Inside celebrity stylist Sanjana Batra’s dreamy wedding in New Delhi

Sanjana Batra and Awral Beri’s almost-decade-long relationship was built on patience and pacing. “Although Awral and I had heard a lot about each other from our mutual friends, we never formally met. We coincidentally met in Goa in 2011, and instantly hit it off,” she reveals. Happily ever after, though, was a ways off. “After the trip, I came back to Mumbai, and he returned to New Delhi.” The two continued to remain in touch. The incessant messages and phone calls tallied their mutual connections, reinstating a sense that dating was inevitable. Still, two months would go by before the New-Delhi-based entrepreneur would ask Batra out.

Batra has worked with many celebrities over the years, including names like Athiya Shetty, Mouni Roy and Sanjana Sanghi. Her professional pursuits has entailed a significant amount of travelling across the world to style photoshoots and her clientele. “But I don’t think any of us meant to sign up for a long-distance relationship. Somehow, we both just knew there was something real and really solid between us. So, we shuttled between the two cities and made it work.”

The proposal

Batra and Beri were serious about each other from the get-go. “So we met the parents early on into the relationship,” the celebrity stylist discloses. “About six years later, Awral had formally asked my parents for their permission to marry me. I was scheduled to fly to Delhi one weekend but cancelled it last minute on a whim,” Batra recalls about how she dampened Beri’s original plan to pop the question to her. “A few days later, in February 2018, while I was speaking with him on the phone, my doorbell rang. To my pleasant surprise, Awral showed up in Mumbai. He got down on his knee to propose. It is one of my most cherished moments—it was sweet, personal and true to who we are as people,” she elaborates. The couple celebrated the milestone by taking a trip to the Maldives.

The pre-wedding celebrations in Jaisalmer

The couple was on the same page about getting married in their hometown in the capital. “But we were very keen to host a youngsters’ getaway for about 100 close friends and family members. During our initial recce to the city, we were instantly sold on the five-star property Suryagarh,” Batra tells us. The weekend affair was organised in December 2018. They enlisted Gurgaon-based planner Panodrama Events to help with the entire wedding line-up.

The welcome party

The #SanjPickedABeri festivities kicked off with a cocktail lunch for the wedding party. The bride-to-be chose a fuss-free outfit by Nupur Kanoi. Her choice: an emerald bandhini draped dress by the Kolkata-based designer. She rounded her look with a statement layered silver necklace by Azotiique by Varun Raheja, Kolhapuri-inspired wedges and a pair of sunglasses for the alfresco daytime celebration. “My sister and some of our friends made really heartfelt speeches. It was the perfect start to the weekend.”

The disco night

The celebrations continued with a disco-themed soirée. The decor and design of outdoor space mirrored the theme with disco balls and LED lights. In keeping with the vibe of the evening, Batra opted for a purple Zara Umrigar mini dress that was doused in sequins and crystals, while Beri complemented his bride in a black T-shirt with matching pants layered with a sequinned bomber jacket. Batra styled her number with a black belt and white pumps along with a layered necklace. The guests, too, including Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Raj Kundra and Parineeti Chopra and among others in attendance, danced the night away in their sparkly best ensembles.

The gypsy party

Post a lazy lunch, the couple hosted a closing party called ‘Gypsies of the Thar’. The space was festooned with vibrant elements like lanterns, candelabras, flowers and gold runners borrowed from Rajasthan, with fun-filled performances by local folk dancers and singers. For the evening, Batra found a winner in a pre-stitched rani pink sari by Ridhi Mehra, and Beri chose a navy bandhini bandhgala and white trousers. “We ended the party by lighting these beautiful lanterns. Everyone participated in it, so that made it extra special,” says Batra.

The sangeet and cocktail

A sangeet and cocktail party served as the perfect precursor to the main wedding. When it came to her bridal trousseau, for all the events Sanjana Batra’s only criteria was that the outfits should be timeless and she didn’t want anything OTT. “I was sure that I wanted to wear classic styles that would stand the test of time. For this evening, I had a particularly hard time narrowing down an outfit. I remember going to the Sabyasachi store on a work-related sourcing trip literally a month before the wedding. I instantly fell in love with this unique sapphire blue velvet floral lehenga. What I loved most about it was that it was understated and evoked an old-world influence to it,” the stylist tells us. A polki and emerald choker and chaandbali set by Sunita Shekhawat were the perfect finishing touches to the look.

The wedding ceremony in New Delhi

The backyard at the bride’s residence in the capital was the chosen wedding venue for the pheras. “It’s the house I grew up in, so I am really attached to it and have some of my most cherished memories here,” Batra chimes in, describing the thought-process to get married at home. It was also imperative for the couple to host an intimate and personalised wedding. “The main ceremony is forever going to be one of the most important occasions, so the idea was to be surrounded by people who we were closest to and those who are truly integral in our lives,” Batra reveals about their guest list that welcomed about 75-80 people including the brides clients-turned-friends Tamannaah Bhatia, Esha Gupta and others. Detailed thought was put into every element of the nuptials. Take the wedding invitation for example. “I curated a hamper to send out to our wedding party with some of my favourite things like candles from Niana Fragrances, a tea set from Sweet No Eight, chocolate barks from Gitana Singh and the invitation suite was designed by Sketch Studio,” the bride says.

Decorist Devika Sakhuja created a Victorian garden with thousands of blush, white and lilac blooms. Embracing the theme, the bride eschewed reds and instead opted for a light pink lehenga. “I was clear about wearing an Anamika Khanna outfit. I love her aesthetic and how she seamlessly combines both, traditional and modern elements. We requested our guests to wear pastel tones as well. Awral wore an ivory Raghavendra Rathore sherwani.” She topped off her bridal lehenga with a ruby and polki encrusted set from Bharani Jewellers, while a passa by Niaj by Shradha was the pièce de résistance of her look.

Scroll through to check out Sanjana Batra and Awral Beri’s complete wedding album

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