They say, “Nothing can stop you if you love someone”, and that’s exactly what Sunita Bhogal and Dr Kam Sidhu believed when they tied the knot amidst the pandemic. “Kam and I met through a mutual friend,” says Bhogal, “and it was a whirlwind romance as we fell in love within a span of a few months. Once we realised the chemistry between us, there was absolutely no looking back!”
Within a span of a few months, the duo realised that something special was brewing between them. After a romantic proposal in the ‘City of Love’, they meticulously started planning their wedding. However, the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the UK, presented a challenge. Determined to tie the knot and keep a positive mindset, the couple decided to go ahead with elegant lockdown pre-ceremonies at home, followed by a gurudwara wedding that was incredibly beautiful.
Wedding Planning
While it usually takes couples months if not years to plan a wedding, the couple fast-tracked the process within a month—the ideas of being together was the most important thing. And neither of them wanted to wait till 2021 to tie the knot, so they made the momentous decision of executing a cosy wedding during the lockdown. The intimate celebrations spanned across five days from 13 - 18 December 2020. “From the start, both of us had different definitions of an ‘intimate wedding’. For Dr Kam, it was a guest list of 15 while for me it was 200. But as fate would have it, our differing viewpoints were moot since the pandemic compelled us to follow a restricted guest list,” shares the bride. In light of the pandemic, the functions were restricted to their homes and the wedding ceremony was held at the Gravesend gurdwara in London.
The Engagement
The engagement, on 13 December, was an intimate gathering with their near and dear ones. Decked with arrangements of white blooms and candles, the grandeur of the event was a spectacle to behold. Dr Sidhu opted for a dapper blue tailor made suit by Tom Ford and Bhogal picked a statement velvet maroon Sabyasachi sari. All we can say is that the couple radiated immense poise and sophistication.
The Mehndi
A vibrant mehndi function was held at home on 14 December. The colourful decor included drapes, flowers and tassels against the lush velvet backdrop. The couple looked radiant in coordinated outfits of fuchsia, lime, purple and yellow by Sabyasachi. A lightweight, fuss-free and playful lehenga was chosen by the bride, and the groom kept it classic in an evergreen white kurta set teamed with a yellow Nehru jacket.
The Haldi
The intimate haldi on December 16 was hosted at home. Strings of pink tones and white decked the setup for a dreamy, romantic vibe. The canopy of tinsel with roses lit up the house with fresh flowers and white candles, which added to the ambience. Dressed in a pink Anita Dongre lehenga, the bride was doused in turmeric paste and flower petals by her loved ones.
The Choora
A glamorous choora ceremony was kicked off on 17 December, with grandeur and magnificent décor in hues of ivory and peach, while chandeliers, shimmering lights and floating candles added to the elegance. Golden vases filled with flowers added a royal touch. Dressed in an ivory Sabyasachi lehenga, the bride gleamed with happiness.
The Wedding
The ethereal wedding décor in ivory for the lunch looked divine against Europe’s largest and most beautiful Sikh Guru Nanak Dabar Gurudwara. The stunning building with its elaborate architecture and colourful decor is where the couple tied the knot in a traditional Sikh Anand Karaj on 18 December. The couple stuck to traditional hues and jewellery. Dressed in elegant ensembles of red and ivory, they were the portrait of happiness. The wedding was followed by an intimate cake-cutting ceremony by Sweet Hollywood exquisite cake design and lunch. Dr Sidhu wore a Sabyasachi sherwani with Amrapali Jewels, which was styled by Pagh Vala.
The Makeup
Makeup artists Gini Bhogal and Patti Panue created something unique for every event they worked on to ensure the bride looks flawless. For each event, Bhogal wanted a different look to complement the theme of the function and that’s exactly what she got. A bold and typically Spanish look with maroon roses in the hair, with deep smokey eyes and nude lips characterised the look for the evening engagement ceremony.
For the day mehendi, the look was minimal with straight hair and a dash of glitter on eyes complemented with thin eye liner. Since the outfit was vibrant and colourful, the bride went with a pop of colour for the eyes.
The haldi is one ceremony that’s both fun and messy, so the bride decided to keep all the focus on her hair. Long hair with soft waves made for the perfectly dreamy look.
For the choora, the makeup was kept fresh, natural and dewy with peach tones and nude lips for sun-kissed look.
And finally came the D-day look, “I was inspired by the Sabyasachi heritage bridal look with red bridal outfits which is a classic look with nude makeup. It was more of a day look to highlight the features and give me a fresh look. I wanted the outfit and jewellery to be the statement not the make-up. I did not want to look unrecognisable on my wedding day as I typically don’t wear make-up,” quoted the bride.
Jewellery
Leaving no stone unturned to make sure they looked perfect, the couple had their outfits customised by Sabyasachi. Adding to the look were jewellery designers Sabyasachi and Amrapali, who created exclusive designs in ruby and emerald gemstones with uncut diamonds in 22-carat gold.
For the engagement Bhogal picked a heritage Sabyasachi necklace and earrings set made with uncut diamonds, pearls set in 22-carat gold. On the mehndi, Amrapali statement earrings in 22-carat gold complemented her ensemble. Keeping in sync with the rituals for the haldi ceremony flower earrings and flower hand piece by florist in India added to the look and for the choora function an Amarpali headpiece and earrings in pearls and polka diamonds set in 22k gold that was especially customized in 20 days was delivered to the UK from India for the event. The wedding set was by Amrapali. It took a month to put together this specially made exquisite piece for featuring uncut diamonds, pearls, emeralds set in 22k gold the set was jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Decor and Venue
The duo collaborated with Henna & Zibbi from Dream Occasions. The bride brainstormed with the team to ensure every event had a specific theme which was also incorporated in the wedding cards way before the wedding was even designed. “I had a vision and managed to pull that off with the great event planners Zibbi and Henna who managed to create my vision. I sent them sample drawings and photos of what I wanted but whatever it was I wanted to be different from what was done before,” recollects the bride.
For the mehndi, they went with colourful bold look with candles and fresh flowers; for the haldi, a dreamy rosy look was chosen, and for the Choora ceremony peaches and whites colour chart with candles and mirrors and fresh flowers were the preferred choice.
Photography and Videography
The importance of photography is often underestimated for wedding festivities. But we suggest spending extra time and attention to decide on your photographer and videographer, because these will be your most cherished memories. “Both Kam and I agree that choosing Eyejogia was by far the best decision that we made while planning our wedding. They delivered beyond our expectations and it was quite clear from the first meeting itself that we got along extremely well. As they captured our wedding, everyone was at complete ease, quite unlike situations where people often feel conscious in front of the lens. The videographer Salshan also exceeded expectations and managed to capture the wedding. Everything has come out beautifully and chronicles all the emotions we felt during those precious moments.”
Couples Instagram: @sunitabhogalsidhu and @_drks_