From colleagues to being each other’s the ‘one’, this beautiful intimate wedding tale holds many moments of love and caring, of hope and support. Dive into this story where Harsh and Nandini crossed hold-ups together to be ‘together’.
“If I could harness and sell his level of energy, I could be a billionaire, but I’d rather be his wife. Every single day I feel a renewed sense of thankfulness that he’s the one that I get to spend all my days with and somehow I love him even more than the day before.”
Nandini
Jab they met!
At an annual office function, Harsh and Nandini met. After formal greetings and casual talks, Nandini asked Harsh if he could drop her home as it was late. That night, both of them realized that they are connected with magic, and that is love. It took them about a month to commit about getting married. Then it was time to get their parents onboard.
Families
This task of convincing parents took no less than two years! However, walking through hardships together not only helped them understand each other better but also strengthened their bond. Their strong will to end up together, and how much they care for each other moved their parents and finally, they waved green to the young couple.
Nandini being the first child in the present generation to get married, her family was very excited for the wedding and they had started shopping and making preparations from January. Almost everything was in place by March. With a guest list that exceeded 800, everything was in place.
Twist in the story
Then the pandemic induced lockdown took place, shattering all their wedding dreams. It was like even time needed to be convinced. Then they had no other option but to postpone their marriage.
But the lockdown didn’t seem to end any time soon. At last, they were given a choice to get married in June or December. But one thing was quite clear, whenever it happens, the number of guests should not exceed 50. They decided to tie the knot in June because they felt ‘the Sooner the Better’ and arranged for an intimate wedding.
With all the essentials arranged beforehand, the wedding out folded quite effortlessly, though the regular hustle and bustle still existed. Other items were bought online.
Cultures
Beauty in love marriage is the contrasting cultures and distinct rituals, different calendars for fixing a date. Though these contradictions arose at first, either families gave in warmly and the wedding took place.
The Mehendi and haldi rituals were carried out in the bride’s house with only the closest members of the family.
But the wedding function needed a banquet hall. Their search for one that is convenient to either families was another difficult task. Finally they decided upon Mukut Regency, a small hall but sufficient for an intimate wedding. Even then they had restrictions on the time.
The Venue
The intimate wedding was at Hotel Mukut Regency, Ghaziabad. The hall is perfect for a small gathering, but no one would have imagined a wedding to happen there. Another instance where the COVID-19 turned our lives out-of-normal.
We were in a fix since we had trouble finding the right venue during the lockdown. After searching for days we finally came across Mukut Regency who were best in terms of cost, flexibility and responsiveness. They did not let us feel that we are organising a grand event during the huge pandemic since everything was taken care of.
Nandini
The Makeup Artist
Rimani Mahajan, the MUA for Nandini has applied a clean fresh base complemented with very subtle shimmery eyes. The blushed cheeks and traditional jewelry finished the elegant look. All her features were highlighted and the tone perfectly balanced.
“I could not recommend Rimani Mahajan more highly. Not only is she highly professional and hugely talented at working magic with her wands, but she was also an absolute pleasure to have around on what could have been a stressful day.”
Nandini
The wedding outfit by Kamal Bhai
The wedding outfits were already in place by January. They looked just vibrant and royal. The sheer dupatta draped in a royal style complemented Nandini’s lehenga.
The photographer – Sudhir Photography
No wedding is completed without clicking pictures. And pictures are even important for an intimate wedding like this, as these are the only piece of joy for relatives and friends living away.
Sudhir photography honestly has a very determined and professional team. They understand the fact that these are major events of your life and they help you to get best of photographs.
Distinctiveness of lockdown weddings
This is an exclusive experience of the bride in her intimate wedding. In a Mithila wedding (the bride being a Maithil Brahmin), there is a ritual where the bride and groom perform puja in front of a Kohbhar (in Madhubani) painting. Being a rare piece in Delhi in general, finding one in this lockdown was no easy task. With no scope of finding a painting, the bride made the painting all by herself. It required a lot of precision, time, patience; but she got it ready a night ahead of the wedding. “The immense pleasure I gained was worth all the effort!”, she says.
Kohbhar is one of the most elaborative forms of madhubani motifs. It is a representation of pond life, signifying the prosperity of the newly wed couple. You can see few essential objects that are exclusively drawn like the fish, bamboo stick, tortoise, banana leaf and parrot. I reiterate what they write at kohbhar.
“अचल रहे अहिबात तुम्हारा, जब लगि गंग जमुन जल धारा।”
Meaning- “ May the two of you stay in love and committed in the nuptial now and forever”
How many couples can have this kind of delight on their D-Day..?
The wedding was a single-day celebration. The photography session didn’t take more than an hour. Though there are still some things that are missed like the dances, fun of a grand and plump wedding. But this wedding is a unique experience only for the couples tying the knot in this lockdown.
A dream wedding can even be an intimate one with the most loved people around, as opposed to a grand wedding with more than half of the people who you are meeting for the first time. This is another lesson to be learnt from the ‘married-in-the-lockdown’ couples.
