From Dil Mil To Down The Aisle: Angeli & Sanjay's Real Wedding - Eternity
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From Dil Mil To Down The Aisle: Angeli & Sanjay’s Real Wedding

16th January 2024

Welcome to Real Weddings: where we speak to real couples about their wedding planning process, the lead up to the big day, and any advice they have for couples currently planning their wedding. 

In this feature, we spoke to Angeli & Sanjay about their beautiful wedding ceremony in Leicester. The pair met on Dil Mil a number of years ago and had an instant spark that felt like home.

Photography by Dino Jeram & Lucky Dhillon Photography.

ABOUT THE COUPLE

How would you describe your wedding planning process in a few words?

Evolving, Meticulous, Memorable.

How did you meet?

“I am the beginning of the end, the end of every place. I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. What am I?” 

I’m pretty sure that the moment Sanjay sent this message on Dil Mil, he had no idea that it would lead us to this moment. The first time I saw him, we were both looking for each other in Kings Cross station. I remember glancing over at him as he walked through the barrier and thinking, “Oh, wow, he’s tall.” I guess a phone screen doesn’t really do justice to one’s height, esp. on an app designed to encourage split second decision making: right or left. I’d asked him to plan the best date ever in just one week and what do you know, he passed! From delicious food to champagne to Disney to ice-cream in the snow, our first date ticked all the boxes. But after the craziest morning (heavy snowfall, surviving the icy drive to my flat, a one hour train delay) and the most perfect date, one key thing caught my attention and it surprised me in fact. After all, we’d only been talking for a few weeks and this was our first meet in person. But for some unknown reason, being with Sanjay felt just like home.

Sanj’s Side of the Story:

“She looks much better than the pics!”

How did you / he propose?

Sanjay planned a surprise proposal on Jumeirah Beach followed by a party with the family. My parents and brother had flown in to surprise me! It was honestly the best proposal I could’ve ever wished for! 

Read about our proposal story on Dil Mil.

What was your favourite part of the wedding planning process?

My favourite part about wedding planning is the same as my favourite part about creating content. Having a vision and then watching it come alive in front of my eyes. And I have my Mum, my brother and my incredible vendors to thank for this! I share snippets of my wedding along with tips and dance tutorials across my socials (YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok) and I’m so excited to share more of our wedding story with everyone this year. 

What was one thing you wish you did differently during your wedding / planning process?

Because I was planning for so long during COVID, I went through every change of mind I could’ve possibly had. So overall there’s nothing major that I would change about the day or the planning process. 

What was the trickiest part of your wedding planning process?

Constantly going against the grain to create something unique and meaningful.

I did this for each of my events to make each moment memorable and meaningful for us (as the couple) and our parents. There’s more than this but here’s a few examples: I had a marathi theme haldi, a jaggo instead of a garba, a bidaai dance, I choreographed and taught a storyboarded performance, and we used the antarpat and did the garland exchange differently instead the traditional Gujarati process. What was difficult about it was explaining the idea that was in my mind.

It’s an amalgamation of different ideas that you’ve seen and new things in your mind. But I had incredible vendors that carried my vision through and they had fun with it! Also my Mum really helped make sure the little things were perfect and my brother produced all of the music for the ceremony, entrances and performances up to one year in advance. And the guests loved it on the day! They enjoyed each event and each surprise and so everyone’s hard work really paid off. 

Would you have benefitted from a platform like Eternity UK, whilst planning?

 So I actually used a variety of wedding planning apps based in India and the UK to do a big chunk of my planning and research, especially because I was planning during COVID and I couldn’t go to venues or try on outfits. At the time I really wished there was an app for south asian weddings in the UK. It would’ve helped to have vendors, venues and ideas all in one place. 

Tell us more about your supplier dream team

CIVIL WEDDING

Venue: Winstanley House

Decor: Iron Swan

HMUA: Anika Chauhan

Photo: Dino Jeram

Video: Sheer Cinematic

Dress: Wed2B

HINDU WEDDING & RECEPTION

Venue: Winstanley House

Decor: Iron Swan

Priest: Hemang Bhatt

HMUA: ISHM

Photo: Lucky Dhillon

Video: Sheer Cinematic

Lehengas: Frontier Raas

Jewellery: VAMA Collections

Mehndi: Akruti’s Henna

Groom’s Outfit: Meena Bazaar (Birmingham)

Drinks Bar: Timesaver Drinks

DJ: AK Beats

Sound & Lights: AVH

Dancers: R&R Productions

Cake: Baytree Cakes

Your piece of advice to brides & grooms?

Tip 1: Have three schedules for your day – the couple’s day, the vendor’s day, the guest’s day. 

Tip 2: Things are going to happen on the day. But the more planned and delegated in advance to the right people, the smoother the day will be for you. But things out of your control will happen. For example, I woke up on the day of my civil marriage ceremony with a swollen eye because of a reaction to some magnetic lashes. I dealt with the situation, made some calls, asked for some ice and carried on. Nothing was going to stop me from enjoying my day. 

Tip 3: As I just said, Enjoy it! The purpose of the day is to celebrate you both, your lives until now and the incredible future ahead that you’ll share. All the hard work, money and time that you’ve spent preparing is for you both and your loved ones to enjoy the day. So make it worthwhile!

The event

As Angeli mentioned above, we really love how she went ‘against the grain’ throughout her wedding. We saw so many little beautiful details: from the food displays, to their wedding guestbook, to the overall vibe of their events. Take a look at our favourite pictures below.

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