Theirs was a long closeness, stemming from their families being associated even longer. As children, Ria and Vedant would regularly breeze into each other’s houses, laugh, play and dine together, and become repositories of secrets that no other soul would ever know.

The bond cemented through their teen years and later too while studying at the same university in the UK. But it wasn’t until they moved back home that a spark of love ignited their relationship. They soon realised they were destined to be soulmates. Their comfort levels were high and of the essence for both — the comfort of a familiarity spanning generations; the comfort of having matching mindsets; the comfort of having interwoven lives and yet being their own person.

This sense of contentment radiated to their families, making the big day a truly easy-going, joyous occasion. Before we knew it, we had all become part of their clan. The three-day wedding brought out the best in the two fun-loving, warm and excited families as they aimed to derive a pleasurable high from the event, interestingly in the lowest point on Earth — the Dead Sea. This water body keeps one afloat no matter what, akin to the buoyancy that the couple had experienced through the years.

Arrivals

Bring on Jordan, and how! The wedding guests from around the world caught the vibes of the mystical land instantly as the sounds from a Jordanian band’s shababas and arghuls engulfed the corridors of The Kempinski Ishtar.

The SUNDOWNER

Kickstarting the madness that night was a beautiful sand ceremony in which Ria & Vedant poured the granular material, in a variety of colours, from their individual vessels into a bigger urn. The message here: “Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so too shall their marriage and family forever be intertwined.”

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THE MEHENDI

Candy floss aka cotton candy, anyone? The retro-themed Mehendi had this savoury as its focal element. And also everything else from costumes, drinks and food flaunting that ‘pop’!

The Sangeet

The musicians worked their charm, bringing the desired mellifluity to the Sangeet programme. The tempo soon picked up, adding numbers to the dance floor and momentum to the dance moves. It was an all-nighter of a party soon. We didn’t hear anyone complaining.

The GHARI PUJA

The wedding day began with traditional Sindhi rituals. Close family and relatives blessed the couple with an application of ‘haldi’ and showers of blessings.

The DRESSUP

Ria and Vedant took time out before the exchange of vows to deck up and relax in front of the camera. The lensman had a field day clicking some stunning shots of the couple posing in front of the peach-pink facade of The Kempinski Ishtar. Just the aperitif before the main course, what say?

The Baraat

The groom’s squad made it into the Varmala fronted by zany performers and an ornate vintage car. They had to make their presence felt with much ‘shor’.

The Varmala

We are incapable of judging who did better, but Ria made a jaw-dropping entry in a dream-like, flower-adorned boat as excited family and friends looked on.

The Wedding Ceremony

With Israel’s shimmering lights on the horizon, the nuptials were completed on a stellar stage overlooking the Dead Sea.

The Reception

This Petra-themed event was the grand finale of the rollercoaster of a wedding. Sky fireworks, eclectic artist performances, speeches by friends and family and much dancing rounded off the occasion as the newly-weds embarked on their journey of togetherness.