Oh, It’s You Again – A Katha Weddings Love Story.

June 19, 2025
By Katha Weddings
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Some love stories don’t begin with fireworks — they unfold slowly, like poetry. Elisha and Danny’s journey is one such tale, built on years of chance encounters, shared spaces, and quiet magic. At Katha Weddings, we feel incredibly lucky to have brought their story to life.

Their paths first crossed at Sunday School and later at Surathkal, sharing corridors, laughter, and even concerts—like an unforgettable Alt-J performance that stayed with them long after parting ways in 2016, degrees in hand and lives ahead of them.

But fate had other plans.

On July 4th, 2021, during a casual trip to Los Angeles, something clicked again. What started as a warm reunion led to a spontaneous detour to Minneapolis—a short layover that changed everything. From cozy movie nights and painting sessions to pakodas, poetry, and board games, their bond grew effortlessly. It was real. It was theirs.

In August 2022, Danny proposed at Taylor Falls on a sunny afternoon—after a brief interruption by a troop of Boy Scouts with mushrooms (true story!). On the second attempt, everything felt just right. Elisha said yes.

They tied the knot in April 2023 at San Francisco City Hall—intimate, sweet, and simple, just like them. But every love story deserves a dream celebration. That’s where we came in.

January 1st, 2024 – A Celebration of Dreams.

At the beautiful ITC Gardenia in Bengaluru, Elisha and Danny’s Indian wedding was a reflection of their love—elegant, playful, heartfelt. We worked closely with them to curate every element with intention, from floral details to immersive experiences. Their celebration blended tradition with personality, laughter with grace.

It was everything they had imagined: joyful, emotional, unforgettable.

At Katha Weddings, we don’t just plan weddings—we tell stories. Elisha and Danny’s was a story of serendipity, spontaneity, and soul-deep connection. And it was an honor to help turn their next chapter into a dream come true.

Because when love returns—again and again—it deserves to be celebrated.

Wedding Decor

Love = M-square

September 23, 2021
By Katha Weddings
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It was March of 2020 & the day had arrived for the two to become one. This was special, very special indeed! The world was grappling with a strange new menacing situation brought about with the novel Coronavirus, but like they say, love doesn’t wait.

India has a unique way of getting couples together in a wedlock. It’s an old culture, which is also widely accepted since it’s not only the ‘couples’ dream but also their families’. Arranged marriage – it had to be. This is how our beautiful couple Mamatha and Mohith met. That was 8th March of 2020, Jab they met.

But first there were a couple of obstacles to overcome as there was a protocol in order for the pandemic. Special permissions were sought for interstate border crossing and Mamatha being a cardiac anesthetist had to isolate herself for ten days before being able to meet the man of her dreams for the first time ever & those must have been the hardest 10 days!

It wasn’t too long afterwards that the couple decided to tie the knot and quickly both families were involved in prepping for the wedding. “Without a doubt it had to be Katha Weddings as they'd done my son’s naming ceremony and we knew that ‘Team Katha would give us what we wanted,” says the sister of the groom, Priyanka.

The marriage was solemnized as soon as the lockdown was relaxed in October of 2020. It was a traditional Telugu style wedding. The wedding itself was a very intimate affair that had numerous Covid 19 guidelines and restrictions to abide by. “That was in itself a huge hurdle to overcome”, recalls Priyanka. “we had to go back and forth on the guest list to see where we could cut down and so we had to divide our guests between the Muhurtham and Reception so we could have all our near and dear ones be a part.”

The reception took place at the Radisson Blue and the theme was elegance of pink and white. Throwing the prep team off gear were the uncertainties that had piled up since the beginning of the pandemic & the restrictive lockdowns. Sourcing flowers was especially challenging. “It was every wedding planner’s biggest nightmare - Flower scarcity!” recalls Team Katha with horror. Rates skyrocketed, as demand was high. Miraculously we managed to get the flowers we wanted and were able to pull through”.

The guests were welcomed to a beautiful “welcome panel” framed structure decorated with flowers and surrounded with bouquets of vibrant pink and white flowers. The long Radisson corridor had multiple stylish framed structures dressed with pink and white carnations and chrysanthemums surrounded with twinkling candles, giving a warm, fuzzy and welcoming feel to all our guests.

The main set beamed with class & elegance, a backdrop laden with hues of pink and white carnation and chrysanthemums, surrounded with vases, flowers and an ornately draped white fabric complimenting the vibrant pink flower wreath above it. “The set was beyond beautiful and Team Katha managed to do an amazing job despite the obstacles that were thrown at them! I was eagerly waiting to see what magic Katha Weddings would create for our next event, taking the situation into consideration!”, says Priyanka.

“We were extremely happy that our client loved the decor for their reception event and were hoping things would go the same way, but little did we know that was not the end of our nightmare! The reception was to end by 11pm, and we were to start work by 12am. But the rituals went on till 3am in the morning and we had to handover the mandap by 7am. There was barely any time, and we had to expedite the process but also make sure the work was being done with precision” exclaims Team Katha.

Theme for the Muhurtham was ‘Shiva and Parvati’, with dumroos (mini drums) and bells to give it an authentic temple feeling. “They couldn't go to the temple, so we brought the temple to them! But there was yet another problem. The primary flower for this event was Rudrakshi and our team searched every nook and corner and beyond to find these flowers but all in vain, as they were nowhere to be found! Through the situation we had to keep ourselves calm and collected. Thinking on our feet and the years of experience, we got the idea of using purple carnations which was a colour match & the next best alternative to the Rudrakshi. We explained to Priyanka the issue and to our luck she was very understanding and gave us the ‘go ahead’. However, the carnations were mighty expensive and we broke the bank paying for them” says Team Katha.

It being a temple theme, there was a magnificent Lord Ganesha’s statue in the passage, decorated with dazzling diyas, urulis filled with rose petals, damroos & rajanigandha garlands to give the guests that walked in a ‘Temple’ like feel. In the main corridor there were these beautiful, rich, gold structures customized with flowers like baby’s breath, button roses and purple carnations. In addition, there were tiny cute sparkling brass Nandis (Oxen) sitting on flower rangolis and urulis with rose petals. For the Mandap itself, there were antique solid wood pillars used, which date back to a century & were decorated with traditional flowers, rajanigandha strings and garlands. The ceiling of the mandap was covered with coconut sheets and the backdrop was made with large green banana leaves. “With limited time and off our schedule, we managed to finish the entire decoration in the nick of time.” says Team Katha.

“I am beyond impressed with how well Team Katha managed to pull off the events with umpteen number of hiccups and obstacles thrown their way - the pandemic and guidelines and restrictions to be followed! Always composed in front of us, though we knew that it was a very tricky situation for everyone. With smiles plastered on their faces, they ensured that everything would be ok, and without a doubt Team Katha went above and beyond to give us their absolute best! All in all, I'm glad it all went smoothly” recalls Priyanka with a relieved laugh.

Bengali Wedding

A Californian love story!

August 18, 2020
By Katha Weddings
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For that one glimpse – ‘the daughter looking pretty in her wedding outfit, standing next to Mr. Right’ is all of love & pride especially felt only by the mother. A thousand miles from Aditi, Sharmila could not rest until she saw the coming together of Nilanjan and her daughter Aditi. A story of two strangers that started with a casual online chat and later spun into fun meet-ups in the heart of California eventually leading to tying of the knot – this is their story!

Of course, both the parents were more than elated and then started the wedding preparations for a chic and classy Bengali Wedding in Bangalore! A meticulous planner as she is, Sharmila was on her toes as soon as the youngsters had announced their decision. Since, the wedding was a three day event, Sharmila was looking for a perfect location for the family to stay and bond over the pious traditions. The spacious, nature-clad Miraya Greens fitted the bill perfectly. Next to-do was to hand-pick the ‘right’ wedding event planner to make it a dream wedding for her daughter. Sharmila had already spoken to five wedding planners but did not want to settle until she was convinced. This is when she emailed ‘Katha Weddings’ and was moved by the warm response from them. What followed was a complete understanding of her expectations and a promise to deliver the best experience keeping the Bengali traditions intact.

Mehendi & Sangeet

The first day started with a splash of yellow and orange colours! The guests were welcomed by a floral arch of vibrant marigolds and fabric draped in elegance. Right next to the arch were brass Uruli (brass vessels) decorated with marigold.

The guests were then led to the lawn through a pathway that was adorned with Rangoli made of marigold garlands followed by colourful umbrellas and earthen pots.

The centre of the lawn buzzed with the Mehendi artists as they waited for the beautiful bride to arrive to the lush and sprightly setting. To stay true to the colour theme, the canopy was delightfully decorated with yellow and orange fabric and bright tassels. Matching bolsters were also aesthetically thrown on the Divaans.

For the Sangeet, the other side of the lawn was transformed into a stunning stage with an equally vibrant backdrop made with a combination of Rajasthani themed motifs, fresh flowers and leaves. If you ask the bride and the groom, they would have stories to tell about the stage!

Behind the stage and around the lawn, the trees and bamboos had bulbs with fairy lights slung with lanterns, to provide the final touch to the dreamy evening.

The guests also enjoyed the evening snapping some happy moments at the colourful floral photo booth and dancing to the beats.

After an evening of fun and incessant dancing, the guests had a scrumptious dinner at the elegantly decorated dining hall. While the ceiling was filled with yellow and orange chiffon fabric and fairy lights, the tables were ornamented with vintage brass teapot centre pieces and floral elements.

Throughout all the days, the welcome lawn was brightly lit with fairy lights and the entrance to the guest rooms was also decorated with flower petals!

Ashirwad & family gathering

The second day was all about families bonding and spending quality time together. The first half of the day was all about Ashirwad ceremony where elders of the family blessed the couple as they embarked on their life as a wedded couple. The theme of the evening was blue and relaxing! A gazebo with fairy lights adorned the center of the lawn. The stage was set with royal blue pleated velvet backdrop and an adorable floral butterfly. On each of its side, trees ornamented with candles were lined up.

Haldi & Wedding

As the colour of haldi, so was the theme of the morning that beamed with vibrancy! The gazebos were beautifully decorated with yellow chiffon fabric.

At the entrance of the wedding, stood the beautiful arch with white orchids hanging blissfully from the top and welcoming guests with its fragrance! The pillars of the arch housed white candles and to the left of the arch, absolutely adorable cut-outs of the Bengali groom and bride gleamed happily at the guests.

Not far from the arch, a floral butterfly with the initials of the groom and bride made way into the pathway that was lined with glass cylinders filled with candles. The complete lawn was lit up with fairy lights clusters.

Three arches stood beautifully to invite guests to the lawn.

This finally led to the ethereal Mandap which was an orchestration of rich shimmery gold drapes, floral garlands and earthen pots! From the ceiling of the circular Mandap, pious white tuberose and lotus buds hung gracefully while red roses surrounded the rim. The feet of the arch were beautified by brass deepams (traditional lamps) and earthen pots with garlands of white Aster (Shevanti) flowers.

The complete place was beautifully lit and guests walked around chatting animatedly in the open air setting. When the groom entered on horseback to the sound of dhol (drums), he couldn’t help but dance along with the baraat(procession)!

This was followed by the fun Varmala (garland) exchange between the couple! As the groom and bride were lifted high up by their friends for the garland exchange ceremony, fun and laughter spilled around and everyone celebrated this moment heartily!

Under the clear skies and the delicately embellished Mandap, several commitments were made by the couple and finally sworn to love each other till eternity.

After the wedding rituals, the guests congratulated the newlyweds and then headed towards a glorious Bengali dinner! Nothing can be sweeter than the Bengali sweets at dinner, right?

Reception Party

After days of celebration with family and friends, the formal reception party was arranged at Lalit Ashok Banquet Hall where the bride and groom enjoyed a classy evening.A circular floral ornamented welcome board brightened the entrance.

On the stage, three interlocked hexagonal floral structures with hanging red tea lights and an ivory white sofa graced the center. On both sides of these structures, floral arrangements were placed to bring completeness to the simple yet exquisite setup.

The dinner tables were also lit with red velvet center pieces packed with candles!

When we asked Sharmila to narrate her experience of the wedding she had dreamed of for her daughter, a proud smile flashed across her face. “I wanted a classy, colourful and traditional Bengali wedding and I just got that. More than anything, I was looking for someone reliable to take care of everything and with Katha, I had my peace of mind! All the guests were filled with compliments and they loved the food too. You know food is a critical part of a Bengali wedding. Our weddings are remembered by the food we serve and the food here was delicious!”

She further added about the delivery of the team by saying, “I wanted all the days to look and feel different as we had lots of guests from the country and abroad and the same people were staying for all the days. Though I finalized the designs, execution was done perfectly. Right from the Mehendi artists to the Dholwala- all the vendors were professional and trustworthy. I could ask Katha even the smallest knick-knacks that come by default into a wedding and she ensured all things were in place!”

Katha however mentioned that it was the clear and precise requirements from Sharmila that helped the ‘Katha Weddings’ team to plan accurately. Sharmila was always open to suggestions and her kindness was evident when she met Katha people every time.

When asked about how she feels about the Bidaai (parting) of her daughter, she speaks with a smile, “My girl is not leaving me, and she is stepping into another milestone in her life. She is happy and so is the family for her!” As we took in these beautiful words of wisdom from an incredible mother, the team at Katha Weddings beamed with delight.

Could we agree more?