Unita and Nikhil Abu Dhabi Destination Wedding

‘An arranged meeting turns into a life, love and laughter session and transforms into a beautiful companionship!’

  The Story

Unita and Nikhil were introduced to each other by their respective families as part of a lovely arranged marriage set-up. To put in their own words, it was a ‘love at the first meeting’ for them both. Conversations flowed easily, so much so that a two hours meeting turned into a six hours session of laughter, sharing stories and life experiences. Unita recalls this meeting and says, “ It was like I had known him forever. We both realized that we had the same outlook to life; we had unconventional but similar ideas on how we wanted to lead our lives, something neither of us had found in anyone until then. It all worked out beautifully, and we were officially engaged within a few months.”

Isn’t this wonderful?! 

The Proposal

When you’ve clicked with someone so well, then everything else becomes an extension. Hence, even in their case, there was no planned proposal as such as they both knew they wanted to be with each other forever. The decision to tie the knot was mutual. And this is how Unita and Nikhil set out on their nuptial journey with the blessings of their families and loved ones.

The Wedding

Their initial plan was to have a traditional Indian wedding, lots of guests and functions, in short, a big fat Indian wedding’ But once they started the planning process – scoping out venues and shortlisting vendors, it just didn’t feel right. It was turning into an affair that just wasn’t what they truly believed a wedding should be – small, intimate, and elegant. One day, after a long and exhausting day of wedding planning, they went out for a couple drinks. Unwinding over drinks they joked about scrapping the whole wedding and doing a holiday-wedding with just their immediate families instead – just parents and siblings. 

Reminiscing this shift in thought, Unita says, “ The more we talked about it, the more confident we felt. I suggested doing our pheras on this family holiday. I couldn’t think of a better way to be married, surrounded by those who matter the most to us. The next day, our idea still sounded good (even without the liquid courage of alcohol), so we made the decision to have a small destination wedding. Convincing the families was a challenge, but we prevailed. Nikhil and I consider ourselves blessed to have families that support us and put our happiness above all else.”

And that is how the breathtaking desert location of The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Abu Dhabi turned out to be their destination wedding venue. This grand palatial resort located literally in the middle of nowhere was an absolute dream! Unita expresses her joy and recalls, “ I had always wished to be married in a palace, and as luck would have it, I did (Qasr Al Sarab meaning Palace of Mirage). We organized everything from India itself via phone and WhatsApp. Our wedding was so peaceful and relaxed. No chaos, no stress, no drama. We were at ease, our families were at ease, and we could actually enjoy the function. I remember how serene it was – the elegant mandap, the beautiful quiet desert surrounding us, and the laughter of our families and the wedding mantras chanted by the pandit being the only sounds. And the icing on the ‘wedding’ cake – gorgeous pictures to serve as a memory of that monumental day.”

We truly couldn’t be more happier for this couple:)

Being a bridal stylist herself, Unita was quite particular about the look she wanted. In fact, another reason that pushed her towards an intimate and small wedding was the outfits. She says, “With a traditional wedding, I’d have to wear multiple heavy outfits, none that could be easily repeated. It’s not my style to be over the top and spend extravagant amounts on clothes that can’t be worn again. I genuinely believe in sustainability and wanted to stand out without being loud. Thankfully I found a partner who believes the same.”

 Hence our lady in love chose to wear a Sabyasachi floral lehenga that was literally out of dream – being luxurious, yet understated. Nikhil’s outfits were designed by Unita! And that is how both look perfectly colour-coordinated in burgundy, while the families were styled in gold and ivory. These colours were specifically chosen to go with the desert background. Everyone was styled in comfortable yet elegantly stylish outfits, which only added to the stress-free vibe.

And finally summing her intimate destination wedding in Abu Dhabi, Unita remarks, “For anyone on the fence about a traditional big wedding versus a really small and intimate one, I say, go with the latter. I had one even before it was the norm, and I have no regrets. You want your wedding day to be one that is joyful, you want to look into the faces of those who are genuinely happy to be there and share this big day with them. Nikhil and I did, and it was amazing.”

The Photographer

The team at Imprint Wedding Photographer was roped in as the wedding photographer for all the events. They captured each and every moment beautifully and the stunning images captured are a testimony to this fact. The couple recount having a very positive experience collaborating with the team.  

The Dream Team

Makeup –Aishaa Khan  

Outfits – Bride in Sabyasachi, Groom in DMode 

Venue – Qasr al Sarab