Kajal-Gautam wedding: South India and Kashmir-based décor, questionnaires and more – six things that stood out at their kalyanam!

Gushing over how Kajal Aggarwal and Gautam Kitchlu glowed at their wedding? Loved the décor and all those tiny details that made the venues look adorable? Well, we bring you a few details from their wedding celebrations that left us smiling…

Pics: Joseph Radhik

Ambika Gupta, a Chennai-based luxe event designer who planned the big wedding, says that she asked Kajal and Gautam to answer a few questions before customizing their wedding venues. “I made them fill out a form. they answered questions like how they met, what colours they like in their living room, what colours they like on themselves, what patterns they like, etc,” she says.

Kajal’s family held a Radha-Krishna pooja at her residence mid-October. “The theme was Brijvasi Krishna Bagh, inspired by Radha-Krishna paintings that depict them standing under a tree. We had a tree of peonies and done them up in cascading shades of pink, with origami birds and brass bells hanging from them. The entire house was done up in flowers, peacock feathers and flutes. A wooden swing she has at her balcony was also done up in florals and greens,” reveals Ambika.

The haldi was held at a bistro the day before the wedding. Since Kajal is a Punjabi, stylist Ami Patel had done her outfit in the form of a patiala, but using south Indian weaves. The backdrop was done using palm leaves, handpainted pettis (used by coconut farmers to hold tools while they climb trees) and banana leaves. “The bistro had black and white chequered floors, very similar to the Chettinad-style tiling. So, we used that space to give it a south Indian touch,” says Ambika.

Since Gautam is a Kashmiri, and Kajal was getting married into their family, they had chosen to base the wedding décor on Kashmir. “We did the venue with pyramid structures - they depict the valleys of Kashmir, and are a symbol of integration of self and soul. The mandap had intricate details of the shikara boat, the paneling were inspired from the shikara’s windows. We also had blue panels, which are inspired by Pashmina patterns. We used mirror flooring to create an illusion of water, and the side tables had flowers, depicting the floating flower market of Kashmir,” says Ambika.

Post the wedding, the guests gave speeches and broke into impromptu performances. There was even a flash mob, and the friends first performed to Spice Girls’s Wannabe while surrounding Gautam. It was preceded by a cake-cutting event and popping of fruit champagne.

Kajal and Gautam will be sending hampers – of sweets and deliverables - to her work friends, directors, co-stars and those she worked with. It’s their way to show how much they missed them at the wedding, but couldn’t invite them over, given the pandemic. The couple is planning to host a reception next year, depending on how the COVID-19 situation is.