This wedding completely fits the title of our blog to a T. A bright, happy, sparkly five-day affair tells the tale of Jonathan and Praggya’s wedding. Sure, making decisions from abroad was tough, as were some of the cultural differences between our lovely bride and groom but when it all comes down to it, by the end they had a “que sera, sera” attitude.
Their love clearly shows, doesn’t it?
I just love a couple so deeply in love with such a laid-back, fun attitude.
The couple’s photographer Bethany shared with us their spectacular wedding day story. Get cozy and read on with us, my loves!
Tell us about the wedding:
The wedding took place at Chomu Palace, located near Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was a very traditional Hindu wedding with an elephant and all. Half of the guests had flown in from the States, as did the bride and groom and their respective families. It was a two-day affair, with five events, and a lot of food and drinks.
Could you tell us about any special wedding customs/clothing you had?
The groom’s shoes were stolen by the bride’s cousins and there was an intense negotiation that took place right on the mandap. Even though it was an Indian wedding, there was still something old (the palace), something new (the clothes), something borrowed (payal borrowed from her aunt), and something blue (lehenga for sangeet night) for the bride.
What was the inspiration for your wedding?
Honestly, there was none. It had started as a casual beach wedding in Goa that somehow ended up as a palace wedding in Rajasthan. There was a lot of Pinterest research that went into the planning and originally was a peacock themed beach wedding. Once the location was changed to Rajasthan, it became a very traditional wedding with lots of red, yellow, and orange marigolds.
What was the hardest part about wedding planning?
The cultural differences were hard to work with, as well as the time differences. Not physically being present to make any decisions was hard, but also made it easier to create a better working relationship with the wedding coordinator.
What was your favorite part of the wedding?
For the bride, it was definitely being able to reconnect with her family. The groom enjoyed everything, but especially liked how the guests were able to hang out and really get to know each other. The downtime between events isn’t something that happens with Western weddings. And yes, being treated like royalties wasn’t too shabby either 😉
What 3 words of advice do you have for future brides/grooms-to-be?
1. Budget
2. Plan
3. Communicate
The months leading up to the wedding were very stressful but a week before the actual departure, a “que sera sera” attitude was taken and it served the couple very well. In the end, everything was perfect.
Congratulations you lovebirds! We wish you many happy years ahead!
Vendors: Wedding Coordinator: Rahul Dadhich // Wedding Photographer: Bethany Carlson // Location: Chomu Palace
