Intro
Santorini Greece is like a dream paradise, and a pre-wedding shoot in Santorini is like a dream come. true. When our inbox buzzed with pictures from this Romantic Pre Wedding Shoot in Greece & Destination Wedding in Corbett, we were awestruck. This wedding is definitely unmissable and is filled with tons and tons of ideas and lots of love.
Meet Preeti & Tijil
Preeti & Tijil are Doctors by profession, while Dr Preeti was a dentist in India, Dr Tijil was a Neurologist in America. Yes, it’s a long-distance love story like almost Saat Samundar Par.
Preeti says “He makes my brain work and I make him smile”
Though having personalities that are poles apart, their magnetic pull is too strong and they balance out each other very well. Their first conversation was a phone conversation which lasted for over 7 hours since then countless sleepless nights had been spent taking over the phone from both sides of the continents.
A few months later Tijil few down to India for a 3-day trip to spend time with Preeti. The two made the most of their little time together in India and this trip brought them closer. Tijil again surprised Preeti on New Year as he flew to India to celebrate New Year with her. Thus the two kept talking and their fondness for each other soon turned into love.
Preeti says ” Our conversations kept getting longer, and it pretty much got to a point that we were either working or talking. I distinctly remember the day he uttered the three magic words. I couldn’t stop blushing the entire night (obviously, I did not sleep).”
It is often said don’t decide to marry a guy unless you have travelled with him. Maybe I took the quote too seriously & we travelled together to Miami, Puerto Rico, Greece, Texas, Lake Tahoe, New York among other places during the next two years.
Our trip to Texas was a turning point. We went on an exploratory nature trip, and among many things, we went camping on a beautiful secluded beach, hiking, floating on a river, and grilling by the lake. Given my nature, he also took me dancing and showed me how to two-step. We experienced living with each other under normal circumstances for the first time, and it actually made us fall in love with each other even more. We finally tied the knot on 30th Nov 2019. Now we are happily married and settled in the US. Who says Long Distance doesn’t work!
Pre Wedding Shoot in Santorini Greece
It was Tijil who fixed up a pre-wedding photoshoot in Santorini, Greece which is a favourite destination for honeymoon couples. The theme was white and blue considering the classic Oia background.
Outfits: Tijori designer studio ; Armaani
The wedding at Solluna Resort Jim Corbett National Park was beautifully planned and the decor was planned according to each event at the wedding. From bohemian vibes to traditional Indian wedding vibe the decor was an ease to the eyes. There were also well-curated wedding favours like succulents, bangles and hangover kits for the guests. All in all the vibe of the entire place was eclectic. The mandap was an absolute stunner tucked in the middle amidst greenery with the right amount of floral decor and drapes.
The wedding planning took months and months to plan. Tijil and Preeti wanted to plan a different kind of experience for both of them and their families and hence the idea of Destination Wedding came to life. They both had a couple of options in mind for the wedding venue and were clear that they wanted a lot of natural beauty and resort experience. The whole idea was to celebrate Love more than any other social norms. Solluna Resort fit perfectly into their requirement, more so because the place lacked network connectivity and it was the best thing they could have asked for. The entire family enjoyed the wedding events with full vigour without them being constantly hooked to their mobile.
The Team Groom planning and coordination was taken care of by Tijil’s mother and Preeti headed over the Team Bride responsibility from A to Z. Both the leading ladies made a great team together and made sure the wedding was a celebration to remember.
On planning her wedding with her mother-in-law Shikha Aggarwal Preeti says “My mother-in-law, made a great effort to take care for the hospitality of the guests and made things flawless. She was the one who actually suggested our event decorator and selected all my wedding attires and jewellery.”
Informal Mehendi
The first event of the wedding was an Informal Mehendi event. It just had the couple and their close family members and friends. The whole idea was for Bride and other close relatives to get their Mehendi done. Everyone got together and had moments of fun and dance exclusively on Mehendi songs. Preeti wore a customized T-shirt with Tijil’s Picture on it and a text that read “Future Mrs Tijil Agarwal.” Entire Team Bride wore Customized T-shirts with different messages for Preeti.
Preeti says,” It was very challenging to find a good Mehendi artist locally and even from nearby cities who would come all the way. However, I found a really nice mehndi artist from Rudrapur who had a wonderful quality of Mehendi and a very hard working team to work on the designs. The main artist had a brief conversation with me and we were able to decide on beautiful intricate traditional design for my Mehendi with my groom’s name on it and other symbols that were a sign of good omen to the wedding. I got my Mehendi done on Informal Mehendi ceremony. I still remember my cheeks blushing when I saw Tijil while getting my Mehendi done. I flaunted the beautiful Mehendi on grand Mehendi ceremony the other day. Surprisingly Tijil also put a little Mehendi on his hands to surprise me. It was really sweet.”
Formal Mehendi
The second ceremony was a Formal Mehendi Ceremony. This was the grand Mehendi ceremony which was attended by all friends and family be it close or distant. The setup was a mix of traditional and western it had an old-style seating arrangement with traditional elephants as centrepieces. Colourful bangles, potlis as giveaway gifts were decorated nicely in beautiful trays. Magnificent floral Peacock and yellow floral traditional swing were just designed to match the theme perfectly. The stage had a western touch with a vibrant background.
Sangeet and Cocktail
The third ceremony was Sangeet and Cocktail. The theme for the event was Shimmer and Crystal to give it an English modernized touch. The Décor was shining in black, gold and white with a sparkling bar, huge stage and explicit screen. This ceremony was for everyone to shed their inhibitions, drink up their glasses and tap their feet.
After Party
Post the Sangeet and cocktail the after-party continued. The party had an old school rustic theme with very unique Hangover Kits for all the Guests. The Party didn’t stop until the sun rose.
Haldi & Choora Ceremony
The next morning was a bright , colourful yellow morning as it was the day of Haldi and Choora Ceremony.Tijil belongs to a Baniya family and therefore Haldi ceremony was mandatory and Preeti a Sindhi and henceforth Chura ceremony had to happen. They had a combined Haldi and Chura ceremony with a bright yellow theme with décor was nicely primed with yellow, white and orange colour. Preeti looked radiant in yellow with the customized earrings which had Tijil Ki Preeti inscribed on them.
Wedding
The day of the wedding was finally here after all the party and madness. The wedding theme was very thoughtfully set to be Sabyasachi Mughlai and classic royal. The stage was set up like a royal grandeur and magnificent crimson red colour. Real Red Roses were used everywhere from centrepieces to pillars. WELCOME tray platters for Baraati were made exclusively by the BRIDE herself. A Hand-painted Board which read “If you think I am Cute then Look at my Mami” was used for entry of the Bride carried by the niece and nephew of the groom. Preeti and Tijil selected their outfits according to the theme keeping them absolutely traditional and royal. Preeti loves pink and it’s her absolute favourite colours she wore a classic pink lehenga and Tijil wore a blue and maroon sherwani that absolutely went well with the theme.
Preeti wore a Payak Keyal hand embroidered pink lehenga with silver and golden embellishments accessorised with classic Kundan and real pearl jewellery from Bareilly. On the other hand, Tijil designed his sherwani on his own which is very unlikely of his nature but yes he did it right from colours to the pattern to embroidery. Tijil decided it all and conveyed everything over a phone call which was the most challenging task. He left his bride stunned when he carried off his Blue and Maroon sherwani from AMAARE like the classic white and beige like a royal prince.
Some quick tips for other brides-to-be
Well from my experience I would like to say to all other brides to be- I know the pressure of being the bride but let me tell you, just cool off, breathe in and be very patient.
- Two most important game-changers in a wedding are your Make-up artist and Photographer- Choose both of them wisely
- Make lists to keep you stay systematic in planning
- As far as outfits and looks are concerned just don’t worry. Every bride looks very beautiful on her wedding day because it is the love and happiness that makes her glow and look the most pretty.
This is what the Bride has to share about her experience with various wedding vendors
Venue: Solluna Resort Jim Corbett National Park. I had the most amazing experience with the resort. Their hospitality, food, rooms, staff, cooperation, arrangements are beyond appreciation. I would recommend every couple to plan their wedding here.
Makeup Artist: Sheetal Dang Gupta. Sheetal was like my saviour. I had a brilliant equation with her. We had a meeting before the wedding and she absolutely understood the kind of looks I wanted. She put in her heart and soul to make me look perfect. She skipped her meals and sleep to assure I was just ready on time.
Photographer & Videographer: Vogueshaire. Tijil selected the team of vogueshaire after browsing hundreds of photographers and I am glad we chose them. They were just so professional and captured every moment beautifully. They would start from early morning till late night and I don’t think they would get proper sleep for three days in a row. They worked very hard and very efficiently. Their team was very coordinated, very friendly and made sure they clicked millions of pictures of each and every guest. Their dedication and creativity are commendable.
Wedding Décor: KAIROS EVENTS. We had an incredible experience with Kairos events. They did their best to make the wedding a royal one. They planned and did things that we didn’t even ask for which was awesome. They put in a lot of efforts to go out of the way at a venue where things were difficult to manage because of lack of communication and conveyance.
Wedding Outfit: Bride Lehenga– PAYAL KEYAL, Bridal Robe– Dulhan Diaries, Groom Sherwani– AMAARE
Sangeet & Cocktail outfits: Bride– PAYAL KEYAL, Groom– STUDY BY JANAK
Mehendi Artist: Nitin Mehendi Artist.
Mehendi Outfit: Bride– ASIANA COUTURE, Groom– MANYAVAR
Haldi Outfit: Bride– KRIDHA DESIGNER STUDIO, Groom– AMAARE
After Party Outfit: Bride– TIJORI DESIGNER STUDIO, Groom– AMAARE
Jewellery ( Floral Jewellery, Bridal Jewellery):
Mehendi– Suhana art and jewels
Sangeet and Cocktail- Harsaimlal shiamlal jewellers, Headband- The Odora Maison
Haldi– Krafted with Happiness (customized earrings)
Wedding- Harsaimlal shiamlal jewellers, Chura- Omsons Bridal Store