Aakash & Karen Bali : This bride wore the same lehenga as Deepika Padukone on her D-day and looked like a billion bucks!

A surreal seaside location, a dreamy wedding mandap, and a bride who upped her glam quotient by flaunting a Deepika Padukone-inspired lehenga. 

Scroll down to know how the two lovebirds tied the knot on the beautiful beaches of Bali…

How it all started?

It all began at New York University. Karen and Aakash would ‘accidentally’ run into each other, all thanks to their mutual friends who would search for new excuses each time to get them together. 

Once they ran into each other, again ‘accidentally’ 😛 on New Year’s Eve. This supposedly accidental ‘bumping into each other’ got both of them talking on the phone and texting each other for hours. In February 2011, Karen mustered the courage to finally ask Aakash out for a date, their first-ever date. However, this was just the beginning!

After four years of a long-distance relationship, and being together for about eight years, Aakash finally proposed to her in New York City. 

It was a heartwarming proposal as he chose to pour his heart out to her at Washington Square Park, where they first met. 

About the lovebirds

The bride, Karen says, “I am pretty loud and bold, and Aakash is considerably polite and shy. We are a couple who works really hard, but we also have a passion for travelling, exploring new places and trying out new things. Most people say that we balance each other perfectly and make one another happy- that’s why we are in love!”

Wedding Planning

“I did most of the planning, but Aakash was responsible for the food and alcohol section. Since we were in the US, we were lucky to find Eventures to help us with all the wedding planning in Bali. 

Vanessa and Vishal from Eventures spent a lot of time with Aakash and me, trying to figure out what we were envisioning for each event. They were always available for a chat over Whatsapp or over the phone, despite us being in the US and they being in Bali. Their whole team is incredibly kind, welcoming, and not to forget, extremely light-hearted. This made the wedding planning process less stressful and more fun. Thanks to their detailed and organised vendor relation management, everything was executed flawlessly. We are so grateful to have worked with them! 

The Wedding Festivities

Karen and Aakash wanted an intimate wedding. They wanted everyone to get to know each other and have a blast at the affair! Moreover, they were keen to have a family-friendly environment since many of their friends and relatives have children.

Mehendi and Sangeet

The mehendi and sangeet was a relaxed, chilled-out affair with loads of colour and some stunning decor elements. The function witnessed casual seating arrangements like cabanas with comfy little bean bags, sofas, and cushions. The highlight of the ceremony was a station with coconuts for guests, which had the wedding hashtag engraved on them. Now, that is something we call out-of-the-box!

Karen flaunted her gorgeous mehendi design. Post the mehendi, they had a sangeet that witnessed everyone grooving to some dhamakedaar beats! 

The bride wore a blue short blue lehenga, replete with gota patti work. The bride dropped the dupatta and went in for a short blue jacket over the blouse instead. She kept her jewellery minimal with only a pair of gold danglers and tucked in some lovely flowers into her messy bun. Aakash kept it simple and chic with an offwhite kurta and churidar, paired with a blue bandhgala jacket.

Wedding

The star of the show was Karen, who dazzled head-to-toe in her Deepika-inspired lehenga by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. She paired her red and gold heavily embellished lehenga with a statement gold and green rani haar, a matching choker and earrings. She kept her makeup minimal and added a traditional touch with a red bindi. 

Aakash kept it subtle with a cream sherwani and churidar. 

The wedding decor was ethereal and the mandap set up by the sea looked like a dream!

The mandap was bedecked with ferns, foliage and a mix of red and white flowers. Cutesy floral signage and wooden boxes with exotic blooms upped the ante. Post the wedding ceremony, the couple hosted a sit-down dinner for everyone.  

Reception

The reception stage looked gorgeous with a green background bedecked in pastel blooms! Since the couple likes to travel, a few decor elements were inspired by that. There were pastel hot air balloons used as ceiling decor and the two-tier bespoke gold and ivory cake had the world map on it. 

Karen looked nothing short of a Disney princess in a pretty white lehenga, while Aakash wore a crisp tuxedo. 

Dream Team

Photography- Axioo Bali and Donnywu

Video- Pacific Pictures

Venue- Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua

Wedding Planner- Eventures

Decor- Butterfly Event Styling

AV & DJ- Danny Dinani

Catering- Queen’s Catering

Bride’s outfits:

Sangeet- Papa Don’t Preach by Shubika

Wedding- Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Wedding Dinner- Payal Singhal

Reception- Archana Kochar

Groom’s outfits-

Sangeet- Pawan and Pranav

Wedding- Custom made- raw silk (Style by Susmita)

Wedding Dinner- Anita Dongre

Reception- Hugo Boss Full Canvas 3 piece suit

MUA/Hair- All curated by the creative and very talented, Susmita Patel.