Inside Diya Chaitanya and Rohaan Dang’s intimate home wedding in Coorg

Through our ‘Real Bride’ series, we trace the stories of new brides, right from when they met their partners to how they planned their wedding outfits

Diya Chaitanya and Rohaan Dang’s love story is a testament to the fact that true love can transcend both time and age. Having known each other since they were four years old, the Bengaluru-based entrepreneurs recently tied the knot earlier this year, after being together in a relationship for over a decade. Chaitanya takes us through the journey of their relationship, from the first time they met in school to the planning a wedding amidst nature at home in Coorg.

Childhood sweethearts

Rohaan and I have known each other since our school days, since we were four years old. I think it was while in the sixth grade that he developed a crush on me. I was never interested but he kept trying. We eventually became friends. After we graduated from our school in Bengaluru, I moved to the UK for further education, but we kept in touch. When I returned from the UK, we started dating. It's been almost twelve years since we’ve been together.

The big move

Both Rohaan and I are very practical individuals so we didn’t have a grand proposal. We knew the direction our equation would take after being together for so long, and hence decided we would live together first. We got an apartment very close to both our parents houses and our offices. After living for a few months together we thought it was time to take the obvious next step towards marriage. We spoke to our families that we wanted to tie the knot soon and that’s how we decided upon a date, which was January 7 this year. A few months before we actually got married, he took me on a surprise holiday where he proposed. While I saw it coming, it was still a special moment for both of us. 

An intimate affair at home

Coorg is special to me in several ways. My uncle has a coffee estate in Coorg where he spends most of his time. My parents happened to find a holiday home at a beautiful location here ten years ago and my mother, an interior designer, turned it into a home. I knew since then that this was where I would get married. The mandap was in the midst of greenery, on a terrace overlooking the valley. We kept it an intimate gathering to celebrate with the people who we really love.

Planning a wedding as perfectionists

To be honest, for me and Rohaan, it was more about our friends and family than about us. Even our wedding date was fixed for January because we have a lot of friends and family who don't live in India and knew that this would be a good time for them to travel after Christmas. We just had five months to plan this wedding. We are both perfectionists and were particular about every detail for the wedding.

Planning the wedding was very stressful for me because I wanted to make sure that every little detail was taken care of. I personally designed the menus—what material to use, the paper, the font. The gifts and hampers in the rooms were personalised too. 

Initially it was Rohaan who was more stressed than me, but somehow a week before the wedding it switched, where he got emotional about the fact that well-wishers from around the world had come to celebrate with us. His happiness, his energy, his positivity, rubbed off on me. We’d wake up before everyone else did and be the last ones to leave the party, making the most of it. 

The outfits

I didn't overthink the outfits at all. I was very clear about the designers I wanted to wear. Tarun Tahiliani happens to be my mother’s close friend, so he was my first preference. As soon as the dates were fixed, we went to Delhi to meet him. I knew I wanted to wear a bright orange lehenga. I have always loved orange as a colour, and have worn it for every important event in my life, including my graduation. Tarun showed us a beautiful floral swatch which could be customised. I wore it for a post-wedding brunch. I wanted it to be comfortable enough for me to enjoy the moment without fussing over heavy outfits. I wore another Tarun Tahiliani lehenga for the reception in Bengaluru. It was heavier, almost a silver-champagne hue with hints of lavender. I wore the lehenga quite uniquely, with a corset top and a scarf–instead of a dupatta–that was wrapped around the corset with feathers. 

While I had to wear a Sabyasachi outfit as a bride, I decided to wear one for our cocktail evening in Coorg. I liked a gold gown-like outfit on their Instagram page but my mum thought it could be customised to a forest green colour. We flew down to Sabyasachi’s studio in Calcutta, where he showed us a customised green swatch that was beautiful and easy.

For the mehendi ceremony in Coorg, I wore an Arpita Mehta outfit. I loved the boho vibe of the collection I saw on her Instagram page, but felt it was too simple to be worn as a bride. We got it customised to make it wedding-appropriate yet easygoing for me. I opted for a bright fuchsia colour with lots of mirror work on it. 

The retro bride

I always knew I wanted to wear a saree for the wedding ceremony, and the occasion called for a Raw Mango saree. We met Sanjay Garg, the brand’s founder, in Delhi. I was looking for something in red, not because it’s traditional but because I like how the colour looks on me. The saree we ended up selecting was pretty unique; it had beautiful silver work with floral elements, which I thought resonated with being at home in Coorg amidst nature. The blouse, too, was different, with vintage metallic gold and silver work. I got it customised with a high neck and long sleeves.  

My mum had bought the jewellery from a jeweller called Falguni in Mumbai. The set was a layered set with matching jhumkas and it went beautifully with the red saree. I left my hair open with a pasa on the side.

The groom’s style fits

Initially Rohaan and I wanted to wear colours that would complement each other’s outfits, but that didn’t materialise. Rohaan loves prints so for the mehendi ceremony he wore a Masaba outfit in green. For the wedding we went to the new Tarun Tahiliani store in Bengaluru, where Rohaan picked a cream kurta with gold embroidery and a bundi. For the brunch, Sabyasachi’s team sent across some swatches and he ended up liking a peach-orange printed set. It was probably my favourite outfit from among the ones he wore. For the cocktail evening in Coorg and the reception in Bengaluru, Rohaan went to this designer called Paresh in Bengaluru who does custom suits.  

A special moment

For the wedding ceremony, instead of a priest, we had a priestess. Oftentimes, the guests witnessing the ceremony are either bored, chatting away with each other, or just hungover. But everyone was laughing by the end of an hour-long ceremony. It was perfect because that's just how Rohaan and I are together—we laugh, we make fun of each other and we are the best of friends. And the priestess did just that, without trying to be funny. Even though it was a religious ceremony, it was probably my favourite part of the wedding.

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