This April we had the privilege to work with another wonderful couple- Meet college sweethearts Kalyan & Annie. Words really can’t do justice to the bond this lovely couple shares but we’ve tried our best to pen it down.
Kalyan and Annie Samraj met at CMC, Vellore, a chance meeting that has paved the way for a lifetime of happiness. Over the years we’ve realized that working with genuinely wonderful couples such as Kalyan & Annie helps bring out the best in us, not only do we enjoy working with the couples much more but it also makes us go that extra mile to plan just the perfect wedding. It’s always a great feeling to find out we’ve been booked for a wedding (over 200 wedding and we still feel so thrilled when we book a new client!), but the happiness only doubles when we realize we’re getting to work with couples and families we can build a lasting relationship with.
We were introduced to Kalyan & Annie last year in December which was a very busy season for us. Displaying that great sense of understanding we’ve been talking about Kalyan & Annie patiently waited for us to get free giving us the time and space to kick off the planning process.
Our first meeting was with Kalyan’s father Mr Ravi Kumar Banda who is also a doctor and runs a firm in Bangalore called Xcycton Mr. Banda , had the excitement levels of a child through the planning process! He helped us kick-start the celebrations. His positive energy was exciting and contagious, this combined with his great organization skills played a key role in the planning process.
We met at his office and started ticking things off the checklist- confirmed a charismatic priest who happens to be an ex-chartered account, (such an interesting career change we thought), confirmed our most regular caterer Guru and started chalking out a yummy spread for the Bangalore events. Sometimes, it is so difficult to sit through menu planning (especially if you have skipped breakfast!)
Since both Annie and Kalyan are settled in the US, we had to settle for a video chat where we discussed all the details of the wedding. Our first meeting was early one morning at 9 am, it went very smoothly and among other things, we were able to finalize the colour scheme for the wedding – Orange, yellow, purple and green. This colour scheme was incorporated to most of the elements- the invites, the decor, the clothes and everything else.
We met with Annie’s father Mr.Samraj Joseph to plan out the events lined up in Vellore. Although the heat level in Vellore could drive anybody crazy, Mr.Samraj’s cool helped get through the wedding in a calm manner. We hit it off really well. Mr.Samraj’s simplicity instantly reached out to us. We spent many hours chatting about CMC and Vellore, the meeting was fun and interesting and almost instantly we knew we had quite easily built a bond.
Kalyan and Annie’s wedding celebrations had a line-up of 4 events – Church wedding and reception at Vellore followed by Cocktails, wedding and reception in Bangalore. Our most memorable part of the wedding was the first event – the blessing ceremony at CMC chapel, this was where Annie and Kalyan studied and met after class… now that is sweet! Decor consisted of a carpet of orange petals, white and orange floral stands with a tinge of purple. We used roses, carnations, daisies and lilies to work with. Our love for roses is a relationship for life! Annie was dressed in a white and gold saree and a sleek puff blouse and Kalyan in a white shirt and dhoti. The Church wedding was followed by Reception at May Flower. The venue by itself has a clean look and good to work with. Decor consisted of orange linen with purple runners, the stage with stands of candles and florals and lights adorning the gardens.
The Bangalore events started off with a bang – Cocktail night had a surprise element planned out by both families for the couple. A slideshow of childhood photos of Annie and Kalyan, emceed by both the fathers. Normally, as wedding consultants, we tend to be so busy at weddings that we are all over the place ensuring everything is going as per plan, but this fun filled 45 min slideshow made us stop and watch! What fun it was! The emcees (the dads) had some really hilarious explanations of the husband and wife qualities of their children depicted through the childhood slideshow. The DJ took on the rest of the night and boy does Kalyan know his moves! I was surprised to see someone as calm and quite as Kalyan go that crazy on the dance floor. Kudos!
The wedding started early at 5 AM. The place was adorned with bright marigolds and floral rangolis. Annie made an entry to the mandap in a “butti” (a basket) this is a Telugu bramhin tradition very similar to the use of a doli in the north Indian weddings. Like in most south Indian weddings, lunch was laid out on a banana leaf meal- This formal sit down meal is never a let-down.
For the beautiful chemistry we’ve seen Kalyan and Annie share, there’s no doubt that this love story was meant to be and we’re glad that in some small way we got to be a part of the festivities that celebrated this lovely young couple, well that is why we love being wedding planners .
Make up – Harish
Photography – Vinay Aravind
Blouse design and Tailoring – Pooja – Studio Nile
Food – Guru
Venue – May flower, Vellore Tamarind tree, Bangalore.
