Mehandi & Shivam's destination Indian wedding at The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur

Mehandi & Shivam are opposites in so many ways, and yet so similar in some.

Mehandi can light up any room she is in, spreading so much love around, it is unbelievable. On the other hand, you will find Shivam in the same room, in the middle of his closest friends, trying to stay out of the spotlight.

And then Mehandi will find him and pull him onto the dance floor, and you will see what love is.

We were incredibly fortunate to document Mehandi & Shivam’s story, working alongside some great people & teams who wove their magic to make this a one-of-a-kind celebration. The list of all the professionals we worked alongside is at the end of this photo story.

The celebrations started with a brunch on day one

The celebrations have just begun. Mehandi has arrived at the venue a little earlier than Shivam did, but as soon as he arrives, she is drawn to him

Remember what we said about Shivam being a little shy?

Nupur Pant and her band managed to bring him to the dance floor though

"Boliyaan!" Someone calls out and one of Shivam's friends takes over

One by one, every person related to Mehandi & Shivam, and including Mehandi & Shivam themselves, is called for a jig on the dance floor

These little personal touches go a long way into making the wedding a close knit, personal experience for the bride & groom. Anyone would love it when that happens

Day One // The Evening Sangeet

Just look at that incredible detail by the folks at The Wedding Design Company

The reason why Mehandi is incredibly special, is because she makes every person around her feel special. Just look at that smile!

On top of that, she is incredibly graceful

So Mehandi danced with her girls

... and Shivam danced with his boys

And then it was time for both of them to take the stage together

Both these images were shot on a Lensbaby (a manual lens with an unpredictable plane of focus). This makes the photos look a little dreamy & surreal, in the right circumstances

Almost at the end of their dance, Mehandi completed the twirl effortlessly

And then seemed to forget something (the dip, maybe); so she adorably covered her face and laughed while Shivam started applauding

These reactions are completely in the moment, and they are so endearing!

Our favourites, Bryden & Parth and their choir took the stage shortly after

It's always a pleasure documenting weddings where these guys weave their magic

Every single person there is either on the dance floor, or wishing they were

After a point, incredible things started happening

The best memories from a wedding are when things happen spontaneously

At some point that night, Mehandi and Shivam ended up in an airborne kiss! This is how it happened.

Spontaneously, Shivam's friends picked him up

Mehandi's cousins saw this and picked her up too, in response

Now both of them realised this and started reaching out for each other

It wasn't easy

But they finally made it, and everything was beautiful!

The next morning was cold when it came to temperature, but warm thanks to all the love there

As the haldi began, the flutist started playing & the birds answered

Mehandi at her haldi - sorry, we couldn't resist :P

The haldi is one celebration, where the amount of love you have for a person is directly proportional to the mayhem you cause

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction

The flower shower that came after the haldi was never ending, and painted everything (and everyone) in white and pink!

It was glorious!

The Wedding

A groom usually gets ready on his own, Shivam did too, but he had a sizeable audience observing the process

We got a chance to meet Elton, who is not just incredibly talented, but also really sweet & humble

At the baraat, some danced...

...and some enjoyed the warmth of the Sun in the lawns

Mehandi & Elton were so in sync, that it didn't take a lot of time for her to get ready

So we were able to find enough time to make portraits in-between

In the meantime, the baraat reached the venue

And Mehandi was ready to meet her groom

Mehandi walked toward Shivam, led by her brothers

Thanks to the incredible planning & management by The Touchwood Group’s team, both of them experienced this moment fully, without any interruptions or visual barriers

It was Shivam's turn to experience a tiny flower shower, before these two walked to their mandap, family & friends in tow

Mehandi's cousins & friends did a final check on her lehenga and then her sisters led her to the mandap, where Shivam had already begun his part of the ceremony

Just look at how she smiles when she meets him

And look at how he smiles in turn, when her hand is placed in his

The bittersweet nature of the emotions of the bride's family goes through always tugs at our heartstrings

We try to approach it with as much sensitivity as we can, sometimes documenting it, sometimes not; all depending on what feels right at that time

Shivam was clearly surprised with the amount of flowers coming his way from their families, as they completed their wedding vows

The last evening of Mehandi & Shivam’s wedding celebrations began with Jubin Nautiyal serenading the audience

He began to sing Mehandi's favourite songs as Shivam and her arrived at their reception

Which eventually led to this cute kiss

And an even cuter reaction!

Jubin started singing ‘agar tum saath ho’ and that line instantly touched everyone’s soul

An artist always loves giving back more than what you give them

When Jubin saw what was happening, he invited Mehandi & Shivam on stage

And then he sang 'dil ka dariya...'

It was a beautiful, emotional rollercoaster

Now married, Mehandi & Shivam put their knot opening & ring finding skills to test the next morning

The best part about these games is that no matter who wins, the laughs are hale and hearty, and continuous!!

Thank you, Mehandi & Shivam. We wish you all the happiness in the world!

Planned by The Touchwood Group
Decor by The Wedding Design Company

Makeup
- Gaur Pooja & Haldi: Geet Sukhani
- Sangeet: Bhavya
- Wedding: Elton Fernandez

Music
- Sangeet: Bryden & Parth with the Choir
- Reception: Jubin Nautiyal

Choreography: YSDC

Photo & Film by team Sam & Ekta: Rupesh, Manish, AJ, Nitesh, KP, Abdul, Jaydip, Ekta & Sam