NAME: KAMAKSHI & AAKASH

VENUE: JW Marriott Resorts & Spa, Jaipur

DATE: 7-8-9 September 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY: Twogether Studio

WEDDING PLANNER: DESERT PEARL ENTERTAINMENT

DECORATOR: DESERT PEARL ENTERTAINMENT

About Wedding

How KamAakashi started?

Kamakshi says “My husband Aakash and I met in college in the US. We found lots in common, such as Indian films and books, food, our families and friends, and a strong loyalty to our work and became good friends quickly! After a few years of friendship, it grew into something more and through 6 years of dating, a long distance relationship after college, 100s of hours of Face time calls and countless trips to see each other, we made it to our wedding! Aakash and I knew for a while that we wanted to get married, but when it was finally time to pop the question, he wanted to make it special for us. He planned an elaborate set of surprises on the weekend in May when I was visiting him, but none of those surprises were leading to a proposal! He caught me when I wasn’t expecting it, on an impromptu day at our favorite beach in San Francisco – Half Moon Bay. While we were walking, I noticed he stopped, and turned around and saw him on one knee. It was a wonderful moment, and one that I will cherish for years to come.

 About the wedding venue and how did KamAakashi choose it.

Kamakshi says “Aakash and I wanted an intimate wedding in a scenic place and wanted to do it in India in the traditional way so that the maximum amount of our friends and family could join us! We weren’t able to go to India to pick our wedding venue, so chose based on our parents’ visits to different venues, and through many pictures and discussions. We found the JW Marriott Jaipur to be the most beautiful venue we came across in our search. The property is stunning, with its secluded luxury feel away from the hustle-bustle of Jaipur and Delhi and has many outdoor spaces that we were able to use well, including the Sundarban Lawn, Hawa Mahal, and Poolside. I always wanted an outdoor-oriented wedding and we were able to do just that at the JW Marriott. In addition, the Events team at the Marriott was very helpful during the planning process and the Banquet team did a great job with all of the wedding meals. We were very pleased with our experience at the venue.

Credit fully goes to our families and the amazing job they did in pulling this wedding off!”

A little overview of the various wedding functions (decor, themes, etc.) & any interesting anecdotes

Our Mehendi kicked off the wedding weekend and was filled with colorful decor and a street food theme. We had a live band playing Rajasthani & folk tunes to set the mood and had some family song and dance as well. We also had mehendi artists, kite flying, a live bangle stall, and games. We wanted the outdoor event to be relaxed and festive, designed to bring everyone together for the first wedding event and allow everyone to enjoy the outdoor venue.

Our Sangeet was Bollywood themed, inspired by our love for all things Bollywood. We had a starry night look – with a red carpet and decor focused on lights, with a blue theme inspired by the blues used throughout the venue. We loved all of the amazing dances that our friends and family planned for us, with many of them featuring surprises from those near and dear to us. I also planned a surprise vocal duet with my mom to “Ghar More Pardesiya” which was a lot of fun to prepare, and Aakash and I surprised everyone with a fun medley dance to Lamberghini and Diliwali Girlfriend.

The Haldi was a fun-filled morning event with family and friends and we did it at the poolside of the hotel. We particularly enjoyed throwing Aakash and some family into the pool once the haldi was washed off, and a hilarious dance to Single Ladies that my family did while they were putting Haldi on me.

The Wedding was very important to me and I knew I always wanted the wedding at the Hawa Mahal Terrace from the minute I saw it. We decorated it elegantly with shades of maroon and peach and the use of white flowers, and the jharokhas and secluded terrace feel brought out the decor. . I entered the venue at sunset and walked to my mom singing a very special bridal song that has been passed down through generations in our family and recreated by my mother and uncle (who is a composer). It was a special moment when I realized everything had come together and the wedding was finally happening! Aakash and I have sometimes joked that it would rain at our wedding, but when it actually did, we were not expecting it! Despite the rain, we had a beautiful ceremony and it meant a lot to us to have our loved ones with us.

The Jaipur Reception was filled with fun and lots of speeches and dancing. We wanted this reception to be did our reception in a western style with seat assignments and a center stage and this gave the event a different feel. We particularly enjoyed the moment where our friends from all over the world planned an impromptu flash mob on the Macerena, as well as dancing through the night with everyone on the last event of the Jaipur wedding weekend.

KamAakashi’s Experience working with Desert Pearl Entertainment

Desert Pearl (and Niyati and Antriksh) were very good in managing the time difference with us in planning a wedding from the US and were helpful in communicating and giving us many options to make choices. They also brought our visions on how we wanted the events to life and the events looked better than I imagined.