Join The Wedding Edition as we sit down with Akanksha Kamath and learn about the intimate Indian wedding —and the thoughtful decision to marry in her hometown of Mumbai.
The Story So Far
Luke and I met in a pretty serendipitous way. In fact, some would say it was friend zone bound, until I safely maneuvered it out of there (with a little help from my best friend).
It was 2016, I had come to London to do my Masters in Fashion Communication from Central Saint Martins. It was three months into the city when my best friend came to visit from India. The first thing she noticed – our third friend and her slew of dates. Myself on the other hand, I had given a go to the apps, but didn’t really find anything exciting, except for one conversation. With the help of my best friend, I rehashed my conversation with Luke, and we ended up going on a date to Dishoom, in Kings Cross, no less. It was love at first drinks.
Luke came from the world of finance and consulting, whereas I was deep in the heart of fashion, creativity, arts and culture. Our conversations never hinged on either of those topics. We found our own little cocoon away from these all-consuming worlds. I think it’s been our friendship, shared values, and openness to learn about each other’s different cultures and countries that have held us in good stead across 5,000 miles and two different continents.
After a solid 11 months together, my visa to stay in the UK ran out and I had to return home. We continued our long-distance relationship for 5 years until in 2021 we inched into a conversation around marriage. Luke and I settled on a ‘promise ring’ to mark our commitment to each other and share it with the world. I still wear this ring as my engagement ring even though I never got a “real” proposal.
It’s a beautiful, classical, emerald-cut diamond ring designed and shipped over to me by the wonderful Dubai-based designers Vik and Natasha of Vikjet Fine Jewellery. I chose it and designed it with them over several Zoom calls in the pandemic. It sits north-south in a raised crown on a diamond-studded band and also has a sprinkling of diamonds in its crown.
After a long courtship of approximately a year, we got married in January of 2023.
The Venue
We got married in Mumbai, my hometown, under the Banyan Tree in our building’s garden. It was 80 or so people, much smaller than the Indian wedding everyone is used to seeing in popular culture, but it was also indicative of how modern brides are choosing to get married now. I was Vogue India’s fashion features director at the time, so I had the entire editorial team at the wedding, along with my closest friends, some of whom had flown down from the US, and Luke’s entire family made it from the UK.
Because this was a culmination of two vastly different cultures, we chose to have a non-religious, non-ritualistic wedding. We instead brought together the best of both our cultures into the traditions at the wedding. I had my aunt and grandmother sing Indian ceremonial chants wishing the bride and groom a happy life, with a small pooja ceremony, followed by an official signing and speeches from our nearest and dearest. We then opened up the dance floor to song and dance from our friends and family in the typical Indian Sangeet style. We also had my favourite traditional singer Radhika Sood Nayak, sing Punjabi tappas (or mini verses) while we all danced. And the dancing continued late into the night with a DJ taking over for the latter part of the night. It was intimate, wholesome, and truly a family affair with my brother and his wife comparing the evening beautifully.
Day two of the wedding was a party to celebrate my brother’s wedding during Covid that hadn’t got all the celebration it should have. So we combined our wedding reception with his and had a total of 400 guests bless us. It was a mix of our friends, families, my parents’ larger social circle – all the wonderful people who have seen us grow up. I have to call out here, my mother’s incredible network of friends from when she lived in Botswana (and where I was born) who also flew down all the way from Gaborone to be with us for the wedding and reception.
The venue was Great Eastern Homes in Mumbai, a vintage furniture store and art gallery space. I fell in love with this venue because it’s like entering a quaint village with cobbled pathways dotted with different art gallery spaces and stores, gazebos and white cube galleries. We of course transformed it with flowers everywhere, lights, and incredible jazz music by the talented Indian saxophonist – Ryan Sadri.
The Fashion
Since our wedding was in an Indian setting, we chose to wear traditional outfits by Indian couturiers. My something blue was my bridal lehenga by Anita Dongre. Typically, Indian brides wear pinks, reds or pastels for their wedding, but I was never going to be a “traditional” bride, was I? I chose Anita Dongre for the renegade brides she has dressed over the years, and for the incredible artistry and craftsmanship she spotlights through her designs. As a fashion editor, this was something important to me. My biggest blessing in this outfit — it wasn’t as heavy as it looked and the skirt came with pockets!
For the after party, I changed into a little black dress from Alex Perry paired with comfortable pumps.
Luke wore a pastel pink mirror work sherwani by Indian couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and changed into a light blazer and chinos for the after party.
On day two, for the wedding reception, I wore a silver lehenga by Seema Gujral and changed into a white sari by my friend and wonderful designer, Shweta Kapur, for a night of dancing and fun. The modern white sari was my way of acknowledging Luke’s cultures and traditions — my spin on the white wedding dress 🙂
Luke wore a navy-blue suit, with a SalvatoreFerragamo tie gifted to him by my dad, and a pair of Cheaneys.
The Jewellery
I wore fine traditional fine Indian jewellery from Anita Dongre for the wedding and a Renu Oberoi diamond choker for the afterparty. On day two, I wore my mum’s diamond jewellery for the wedding reception and with the white sari afterwards.
And I’d be remiss if I did not give the details of the jewellery on the groom! Luke wore a several-layered real emerald necklace from my mother’s wardrobe. Apart from pastel pink and green being a match made in heaven, it was our little way of having mum’s presence throughout the ceremonies.
The Bridal Party
I didn’t have official bridesmaids for the wedding, but all my closest girlfriends (and my cousin’s sister) made it to the wedding from different parts of the world. I gave them pearl and gold necklaces from Misho – a brand that I personally wear almost everyday, and whose designer is also my darling friend.
The Tablescape
My mum kindly donned the role of the wedding planner, working with wedding planners Ties N Knots to coordinate the details. Taskeen Poonawalla and Pooja Shah of Atrezzo were roped in for the décor. It was important for us to work with female vendors, where possible, and this also included the bartenders and wedding registrar. The decor for the wedding in the back garden was inflected with natural flowers in shades of yellow, white and orange. For the reception, the flowers were in deeper colours of red and burgundy.
Food & Drinks
Food at an Indian wedding is the star of the event. Our caterers were Foodlink who catered both the days with an extensive menu including everything from modern Indian chaat to a burrata bar, live sushi and robatayaki, and kahwa (a spiced Kashmiri tea) on tap.
Confession: I wish I was a guest at my own wedding so I could eat everything that was on the menu. Sadly, when you have to smile and chat with people there is little to no time to eat! But we were all very pleased with how much everyone enjoyed the food, especially at the reception.
Beauty Regime & Wellness
Swapnil Kashid for the hair and Vishakha Jain for make-up.
I didn’t do any crazy diets or wellness routines – in fact it was a joke around the office that I was one of most chilled brides-to-be with no elaborate skincare or diet and exercise regimes occupying calendar space. But I wanted to be true and authentic to who I am and I think that finally showed up on me as a bride on my wedding day. I was just incredibly happy and filled with joy, and it showed.
For the wedding, we did a slicked back glossy bun with white roses. Fresh, dewy make-up with a touch of pink on the lip. The look transcended into the afterparty with my black dress with utter ease as well. My make-up artist gave me the best gua sha massage as a pre-make-up prep to drain out any excess puffiness.
On day two, we did loose waves for the hair and went a bit more bold on the eye make-up.
The Honeymoon
Our honeymoon was magical. I actually wrote about it for Vogue India after visiting, because it was utterly perfect. Luke and I jetted off to Sujan Serai in Jaisalmer, the sand dune state of India. It was remote, we were in the middle of a glamping resort, and we had a private jacuzzi, a butler service, a kitchen garden where our date night food was prepared fresh and in front of our eyes, and where we got to take a hand at cooking ourselves. Our days were spent in the winter sun, walks and hikes to perfect sunset spots, camel rides, massages in the afternoon, high tea, and long, wonderful dinners.
Advice
Just be your authentic self throughout the process. A happy bride makes for a happy guest experience which makes for an overall fun journey. I made the mistake of not taking ample time off ahead of the wedding so my greatest advice would be to take at least a month off prior to your wedding to really soak in all the family joy and also tie up any loose ends on the planning. I would also highly recommend instating people you trust to lead things for you while you manage your job commitments simultaneously. For me it was my parents, who really went above and beyond to make the planning seamless.
With Thanks
Bride / Groom: – @kamathakanksha
Venue: The Great Eastern Home @greateasternhome
Caterer: Foodlink Luxury Catering @foodlinkcatering
Dress: Anita Dongre @anitadongre ; 431-88 by Shweta Kapur @431-88 ; Seema Gujral @seemagujraldesign ; Alex Perry at Le Mill @alexperryofficial at @lemill
Groom outfit: Sabyasachi Mukherjee @sabyasachi
Florist: Decor and flowers: @atrezzoprops
Photographer: Epiphany @epiphanybysajal
Videographer: Epiphany @epiphanybysajal
Wedding rings: Promise Ring: VikJet Fine Jewelry @vikjetfinejewelry
Makeup: Vishakha Jain @vishakhadjain
Hair: Swapnil Shinde @swapnil_makeupnhair
Bridesmaid gifts: Misho @misho_designs
Wedding Planner: Ties N Knots Wedding & Events @tiesnknotswedding
Saxophonist: Ryan Sadri @rynosax
Singers: Keshia @thekeshiab (reception) ; Radhika Sood Nayak @radhikasoodnayak (wedding)
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