Photographed by - @dhanikachoksiphotography
Wedding Planning - @panodramaevents
DJ - @djajmumbai
MUA-@rounickarimonn & @hairbysantosh
Filmed by - Rock Paper Scissor Films
Location - @theleelapalaceudaipur
Some wedding celebrations feel like they were meant for a particular place. Set on the shores of Lake Pichola, The Leela Palace Udaipur became more than a wedding venue for Anisha and Will, it became the setting for an entire week of celebration.
Their story began much earlier, at the University of Pennsylvania, where they met and eventually spent seven years together before Will proposed. What followed was a proposal filled with a little misdirection, a lot of family, and one wonderfully unexpected surprise.
"We are so thankful to Dhanika and her amazing team for capturing such a special moment in our lives. I knew from the first zoom call we had, that she understood my vision and would bring a lot of happiness with her amazing energy to our wedding.
Dhanika was incredible to have around - not only did she make the entire process of photo sessions feel enjoyable and seamless, but she was always making sure I was doing okay and just added such a positive presence in some very stressful moments."
A Proposal Seven Years in the Making
After proposing to Anisha, Will suggested a no-phones dinner so the two of them could simply savour the moment together before telling anyone.
Anisha, however, negotiated one exception.
Her parents lived in London and she knew they would soon be going to bed, so she asked for one group video call with her family. Everyone appeared to be calling from different places, which seemed perfectly ordinary at the time.
Until they returned home from dinner.
Waiting for them was Anisha’s family, who had flown in from the United Kingdom to Philadelphia to celebrate with the couple.
“I have never been so surprised in my life,” Anisha recalls.
With their families spread across the world, having everyone together in that one moment made the proposal even more meaningful. Will knew how much family meant to Anisha, and bringing them together became one of the first beautiful chapters of their wedding story.
Finding Their Way to Udaipur
Saying yes to Will was easy.
Choosing where to get married was considerably harder.
The couple envisioned an Indian wedding with elements of Western traditions, and initially considered celebrating somewhere closer to the United States or Europe. But they eventually decided that there was something incomparable about bringing their families to India for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
Anisha’s mother took on the important task of exploring venues that could bring together three things they cared deeply about: intimacy, Indian heritage and understated grandeur.
Then came the call from Udaipur.
From The Leela Palace Udaipur, overlooking the serene waters of Lake Pichola, Anisha’s mother simply said:
“Anisha, this is it.”
And it was.
Our theme for the Sangeet welcome party was “Bollywood Royalty” and this Shaveta & Anuj lengha made me feel like just that! I felt like a glistening emerald all night.
Will wore a beautiful navy suit from Shantanu & Nikhil. We loved the cut of the collar and how it was lined with a subtle leather trim—it felt modern yet classic. Don’t let these smiles fool you: This was right before the Sangeet dances and we were both nervously trying to practice the steps in our heads!
Our friends and family wholeheartedly embraced the tradition of the Sangeet, an event where friends and family from both the bride and groom’s side engage in a friendly dance competition, and traditionally symbolizes the breaking of ice between the two sides. All credit goes to our choreographer Chetan Rajani, who conquered the seemingly impossible task of coordinating countless Zoom rehearsals across multiple time zones.
The mehndi was to be colorful and floral. When she saw her Sahil Kochhar dress in the shop window in Delhi, “it just sparked joy and made me so happy,” Anisha says. “The dress, which was really a work of art, was a strapless lavender gown with a rainbow of colorful flowers hand-sewn in 3D appliqué.” It was also a nod to her hometown of Kew Gardens, outside London.
t was hard to find the right outfit for Will that would complement my dress, while being special enough in its own right for the groom. We decided on this light blue Arjan Duggal suit jacket, which was beautifully embroidered and picked up on some of the blue flowers in my dress.
Family! One of my favourite photographs ever.
Our photographer, Dhanika Choksi, and her wonderful team were incredibly patient, thoughtful, and present throughout our wedding. They made us feel so comfortable and captured our day so beautifully, not just the moments, but the emotions, the little details, and everything in between.
We’ll cherish these photographs forever.
Getting ready with my sister, Raina. My aunt, who has an incredible jewelry company called Atelier Mon, made my wedding jewelry and it was so special to be able to wear her creations on the big day.
While we didn’t have traditional bridal parties, we each got ready with our closest friends and siblings the morning of the wedding. I gifted my ladies these cotton robes from Anokhi to get ready in, while Will gave each of his friends a pair of elephant cufflinks with their initials on it.
This was right after the girls all saw my outfit for the first time—it felt surreal that it was all happening, but it was the perfect, relaxed morning I had hoped for.
“Indian brides traditionally wear red, but I felt pulled to a lighter color, something that felt more delicate and soft,” Anisha says of her ceremony look. At Seema Gujral’s showroom, she found a selection of cream, gold, and silver lehengas and fell in love with an ivory one. “For the reception, we wanted to change into more Western looks, but I was so in love with my wedding lehenga that I couldn’t bear the thought of only wearing it for a few hours,” Anisha shares. “I had the crazy idea to ask Seema Gujral if they could create a strapless bodice that, when paired with the skirt of my lengha, would give the effect of a one-piece gown. Even though they hadn’t done something like this before, the team immediately agreed and started sketching. They did such a phenomenal job and brought my vision to life.”
Will wore an ivory sherwani suit, also by Seema Gujral, that had a muted gold panel around the bottom, which tied in beautifully with the gold of my outfit. He completed the outfit with a multi-layered antique pearl necklace that was my grandmother’s, and Seema Gujral slippers.
The first look! This took place in the gardens on the Leela’s suite level, and it felt like we were elevated in the treetops of a lush, green wonderland.
Soaking in the moment before going separate ways for the start of the ceremony.
We were so happy with how all our outfits for the wedding came together. While all the other events were filled with bold and fun colors, I wanted the wedding day aesthetic to be ethereal, soft and romantic. Our immediate families wore shades of light pink, light green and cream; I love how harmonious all the looks are, without having been too coordinated or matchy.
My sister, Raina, is my best friend and I could not have gotten through wedding planning or the wedding itself without her. She looked absolutely breathtaking in every outfit, and is as beautiful on the inside as she is out the outside.
The flower-filled mandap, which is the ceremonial structure under which the wedding takes place. We had our wedding ceremony in The Leela’s Guava Gardens, a perfect space filled with guava trees and the beauty of Lake Pichola as a backdrop.
We found ways to make the wedding our own, incorporating a few elements that were important to us but not traditionally part of an Indian ceremony, such as writing our own vows and having my father walk me down the aisle. It was an emotional moment for all of us, and one we will never forget!
The exchanging of floral garlands—or the Jaimala—is a traditional part of a Hindu ceremony. It represents an exchange of acceptance, love, and respect between the bride and groom. We gave all our guests a fan for the ceremony that had little text on it with short explanations of all the different Hindu rituals, so that they could follow along with the meaning of each part.
We walked back down the aisle to “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole, a song I have loved since my obsession with The Parent Trap began as a child.
We did a quick outfit change after dinner and then hit the dance floor! Will wore a classic tux from Ralph Lauren and looked so handsome. I worked with the team at Seema Gujral to create a custom bodice that I could wear with the skirt part of my wedding lengha to create the illusion of it being an evening gown. It allowed me to enjoy my wedding outfit for longer, while still changing up the look.
One final change for the after-party! I absolutely loved this lavender embellished mini dress from 16Arlington and thought the high neck was so chic.
Impromptu photoshoot in the hotel’s stunning Library Bar before we headed to the afterparty.
“Drinks kept flowing, and we had the best late-night comfort food, including fries for the Frys, of course!”
We danced the night away and never wanted it to end. The perfect finale to a wonderful few days of celebrations!
For couples dreaming of a destination wedding in Udaipur
There is something about Udaipur that photographs differently.
Perhaps it is the light falling across Lake Pichola. Perhaps it is the palaces, gardens and quiet corners that make even a grand celebration feel intimate. Or perhaps it is simply the feeling of bringing everyone you love to one beautiful place and giving yourselves the time to be together.
For Anisha and Will, The Leela Palace Udaipur became exactly that, a place where seven years of love could be celebrated with family and friends from around the world.
And for us, the privilege was in documenting not only how their wedding looked, but how it felt to be there.
