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At Anita Dongre, a rewarding part of our work is seeing our brides and grooms embody their most perfect selves. Some weddings are beautiful. Some are unforgettable. And then there are the rare ones that ask a more fundamental question. Not how should this look, but what should this mean? Shyla Raghav and Pranav Yadav's wedding in Rajasthan was a testament to the idea that luxury can be defined not by excess, but by intention. Held across five days and nine events at the 235-year-old Alila Fort Bishangarh, in the ancient landscape of the Aravallis, was a big, fat Indian wedding in every sense. Yet, their celebration was one of the most intentional we have ever had the privilege of dressing. Long before the celebration took shape, Shyla and Pranav had already defined its philosophy with a single question: Can a wedding be luxurious not despite its constraints, but because of them?
Much like us at Anita Dongre, Rajasthan was a guiding influence in this couple’s story. The fort's natural stepwell became the setting for their wedding ceremony. Rather than importing an aesthetic, they drew from what already existed; Marigold garlands with rajnigandha tassels hung from ancient trees, terracotta pots and antique copper vessels held locally grown florals, and the baori's earthy stone was allowed to speak for itself. For the Qawwali night, the terrace at Nazaara, with its sweeping view across the Aravalli hills, needed almost nothing. Low divans, Jaipur durries, vintage lanterns. The landscape was the decoration. For the Qawwali night, the terrace at Naazara, with its sweeping view across the Aravalli hills, needed almost nothing. Low divans, Jaipur durries, vintage lanterns. The landscape was the decoration. "The less we imposed," Shyla reflects, "the better the result." This principle extended to every element they considered: block-printed textiles instead of synthetic backdrops, locally grown sevanti, mogra, and genda instead of imported blooms, recycled paper and glass bottles throughout. Their planners at Pataka Events and design team at Mohr Conscious Celebration worked from a shared foundation of values, building beauty from restraint, and abundance from depth.
One of the most quietly powerful choices Shyla and Pranav made was also one of the most visible: they chose not to have a ghodi.
Anita has long held that 'No act of love can begin with an act of violence', a belief that found its way into many conversations with Shyla and Pranav as they shaped their celebration. It was, from the very first exchange, a point of perfect alignment. "Your campaign brought this into the open in a way that made it impossible to look away," they wrote to us. "It spoke directly to something we already believed: that tradition is most powerful when it is chosen consciously, not followed without a thought for the uncomfortable truths." The baraat was led by a brass band & Pranav arrived in a 1933 Ford Model B. Five girls accompanied him in place of the traditional male sarbala, a choice that felt entirely in keeping with the spirit of the day. Shyla and Pranav's baraat was a reminder that the most meaningful traditions are the ones we arrive at with full awareness
Perhaps the most lasting expression of Shyla and Pranav's philosophy was how their wedding ended. In partnership with local community leaders and ReNew, they used their seva day to install solar panels at a nearby government school for girls where the students had been studying after dark without reliable electricity. The energy generated by their celebration, quite literally, now powers classrooms, lighting up the futures of these young girls. “We didn’t just want to show our friends the India they saw inside the fort – we wanted to show them the future of India outside it, in that school.” A wedding that leaves behind light and hope. There is no more fitting image.
For their entire wedding, Shyla and Pranav wore Anita Dongre exclusively. It was, they say, a deliberate creative decision that grew more meaningful the further they moved into it. "Wearing Anita Dongre who has always chosen craft, ethics, and a beautiful creative restraint felt like the truest expression of the conscious luxury philosophy we had built the whole celebration around," Shyla shared. Each look was crafted for the specific mood and meaning of its ceremony. The techniques spanned zardozi, gota, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) embroidery, and Pichhwai-painted pieces — a full vocabulary of Indian craft traditions we champion, each carrying its own history and cultural significance. For the wedding ceremony, both Shyla and Pranav wore pieces with nature motifs — a choice, they said, that was deeply personal to who they are and what they stand for. "Sustainability did not limit what we wore," Shyla reflects. "It led us to something more meaningful: clothes that carried a philosophy, told a story, and will last well beyond the celebration itself."
Shyla and Pranav have distilled their experience into a guide for couples considering a similar path, offered not as a rulebook, but as an invitation to think differently about what a wedding can be, and what it can leave behind. A few of the principles they share:
The most important shift is not which vendor you choose or which material you swap. It is the decision to let your values shape the design process from the very beginning. Ask: what does this wedding say about who we are?
A heritage property, already embedded in its landscape, is one of the most conscious choices you can make. You are not constructing a temporary world but stepping into one that already exists.
A beautifully made garment that can be worn again, passed down, or treasured is a far more meaningful investment than something worn once. Prioritize craft, natural materials, and slow fashion. Choose what you believe in completely, and let that choice speak.
A wedding gathers people, resources, and energy in one place. That concentration is an opportunity. What your celebration leaves behind in the community that hosts it can outlast any floral arrangement.
Shyla and Pranav's wedding was not a small, pared-back affair. It was a large, multi-day destination celebration with guests arriving from around the world — nine events, deeply joyful, beautiful in every sense. And it was more sustainable: not as a compromise, but as a creative principle woven through every decision. "You do not have to choose between a beautiful wedding and a responsible one," they write. "We are proof. Not that it is always perfect, but that it is possible, and worth it." At Anita Dongre, we have always held that elegance need not come at the cost of the earth, that craft and conscience can, and must, coexist. Shyla and Pranav did not just live that belief. They proved it, documented it, and offered it as a gift to every couple that comes after them. We are deeply proud to have been part of their story.
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