One Couple's Pastel, Indian-Fusion Wedding Weekend in Cancun With a Harry Potter Reception
“Some love stories begin with grand gestures,” Karishma says. “Ours started with a simple swipe right.” Like many modern couples, this first introduction on an app paved the way for many late-night FaceTime chats and finding common ground over food and funny Shark Tank pitches. Though the two had to wait for months in 2020 to finally meet in person, the connection was undeniable, a simple brunch date turning into a seven-hour conversation. By 2023, Pranav had a proposal in the works, one to catch his future wife off guard. “He told me we were going to a friend’s engagement party, and… it wasn’t until we arrived at the exact spot where we had our first date, overlooking NYC, that I realized something was happening. [H]e was already down on one knee, holding a ring, his voice steady but filled with emotion. When I said yes, the city skyline lit up behind us, our families cheered and… he had planned a beautiful engagement party with everyone we loved.”
With wedding planning on the horizon, the happy couple wanted a true celebration to blend their shared yet different cultures. Karishma says, “Though we share an Indian heritage, the traditions, rituals and even wedding styles are vastly different. We wanted our wedding to be a true fusion—not just a series of separate North and South Indian events but a seamless blend of both, tied together with modern and deeply personal touches that reflected our journey as a couple.” Bringing their families together for this union meant incorporating a mix of Tamil, Kannada and Punjabi traditions in an elegant, energetic and emotional way. That meant every aspect of the wedding weekend, from the Sangeet to the wedding reception, had its own distinct aesthetic and personality.
Choosing the El Dorado Royale Resort in Cancun as their venue, Pranav and Karishma worked with a team of vendors to feature every event like its own story. The first night was their Sangeet, which they “designed as a night of pure, unfiltered joy—an explosion of music, color and dance,” Karishma says. The bride-to-be wore a pastel pink lehenga with subtle hints of green to match her groom’s pastel green sherwani. Both outfits required easy movement to prepare for their dances and performances inspired by “Bollywood, Tollywood and Western hits,” with Pranav pulling off another surprise for his future bride: a dance. As for this night, the venue was draped in Bohemian-style decor, with cascading fairy lights and a canopy of pastel floral arrangements, including tropical leaves, anthurium and roses.
What followed next was the Haldi ceremony, originally planned as an outdoor event but shifted last-minute inside because of the rain. Vendors brought the enchanted garden vibes inside, however, with hanging vines, lush greenery and marigold flowers to reflect the turmeric used in the sacred turmeric ritual. The ceremony even ended with an unexpected dip in the ocean for Karishma. “Before I knew it, I was lifted off my feet and thrown into the ocean to wash off the turmeric. Meanwhile, Pranav’s friends tackled him to the ground, ripping his shirt apart and smearing him in haldi until he was unrecognizable,” she says. A throwback college-style pool party followed, with a foam machine, music and games before another downpour began. The rain didn’t dampen their energy, and guests chose to embrace the chaos. “Instead of running for cover, we all stayed outside, spinning, drenched, hands in the air, letting the rain wash over us. It felt like something straight out of a movie,” says Karishma.
To honor the locale of their wedding weekend, the nearlyweds hosted a fiesta night, complete with both Indian and Mexican influences, like a mariachi band, salsa dancers and unique menu items of butter chicken mole, lamb birria tacos and Mexican ramen. The space was filled with Bohemian chandeliers, an intricate floral dance floor and vibrant decor of “deep reds, oranges and pinks, mixed with bold marigold garlands and papel picado banners draped from the ceiling,” according to Karishma. To bring both cultures into her attire, Karishma adds, “I wore a Moledro ensemble—a unique, modern Indian outfit with puff sleeves, bringing in a playful, Mexican-inspired silhouette while staying true to my roots.”
It was finally time for the wedding day, and another storm required their outdoor ceremony to be hosted inside, but these changes in the plan didn’t deter the couple one bit. “The rain forced us to move our wedding indoors at the last minute, but instead of stressing, we embraced it, and it became one of the most beautiful, intimate moments of our lives,” says the bride. “Our incredible vendors transformed the space into something even more breathtaking—floral draping, candlelit ambiance and an intimate setting that made the moment feel even more powerful.” The Mandap, originally meant to stand beneath the sky, was brought inside and framed by a waterfall of greenery and red, pink and cream-colored roses. Karishma’s sari inspired the design, with its intricate embroidery of florals and bird motifs and draped effect.
Another reason Karishma chose the Tarun Tahiliani design for her wedding day was how it reminded her of her groom-to-be. She says, “More than that, the motifs on the sari subtly mirrored Pranav’s tattoos, making it feel even more meaningful, like a hidden thread tying us together.” As for Pranav, he had a custom-designed sherwani to complement Karishma’s look, with a gold and red ensemble to blend tradition with some modern flair.
One of the most special parts of the day, Karishma notes, was walking down the aisle, taking in every step towards her future husband. Combining their North and South Indian traditions into the wedding day involved many meaningful moments. The couple says, “We incorporated the Oonjal ceremony, a South Indian tradition where the couple sits on a decorated swing and is blessed by family members. We honored the Milni and Baraat, where both families met and welcomed each other with warmth and celebration. During the Saat Phere, we took seven sacred vows around the fire, each symbolizing a different promise to one another.”
Naturally, the final piece to the extravagant weekend was their reception, and they drew inspiration from one of their favorite stories, the Harry Potter series. “We worked with our planners to create an atmosphere that felt like stepping into the pages of a novel. Floating burnt envelopes hung from the ceiling, while rich red florals and chandeliers cast a warm, candlelit glow over the black-draped tables. Each house had its own signature cocktail, and desserts featured golden snitches and spellbooks,” Karishma says. She even modeled her reception attire after the Golden Snitch, with a golden gown that shimmered in the light, with Pranav in a deep maroon suit to reflect the moody florals throughout the space.
Personal touches were woven throughout the details, decor and design. Even Karishma’s mehndi had hidden portraits of the couple’s two dogs, who couldn’t physically be there for the festivities, but their presence was still known. She adds, “Every detail was crafted with intention and emotion, ensuring that our guests didn’t just witness our love story, they truly felt like a part of it.” Guests even got special Potter-inspired thank-you notes in the form of the Daily Prophet. The host of Indian Idol, Hussain Kuwajerwala, performed as the MC of their wedding and surprised the couple with a dance performance in wizarding robes.
Though they couldn’t plan for the weather, the couple still feels their wedding was the perfect encapsulation of their love story. And for others in the middle of figuring out their wedding plans, they offer this advice: “Be present. The day flies by in an instant. Take a moment to just stop, look around and soak it all in.”