Jaw-Dropping Hindu Wedding In Santorini
When Forum and Krunal got engaged in Santorini, they knew then and there that they wanted a big destination wedding so that their family and friends could experience the beauty of that mystical place. All the planning got underway, but then the pandemic happened. Despite many an obstacle, they didn't cut their guest list and always stuck true to their vision, postponing their original date when needed. Finally, in the spring of 2021, 120 of their closest friends and family traveled across the world for their multi-day Hindu wedding celebration, and it was well worth the wait!
Santorini My Wedding organized their perfect proposal, so it was a no-brainer when it came time to hire a wedding planner. Santorini Flowers designed spectacular floral installations that changed color depending on the time of day. The wedding was held at Thermes Villas, where the couple exchanged vows with a sparkling view of the Aegean Sea behind them. Phosart Photography & Cinematography took these vibrant photos that capture all of the love and laughter in this big family wedding. Keep reading to hear more from the bride about everything from the dream proposal to the fairytale wedding. Check out the full gallery to see even more of these incredible photos!
She Said Yes
We got married in the summer of 2021 in Santorini. I met my husband, Krunal, during my senior year of high school when a mutual friend introduced us. We remained friends, running into each other maybe once or twice a year throughout college. Fast forward to 2017, we bumped into each other again; at the same mutual friend’s birthday. Krunal asked me out on our first date and to be honest I was initially very hesitant and surprised, as we had known each other for so many years and it was very unexpected. After some debate, I made the best decision of my life and agreed to go on the date, and the rest was history. It’s true when they say one decision can change your life. That night I took a chance on my now best friend. We began exploring the world together and in the summer of 2018, we traveled to Santorini. The morning of the day Krunal proposed we went wine tasting at Santo Wines Winery where after a few drinks I blurted out “imagine getting married in a beautiful place like Santorini.” Little did I know Krunal was planning on proposing later that evening. As the day continued, Krunal fooled me into thinking we were going on a private tour of Santorini with a local guide. That local guide ended up being the photographer Krunal hired to take photos of us throughout the proposal. Krunal proposed in the middle of the caldera overlooking Santorini. I was in complete shock! The night kept getting better and ended with a private dinner alongside the beautiful caldera while the sun set, just the two of us. At that moment Krunal said, “let’s make your dream of getting married in Santorini a reality.” I’ve never been so happy in my life, it felt like a dream. As we both sat there watching the sunset we knew we wanted our family and friends to experience the beauty of Greece. Two years later that dream came true.
No Easy Task
Planning a Hindu wedding, which constitutes 3-4 days of celebrations, in another country was definitely not easy but our vendors helped us plan our dream wedding. Setting up meetings with vendors and finalizing details with the time difference of 8 hours was definitely a challenge with our busy work schedules but our amazing vendors were so flexible. We worked with Santorini My Wedding (after helping plan our proposal we knew we didn’t want anyone else to help us plan our wedding), Phosart Photography & Cinematography, Spicy Bites Catering with the help of Chef Anand, Renia makeup and Rena Skourti for hair, and Multimedia Events to bring our vision to life. We got married at the beautiful Thermes Villas and can’t recommend them enough. We also flew out some of our favorite vendors from NJ/NY including MVP DJs (Josh) and NP events who also helped us coordinate the events.
Dressing The Part
I had my henna done by Hennabyjill in New Jersey before flying to Greece. My wedding dress was custom-made for me. I worked with a designer in NJ (Sarika At Tantrafashions) to help come up with the style of dresses. She was incredible and worked with me throughout the pandemic to make sure I got exactly what I envisioned. She is a true gem and I couldn’t recommend her enough!
Highlighting The Natural Beauty
I knew I wanted the decor to be simple and not overpower the natural beauty of Santorini. The decor was stunning, from our welcome party at Santo Wines Winery filled with candles to our wedding day where we designed a custom-made gazebo filled with chandeliers, to our reception where we decorated the tables with glass vases filled with purple orchids and candles everything came out beautiful. We filled the pool with petals, white during the wedding ceremony and red during the reception. I really loved how everything came out. Krunal and I both wanted to keep the theme very elegant to echo the beautiful venue while still keeping it dreamy and fairytale-like. We both have a love for travel and we decided to name the tables after different countries we visited together, including our favorite part of that trip. As favors for the tables, we had travel luggage tags.
Every Little Moment
It is difficult to pick my favorite part of the day, as the entire weekend was perfect. Every moment of the wedding was magical from start to finish. The fact it had been postponed and 120 of our closest friends and family had gotten over to Santorini in the middle of a pandemic meant everything to us. The welcome party was held at Santo Wines Winery, the location where Krunal and I first decided we wanted to get married in Santorini. Seeing our guests' faces upon arrival was something we will never forget. We will forever be grateful that our family and friends were able to see the exact view that made us fall in love with Santorini in the first place. The following day was our wedding day. It started off with a baraat where the groom’s family celebrates and dances while making their way to the venue. I knew I wanted my family to join in on this celebration so I decided to have my own baraat, which is very untraditional for a bride, but it was one of the most memorable moments. When the two families met in the middle, we had a dance-off with the beautiful caldera view behind us. Our guests then made their way into the venue. When I finally walked down the aisle and saw my husband there waiting for me I knew that that was the moment we had waited so long for. It was a dream come true. The celebrations continued the following day with our reception. We entered our cocktail hour in a helicopter. Experiencing a bird's-eye view of Santorini, riding a helicopter together for the first time, and getting to do it all as husband and wife, while our guests cheered for us upon arrival, was something we will forever cherish. As the night continued we had fireworks during our first dance. Later in the evening, we had traditional Greek dancers perform which ended with plate breaking in true Greek fashion, leading into the open dance floor. We wanted to incorporate our Hindu customs with Greek customs and our guests loved it. Everyone was having the best time dancing and taking in the moment. After all, when else can you go to a wedding and break plates?
Well Worth It
Getting married in the middle of a pandemic isn’t easy but it’s worth it in the end. We will forever be grateful for our close family and friends who flew out to Greece in the middle of a pandemic to support us. It made all the planning, postponing, replanning, and stress absolutely worth it. Surrounded by so much love and support, the wedding was a true dream come true.
- Cakes & Catering: Petran Art Santorini
- Cakes & Catering: Spicy Bites Catering
- Couple: Forum Patel
- Couple: Krunal Patel
- Dress & Apparel: Sarika At Tantrafashions
- Event Planning & Design: Santorini My Wedding
- Fireworks: Pro Support Santorini
- Flowers: Santorini Flowers
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Rena Skourti
- Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Renia Bledaki
- Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: Kisiris Events
- Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: Multimedia Events
- Venues: Santo Wines Winery
- Venues: Thermes Villas
- Wedding DJ: MVP DJs
- Wedding Photographers: Phosart Photography & Cinematography