A fairy tale wedding for Shanil and Karishma

Tying the knot on February 8 this year, Shanil and Karishma Harilal have taken the joy of love to a whole new level.

Meeting

Shanil and Karishma met two years ago through family members, who thought they would make a good match.

Proposing

After being together for a year and knowing that Karishma was the woman for him, Shanil decided to pop the question.

Karishma explained that before he did, he decided to go about things the old-fashioned way.

“Shanil went old school and first asked my mom, Geetha, for my hand in marriage. A formal proposal followed with a meeting between our families, and the wedding date was set.”

Preparations

The couple started their wedding preparations a year ago with their families’ input.

“We knew exactly what concepts we wanted for all three days of the function,” said Karishma.

Karishma’s service provider custom made the décor according to her taste.

The three-day wedding ceremony started with an Arabian themed Mendhi/Sungeeth, the second day was the Hurdhee and the third day was concluded with the wedding ceremony.

Adding to the glitz and glamour, there was a pyrotechnics display, and radio personality, Jared Dukkhi was the MC for the wedding.

The wedding day

Taking place at the Newcastle Show Hall, the wedding had a peacock theme of purple, blue and gold, as shown in the drapes.

The background on the stage depicted peacock tail feathers and peacocks.

Adding to the visual effect of the decor, Shanil wore traditional attire, a cream and burgundy Sherwani that was bought in India, while Karishma chose her attire from a boutique in India. She wore a red and purple velvet bordered outfit, encrusted with silver, gold and Swarovski crystals.

400 guests attended the wedding, to share the special moment.

Invitations

The invitations depicted the theme of the wedding. The blue and green card was imprinted with a gold peacock and adorned with a Ganesha.

Rings

Wedding rings symbolise the commitment and love shared in marriage. Shanil chose a white gold wedding band with a diamond, while Karishma chose a yellow gold 38 diamond ring.

Meal

The guests were served vegetable biryani and dhal. with vegetable pickle and salad. Soji was served for dessert.

Wedding cake

The cake was a two-tier chocolate cake with an edible peacock on the top.

Souvenirs

Female guests were given a fan with the bride’s and groom’s names and wedding date on it.

The men were given key holders.

Honeymoon

After the wedding ceremony, the newly-weds dashed off to Drakensberg for a week.

The couple will be jetting off to Mauritius for their second honeymoon during April.

Message

“My message for Karishma is to remain as sweet and caring as she is. I am grateful to be marrying the woman of my dreams,” said Shanil.

“After my fairytale wedding, I look forward to begin this new chapter of my life with my amazing husband,” concluded Karishma.