down the farm road to the neighboring Dornier Homestead for some lawn games and a traditional South African BBQ. A competitive Family Tug-of-War took place between Anisha and Vishal’s family which proved to be absolutely hilarious for all those involved. In the early evening more food was served and many of the family members from Kenya had brought along traditional spices, sweet sauces and Bombay mix, all carefully hand-made in preparation for the celebration.

As everyone had travelled from abroad to attend the celebrations, we made sure that it was a three day affair of various activities culminating in the exceptionally elegant and stylishly understated wedding celebration. In true tradition, on the morning of the wedding, Anisha’s family gathered at the ceremony area to bless the gazebo. Anisha had several stunning Sari’s for the day: an emerald green creation for the morning blessing ceremony followed by a white and red sari which matched Vishal’s outfit for the wedding ceremony. A striking purple sari was the 3^rd outfit change for the reception. True foodies at heart, this couple wanted a gourmet meal that their guests would never forget. The designer menu was crafted by none other than Luke-Dale Roberts of The Test Kitchen fame, and it certainly took centre stage, whilst the stylish décor and stationery details ensured the golden thread was carried through the rest of the celebration.

The exquisite details on the wedding day where everywhere to be seen! From the unique seating plan – a tree adorned with butterfly-shaped cookies were the guests seating cards and fun quotes were also attached, which acted as the Table Numbers at the reception. Hand crafted wedding stationery with a distinctive design was then also materfully applied to the wedding cake by the talented Roxanne Floquet, as well as repeated on the custom printed lamp shades above the dance floor. The strong pops of colour amongst a modern design and neutral palette for the décor allowed for a really striking yet understated finish.

To culminate a fantastic weekend of events and to get the party mood in motion, an exhilarating surprise performance by fire dancers ended off the formalities of the evening with a bang and got guests onto the dance floor where they partied till the early hours of the morning.

Photographer: Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuisen

The post Elegant Sari Soirée – Anisha & Vishal’s Real Life Wedding appeared first on Wedding Concepts.

Guests arrived at the scenic wine estate in Stellenbosch which had been transformed into a contemporary Indian celebration fit for a modern Maharajah. The ladies were a sea of colour dressed in their traditional sari’s which glittered and sparkled in the afternoon sun. The Guajarati ceremony took place under a majestic oak tree and honoured the couple’s love and the joining of their families. Guests laid witness as Rimple & Manish offered a prayer to Lord Ganesh as they took their sacred vows of duty, love and respect and looked on to the Dhruv Darshan – the Pole Star – as a means to gain direction as they embark upon their journey of married life. Lastly they exchanged symbolic garlands signifying mutual acceptance of each other and finally exchanged rings, thus ending the ceremony with a Western ritual.

The reception was a vibrant and specially designed contemporary blend of the traditional Indian wedding colours: orange, green and white. It was important to the bride that indigenous flora were used as much as possible as a reminder of their African based celebration. Strelitzias, pin cushions and proteas in modern arrangements were boldly displayed amongst fashionable presentations of lilies, orchids and roses. Soft and strategic lighting of candles, panels and orange and white Asian lanterns ensured these bold colours were highlighted as the sun set on this Bollywood celebration.

The menu was a colourful banquet of mouth watering Indian favourites prepared by genuine North Indian chefs. An actual tandoor oven was sought after and brought in especially to ensure the authenticity of the cuisine. Following the delicious feast the dancing then got into full swing. The DJ imaginatively mixed both Bollywood and Western dancing favourites to ensure that this was an ingenious marriage of East and West under an African sky; the perfect finale to an Oscar worthy Afro-Bollywood motion picture.

Credits:

Coordinator: Kate Rawbone

Photographer: Justin Badenhorst

The post Rimple and Manish Real-Life Wedding: Contemporary Shades of India appeared first on Wedding Concepts.