Inside: A Colour Drenched Temple Wedding

From a swipe on Happn to a week-long celebration in vibrant Harare, step inside Priya and Hiren Patel’s colour drenched temple wedding. What unfolded was a joyful celebration that felt both timeless and completely their own.

The story so far

Our journey began on Happn, where a right swipe led to our first date at Swingers in Bishopsgate. From there everything fell into place and we travelled, bought a home, and turned it into something truly our own.

In June 2023, we returned to Harare and I showed Hiren where my story began. My home, my family and most importantly my lovely grandma.

Hiren planned an unforgettable safari at Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservancy. On our private tour, we drove to a secluded spot where he got down on one knee with two magnificent elephants behind us. He proposed with a dummy ring and once we were back in London, we visited RPS Diamonds in Hatton Garden and created a round cut diamond ring with a halo setting and a simple platinum wedding band with smaller diamonds.

Venue

In true Indian wedding style, it wasn’t just a single day of celebration. It was a weeklong festival. We hosted five official events and with family and friends flying in from all corners of the globe, it felt as though we were celebrating for weeks.

Growing up, I always dreamed of getting married in Harare, and having our wedding there allowed me to reunite with loved ones while showing our UK guests my hometown.

In November 2024, we kicked off the celebrations with a welcome dinner to bring our global guests together. This set the tone for everything that followed.

The next morning was our Grah Shanti ceremony, where we sought blessings for a smooth and prosperous wedding journey. We then celebrated the Sarthak and Pithi with a yellow and blue theme featuring my handmade dream catchers and delicate floating flowers in the mandap.

Our Sangeet and Mehndi night at Sunrise Sports Club was a riot of colour, music and dance, complete with a Mehndi station. My bridal Mehndi reflected both Hiren and me, with the Chelsea FC logo, elephants and tropical patterns.

The highlight of our celebrations was our tropical themed wedding at Om Kar Mandir, set against the beautiful temple backdrop. Walking down the aisle was surreal. In keeping with tradition, my four uncles carried a floral canopy as I walked beneath it with my parents by my side.

A live painter captured the magic of the day and the artwork now hangs proudly in our home. We were also grateful for the wonderful Priest Parth Mehta, who explained each step of the ceremony in English so that we fully understood the meaning of each moment.

We ended with a magical evening reception in a marquee, with black tie attire, fairy lights and candlelight. It was filled with dancing, laughter and some of our favourite memories. We also had a live photo booth so guests could snap keepsakes to take home.

Fashion

Indian weddings traditionally involve a trip to India for outfits, and I was lucky to experience this with my mum. We spent time in Mumbai and Surat picking pieces for our families and it made the build up feel so special.

I found my wedding lehenga at Friendship Sarees in Mumbai. It wasn’t a traditional style but it blended meaningful details and was perfect for our tropical theme with touches of fuchsia and teal.

Hiren bought his outfits in Wembley and found his wedding look at Laadki. His custom dupatta came out far too thick and delayed the wedding by an hour and a half. I’ll never let him forget it and it has given me the perfect excuse to be fashionably late forever.

Jewellery

My aunt gifted me beautiful layered necklaces and earrings and I wore my mum’s necklace too. I also wore hand jewellery, bangles and silver anklets. Shopping for jewellery in India was one of my favourite parts of the whole process.

Bridal party

With a tropical theme, I dressed my family in floral Indian wear. We love colour and they embraced it completely.

I love giving gifts and in Indian weddings it is tradition to gift your guests. For our ceremony we had customised tropical fans made for everyone. For our other events our family gifted sweets and tropical themed bottle openers and I hand decorated sunglasses that became a huge hit.

For my mums and sisters, I curated makeup gifts including my favourite Charlotte Tilbury Medium Blur lipstick and sweet bracelets with heart pendants.

Transportation

We travelled in a Mercedes C Class decorated with flowers, while shuttles transported international guests between the hotel and events.

Tablescape

For our reception we chose long tables with elegant vases filled with small pink and green bouquets. Each place setting had a personalised poem tucked into the napkin and a thank you note designed by a close friend.

Food and drinks

At the Hindu Society Hall we ate traditional vegetarian Gujarati meals after each morning ceremony.

Our reception menu included Hakka Noodles, Manchurian and Chicken Curry followed by Milk Tarts, Cheesecakes, Mini Victoria Sponges and traditional Mithai made by my aunt.

During the week we also served Sunrise Chicken, fresh hot Pizza, Dosa and Pani Puri. Drinks ranged from iced coffee and iced tea to spicy margaritas and old fashioneds.

Entertainment

Our Sangeet was filled with vibrant dances from family and friends and marimba players greeted guests on arrival. My favourite moment was our first dance to a live saxophone rendition of For My Hand by Sir Arundel. The energy was incredible.

Beauty regime and wellness

I kept my skincare simple and embraced the Pithi ceremony, where turmeric brightens and exfoliates the skin. A small breakout tried to join the party but my makeup artist covered it perfectly.

I found inspiration on Instagram and shared it with my artist and stylist. A few trials helped us refine the look and I highly recommend having them for peace of mind.

Favourite wedding gifts

My four maternal uncles played a special role in the Mameru tradition, gifting me my wedding outfit, jewellery and adornments. It holds deep meaning and represents their love, blessings and support.