Here's a love story that goes back to school when Tarisha Tholia and Prerit Kothari became friends. In sixth grade, her friends even created a mock wedding invitation bearing both their names and delivered it to his house! Little did they know then, that would actually play true.
Though life took them in different directions—with Prerit moving away to the US to study and she, finding her creative forte back home—they began to be more in touch in 2021, which led to them realising how well their thoughts and lives aligned and that they had found 'the one' in each other.
His romantic proposal at Atlantis The Royal, Dubai sealed that. The simply wrote the playbook their way—making Jaipur with its heritage spaces the backdrop to their wedding, having the Sangeet after their pheras and she, taking up the mammoth task of designing her own outfits, some for Prerit and for their closest friends and families, too.
Tarisha and Prerit—whose family owns Kothari Jewels along with the historic Jal Mahal and Kothari Garh—takes Manifest into their wedding day and the fun and emotion in every celebration!
Tarisha Tholia (TT): We had known each other since school, but we were never particularly close back then. It was only in 2021, when we started speaking every day, that our relationship really began to evolve. When Prerit eventually asked me out after moving back to Jaipur, I was so caught off guard that I actually laughed. Looking back, it is funny to think that someone I had known since school would eventually become my husband.
(TT): Absolutely not! At the time, we were around 12 or 13 and thought it was hilarious. Our classmates had actually printed a fake wedding invitation with both our names and delivered it to Prerit's house. Neither of us could have imagined that, years later, it would become a real wedding invitation. It has become one of those stories our families love bringing up, and it makes the whole journey feel even more serendipitous.
(TT): Post school, Prerit moved to the US to attend University and later worked in New York, while I stayed in Jaipur and built my fashion label. Then in 2021, we started being more in touch and spoke every day.
There wasn't one dramatic moment when we suddenly knew. It happened quite naturally as we started spending more time together and realised how comfortable we were with each other. There was a sense of familiarity because we had known each other since school, but at the same time, we were discovering completely new sides of one another as adults. Over time, that combination of friendship, comfort and love made it clear that this was something very special.
(TT): It was completely unexpected for me. Prerit had originally wanted to propose outside Jaipur, but my parents weren't comfortable with us travelling alone together at the time. When I planned a trip to Dubai with my mother for an exhibition, Prerit joined us under the pretext of helping with the event.
What I didn't know was that he had spent around two and a half months planning a private dinner at Atlantis The Royal and had even secured my parents' blessing beforehand. It wasn't until I turned around and saw him on one knee with the ring that everything suddenly made sense. It was incredibly thoughtful and very much him quietly planning everything while making sure our families were part of the moment.
Prerit Kothari (PT): Jaipur is home for both of us, so it felt like the most natural choice. We also come from large families and wanted the wedding to be a celebration with everyone who mattered to us. Having the wedding in Jaipur also meant that almost 200 of our international guests could experience the city where we grew up.
There was something very special about bringing together our personal history, our families and the city itself. Each venue also represented a different part of that story.
TT: Definitely. Jaipur has such a strong sense of place, and we wanted our guests to experience that as part of the wedding. The heritage architecture gave each celebration a sense of history and character that you simply cannot recreate elsewhere.
There was also something meaningful about beginning this new chapter of our lives surrounded by spaces and stories that have been part of our families for generations. At the same time, the settings allowed us to create something contemporary within those historic surroundings.
We structured the celebrations so that each day had one major event, allowing everyone to enjoy the wedding without feeling rushed. We had the mehendi at a private heritage venue, the wedding at Jaigarh Fort and the sangeet at Kothari Garh.
One thing that was important to us was giving our guests time to experience Jaipur rather than keeping them occupied with back-to-back functions. With nearly 200 international guests attending, we wanted the city itself to be part of their experience. The celebrations were therefore designed to leave room for people to explore, spend time with family and friends and simply enjoy being together.
TT: Designing my wedding wardrobe was incredibly special because I had always imagined dressing the people closest to me when I got married. But doing it in under six months while simultaneously planning the wedding was definitely intense!
I designed and produced more than 40 bespoke looks for myself, Prerit, our families and close friends. There were fittings happening alongside venue visits, guest-list planning and everything else that comes with a wedding. The creative process was a wonderful distraction from the pressure in some ways because I could channel all the excitement and emotion into the clothes.
It was also incredibly rewarding to see sketches evolve into outfits and then see the people I love wearing them. That made all the long days and late nights completely worth it.
TT: My wedding lehenga was probably the outfit I had imagined for the longest time. I wanted it to feel deeply personal while bringing together elements of art and craft that I have always loved.
The lehenga was crafted in red raw silk and drew heavily from my longstanding interest in Pichwai art. I incorporated hand-painted lotus ponds and banana trees, which were then complemented by intricate zardozi embroidery and accents of real gold foil. I paired the red with a green tissue dupatta to soften the palette, along with an embroidered tissue veil.
The jewellery was equally important. I wore a jadau set with an ardh and chandbaalis, along with a maang tika, nath, jadau hair pin and hath phool. Every element was chosen to feel cohesive with the story of the outfit while still feeling like me.
TT: We both love celebrating, and we knew we wanted to enjoy the sangeet without the pressure of having to wake up early for the pheras the following morning. So we simply thought why not do it the other way around?
Once the pheras were over, everyone could relax and celebrate properly. The sangeet at Kothari Garh became a huge party, with performances, speeches and a lot of dancing. It felt like a very natural reflection of us: we wanted the wedding to follow traditions where they felt meaningful, but we were also comfortable changing the rules where it made the celebration more enjoyable.
TT: We both love food, and food was definitely an important part of the celebrations. With guests coming from different parts of the world, we wanted the experience to feel generous and varied while still retaining a strong connection to Jaipur and the flavours we grew up with.
For us, food is also about bringing people together. Some of the best moments at a wedding happen around a table, when everyone is relaxed, talking, sharing and enjoying themselves, so that was something we wanted the celebrations to reflect.
TT: There were so many, but one of the most memorable moments for me was during the wedding after-party. I was dancing with Prerit and, for the first time that entire weekend, I stepped back and looked around at our families and friends. Everything suddenly slowed down, and I had this very clear realisation that this was what life was going to look like moving forward.
For Prerit, seeing his closest friends form a tunnel and cheer as he walked into Jaigarh Fort was incredibly emotional. It was the moment he realised he was becoming part of something much bigger than himself.
Beyond the big moments, it was also seeing our families and closest friends wearing outfits I had designed for them, watching everyone come together and having people from different parts of our lives share the same celebration. Those are the memories that will stay with us.
TT: Personal, joyful, unforgettable.
PT: Emotional, celebratory, timeless.