A Contemporary Tale Of Indian Romance - Ankit Goel & Apurva Bhandari's wedding

A dentist by profession, Apurva Bhandari graduated from Pune and moved to Canada for her further studies. She came back to India to help her sister run her dental practice, while she was on a maternity break, and she ended up staying back.

An extrovert with old school beliefs, she takes her time opening up around new people, but once she senses a common connect with people, they get to see her gregarious self. Along with her dental practice, she explored expressing herself through art and making keepsake baby impressions.

Ankit, is someone who has been juggling between his family business and his passion for music. He keeps to himself most of the times. By day he is a real estate developer, and at night he creates music.

“I know of no greater happiness than to be with you all the time, without interruption, without end.” -Franz Kafka

Apurva & Ankit truly justifies this quote by Kafka. They met through a common friend, who tried to set them up without them knowing. Initially, they did not vibe, but their love for food and meme preferences helped them work their way through the initial conversations and move on to the stage where they made a beautiful commitment of lifetime to each other. Their hashtag #ThatAnkitGotBhand, a whimsical blend of their names, tells us how crazy they are for each other.

“While we may seem an odd couple, we did grow to love and understand each other in a very short period of time. Ankit not only encourages my profession but also actively participates in decision making  He pushes me forward and wants me to achieve my goals even post my marriage. For us, size, shape, color, and age are not only overrated but indecisive to know somebody’s personality. For us, it just meant US, despite any differences.” – Apurva, the bride.

The decor was bewitching! Planned by Damini Oberoi from Q Events & Weddings, it was something very different from what the city has usually witnessed. It was extravagant yet classy.

The couple wanted a contemporary setup that reflects the essence of a true Indian wedding. The words used in the brief given to us were "very different" from what the city has witnessed, "larger than life", extremely "classy" but yet "NOT over the top".

The entrance walkway to the wedding was created from scratch with walls covered with fresh greens. The green was broken up by large French window-shaped mirrors. Console tables with beautiful floral arrangements & candle abras completed the walkway.

The varmala mandap was named “Juliet’s corner” by the guests because it was constructed in the shape of a balcony with lots of fresh flowers on the railing of the staircase and even in the backdrop.

The walkway above the mandap was a 140ft ceiling made with bougainvillea and greens hanging along with bulbs that gave a starry night effect to the reception which was held right after the Hindu ceremony. 

The mandap was the highlight of the wedding, specially since it was nothing like a conventional mandap with four pillars. Instead, we made it look like the wedding was taking place inside a garden with three large pink/red ombre peacocks, a larger-than-life metallic tree with white phaleanopis. We added Indian bells which gave it a serene traditional feel that gave a magnificent look to the overall theme and amazed everyone present at the ceremony.

A soulful musical experience was curated throughout the wedding. It was a seamless blend of traditional music with the western one.  The Shiva Stotram & Laxmi Stotram were played along with other traditional tunes during the Pheras & for the reception we had Amar Khanda along with his band playing soulful Bollywood instrumental music.

The furniture was all fancy with printed fabric in some places, marble tops, mirror top tables, and gorgeous garden sofas. The Food Section has an island salad bar which had a massive floral structure with 5 large chandeliers hanging above it.

Vendors:

Wedding Planner, Decor & Designer: Damini Oberoi, Q Events & Weddings

Photography / Videography: Shutters N Frames

Location: The Westin Hotel, Pune, India

Sound: HK Sound

Lights: Live Space Productions Pvt Ltd

Florals (partly) : Interflora India

Furniture : Ovation Events Rental & Rentastic Events Rental

Bride Wedding Outfit: JADE by Monica And Karishma

Groom Wedding Outfit: Kunal Rawal

Wedding Make Up: Sonia Kewalramani

Wedding Hair: Anchal Morwani

Musicians At The Wedding (Entry & Pheras): Nitin Satav & Group

Musicians At The Wedding Reception: Amar Khandha

Catering: Shahji’s Catering & Banquets

Sweets: Dadu’s Sweet Emporio Official