“If you just make safe choices, you never really grow!”
– Vikram Mehta, Mpire Weddings
Planned by Mpire Weddings, Mohit and Richa’s lavish wedding festivities took place at the Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa in the ‘Land Of Smiles’, Thailand. Read on to find out all about their journey of love and the gorgeous beach wedding that wowed one and all!
The Meet-Cute
Mohit and Richa first met 10 years ago at Richa’s cousin’s birthday party. Over the years they occasionally met and every meeting led to interesting conversations. During their college days, Richa would shuttle between Dubai and Italy, while Mohit was studying in Virginia, US. Their unplanned meetings got more frequent post that and they realized they had a connection, which they did not admit it to each other. Mohit always thought marriage was not a necessary aspect of life, but he knew if he were to pursue Richa, it would lead to marriage eventually. This was when he began to ignore her and avoided social gatherings to dodge her. To top it, she was also his friends’ sister, so he believed that the ‘bro code’ had to be maintained! But the ignoring phase clearly didn’t go on for long and love won!
Destination Lockdown
Initially, the couple wanted a beach wedding, but as we proceeded, they realized that their dream wedding had to include many other factors too – It had to be private, personal, relaxed and minimal, not flashy or extravagant. They had very few events in mind, but a different venue for each one. Once those conditions were met, we had to ensure that their guests were happy and felt like they were on a holiday. The Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa in Thailand provided just the right balance of beautiful panoramic views, spacious rooms, and most importantly mouth-watering food.
Planning The Celebrations
“We were very busy before the wedding, but as soon as we got to the venue, we were left to enjoy the festivities, thanks to Mpire Weddings. The team made sure that all that was communicated to them was executed. Mpire Weddings brought their A-game to our wedding, and we were extremely lucky to have signed them on as our wedding planner.”
– Mohit, The Groom
There was no going by the books for Richa and Mohit, which helped us create a lot of firsts at an Indian wedding! The first afternoon, after a quick lunch, we proceeded to the Sundowner, which was by the Island View Beach. We had low TP stalls, bohemian style beds, and wooden boxes instead of the traditional dining tables. We had created a long swing under a secluded tree by the beach. This became a photo booth for most couples, and something that caught everyone’s attention as it was deliberately placed so that it would be hard to sight first, and then it slowly shone through when the sun set. We also had a unique concept of four different bars, each one served one specialty liquor.
The party continued indoors into an event called the After Hours. For this, we got the entire banquet masked in black from top to bottom and set up over 4000 fairy lights. We had surprise family performances here, as originally the couple wasn’t averse to the idea of a typical Sangeet. This really added an element of surprise for the couple.
The next morning, we started off with an optional yoga session for the guests. Late afternoon, we had the first ever-combined wedding procession (baraat). The groom and his entourage started off from one side of the hotel with a set of live musicians, while the bride and her entourage did the same from the other. The two converged at one point after which a common baraat came down to the beach. The foliage mandap was made of acrylic materials, once again a first for almost every guest at the wedding. The setting was breathtaking with a cold breeze, pristine shore and blue skies by the beach. Since the overall wedding vibe was contemporary and chic, the couple insisted on a make shift massage spa by the venue of the ceremony.
The Sit-Down Dinner that followed had the entire lawn (atop a hill) at the Marriott lit up with a string of lightbulbs from the ceiling. This set up took us a good 36 hours, as we had a concept of unique tablescape structures. We also set up a giant hashtag, #RICHMOHITCHED overlooking the entire setting. The couple started with a typical first dance that turned into a performance with medleys, quick footed and well-choreographed numbers.
Since none of us had enough, we had a final hurrah that night, as an After Party at the Sync Bar This went on till wee hours with no theme, no dress code. The bash was just for the guests to let their hair down and celebrate a beautiful, memorable weekend!
Vendor List
Venue: Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, Thailand
Wedding Planner: Mpire Weddings
Decor: Kanoknit Decor
Bride’s Outfits: Shantanu & Nikhil (Sundowner), Avvantika S Parrwani (Wedding)
Groom’s Outfits: Sartor Men (Sundowner), Shimul Doshi (Wedding)
Makeup Artist: Jamini Bhambri
Photography: The Lightsmiths
