Inside Tanya Chadha and Adhiraj Khanna’s beautiful mid-pandemic wedding in New Delhi

Finding a venue is inarguably the most crucial and the toughest part of planning a wedding. The date, decor, food and festivities all depend on it. But for Tanya Chadha and Adhiraj Khanna it was a breeze. After the New Delhi-based couple got engaged, they didn’t have to look far to find the perfect place to tie the knot. “I’d always dreamt of getting married in my own backyard. I’m so happy that we got to have the wedding ceremony at home. It felt so nice to leave from my own house, although it was a lot more emotional too as there are so many memories attached to it,” bride Tanya revealed about her big day in January 2021.

Ahead, the couple give us a peek into the celebrations in the capital. Read on for the details. 

Tanya and Adhiraj have known each other since they were just 13-year-olds. While they had been best friends all along, it wasn’t until a few years ago that their camaraderie turned into a strong relationship. “Adhiraj’s sister told me that he likes me. After I got over the initial shock, I wasn’t averse to the possibility of us getting together. We never imagined our relationship would evolve to this day, but it feels like a dream. Falling in love with your best friend is one of the most beautiful feelings ever,” reveals the bride. 

The coming together of two families usually brings with it the frenzy attached with Indian weddings (read: slew of meetings with vendors and shopping sprees with the bridal party). But the lockdown restrictions changed the planning process in a different direction. “With the COVID-19 outbreak, everything was very tentative. I knew that things were likely to change and I had to learn to go with the flow a little,” adds Tanya. “We started the process of planning in the early days of the pandemic. There was a lot of uncertainty and fear surrounding us. Planning a wedding in terms of guest lists, safety and how to get your loved ones all together under one roof was very difficult to navigate,” she admits. 

The silver lining, however, through it all was that the couple had always desired a low-key affair. “I’ve always wanted an intimate wedding with our closest friends and family there, and that’s exactly what our special day turned out to be. I wouldn’t have had it any other way, so in some ways the restrictions were a blessing for us.” 

Cut to January 20, 2021, the couple’s wedding celebrations kicked off with a sagan ceremony. “These rituals were of the groom’s side, and also included one where my mother-in-law [renowned wellness blogger Shagun Khanna] and sister-in-law put a phulkari on me,” reveals Tanya. A vibrant mehandi sundowner was hosted two days later on January 22. Energetic music, a packed dance floor, a bangle bar, a lavish table-setting for sit-down dinner, and all necessary precautions including monogrammed sanitisers set the tone for the soirée. 

The haldi ceremony, a day prior to the big day, started early in the morning. In keeping with the vibe, Tanya wore a yellow sari along with floral jewellery designed by Prune. “It was so beautiful and light—just what I wanted for the day. The bright pink blooms matched perfectly with the border of my haldi coloured outfit,” she adds. The then bride-to-be slipped into another yellow outfit for the chura ceremony that followed. 

The wedding ceremony, which according to Tanya was “intimate yet very beautiful”, was held on January 24 against an icy blue canopy on the sprawling gardens of the bride’s backyard. Since both families follow Sikh traditions and rituals, the couple got married in a traditional Anand Karaj ceremony. “Seeing Adhiraj,” Tanya says, was her most memorable moment from the big day. “He looked so handsome in a turban and it was also the first time I saw him dressed in one,” she adds.

Just like the ceremony, the classic theme translated into the decor and the carefully curated menu. Attention was also paid to ensure there wasn’t unnecessary waste from the festivities. So, the couple chose to go paperless with the wedding invitations. “We chose to do e-invites and not physical cards, since it’s more sustainable. We had EDC design invites from both sides.” As with most brides, the bidai was most emotional for Tanya. “Saying bye to your family and starting a new chapter brings out so many emotions, it’s bittersweet,” she confesses. The celebrations came to a close with a fun-filled reception in the evening. 

Tanya decided to add some sparkle to her mehandi sundowner by opting for a statement red lehenga by Falguni Shane Peacock and polki jewellery pieces designed by her aunt, whereas the groom complemented her in a navy blue kurta set by Raghavendra Rathore. For the Anand Karaj, she eschewed a lehenga and picked a silver sharara set by House of Kotwara instead. “Early on in the planning process, I knew I wanted to wear a sharara for the wedding day. I find them so graceful and effortless, and it was!” The bride styled her look with diamond jewellery, including an ornate necklace with matching chandelier earrings, matha patti and even a nath. 

The bride wore a gold lehenga by Dabiri and Adhiraj chose an achkan by Raghavendra Rathore for the reception. “His sense of style is simple and understated, which is what his outfits showed,” shares Tanya. “My jewellery for the sagan and reception came from my in-laws, and my mother-in-law designed each and every piece with Rhea Jain. She ended up getting me exactly what I would have chosen for myself and it all made me feel like a queen.” 

Given her eye for design, Tanya took charge of the decor and detailing. “Luckily, Adhiraj and I both shared the same vision for our wedding. He let me take over the planning completely as we both have similar taste in decor, but everything was a collective decision.” For decor, the couple got Q Events by Geeta Samuel onboard for the mehandi, haldi and wedding, whereas Vandana and Vedika Mohan of The Wedding Design Company were behind the sagan and reception. “The brief shared with them was to have simple and elegant decor with fresh, vibrant flowers,” Tanya shares. And the experts delivered just that. 

At the mehandi, guests were welcomed to an enchanted forest setting, with foliage, white flowers and ambient lighting via ornate chandeliers. At the haldi, the garden was done up in a sea of yellow blooms to keep up a sense of traditional festivity. The Anand Karaj saw a pastel set-up come to life with thousands of fresh flowers lined up on the aisle, as the backdrop, as installations, and even fragrant blooms in the pool scenting the ceremony. 

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