TIME AFTER TIME
TIME AFTER TIME
Actor SONNALLI SEYGALL shares the special moments of her wedding with hotelier and restaurateur ASHESH L SAJNANI …from how they first met to her outfit, special memories, and more.
How did Ashesh propose to you?
Sonnalli Seygall: “There was no proposal or going down on one knee because I don’t like such gestures; I am not a big fan of traditional proposals. During the six-and-a-half years we dated, I dropped a lot of hints to Ashesh that he shouldn’t go down on one knee with balloons and violins. I find it very cringe! Fortunately, both Ashesh and I are on the same page regarding that— we are both extremely traditional and private people. We like to do things very simply. So, we sat down together and decided to get married. Then, he spoke to his parents, who came to my mom to ask for my hand in marriage. We had a small roka ceremony and it was very traditional, just like how it would take place in the olden days.”
How did you two first meet?
SS: “We met almost 12 years ago at a party through my best friend Simran Kaur Mundi. Ashesh later asked Simran who her “cute friend” was, but nothing really happened after that. We sort of lost touch. But every two years, we’d cross paths at the most random places. Eventually, I found out that Ashesh liked me, and one day, I decided to say yes to him for a date…but on the fateful day, I had a toe accident, so I couldn’t go! Of course, he thought I was just making an excuse. Yet, our paths kept crossing. Once, I needed a table at a restaurant so I called him for help; another time, we met on the
road, which rarely happens in Mumbai, and decided to grab a coffee. In the meantime, he began dating somebody else, until six-and-a-half years ago when we finally started dating!”
What did you wear to the wedding?
SS: “I always knew I’d wear a Manish Malhotra outfit for my wedding. I had imagined that I’d wear a lehenga on my wedding day and a sari for the reception, but when I saw the wedding sari and Manish explained how the veil would fall, my heart jumped with joy. My friend Poppy, who got married last year, had told me that when it comes to the wedding outfit, I’d just know. And with this outfit, I knew it was the one. I love the colour pink and wanted both pink and green to be a part of my wedding in some way as they are colours of the heart chakra. Also, I have been a bride in so many films that I didn’t want to repeat any look from there, like a red or orange lehenga or red chooda. For me, the most beautiful thing about the outfit was that it had our marriage date and our initials inscribed on it. My veil has ‘S and A’ and ‘7.6.23’, which is our wedding date, embroidered.”
What was your mehendi outfit?
SS: “I wore an Abhinav Mishra creation. I didn’t want a traditional, green outfit, so I just went with what my heart said. I wanted something earthy and vintage, and chose a piece with hues of deep red for the bottom, a mehendi-green-hued kurta, and an off-combination dupatta. Even the maatha patti I wore wasn’t traditional; it was like a headband. The most beautiful part about the mehendi was that Ashesh and my outfits were coordinatedeven though it was not at all planned.”
What did you wear to the reception?
SS: “For the reception, I wanted bling. But I alsowanted it to be subtle, so the grey-blue Manish Malhotra lehenga seemed perfect. I knew it would match with my pink chooda as well as my sindoor and mangalsutra. Plus, Ashesh was wearing a black achkan, so my look matched perfectly with his.”
How did you two plan out the wedding?
SS: “The run up to our wedding was one of the most fun parts of the whole process. Ashesh and I didn’t want to be the couples that fought over the colours of flowers or what dishes to serve… We wanted things to be simple and meaningful because at the end of the day, it’s not about the functions or the wedding, it’s about our souls coming together and us celebrating it with the people we love. We had a blast planning our wedding, and the support we received from our friends and family was incredible. Everyone came forth to help us and the best part was, we didn’t have to ask. That ensured we stayed in a good mood. We had enough time to reconnect and steal some moments for coffees and quick lunches. There were days when I had to hold fort as Ashesh was working at that time. Fortunately, I didn’t have any
assignments back then, so I could take on a lot. There were times when we wouldn’t meet for two or three days but we would speak at the end of each day. That’s not to say we didn’t have moments of crisis, but it really helped that Ashesh was calm and grounding. If I was ever worried, his answer would be ‘main hoon na’ and I would instantly calm down.”
Ashesh and I are both aesthetically-inclined and we wanted the decor to be beautiful but also not overwhelming. We were beautifully on the same page— we’d say yes to the same things and even no to the same things! We divided responsibilities between ourselves— the food, alcohol, and hospitality were his domain. And the aesthetics, finer details like personalised messages, and photo booths were my responsibility. It was teamwork and our wedding planners, Jashan Squad and Tailor made Experiences, did a fabulous job. Even at the Gurudwara, for our overseas guests, we translated each phera in English and had it play on a screen for everyone to understand.”
What is your favourite memory from the wedding?
SS: “Our first function, the mehendi, was hosted at Ashesh’s hotel. I reached there for hair and make-up and as I was about to get ready, he came to my room and told everyone that we would return in half an hour… You see, I had told him long ago that if we ever got married, I’d want for us to spend half an hour together and talk for the last time as boyfriend and girlfriend. So Ashesh got me into the car and took me to his house. There was no-one there, he popped a bottle of
champagne, and we exchanged our rings, just the two of us. It was a very private moment. After that, we went back to begin all the crazy festivities. That memory will always be special to me as he made sure I got that half hour for us to connect with each other before we become husband and wife.”
What advice would you give to other brides?
SS: “It doesn’t matter if you have six months or 10 days to prepare for the wedding—it can be done! Just keep a calm head and have fun while planning it. Don’t make it a chore because it’s not your job to make sure you throw a good party. Your job is to connect with your partner, and to make sure that the both of you both have a good time amidst your friends and families.”
