Truly, Madly, Deeply

Sheetal and Amar's whirlwind romance led to to a stunning Hindu and Western wedding to remember at Gibson Hall.

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Early days…

When London pilot, Sheetal, flew to her cousin's wedding in Virginia she could never have guessed that not only would she arrive to find love with an American guest, but soon be celebrating her own wedding to him. That guest was the groom's friend and best man; Amar. For Amar too, love couldn't have been further from his mind. He recalls: ?I?d planned on it being a great weekend of hanging out and partying with many of my good friends. Little did I know that it would become one of the greatest and most memorable weekends of my life as I met Sheetal, the love of my life.?

Introduced by the groom the night before the wedding, Sheetal recalls ?I fell for Amar instantly and I couldn't wait to see him again the next day.
?The next day arrived and Amar spent most of it ignoring me; he now tells me it was all part of the master plan! During the reception I was dancing with some friends when suddenly Amar came out of nowhere and started dancing in front of me, we were inseparable for the rest of the night.?

For Amar too, the attraction was instant. He recalls ?I fell in love with Sheetal from the day I met her. We spent hours talking after the wedding and I had never felt that sort of instant connection with anyone.?

The proposal…

Amar proposed to Sheetal six months after their first meeting. He recalls: ?I wanted to ask her to marry me four weeks into our relationship when we had seen each other for a total of five days. But I stepped back as I didn't want her to think I was a complete lunatic!? After searching for the perfect ring, Amar took Sheetal high above the city; on the London Eye's Cupid Capsule and got down on one knee.

The venues…

The couple married in London with an event that blended their Western upbringings and Indian heritage, offset with a romantic and elegant style and a pink and purple colour theme. Their three day wedding event began with a welcome party for all of Amar's American guests on day one, a henna party on day two - where everyone had their hands decorated with traditional Indian mendhi (henna) - and finally, their wedding day. The big day began with a Hindu wedding ceremony in the morning in traditional Indian wedding outfits, a civil ceremony in the afternoon in Western wedding outfits and ended with a reception party to remember!

With many of Amar's guests flying in from the United States, the couple chose Gibson Hall; a central London venue that would allow everyone to see the city sights. Sheetal says: ?We loved its elegant ornate interior. It also had a private garden which is difficult to find in central London. We were able to have the Hindu wedding ceremony in the Great Hall and the civil wedding ceremony in the garden.?

The dress…

For the Indian ceremony, Sheetal looked beautifully striking in a traditional red Indian outfit, heavily embroidered with gold, pink, red and purple. She accessorised with a decadent antique gold necklace, earrings, bracelet and bangles. For the civil wedding ceremony she was the epitome of a contemporary city bride, looking simply stunning in a stylish ivory duchess satin corset with a silver and Swarovski crystal trim and an A-line skirt, cut away at the bottom. Wanting something 'modern and English.' Sheetal had the dress designed by a London-based designer renowned for her Indo-Western designs.

The flowers…

A pink and purple colour theme made a vibrant choice for the bridesmaids? and groomsmen?s outfits and the flowers and decorations. Hot pink rose petals lined the edges of the aisle runner at their Indian ceremony and pedestals of cerise pink, red and purple flowers made an impact at both ceremonies. The majestic Great Hall was simply yet lavishly adorned with centrepieces of cylinder vases filled with flowers and cerise pink butterflies.

The decorative touches…

Adding to the magical atmosphere of Gibson Hall, Sheetal says: ?We had a brilliant DJ who transformed the room by lighting up the columns with pink and purple lighting.?
With their romantic and elegant theme fitting perfectly with the stunning setting and intricate details of the venue, the couple began celebrating their newly wed status with a cocktail hour in the Hall's gardens, complete with canapes on platters decorated with exotic flowers.

The best bits…

Sheetal recalls one of her most memorable moments as seeing her loved ones faces: ?My favourite part of the day was walking in to the venue and seeing Amar waiting at the front with a huge smile on his face. When I looked around everyone was so happy...?

Top tips…

Sheetal's advice is to enjoy your big day while you can. ?It is over before you know it. The wedding day is about what you want as a couple, so make sure you are happy with everything and always have a plan B in case anything goes wrong.?

The honeymoon…

The couple jetted off for three weeks in Hong Kong and Australia. Sheetal says of Hong Kong: ?The city never sleeps! We stayed at The Penninsula Hotel in Kowloon. It is the best hotel we have ever stayed in, they knew we were on our honeymoon so they left presents in our room every evening.?

Over in Australia the newly-weds stayed in Sydney, Cairns, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. "Sydney is a very cosmopolitan city with some great attractions.?

The pair experienced their most memorable moments amongst the country's natural beauty: snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef and spending three nights at a rainforest retreat in Lamington National Park. ?It is a nature-lovers paradise with amazing tropical bird life. We enjoyed long walks around the mountains and discovered enchanting waterfalls.?

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