Videshi Dulhaa Dulhan aur Desi Shadi

Indian weddings have always been famous. They are big fat Indian wedding, where everyone is invited. No one is left out. And, you always feel loved, full-of-life and enthusiastic while being a part of the grand affair. To provide everyone with similar taste, I had experienced so far, I ventured to be a wedding planner.

(Disclaimer: This story has been written as participation entry for Baggout competition: http://baggout.com/blog/blog-contest.html?utm_source=blog_contest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=contest2. The topic was, "Your favorite celebrity is getting married and Guess What "You have been appointed the Wedding Planner". Your entry needs to discuss on how you would plan the whole wedding for your favorite star assuming that all shopping and bookings are done through Baggout.")

Supported by luck, I soon become regional hit after initial struggle of six to eight months. I was enjoying my share of success when suddenly I received an e-mail from Ian Somerhalder. My favorite American actor, my Damon (from The Vampire Diaries television series), and my love had e-mailed me!

The first thing I remember was to give out a shout of joy and dance like a ninja on seeing his e-mail. As some air passed down my body and I relaxed, I read his words that plunged into my heart. He was getting married! Oh My God, my favorite actor whom, I had loved all my life is getting married to someone else – it was hard to digest that news.

Yes. He was getting married and he had sent me an e-mail requesting me to be his wedding planner. “Finally I can meet him”, I was blushing, smiling and feeling unreasonably happy by imagining it. My mind was filled with several queries, but topping all them was the thought, “So what if he is getting married to someone else? If things go fine, I WILL BE HIS WEDDING PLANNER.’

Thanks to Baggout.com and the various retailer registered, booking tickets is quick and easy. I used the coupon of Expedia.co.in., to book my tickets - http://baggout.com/retailer/expedia-flights-discount-coupon-codes.

And, the next thing I remember is my flying to Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, U.S.A. There is where my love, my Damon and my to-be client lives. Over the in-depth chat, we decided to meet at his house and discuss the plan, wedding, and quotes. As I picked up my baggage and walked out of the Airport, I saw Ian’s driver waiting for me with a signboard.

It was a few minutes’ drive to his home while; I was admiring the beauty of the city. 

As soon as I entered, I was offered to rest a while in my guest room and to be refreshed. Denying it, I requested the caretaker to arrange my meeting with Ian. As I positioned myself in the dormitory cum reading room, my heart was thumping loud.

The wait was over – he came down the stairs slowly and slowly. Behold before me was man of my dreams who was going to be someone else soon. A look at him and you will feel like you are talking to a common person. He was dressed in casual t-shirt and track pants. He wore home slippers and with unkempt hair, he gave his usual smirk to me. I was blown over by his charming personality and sex appeal the minute I saw him on-screen and now, having seeing him real life made me dizzy.

However, I kept my control and he wished me. Reciprocating it, I smiled and we sat down for chat.

“Are you sure you do not want to rest? You must be suffering jet-lag,” his said coolly.

“No. I am not tired,” I said rather excitedly.

“Good. We can talk”

“Yes. Tell me. Are you really getting married?”

Ian laughed at this question and naughtily answered, “Sadly, yes!”

“Oh well,” I said heartbroken.

“Why? Is there any problem?” he asked intriguingly.

“No. Not at all.”

“So, do you have any plans for my wedding?”

“I do. But, I want to know where and when you want to have your wedding? Who is going to be your life partner? And, in which style would you want it?”

“Well, Nikita…” this was the first time, I heard him say my name, and the feeling was truly exotic “… you see, I want to marry next month. And, I am marrying Nina Dobrev.”

“O! Vow. Awesome”, I literally shouted it.

“Thanks”, he smirked.

“What theme would you prefer – Italian, Roman, Modern, Medeival…”

“Indian,” he cut me short

“What?” I uttered shocked and surprised.

“See that is the entire point”, he become little serious. “Our wedding is happening very fast. And, I do not wish it to happen in USA. I mean, we have separate wedding party for our friends here, but I want a big fat Indian style wedding for Nina and me.

Nina and I are a huge fan of Indian weddings. We know that there are several styles of wedding in India but we do not, which one is better. Hence, I was specifically looking for an Indian wedding planner. And, I found you. I had read about your earlier clients on your blog, their blogs, and your website.

You have amazing potential and unique ideas. We both loved your previous work and based on it; we decided to talk to you.”

Gulping down the immense praises from my lovable star, my voice cracked, as I talked further, “Well… okay… if you say so. Where is Nina by the way?”

“She is off to see her friends in Vegas. She will be back tomorrow and will be very excited to meet you. So… do you have any plans now?” Ian gave a naughty smile.

“Of course. I will have plans, I will give you some options, and you both can decide afterwards.”

“Cool, so see you tomorrow Nikita. Rest for a while and then I will arrange for your sightseeing. Ciya.”

“Ciya.”

The next morning was beautiful. My mind was clear and bursting with some ideas. I was also eager to meet Nina. “She is going to arrive today. How lucky I am,” my thoughts ran as I took a sip of my morning coffee.

It was late afternoon, when Nina barged in, looking happy after her trip. Ian and I were in discussion and her entry livened up the room.

“Hey. I am back,” she said.

They both hugged and greeted each other. Seeing me, Nina rushed towards me and said, “Nikita, the wedding planner. I was eager to meet you”, and hugged me tightly.

“Me too Nina. It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

“So, how is it going? I hope Ian is taking good care of you”, she pinched him.

“Yes. He has.”

“Good. Tell me, what ideas do you have?”

“For Indian wedding, we can choose South Indian style wedding or Bengali style or Gujarati or Maharashtrian…”

We three discussed my ideas in detail. I made them accustom to various styles of Indian marriages, the cultural diversity, customs, places, food and nearly everything. They both were confused as they were intoxicated by each style. After much discussion over next few days, some sightseeing, enjoying life, we finally decided to have ‘Maharaja Style wedding.’

It was decided that the wedding would be take place in one of the palaces of Udaipur; everything will be decorated as were done in kings and queens era, but with a modern touch. They both wanted the wedding to be special, typical big-fat Indian style wedding yet a low affair with minimalist usage of things.

Deciding the day, date, venue, guests list, and theme, I returned to India. Now, time was running fast. For wedding, there is never enough time. I had to order and take care of everything. The bride and the groom were supposed to arrive a day before the guests and just do whatever I said.

Helping me out in this preparation was my life savior, Baggout.com. I knew that it is the only one destination, where I would get anything and everything. So, the next thing I did was to scan and search all deals, options, retailers and codes available on Baggout.

The first thing I settled was tickets. I used the deal & coupons of Yatra.com - http://baggout.com/retailer/yatra-international-discount-coupon-codes for booking international tickets of Ian, Nina and their selected guests. It was followed by booking domestic flights for guests, who were having break journey and for their Indian guests. It was done through Go Air Deals - http://baggout.com/retailer/goair-discount-coupon-codes and Travel Guru Coupons - http://baggout.com/retailer/travelguru-discount-coupon-codes. All the locals travelling were also booked through these website’s services.

The next thing to settle was food. The daily cooking was to be carried out by the local Rajasthani cooks, who were entitled to give us awesome Rajasthani food, daily. Nevertheless, to be on safe side, I availed deals and coupons of Foodpanda - http://baggout.com/retailer/foodpanda-discount-coupon-codes.

My assistants, who had asked the palace caretakers to help them, did the theme and other decoration. Now, with everything arrange, the only thing awaited was the bride and groom’s arrival.

I had sent a huge signboard, “Videsh Dulhaa aur Dulhan ka Sawagat Hai’ to receive them. P.S. I had already told them this beforehand.

The day arrived, on 1^st August, my bride and groom arrived in India. They were welcomed in Maharaja style with trumpets, flowers, rose water, aarti ki thali and sweets. Ian and Nina were looking completely overwhelmed with welcome and so were their guests.

That night, we had a long chat and I showed them their room, filled with clothes. The beauty and Indian style of clothes and ornaments completely dethroned them. They were beaming with pride to see them and use them.

The next day was spent in sightseeing. For Nina, I had brought some simple yet elegant one-piece as causal wear. One was a ‘Fashionara Flared Colour Black Dress from Baggout http://baggout.com/product/Fashionara-Flared-Colour-Block-Dress/3350381 and another was Miss Chase’s White Colour Block Bodycon Dress, again from Baggout - http://baggout.com/product/White-Colour-Block-Bodycon-Dress-Miss-Chase/3102914. To team them, I had asked her to wear her casual footwear with Italian Chain from Baggout - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-ITALIAN-CHAIN-IN-PURE-925-Sterling-Silver-By-JEWEL-FUEL/1527171.

For Ian, I had purchased Guddus collection combo - http://baggout.com/product/guddus-collections-red-black-yellow-and-white-collar-t-shirt-combo/2108210 and asked to team it up with his casual footwear.

The next day, i.e. on 3^rd August, we celebrated their Mehendi cum Sangeet ceremony. For the bride and groom, I had brought clothes using Baggout online purchasing. Nina looked smashing in Indian styled Libas Sleeveless Kurti - http://baggout.com/product/Libas-Party-Wedding-Sleeveless-Self-Design-Women-s-Kurti/2172577, Plosh Flora Heels - http://baggout.com/product/Plosh-Flora-Heels/2972419 and the simple Italian chain. Ian complimented her by looking elegant in Indian style Pyajama-Kurta designed by Manish Creations - http://baggout.com/product/Manish-Creations-Mens-Kurta/3083028.

Beginning the mark of their marital happiness, the Palace was filled with laughter, fun and smell of authentic Rajasthani food. The smile on my favorite Jodi made me proud of my work. After a tiring schedule, it was no time to retire to bed.

However, we three had serious discussions to do. As, coming day was going to be one of the important day – it was their combined bachelor party. Nina, Ian and I sat through the night looking at the menu of food and drinks. But, what excited them more was their dresses. For Ian, he had to rock his one of the casual t-shirts with a cargo shorts - http://baggout.com/product/Life-Mens-6-Pocket-Regular-Fit-Cargo-Shorts/3082887.

Nina had to look simple and classy. And, for her I choose the right dress from Miss Chase. Her dress was Pink Bodycon Dress, as sweet as her - http://baggout.com/product/Miss-Chase-Pink-Bodycon-Dress/2720836.

Bachelor party was a great hit and everyone had a blast in Nina-Ian’s party. Everyone rocked, rolled and groomed to the tunes of naughty Indian lyrics and high metal from USA. Overall, it was  a fun-affair, which brought the couple close to each other.

Day 4, i.e. 4^th August was an important day. Ian and Nina were going to get married and the morning began as a huge tension for everyone. Ian and Nina were panicked so was I. if anything went wrong, my dream of giving my favorite actor a good wedding will crush. They both will feel terrible – thoughts like these handicapped my mind. The only thing that worked for all three of us was a shot of tequila.

By now, I had developed a great bond with them. In between the ceremonies and in the night after functions, we really had a great time. I never felt that I never knew them. I felt as I know them. And, soon, cutting my thought was the continuous tick-tock of the alarm clock.

I packed Nina’s essentials; her gorgeous wedding lehenga from Craftsvilla. It was a fish cut lehenga in traditional colors, green and red - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-Fish-cut-lehenga-Online-Shopping-for-Lehnga-by-Thar-Handloom/1617626. To make her outfit stand out from all the bridges till now, I had chose Craftsvilla’s  authentic Stone Kundan necklace - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-Stone-Kundan-Necklace-Set-/1630735, Golden Kundan Anklet - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-Golden-Kundan-Anklet-Online-Shopping-for-Anklets-by-Heartstrings-by-Jyoti-Sudhir/1625161, and wedding Chuda from Shopclues - http://baggout.com/product/Wedding-Bangles/2130230. Last but not the least, Nina had to balance these heavy, stunning and traditional outfits with Plosh Partee Golden Heels - http://baggout.com/product/Plosh-Partee-Heels/2940159. I sent her with my assistant to parlor.

While, Nina was in safe hands, it was time to check on my love – Ian and the freaking groom. I had already left him his dress created by Manish Creations - http://baggout.com/product/Manish-Creations-Mens-Kurta-Pyjama-Set/3083036. It was attractive Kurta – Pyajama set in gold and red. 

When I reached his room; he was gazing in mirror and asked, “How do I look.”

“Fabulous as usual.”

“That’s a lie. I am not looking my usual self.”

“But, you are looking very attractive.”

“Ha. You say because you are my fan.”

“Yes. I am your true fan”, I said cunningly.

“Where are my shoes?”

“Right here. I had ordered them. These are Bacca Bucci Men shoes. One is Indian style for now and one for reception tomorrow.”

“I love them. Thank You.”

“You’re welcome. I will send someone to help you”, I dashed out of the room to check on Nina.

It was time to tie them both in matrimonial bliss. The Pandit began his chanting. Dressed in elegant wear, they appeared as made for each other. Their Mandap was elementary – it was done in white and they took their vachans beneath open sky.

Being a wedding planner, none of any weddings has provided any solace to me as such as theirs. The way they smiled and loved each other – it was purely a fairy tale romance. Later that evening, a small reception party was held for them.

It was first time; we all saw them as couple. Nina shined in Craftvilla effervescent Golden – Maroon saree - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-Effervescent-Reception-Saree-Online-Shopping-for-Wedding-Sarees-by-Thar-Handloom/1616742. It was accompanied by Kundan wedding jewellery by Craftsvilla: the set - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-kundan-wedding-spl-payal-Runjhun-Designer-Jewellery-/3181051, mangtikka - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-kundan-stone-maangtikka-Runjhun-Designer-Jewellery-/3182778, bangles - http://baggout.com/product/Craftsvilla-Designer-wedding-bangles/1610758, and Bomber Heels - http://baggout.com/product/Plosh-Bomber-Heels/2940146.

Her desi Indian look was enhanced by Ian, cladded in Blackberry Mens Full Sleeve Suit - http://baggout.com/product/Blackberrys-Mens-Full-Sleeves-Long-Length-Indo-Western-Bandhgala-Slim-Fit-Suit/3082949, and Bucci Men’s shoes - http://baggout.com/product/Bacca-Bucci-Men-Boots-And-Loafers-Combo-4800tan-SYS10177/1365547.

For not even once did they appear to be foreigners. They looked Indians celebrating their grand Indian wedding. Both of them complimented each other. As they took their seats on stage, people gave them gifts. I was standing right next to their stage and providing return gifts to my guests. I had order box of chocolate for them, of course from Baggout - http://baggout.com/product/Antara-Rum-Balls-Chocolate/198137.

On 5^th August late night and 6^th early morning, Ian and Nina left for their home sweet home back in California – from where their journey had begun. The final chapter of ‘Videshi Dulhaa-Dulhan aur Desi Shadi’ was here.  We bade each other goodbye by tears in eyes and a promise to stay in touch.

Even now, I see them in my favorite show, ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and chuckle as I can identify their jokes hidden among scenes. My dream of getting them married would not have been complete without Baggout.com – a place where you can buy anything, everything, and that too on affordable prices.