This Indian elopement is a partnership with Nisha of Bridelan, an Indian styling company. We went on a Calcutta trail. Partly to rediscover my and Nisha’s roots. And partly to bring the Calcutta of our collective consciousness to the contemporary lens.

To say nothing of the natural surroundings setting the scene. The flowers growing on the property grounds were the main floral feature. We loved being able to incorporate these local flowers.

Indian Elopement Inspiration

Bengali life is full of nostalgia. And therefore we aimed to capture this element in our shoot. Ultimately we took our inspiration from the venue, the Raj Bari, a historic elite mansion turned luxury hotel. The venue is located on the outskirts of Calcutta. Additionally, the venue is a great example of western-influenced Indian architecture. As a result, we love the combination of the two.

Along those lines, we styled two bridal looks for the elopement. Firstly we have an elegant lace gown by Naeem Khan, who has the ability to bridge cultures in an elegant and understated way. Secondly we had to have a look is by Sabyasachi, India’s most famous bridal designer. In India, brides from Bengal traditionally wear red for the Hindu ceremony. However, in a departure, we kept it white. Our inspiration was the white wedding dress made in Indian style, paired with red accents of Bengal.

Equally important, the florals were simple. And pulled inspiration from the colors of the environment. Bright fuchsia greeted guests in the main hall of the Bari. Then we used those colors to create the tablescape and ceremony backdrop. Additionally, the cake design was inspired by the celebration of the most important goddess to Hindy locals, Durga. The minimalist cake design by the Rogue Cafe was, as with the rest of the shoot, a beautiful blend of cultures. 

See more of this Indian elopement and read more of our inspiration for the shoot on Style Me Pretty.

Indian Elopement Vendors:

Photographer Bonnie Sen Photography Film Fuji Film Styling & Creative Direction Bridelan Florist Orchid Garden Banquet Cake Rogue Cafe Jewelry Raniwala Hair & Makeup Bhavani Kumar Calligrapher Bawa Studios Venue The Rajbari Bawali Video Devang Vyas Film Scanning Goodman Film Lab Creative Consulting Linda Ha Wardrobe Naeem Khan Paper Goods Niru & Baku Wardrobe Sabyasachi Producer Shaikh Ayaz, Sinaya Khan and Tom Milavec