Alisha Patel married Kanhai Patel on 18th August 2016 in Santa Barbara, California.
She says: “Kanhai’s marriage proposal was amazing. I always thought I’d know when he was going to pop the big Q, but it was a total surprise! I was in Dubai spending Christmas with Kanhai. The next day we met friends for drinks at a rooftop bar that overlooks Dubai Marina.
As I sat relaxing with our friends, a bunch of masked dancers burst onto the dancefloor to Bruno Mars’ Marry You. I looked over to find Kanhai on bended knee, and when the dancers whirl around their shirt backs read “Marry Me?”
When I looked at the dancers properly, I saw they were all of his family. The biggest surprise came when my parents, cousins, aunts and uncles showed up!”
The Religious Ceremony
“Kanhai had a traditional Baraat with all his friends and family dancing him into the ceremony venue, which was on a lawn looking over the Pacific ocean. We had a bespoke mandap built, covered with fragrant white wisteria. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better place to make my wedding vows.”
Photography
“From the moment I saw Duke Photography’s work, I knew they had to be my photographer! Not only is Duke hugely talented, but he made us feel totally at ease, which is important for natural, candid editorial photos. He gave us great direction, but also listened to what we wanted and ensured he captured those images too.”
The Bridalwear
“For the ceremony, I wore a red Sabyasachi Mukherjee couture lehenga while Kanhai’s groom outfit was designed by Raavi Bhajaj. After the wedding I changed into an ivory lehenga by Anamika Khanna for the reception.
My mum and I chose my bridal jewellery together. She has great eye for taste so it was a joy to coordinate my looks with her. She even designed two of my jewellery sets! It was cool seeing her designs come to life.”
The venue
“We felt Bacara met our wedding goals seamlessly; it had such a cool beach vibe while still retaining a high level of luxury.
“We held the reception in the ballroom; dressing it with white drapes suspended from the ceiling and floral centrepieces in my theme colours; cream, coral and blush pink.
Our cake matched the theme - it was a beautiful eight tiers finished with soft peach flowers and hints of edible gold. We kept it classic with a vanilla and mixed berries and cream filling.”
Catering
“For the welcome party, we did Mexican. At the mehndi we served global (sushi, pizza, Indian) while the Sangeet was different Indian classics. At the Reception we had Panjabi and Italian.”
Speeches
“Kanhai’s toast was really special, I knew it meant a lot to him and he’d been working on it for a while. There were no nerves; he expressed himself well and it was beautiful to know how he felt on our Big Day.”
The Bride: Alisha Patel, 25
The Groom: Kanhai Patel, 26
Married: 18th August 2016
The Venue: Bacara Resort & Spa, Santa Barbara
Photography: Duke Photography
As seen in Khush Wedding Autumn 2017 KW16. Buy this issue here