Ishita + Luke by Jackie Chick Photography

I just wanted the weekend to look good, feel fun, and make sense together.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love… 

We’re two pretty opposite people who somehow make it work – living in London with our slightly mad working spaniel who was definitely not designed for city life but somehow thrives in it. We love a spontaneous city break, and I’m the kind of person who’ll book a trip based on one restaurant recommendation, and Luke would follow. One of us thrives on structure, the other just about remembers to charge their phone. And we’ll let you guess who’s who. Our weekends are usually a mix of dog walks that end at wine bars, making elaborate dinner plans, and trying to keep the dog from “hunting” squirrels in Hyde Park.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met during the first few weeks of uni at a very questionable house party in our halls. The vibe was… not it. Extremely sweaty, bad music, worse lighting. We ended up chatting and decided, on the spot, to relocate the party to Luke’s flat – rallied a bunch of people and somehow pulled it off. That chaotic little moment basically kick-started our whole story. First impressions? I’d just moved from Delhi and had never met anyone from rural Wales before – and here comes Luke, taking me on a supermarket run to buy Lambrini (classic lol but also a drink I had genuinely never heard of in my life). I found him hilarious from the start – completely different world, but weirdly easy to talk to. He thought I seemed really sweet and innocent (LOL), which didn’t last long.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).

I didn’t really go into it with some huge creative vision or theme. I just wanted the weekend to look good, feel fun, and make sense together. The welcome dinner was the colourful, chaotic, full-of-energy bit – lots of bold florals, and proper Indian wedding vibes. I wanted that night to feel loud and joyful and celebratory from the second people arrived. The main wedding day was more pared-back, contemporary, and a bit calmer, yet still with personality. I didn’t want anything overly traditional or super polished – just something that looked beautiful without being overly “done”. Somehow, our planner and florist managed to tie both days together without it feeling like two completely different events. There wasn’t a mood board for every detail, but I knew what didn’t feel right, and luckily had people around who understood that and just ran with it. 

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

Our venue did a lot of the heavy lifting. We didn’t have to force a style onto the space – each corner already had its own vibe, which made planning a whole weekend of events so much easier. We used different areas for each day, so nothing ever felt repetitive. The scenery just kind of changed with us. Our florist was the real MVP, though. She managed to make sense of my last-minute mood boards and vague requests. She pulled off these brilliant floral arrangements that made everything feel thought through without being overdone. We didn’t bother with loads of props or hired décor — we just let the space and the flowers do their thing. Honestly, less effort, more impact. Would recommend. 

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

The best part was hands down working with the right suppliers – and I genuinely think that made all the difference. Once you’ve got people around you who you trust and actually get along with, everything just becomes easier. Our planner, Josh, was an absolute hero. I didn’t give him much to work with (my Pinterest boards were in shambles), but he somehow made sense of the chaos and turned it into something cohesive. On the day, he was everywhere – making sure people were getting their henna done, nudging guests to eat when they were too busy chatting, sorting suppliers, handling the unexpected – he was basically running the show without ever making it feel like a show was being run.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people – every single one of them brought something brilliant to the weekend. I found Jackie (our photographer) online, saw her work, and immediately knew I wanted her. I wasn’t even sure if she shot weddings in France, but after our first call, I was completely set. Luke and I aren’t exactly camera people, but she made everything feel relaxed, gave us gentle direction, never forced anything, and the photos are just stunning.

Natasha (The Forks), our caterer, deserves a crown. She didn’t just get the brief – she somehow made all our food dreams come true across three completely different days. My makeup artist felt like an old friend within hours, and we promised to stay in touch. And my hair artist and I didn’t speak the same language, but she absolutely nailed every look on the weekend, no stress, no fuss. Our celebrant came up with the best ceremony from bits and pieces of unorganised information that we gave her. I picked people whose energy I genuinely liked and who I trusted to just get on with things – and that’s exactly what they did.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

I chose my outfit before we’d even decided what kind of wedding we were having. My wedding dress pretty much set the tone for everything else. I wasn’t sure if we were going down the Indian route or something more traditional/Western for the main wedding day, but once I had the outfit, it sort of nudged the whole wedding in a certain direction. It wasn’t particularly trendy or flashy – just something that felt like me and something I could wear all day and into the evening. I did go all out for the Indian welcome night, though – colour, sparkle, chaos. It was such a nice contrast between the two days. 

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

Food, 100%. We are obsessed with food, and with so many guests flying in from India, we knew we couldn’t let that part slide. Indian weddings are basically just extended eating marathons with some dancing in between, so it was our top priority from day one. We were actually really nervous going in, especially because it was Natasha’s first time catering an Indian event. But honestly, she absolutely blew us away. Every single detail – the menus, the flavours, the variety across all three days – was spot on. People were going back for thirds. Even the guests from India were asking for recipes.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Our first night – the Indian welcome party/Sangeet – was something else. Our friends and family had put together full-on Bollywood performances, which were hilarious and surprisingly impressive. Some of them had never even been to an Indian wedding before, let alone danced to Bollywood music – but they still smashed it. The effort, the enthusiasm, the choreography (questionable in places, but iconic) – it was all so much better than we could’ve imagined. Afterwards, we weren’t sure if everyone would be up for dancing to Indian music, but within five minutes, every single person was on the dance floor. We were obsessed. Seeing people who had no idea what they were doing still give it 100% – dressed in Indian outfits they’d probably panic-bought online – was just the best thing ever.