A London-based optometrist and Jay Shetty’s sister, Amy Shetty’s heartfelt love story with Nikhil Limbachia, quantity surveyor at Crawley, may feel foreign in the digital dating era, but it will reinstate your faith in the maxim: What’s meant to be will be. “We first met in 2014 on a youth spiritual trip. Two years later, after some friends’ persuasion, we went on a casual date,” Amy reveals. “We instantly hit it off and knew after a few months that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together,” Nikhil adds. However they ended their relationship because neither wanted to move locations. In 2022, we reconnected, and the feelings came rushing back. “After spending a few months together we knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and get married as soon as we practically could.”
Speaking of the heartfelt proposal, Amy discloses, “My favourite place in London has always been the walk up to the Tower Bridge over the Thames. Being brought up in London and studying there, it’s been the place I went to every time something prominent happened in my life. Nikhil knew this and chose this as the spot. Knowing I like grand gestures and a bit of luxury, he hired a Yacht for the evening. He told me it was part of a work sponsored perk and there would be other guests too.
Once we’d got onto the harbour the driver was informed me that they had a photographer as part of the package. We went upstairs to the deck to see the view. The photographer asked the other couples present there if they wanted to take pictures, whilst we stood and watched the views. Then the photographer asked if we wanted a picture together. After we took a few, the photographer asked me to come forward slightly and look into the camera. As I did this, out of the right corner of my eye one of the guests had whipped out a violin, who turned out to be Jessica behind Bollywood Violinist. I was unaware and she began playing the instrumental to Jahnavi Harrison’s Divine Maha Mantra. I put the pieces together, turned around and saw Nikhil down on one knee. He spoke for a good five minutes and my eyes were streaming the entire time. Then, I said yes! Eventually, I realised the other guests were the team behind The Proposal Planners. It was the best proposal I could have ever imagined!”
The Planning
“We planned it all in eight months. In the first month, we went from a destination wedding to a Jaipur wedding back to a UK wedding. I had a clear idea of certain aspects such as the type of venues I was looking for, the events line up and certain looks. One thing I was sure of was hosting multiple events with huge celebrations but wanted the wedding to be intimate as in 200 people max. I didn’t want to get married in an indoor venue like a conference suite or a ballroom. I desired a bright outdoor vibe. Our final guest list was 400. We finalised Wrest Park as the venue,” Amy says.
“I planned my wedding. I love organising events and retreats, so this seemed right up my alley. As soon as I was set with the venue, my sister-in-law Radhi [Devlukia-Shetty] wanted to make my wedding vision come to life. Radhi is one of my best friends, and without her and my maids of honour I wouldn’t have been able to plan the entire wedding. We got décor companies 1SW Events and The Event Builders on board for all events. For my mehndi sangeet, my friend Neha Agarwal behind The Wedding Touch UK was the coordinator in the 6 week lead up to and on the day of the event.”
The Garba Night
The festivities kicked off with a fun garba night at Apple Tree Centre, Crawley, hosted by Nikhil’s family. Nikhil opted for an outfit from Venisons and the bride complimented him in a gorgeous creation from Ghunghat Surat, “which was colourful yet bridal. Its border had all the garba vibes and was inspired by Sabyasachi.”
The Mehndi & Sangeet
Oxhey, Watford was the venue for the celebrations. “I desired a setting that would look like an outdoor evening in Jaipur”. My brother Jay and Radhi hosted it, and it was the most memorable night. My sparkling Mongas lehenga matched my vision of glitzy and glam.”
A surprise bhangra performance by Nikhil and Amy’s solo dance were the highlights of the sangeet. The Event Builders made everything bespoke including the surrounding structure.
The Wedding
“Nikhil is training to be a priest, so he had a specific idea of the ceremonies and mantras he wanted on the day. We had a Vedic ceremony with Kamal. The fully open mandap, with a floral top, created by 1SW Events was the wow factor.”
Being pure vegetarians who follow a no onion, no garlic diet, the couple put together a well-thought-out, delicious menu. “Shiv Kitchen delivered incredible food at each event.”
The Wedding Wardrobe
“I spent a lot of time on Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration. I also made my way to all the shops in London to see what’s out there and which colours suit me before I then decided to fly to India for wedding shopping. Being spiritual, I wanted elements of Vrindavan Dham on my lehenga. The outfit I chose not only had beautiful architecture, but also birds, florals and sceneries like that of Vrindavan. I wore jewellery by Red Dot Jewels.”
The Kirtan
“A soulful Kirtan on a boat on the Thames the next day was the finale. My close friend Radhika Das helmed it. For the Kirtan, Mood Café from London did the catering. It turned out to be the ferry-tale ending I wanted,” concludes Amy.
Memorable Moments
“I’d told myself I wouldn’t cry during the ceremony, but during the kanyadaan I couldn’t help it. My mum has done so much for my brother and I that those moments were full of gratitude for me,” shares Amy. “Another memorable yet playful moment for me was when my brother Jay acted like he was hugging Nikhil at the end before the vidaai. But he lifted him up for my bridesmaids to steal the shoes from under his feet,” she laughs. For Nikhil, “Seeing my wife-to-be for the first time as a bride was my favourite moment.”
The Bride’s Checklist
Décor: 1SW Events & The Event Builders
Bride’s Outfit: Mongas
Groom’s Turban: Vikramsinh Tadeja
Wedding Horse & Car Hire: Jonathan Waterman
Catering: Shiv Kitchen & Mood Café for kirtan
Videographer: Paskali Films Ltd for all
Photographer: Mohsin Ali (Mehndi Sangeet), Eyejogia (Wedding) & Hemal Nayee (Garba)
Mehndi Artist: GG Mendhi
Hair & Makeup: Suky MUA
Entertainment: RVSounds
Invitation: Charita Creations
Venue: Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire
Marquee Planning Specialist & Coordinator: Neha Agarwal, The Wedding Touch UK
