What we loved about Aakriti & Prateek’s personalised Kumaon Hills wedding

OTT is just the way Indian weddings work. But this past year was an example of how one can get innovative and how minimalist weddings with great personalisation can make any wedding way more intimate and stunning. Case in point, Aakriti and Prateek’s Kumaon Hills wedding that is picturesque and bespoke and impressed us with the way they used small, interesting and intimate ideas to create the wedding of their dreams. Ideated and executed to perfection by Aashna Saran Design, it’s a wedding to look out for, this year, for that much-needed inspiration. Here’s what we loved about Aakriti & Prateek’s Kumaon Hills personalised wedding…

“Since Aakriti and Prateek wanted their wedding to be eco-friendly, we really had to consider the venue we were working in. Since it was up in the hills we really had to respect the surroundings and work around them. Since the property was environmentally-conscious and was based near a lake we wanted to maintain a minimal waste policy too. Another aspect we considered while designing was that the bride wanted everything personalised and wanted it to encapsulate their love story.

In terms of colours for flowers and decor we chose contrasting colours. The lake was blue and there was a lot of greenery therefore we used red for the wedding so that the mandap would stand out. Yes, it also complimented the bride’s outfit really well.  While we considered the sustainable aspect along with the brides vision, we also wanted to support the local talent and artisans in Naukuchiatal and tried to tie up with as many vendors there as possible,” explains Aashna Saran, Founder and Creative Head, Aashna Saran Design and Aash Studio who gave this minimalist wedding their signature touch.

“We even had two days of unprecedented extreme weather conditions that threatened to literally drench the entire wedding decor. From pouring rain to a hail storm the preparations withstood the extremities. But we improvised and redesigned the decor to suit the weather, the surroundings and the vision of the couple while maintaining that rustic, raw beauty of the land,” adds Saran. 

The wedding was set in the middle of an aok forest, a unique setting that spoke volumes about the couple – they wanted something discreet but also visually stunning. The location, The Lake Resort in the Kumaon Hills of Uttarakhand is a resort that looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale – beautiful foliage and the lake of shining waters and in the middle is Uttarakand’s precious gem – Naukuchiatal’s gigantic Lake Resort where Aakriti and Prateek decided to tie the knot. It’s a well-known fact that the outdoorsy wedding needed it’s own way of personalisation and bespoke decor and the designer created small, simple details that gave it that intimate touch. We loved how family pictures were scattered and prettily used to create that warmth in decor. We also found the usage of dried flowers and foliage a great way to use nature in a wedding. 

Take a look at the stunning details come away inspired.

Wedding planner/decorator: Aash Studio

Photographer: Mohit Kapil

Bridal wear: Ekaya 

Groomswear: Vanshik / Sahil Aneja

Makeup artist: Somya Chawla

Wedding Favours: Pahaad Se