Let’s backtrack a wee bit, shall we? When I first thought of penning my journey, there was absolute chaos in my mind, given that it was right smack in the middle of a global pandemic. A voice in my head kept telling me to first mull over events during the months leading up to the wedding just to help put things in order (at least in a semblance of order!). Obviously, there is way too much to remember off hand and the devil, after all, is very much in the details… tch tch! So I gave it some thought, aligned my thoughts to sync with my fingers and here we are.
Have you ever wondered what goes on inside the head of a bride as D-day gets closer? Don’t bother. Uh uh.. Nope. Don’t even try. There is no one common assessment of the emotional state of said person and therefore, if said person is you - get on with it, do your thing and break a leg (not literally!)
Wedding Decor: Wedding Factory, Kochi
Groom’s outfit: FJ Designs, Kochi
Bride’s outfit: Seemati, Kochi
Let’s see now, If I had to describe my sangeet night in a word, I’d just have to coin / create one or maybe ‘retro’ is simplest. The entire setup was meant to cater to that theme and give our guests something to rock and roll with. The ‘flashback party’ as we called it had everything - the movie posters, typical ‘cinema tiggits’, the food, we got a couple of ‘soup boys’ - as the current lingo goes, to hover around the girls throwing ‘kadalai’ at them while standing at the ticket counter and guests grooved to old retro number as they walked in through the tackily-lit arches.
Wedding planners: Wedding factory, Kochi
‘Soup boys’ at the ticket counter to give you a full feel of the theme!
Sarvesh, my brother who emceed the whole event with his wittiness and charm!
All the girls dancing to the song ‘Kajra re’
Bride’s outfit: Seemati, Kochi
Abhinand and I arrived (like I always wanted to) in our most trusted stead - a ‘namma very own’ auto rickshaw and onto a minimally elevated checkered dance floor that was blaring cult hit, ‘Ilamai idho idho’. While my groom smashed his ensemble with a blazing blue jacket, bellbottom pants and by simply holding a cigar pipe, I was dressed to ‘kill it’. I not only managed to dance the night away, I did it wearing a 9 kg dress. Bride tip - footwear makes all the difference, pick one that cushions the soles of your usually ‘uncared for’ feet, so that you don’t kick yourself for not being prepared. My sneakers, I must say, were the best!
Groom’s outfit: FJ Designs, Kochi
Bride’s outfit: Seemati, Kochi
#shivgotabs Retro night - a flashback party
We are big on familial traditions - aunts, cousins, uncles, aunts, friends-like-family, so on and so forth. But, we had to keep it close and restricted for safety purposes (and govt mandates). Bummer, yes. But that didn’t mean we were not going to cater to the ‘demands of the night’. Dance is in my blood, maybe not literally, but it has grown with me, as any form of movement, I’d say. So it was a given, that the dance floor was going to bear the brunt of it all. My mum opened the night with a special choreo to "‘Kaise Pehli’, my brothers did one for ‘Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu’ with me and as it raced on, our parents danced on stage for the first time in their lives to perform the Malayalam number ‘Karale Karalinte Karale’, '!!! See what I mean when I say I have to coin words to describe my feelings? :’D
A dance off between the bride’s side and groom’s side!
The whole family dancing the night away to the tunes of the band ‘When Chai met toast’
The bride and groom with the band ‘When Chai Met Toast’!
In the fact that the dance floor was so full, and there was hardly any audience, doesn’t convey how crazy things got, then well, read the above paragraph again while looking at the pictures. Btw, ensure your photography team is briefed about the things you absolutely want covered without fail. I’ll give you more on that laters. But for now, this is a fun recaptcha of my stupidly fun ‘flashback party’. Phew! There is a lot more to talk about, so I’m gonna do it one insane event at a time because… well, a party with me never ends!
Check out the video below and leave a comment on what you think!
Photos & video credits: Studio A, Chennai
Choreographer: Ananya Shanker & Lavanya Shanker! (These guys managed to coordinate, choreograph, make my family practice, and plan out an entire real sangeet night sitting virtually in Chennai, thanks to technology)