Isra Gown – Sarah & Arjun

October 1, 2019

Real Brides

Isra Gown – Sarah & Arjun

COUPLE’S NAMES

Arjun Kumar and Sara Bond

Wedding Date

15 June 2019

LOCATION

We wanted a very chill vibe for our ceremony and reception, where it would be more of a fun backyard party than a wedding. We had been to Italy a few times and even got engaged in Asolo, so it was definitely a special place to us that we wanted the chance to experience with all our friends and family. Although we live in Toronto (Canada), most of our family is in England and India so it was a better location for them as well.

Our venue was Villa Mosconi Bertani, a vineyard in Verona. Arjun had been there years back for a family reunion and we ended up booking it before even seeing it! We loved the setting of their backyard, which included a small island accessible by a little bridge and lots of amazing trees. Of course, the delicious wine was also a factor!

GUEST TOTAL

104

THE GOWN

For my wedding gown, I fell in love with the Bo & Luca ISRA Gown.

Arjun and I got engaged almost 2 years before we got married, so I had a lot of time to look for the right style for the day. I began looking online for a while and found nothing that stood out until I came across a blog post where the bride was wearing the ISRA gown. I located a Toronto boutique (Loversland) that carried the dress and set an appointment to go and try it on. My first appointment was at a large bridal store that overwhelmed me, and after trying on countless dresses in a single day I saved the ISRA for last and it ended up being the one by unanimous vote!

BRIDESMAID’S DRESSES

Given the outdoor Indian-inspired style of the wedding, I wanted the Bridesmaids to have some colour but also wanted them to be able to show their individual style. I chose the Skylar Tulle Skirt from Revelry and let the girls choose whatever colour they wanted (no rules!). Their tops were whatever white top they wanted, and I loved how it turned out where they were all different. My sister was my Maid of Honour and I got her a matching flower crown to mine to stand out from the other bridesmaids!

WEDDING THEME

Arjun is Indian and although we did a small Indian ceremony before leaving for Italy, I wanted the theme of the wedding to have a lot of colour! I didn’t want to overdo it on the decor since I wanted the majority of the beauty to be the nature around us, so I incorporated a small number of bright flowers, bright pillows, and Persian rugs to give that perfect hybrid. The tables and chairs were all wooden, which helped blend in with the backyard vibe, and we added a ton of string lights and fairy lights for when it got dark.

FLOWERS & BOUQUETS

The flower choice was colourful with bold moody tones like burgundy and deep pinks to give a more Indian inspired touch. The same flowers were in the Bridal party bouquets, which looked great with the colourful skirts the Bridesmaids were wearing! Otherwise, our decor was very minimal since we didn’t want to take away from the natural decor of the outdoor venue.

HONEYMOON

Our honeymoon is a train journey through India (Palace on Wheels), which was a gift from Arjun’s uncle. We’ll be going in January 2020.

MEMORABLE MOMENT

There are so many it’s hard to pick! One of my favourites is our “first dance”. We wanted an event with no “lulls” for the guests, and the idea around our first dance was to have everyone join in and dance around us rather than watching us. One of our friends cut in to dance with a couple, which kept expanding until we looked around to see our guests had formed one big circle around us dancing and singing to the song. It was a great moment!

ADVICE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE

A lot of stress comes with planning an event and expecting everything to go perfectly; since it never does. The best advice is to not sweat the small stuff, and understand that your guests won’t notice 99% of the things you would as the planner. I think the best thing we did at our wedding was hiring a photographer who was exceptional at capturing candid photos. By doing this, we didn’t bother spending more than 10 minutes formally posing for photos, and truly spent every minute possible enjoying the moment with our friends and family. Also, remember to eat!