Ok, so day 1 with the Welcome Party was a huge success and really set the tone to the whole weekend of events.
Day 2, well it was going to be a hectic one in all honesty. Still based at the wonderful Four Seasons Hampshire (FSH), but this time across two different marquees.
This is the day that hosts a trio of important pre-wedding ceremonies: the Haldi, the Mehendi and the Sangeet!
We were very conscious from the start that this day would be packed for the guests, especially that a different outfit change is needed for each of these events and taking into consideration too that 40% of the guests were staying at Coworth Park, which is a 35 minute drive away.
We discussed many times how best to make all three events fit harmoniously within the day, still making sure that everyone could attend all of them without feeling rushed.
The Haldi was hosted in a room adjacent to the breakfast room, decorated beautifully in ochre, yellow and gold tones. It was simple yet beautiful.
It allowed guests to pop in and out of the festivities without any pressure. It was also a way for the couple to make sure that it was mainly the very close friends and family that were present for this moment which is one of the more intimate pre-wedding ceremonies.
Imagine if all 500 guests had queued up to cover the couple in turmeric?!?
Once the Haldi ended, and the couple returned to their rooms to wash the bright yellow turmeric off themselves, and start to get ready for the Mehendi, we rushed off to make sure that the Mehendi marquee was nearly finalized, ready to start greeting the first guests in a couple of hours.
Sound-checks, buffet set-ups, bar-wraps – everything was a-buzz!
In an Indian wedding, the Mehendi is the moment that women, and sometimes men, get henna applied in celebration of the union of the couple.
Our bride and groom, and their families, had already had theirs applied a couple of days before, to make sure that they could peacefully let it dry, make sure that it was the optimal dark colour for the wedding day, but mainly to be able to enjoy their Mehendi celebration with their guests.
We wanted to make sure that even though it was October, this marquee for the Mehendi felt different to the other one that was, at that very moment, being repurposed for the evening.
The evening marquee was a glasshouse aesthetic, grand and luxurious. As the Mehendi was hosted at midday on the Saturday, we wanted it to feel more like a garden party, which was beautifully achieved by using a huge stretch pole tent.
The interior was decorated with hanging woven lamps, garlands of greenery and bursts of tropical flowers.
The overall impression as guests walked down from the Manor House and into the tent was that they had just stepped into summer.
The pastel, floral and summer décor was the perfect backdrop for the elaborate and luxurious ornamental outfits that both men and women were wearing.
The food was once again set about as a buffet style and this time was geared around the best street food in the world, from India to Thailand and passing by Israel.
It was an explosion for the senses!
The dancefloor was the witness to the first of the famous family dances, which provoked the first few tears of the weekend, and the stage was then occupied by the incredible Prateek Kuhad, an Indian artist flown in especially for the event to serenade the couple and their guests.
As the guests started to leave the Mehendi tent, the hair-salon that was set-up for all the guests to enjoy started to fill-up, ahead of the famous Sangeet!
We dashed to the glass marquee to check on the final bits of transformation. The marquee was now the host to a collection of lounge areas, grandiose luxurious urns overflowing with flowers and fruits, tables and a bar all in jewel tones.
We wanted to convey on this evening the vintage Bollywood era, an epoque full of luxury, sophistication, colour and jewels.
The evening was celebrated in style through yet again an incredible buffet of food, this time with more of a modern Indian twist, and of course all of the wonderful and fun friends and family dances.
The evening was topped off with an incredible and captivating performance by the one and only Atif Aslam.
The guests were able to enjoy this amazing private concert and party the night away, continuing at the after-party late into the night.
Day 2 of the wedding celebrations was a long day, full of colour explosions, emotions, luxurious details, elaborate décors and once-in-a-lifetime memories.
All setting the scene for the final day, the awaited wedding ceremony.
If you missed the post on Day 1, you can read about it here.
Vendor Credits:
Haldi
Planning: La Fete A New Knot Naureen Khan Events
Design and Concept: Devika Narain & Company
Florals: Love Flowers UK
Photo & Video: Reels & Frames
Venue: Four Seasons Hampshire
Production: @kudosav_
Rentals: Raj Tent Club
Mehendi (Summer Garden Party)
Planning: La Fete A New Knot Naureen Khan Events
Design and Concept: Devika Narain & Company
Structures: English Marquee Company
Florals: Love Flowers UK
F&B: Diva Caterings @ritudal
Photo & Video: Reels & Frames Muse Motion Pictures
Entertainment: Prateek Kuhad Black Rabbit Projects
Venue: Four Seasons Hampshire
Production: @kudosav_
Rentals: Furniture Hire UK Options
Salon: Harrods Beauty
Sangeet (Jewel Bollywood)
Planning: La Fete A New Knot Naureen Khan Events
Design and Concept: Devika Narain & Company
Structures: English Marquee Company
Florals: Paula Rooney Florals Ricky Paul Flowers
F&B: Diva Caterings @ritudal
Photo & Video: Reels & Frames Muse Motion Pictures
Entertainment: @atifaslam
Venue: Four Seasons Hampshire
Production: @kudosav_
Rentals: Furniture Hire UK Options
Salon: Harrods Beauty
Couple @vidushibinani & @namanj95