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Today, we have a bride who is Bollywood’s loved designer, Sonaakshi Raaj got married to her long-time beau, Nikhil Merani, a restaurateur, in a beautiful destination wedding in Thailand. Being a designer herself, Sonaakshi not only designed most of her stunning outfits but each one that she wore left a memorable impression on us all. Her whimsical Mehendi outfit had everyone bookmarking that outfit on the gram! Here's how the wedding celebrations of this dreamy couple unfolded as they began their #SuperSoNik forever.

Introducing Sonaakshi & Nikhil

Sonaakshi and Nikhil were introduced to each other by their families as children and had been friends ever since. The couple makes for a dynamic duo, with both being top of the line in their fields. Sonaakshi is a fantastic fashion designer with her couture and peer label called Sonaakshi Raaj, whereas Nikhil is a successful restaurateur who runs a popular European style café, salad bar and Asian eatery in Juhu. That friendship soon turned a new leaf and after a lovely relationship that transformed into their decision to get married and spend the rest of their lives together.

The Glamorous Wedding Festivities

The couple's fabulous wedding celebration took place at Hua Hin in Thailand. It was a mixture of many functions, starting from the pre-wedding cocktail that took place in Mumbai. Following this, the couple along with their family and friends moved ahead to the resort in Hua Hin where they had their welcome dinner, followed by Mehendi, then Sangeet and finally the wedding and reception functions. 

The Gorgeous Wedding Invitation

The #SuperSoNik wedding invites were designed from the scratch by invitation designer Puneet Gupta. Named 'The Tropical Love Suite', a watercolour and illustration based invitation that perfectly matched the theme of their wedding. 

The Pre-Wedding Cocktail Party

The SuperSoNik couple organised a wonderous Pre-Wedding Cocktail party in Estella, Mumbai. Dressed in a stunning deep red, off-shoulder ball gown from her own label, Sonaakshi looked like a dream in the red gown. With hand-embroidered stonework and intricate floral motifs, the gown was encrusted with crystals that made her look gorgeous yet royal at the same time. She paired the look with a dazzling diamond earring set from Renu Oberoi Luxury Jewellery. The pre-wedding cocktail party was a star studded-affair with the presence of Actors Raveena Tandon, Kriti Kharbanda, Nushrat Bharucha, Director Sajid Khan, Sophie Choudry and many more. 

Dhol Function

Next up was a Dhol function where the friends and family of the couple were welcomed at Avani+Hua Hin Resorts and Villas where they first hosted a welcome function which was also a Mata ki Chowki. The mata ki chowki marked the official beginning of their wedding celebrations followed by a Dhol function. The bride’s dreamy attire, a blue-green gharara with intricate embroidery and embellishments was designed by her friend and celebrated designer, Mohsin Naveed Ranjha. Nikhil, however, wore a dark coloured kurta with prints of kinds of reds, embellished with dainty mirror work. 

Carnival Like Mehendi

For her Mehendi, the bride picked a lehenga drenched in the shades of mint polychrome palette, paired with an off-shoulder tassel blouse from her label. The groom, however, chose the effervescent shade of light yellow from the pastel colour palette to match with his beautiful bride’s look. The duo walked in, hand in hand, spreading warmth and cheers as their friends and family danced the afternoon away. The entire event was drenched in the shades of purple and lavender, with tropical flowers adorning the venue to match the breezy theme.

Jazzy Sangeet Night

In contrast to her refreshing Mehendi outfit, Sonaakshi turned into a gorgeous princess for her Sangeet celebrations. Styled in a silver lehenga with cut work detailing, Sonaakshi looked dreamy, while Nikhil was dressed in a black bandhgala outfit with similar coloured embellishments. Their sangeet was a magical night. From a visually stunning performance by Wa(l)ter Drums to the fabulous dance moves by their guests, their sangeet was nothing less than a grand affair. The couple also graced the occasion by performing a wonderful duet on a romantic song. Later that evening, they ended the night by cutting a massive five-tiered silver-coloured cake.

Haldi Ceremony 

For her haldi ceremony, our bride Sonaakshi wore a beautiful yellow outfit with a stunning blue and pink floral jewellery that looked perfect for the function. 

The Wedding Day

The main ceremony was a breathtaking amalgamation of grandiose decor and whimsical elements. With powder pink roses dotting the entire venue and even the jaimalas of the couple, there was no doubt that it would be a magical evening. The bride, Sonaakshi Raaj, wore a beautifully customised pastel pink lehenga. Speaking about her lehenga, the bride revealed what went on behind the scenes.

"Floating clouds over the endless sea has always been my dream wedding's perfect backdrop. As an eveningwear designer, my core designer philosophy has always been about sensual glamour. So designing my wedding lehenga was super thrilling. I wanted to infuse my signature glamazon take into this conventional Bridal Lehenga.

There is something ethereal, pristine and regal about our national flower - the lotus. For the main ceremony, we decided on Thailand and what's more tropical than the poetry of our majestic water lilies. Lotus also reminds me of the Goddess Lakshmi, resting regally in pond floating with gigantic lotuses.

I tried to translate this poetic grace using a delicate mix of intricate Embroideries using floral thread work, baroque zari, and a dash of my favourite crystals. It was truly a memorable and extremely overwhelming journey to translate my dream lehenga from sketch into this reality. It perfectly complements and sums me as the bride I always wanted to be - Regal, enchanting & elegant."

Sonaakshi entered the venue under an off-beat, yet glamorous phoolon ki chadar, which was made of intricately designed flower wreathes and pearls. Then, the could exchange their rose jaimalas and proceeded to the pheras at a rose studded mandap that was super-duper perfect. 

Reception Party

The celebrated designer waltzed into her reception wearing a gold-coloured lehenga by Shantanu & Nikhil. The party marked the end of this wondrous celebration that had begun a few days ago. It also marked the beginning for them as happily forever after.

WEDDING VENDORS

Wedding Venue: Avani Hua Hin Resort (Mehendi, Sangeet & Wedding); Estella, Mumbai (Cocktail) | Makeup Artist: Vardan Nayak Makeup Artist (Cocktail);  Shaan Muttathil (Mehendi, Sangeet & Wedding) | Hairstylist: Ritika Kadam | Photography: Israni PhotographyDecor: Pavarit & Co.Planners: Krayonz Entertainment | Bridal Outfits: Sonaakshi Raaj (Cocktail, Mehendi, Sangeet & Wedding); Shantanu & Nikhil (Reception); Mohsin Naveed Ranjha (Dhol Night) | Groom Wear: Kunal Rawal (Sangeet) | Entertainment: Wa(l)ter Drums | Bartenders: Binny Dhadwal (Drinq)  | Invitations: Puneet Gupta InvitationsJewellery: Floral Art Mumbai (Floral Jewellery), Renu Oberoi Luxury Jewellery (Cocktail) | Mehndi: Bridal Mehndi Artist Jyoti | Event Host / Emcee: Kubbra Sait | DJ: DJ Taher

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What do you think of this amazingly glitzy wedding celebration? Leave your thoughts in the comments!


Bollywood Designer, Sonaakshi Raaj Got Married Where She Designed Her Bridal Outfits

by Shivani Singh

Bollywood Designer, Sonaakshi Raaj Got Married Where She Designed Her Bridal Outfits