Ankur Patel and Riya Patel were destined to meet. Neither did they live in the same town, nor did they have common friends. And, no, theirs was not an arranged marriage. “He’d come across my profile on Instagram through one of his friends, and decided to slide into my DMs, which he usually would never do. I also randomly decided to respond, which I usually would never do,” says Riya. Ankur soon visited Riya in San Diego and they ended up having the best time. “We just walked around the city, went for a drink and could not stop laughing,” she adds. A month later, they went on their second date, this time getting to know each other better… “The rest is history,” says Riya, as she tells us more about her nature-themed wedding.

The mehandi

“I had an all-white mehandi ceremony with touches of green, strings of light and floating blush pink and white lotus flowers in the pool. There were two live food stations serving Mediterranean and Mexican, and a DJ turning out some great tunes. The music and dance night at Ankur’s residence had a garba theme with a Moroccan twist with colourful umbrellas, festive lighting and traditional decor,” reveals Riya.

The wedding

“The whimsical idea of getting married in a lush forest was a dream I once had… And that became a reality—as you walked into the ceremony, you were welcomed by the breathtaking sight of verdant green trees, wooden flooring, an ocean backdrop with live Indian classical music playing in the background. There was a light breeze, and the overall setting was magical and exactly what I had envisioned,” the bride reminisces.

“We wanted to capture the essence of natural beauty with the mandap. So instead of pillars, we had four natural trees adorned with rustic lanterns. Even the jai malas were green plant inspired. Coconut water was served at the entrance, and we had traditional Gujarati cuisine for lunch,” she adds.

She wore the same Dil-Guldasta lehenga by Sabyasachi that won Deepika Padukone’s vote for the post-wedding party hosted by her in-laws in 2018. “This surfer groom sure made a splash with the most non-traditional entry. He arrived in a bright orange beach buggy with a custom-painted colourful surfboard attached! Some groomsmen joined him, while others circled through the crowd on scooters,” Riya tells us.

The post-wedding reception

“From mutton biryani to a live jalebi counter and the ‘In N Out’ food truck from California, the food at the reception was an instant hit. The decor involved natural greens mixed with mirrored tables, Mohanging flowers, candles, velvet blue lounge furniture, soft grey carpets/draping and a white marble circle- shaped dance floor,” says Patel. “All the performers wore white Gatsby-style uniforms with white feather head pieces, accompanying us in our synchronised entry dance,” says Patel, who chose a Manish Malhotra outfit for herself at the reception.

The black book