For a bride-to-be, little comes close to making that first impression on D-Day. No surprises then, that the bridal entry is everything. While being carried in on a palki is as royal as they get, it’s also all about being a modern maharani with sass today! Case in point, Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap’s daughter Aaliyah who recently made a stunning entry at her wedding to boyfriend Shane Gregoire when she walked in under a phoolon ki chadar with not her brothers, but her gal squad of bridesmaids. And she’s not alone. Time to whip open the focus 70-mm as planners, photographers and other event staff team their creative energies to come up with maximalist bridal entries that pack all the adrenalin and fun you can imagine! Planning your own do? Take a cue…
The Sky’s The Limit
For those who think they’ve seen it all, Revna Adani Raina’s, beauty founder’s bridal entry could be the stuff celluloid tinsel is made of! It was at the stunning Titanic Mardan Palace in Turkey, amidst the elegance and grandeur. As Revna held her father and brother’s hands, walking down the aisle on a beach shore, a paraglider soared above the scene, gracefully carrying the couple’s wedding hashtag in the sky. The sky lit up with the palpable sound of ocean waves added a beautiful rhythm to this procession. As her entry ensued, groom-to-be Anubhav Raina stood teary-eyed, completely lost in the moment as her entry played out. Says Anand Rathi, founder, Reels & Frames, “This wasn’t just an entrance; the bride wanted it to be a symbolic embrace of family, breath-taking scenery, and an unforgettable twist. It was literally like taking love to new heights and all this in a golden beach shore framing the scene. The entry made for the kind of moment you don’t just see, you feel; capturing that magic was a privilege.”
Here comes the bride… on horseback!
Now, here’s a question brides would love to ask: Why should grooms have all the fun? It was also the key concept at the intimate, 40-guest destination wedding of Nandini Chowdhury and Pritom Roy that took place by the serene, blue waters of Lago Maggiore, Italy. Akansha from Anand Vivaah, the planner for this wedding, came up with the idea of the bride making a grand entrance on horseback. It turned out to be a fabulous story. Recalls Sachin Patidar, co-founder of Knotting Bells who shot this, “This was such a fun entry! Set against the Victorian architecture of Lago Maggiore, Italy, the bride’s entry was nothing short of spectacular. Watching her—a Bengali bride holding a betel leaf—confidently stride through the streets on horseback was unforgettable. The moment even caused traffic to come to a halt, as onlookers were completely mesmerized.” It sure had its challenges as he admits, “Of course, making this moment happen wasn’t without its challenges. Getting the bride to mount and ride a horse while wearing a 25-kilogram lehenga was no small feat, but she pulled it off beautifully.”
She Arrived At Her Wedding In A Shikara
Imagine a wedding that steps straight out of a fairytale. That was in store for Diyana Khanyari and Faizan Sheikh. Both hail from Kashmiri families though they’d lived in different states – she was brought up in Mumbai, while he was brought up in Delhi. Love spilled into a lifetime of memories in the most beautiful way on their big day. The couple initially considered Lake Como, but finally brought it down to a celebration that tugged at their own roots as they zeroed in on the serene beauty of Kashmir. Srinagar became the perfect choice for the families and to embark on the special journey on D-day, Diyana chose to enter the wedding in a shikara on Dal Lake, with the majestic Zabarwan mountains as a backdrop. As it glided through the waters with Diyana looking resplendent in an ivory-beige lehenga, it made for an iconic moment that would last forever.
‘I Took Singing Lessons and Sang Two Songs For My Entry’
Entrepreneur Meghna Bajaj had the right chemistry in mind for her entry at her beautiful wedding to Tanay Bhimrajka and was vocal about it, pun intended! She says, “For my bridal entry, I always knew I wanted to do something truly special for Tanay. He’s a simple person who really treasures meaningful gestures made with time, effort and the little things in life. After spending so much time thinking about what I could get him for our wedding, eventually, I realized it’s not about giving him a thing — it’s about what I can do for him and so I wanted to have a special entry he would love. Six months before the wedding, I started taking singing lessons and after my training, I chose two songs: Can’t Help Falling in Love and Piya Tose Naina Lage Re.” Just five days before the wedding, Meghna finally walked into a recording studio to record the songs. “I was too nervous to sing it live,” she adds, “On the day itself, I had to time my walk down the aisle to make sure the song played long enough for the moment to really sink in. It felt so special.”
Royal Trail In A Palace
When fate brought together Harvard grad Oksana Prysyazhnyuk, Columbia and Harvard graduate, and Wharton Business School alumnus Siddhartha Sinha in San Francisco, little did they know they’d end up with a larger-than-life wedding in a palace no less! Their nuptials packed colour, fun vibes and royalty and guess what? It bucked tradition, too. Oksana decided to make her entry with a bridal baraat, that was lit with a smoke salute. Stunning and glamourous, it left guests in awe. Photographer Jayant Chhabra, Founder, Cupcake Productions, who captured all the essence and fun, says, “Oksana Prysyazhnyuk and Siddhartha Sinha are a Ukrainian-Indian couple and they were keen to blend tradition with a touch of modern elements in their wedding. Oksana was keen to commence the wedding celebrations with her closest girl gang and decided to enter the Umaid Bhawan Palace with her bridal baraat, which just beautifully symbolised their moment in a unique way.
