Ragini & Pavithar's Mysore Destination Wedding
There was this mystical quality in the energy that Ragini & Pav shared – like old souls who found their way to each other, beating all odds & probabilities. They met at a Uni party while she was studying in New Zealand. In her own words, she fell in love at first sight but they never did weren't too close during her years there. After Uni, both moved to different parts of the world & may have never met again — but as fate would have it, they reconnected online & the rest is history!
Fast forward to January 2020: We witnessed friends & family of all ages, ethnicities, from all corners of the world come together in a quaint corner of Mysore to celebrate Ragini and Pav’s mixed-culture wedding. Their ceremonies reflected elements of their multicultural roots & mixed heritage - Telugu, Hindu, Sikh, Punjabi, Kiwi, British and Malaysian. Most of the events of this destination wedding were held at Wind Chimes, Mysore – an elegant Victorian-style building from 1918 with sprawling gardens that have a gorgeous canopy of two 100-year old rain trees that were made to look even more gorgeous with bright balls of light and tasseled basket lamps hanging from the branches.
The festivities kicked off with the Sangeet, starting with the most spine-tingling performance of the night which was a surprise for the couple. The groomsmen really set the tone for the evening as they performed the Haka - a ceremonial war dance from the MÄori culture – paying homage to the culture of the indigenous people of New Zealand, where Pav’s family is from. It was an emotional & powerful performance and eventually Pav joined in as well! The bride’s side was second to none, with their impressively choreographed, high energy routine that had Ragini dancing in her seat and led to a fully packed dance floor after! The celebration carried on well into the night and everyone literally danced till the lights went off. We managed so capture some really pretty portraits of this gorgeous couple as well.
We saw them bright and early for the Hindu wedding ceremony the next morning. They had a Telegu wedding ceremony with a contemporary touch.
Both Ragini & Pav got ready with their BFFs & the air was brimming with excitement and joy. Ragini was like a superwoman even as she got her makeup done - whether it was ensuring all the elements for the ceremony reached the venue on time to checking on the guests in different hotels in the city. After the rager they had the night before, hats of to her for pulling that off without missing a beat! She even managed to surprise Pav with a special love note to commemorate the journey they were embarking upon together, Pav's smile as he read it out was really priceless. Pav also got special gifts for all his groomsmen to mark the day and there were just huge smiles all around as they set off to his baraat!
The wedding was a visual treat. The decor was elegant with a hint of royalty - with all the elements one could think of for guests from overseas to enjoy a destination wedding in India! From a cart for fresh tender coconut water, to the large variety of flower baskets to shower on the couple, a photo booth for the guests & the whimsical floral mandap under a canopy of coconut trees - there was something for everyone!
Pav & Ragini couldn't keep their eyes off each other and nobody could stop smiling.
Come evening, a smaller group of inner circle friends and family congregated at Wind Chimes once again, for their intimate dinner reception. Just like every event so far, it was evident a lot of thought had gone into it — there was an elegant seating chart, a flurry of white candles (with their customised monogram!) and flowers and even adorable disposable cameras for everyone seated at the head table. There were hilarious speeches from the best man and maid of honour while Pav and Ragini’s concluding speeches did not leave a dry eye in the house. Everywhere we looked, we could see the abundance of love everyone had for the couple.
It was a celebration everyone present would remember for a long time, including us.
Love and luck, Ragini and Pav!
#PAVFOUNDHISCAMPION
