DIVYA + AMAN

We've begun something mad. It started as a thought, became a conversation across a table and it's led us down a path we're not sure we'll ever (want to) come back from!
We met Divya and Aman this summer and challenged ourselves to create a more conscious wedding. We'd spent the last decade or so designing, attending and overall being witness to weddings that were nothing but wasteful. They tasked us, simply, to change that!

We began by asking two questions: where things are coming from and where they will go once the wedding is over. These two rather harmless questions led us to an epic journey which enabled us to grow our raw material and work with individual artists. Our effort wasn’t only to find better but to ensure that everything used here finds itself a home- where it’s treasured, reused or recreated to make something better.

A simple 100km radius was drawn around the fort venue and everything was sourced and created by suppliers within that region.

FLOWERS: The Alila Fort in Bishangarh helped us grow practically all our centrepieces- bajra, wheatgrass and mustard are staples in this region and were used around the mandap and to create arrangements for all the tables. I learnt sometime last year, that floral foam is almost entirely non-biodegradable, so we created wooden troughs with chicken mesh to recreate our bajra fields. Once dried, these flowers were super easy to work with and could be retained over a long period of time.

FABRICS: Personalised art was created for all the linen. The patterns were hand-drawn by our team in Mumbai and then carved into individual blocks and hand printed on untreated cotton by local artists. We worked with multiple small businesses and trained craftsmen to source, print and tailor the fabrics for the wedding.

STRUCTURES: Nine thousand metres of fabric was draped over the dessert to create an installation inspired by the man-made structures in Sanganer (used to dry dyed fabrics).  A team of local dyers spent an entire day carefully draping it over a modern installation using local techniques that have been used and passed down for generations. Aman has pledged this fabric to the children of the Bishangarh village.

PRINT: All the print collateral (welcome notes, food tags, menus and the food map to help guests find their favourites) was printed on seed paper, made in Jaipur. They should bloom into a beautiful bush of marigolds by spring.

The family ensured that the ethos was carried to the food service as well. Most ingredients were grown in and around the venue, the menu was inspired by the food of this region and glass bottles were used to serve water.

The more I study the concept of sustainability, the further away I feel from achieving it a hundred percent. I won’t lie, some glassware was brought wrapped in bubble wrap and a lot of water was consumed in the making of this wedding. Having said that, this is the closest we have come to creating something that makes us feel slightly better about what we do. We hope this small effort (which may seem miniscule in the larger framework) will pave to way to greater, more thoughtful choices.

It has allowed us to believe that a better world is possible, where simple thoughts can become grand things. That weddings can look good and still have some heart. That inspiration isn’t always found on the internet, but often, simply by engaging with things around you. And magic, doesn’t need to be shipped cross country.

I’m going to leave here an extensive list of resources that played a part in the making of the wedding. I would love for you to reach out to them, find their neighbours and other local artists and help us complete this grand circle that brought us here.

2500 guests.

Design and Concept: Devika Narain & Company

Venue: Alila fort Bishangarh, Jaipur.

Structure and rentals: The Stage Craft

Flowers: The Diamond Florist

Technicals: Jasbeer Decorator

Resources:

Kalpana Handmade paper

Handicraft Haveli

Yaseen Wooden block maker

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Planning: E Factor events

FnB: Alila fort Bishangarh + Legacy Catering

Photo + Video: Artfoto Studios

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