The phrase opposites attract perfectly personifies Saaket Mehta and Raveena Mehta’s love story. The former is an investor for a US-based hedge fund, while Raveena is a renowned artist and musician. The duo’s first encounter was at Saaket’s grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 2015. “It was a 3-day event in Jodhpur at Umaid Bhawan Palace, and we were definitely connected from the first time we saw each other. Seven years of long distance began soon after, from London to San Francisco and then a few years later from New York to Mumbai. This entailed multiple trips around the world every two months,” recalls Raveena.
Saaket then sealed the deal by proposing to Raveena at Oheka Castle in NYC. “It was one of the most beautiful moments when my family surprised me by travelling from around the world. Our family members held up boards of all the countries and cities we have done long-distance in. Later, Saaket comes out from behind with a ‘Marry Me’ sign. He performed one of our favourite songs along with all of my songs in his speech and then got down on one knee before presenting the ring to me.”
After the engagement, they had a mini-moon in Italy before starting their wedding planning process of their lavish destination affair in Jaipur, Rajasthan which saw 700 guests including celebrities like Janhvi Kapoor, Boney Kapoor, Govinda and Jackie Shroff, all friends of the family.
The Vision
“We wanted to make sure we had everyone we loved was present, that was really important to both of us. We were happy with a bigger wedding as we had a very intimate engagement event with our first families. The vision was scaled yet intimate,” shares the bride. The couple commissioned SATEC Events and OMO Events for logistics and hospitality, while The Design Company by Henna Arora was got on board for the decoration.
The Welcome Lunch
November 23, 2022, started the festivities. First in line was the Welcome Lunch. “It was a royal affair with blue pottery. Rambagh Palace was the chosen venue. I wore a Manish Malhotra lehenga in a beautiful magenta with beautiful embroidery and a modern cut.” The groom complemented his bride in a matching Manish Malhotra sherwani with magenta thread work.
The Family Mehndi
The first on the pre-wedding list was a family mehndi function, filled with love, warmth and lots of laughter. Celebrity mehndi artist Veena Nagda did her custom henna for the bride. For the ceremony, Raveena wore a pretty crop top with a multi-coloured mirror work knee-length skirt. With soft curls, dewy makeup and floral jewellery on point this singer looked sweet and simple for her intimate mehndi function.
The Carnival
The next afternoon saw the mehndi followed by a Colourful Carnival on the sprawling lawns at the Jai Mahal Palace Hotel. “My mother, Dimple Mehta along with Haider Ali created my vibrant Love Story lehenga for the carnival. I call it that because it features intricate hand-embroidery of every place Saaket and I met along with the dates during our 7-year-long courtship,” shares the bride.
The Sangeet
‘A Sky Full of Stars’ was the theme for the glamourous sangeet, “for which we had a literal sky of stars which was mesmerising. The Design Company by Henna Arora took the brief and vision and transformed every location.” Award-winning musicians Salim-Sulaiman kept the guests on the dance floor with the entertainment. The bride wore a gilded Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga.
The Wedding
November 25 was the main ceremony. “I wanted to make sure our values as a couple were integrated, whether it was my baraat, us ‘meeting in the middle’ for the varmala or walking down the aisle to my own voice singing ‘Duniyaa’,” Raveena discloses.
The Wow Factor
“I will never forget the moment when each of us walked from two sides of the ramp to the middle of the palace. Saaket walked with his friends and family and I entered with my siblings and cousins who held my 15-metre red veil as my lofi rendition of ‘Tere Jeya Hor Disda’ played in the background.” The bride’s mother created a unique ivory lehenga with 16 kalis that highlighted different Indian crafts. This lehenga took 4 years to complete and the lining layer featured a special message for Raveena from her mother: To the timeless pursuit of adventure!
The Glam
After wearing back-to-back traditional pieces, Raveena switched things up with a gown. Designed by Dimple Amrin, her champagne outfit fit like a glove and dazzled in diamantés. Makeup artist Ido Raphael Zadok was flown in from Israel for her cocktail, sangeet, pre wedding mala looks, while Aanchal Morwani of Hot Hair Balloon did her hair. Saaket looked sharp in a Tom Ford suit.
The Cocktail
“Every event was thoughtfully put together and had a specific theme and vibe,” Raveena says about the thought process. Enchanted Forest was the name of the game for the cocktail night hosted at the Rambagh Palace. “To create a real yet futuristic atmosphere, actual forest trees were integrated on the outdoor garden. Digital mapping elevated the entire setup. A floating bar was created which was held up by a gorilla installation. It was breathtaking,” shares the bride. The entrance of the cocktail venue was amped up with digital mapping to recreate waterfalls seen in a forest.
The Bride’s Checklist
The Venues: Rambagh Palace and Jai Mahal Palace, Rajasthan
Photography: Ramit Batra Photography
Videographer: The Wedding Journals Of India
Wedding Planner: SATEC Events and OMO Events
Wedding Decor: The Design Company by Henna Arora
Bride’s Outfits: Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla, Manish Malhotra, Dimple Mehta and Haider Ali
Groom’s Outfits: Tom Ford and Manish Malhotra
Catering: Sweet Caterers
Reels: Muse Motion Pictures
Henna Artist: Veena Nagda
Makeup: Ido Raphael Makeup (Israel) & Jm Honeyz Makeup (Cannes)
Hair: Hot Hair Balloon
Cake: Taj
Entertainment: DJ Aman Nagpal, DJ Kilogram and Salim-Sulaiman
Invitation: Life Is Beautiful By Tejal Kothari
