What Goes Behind Creating A Bespoke Song For A Wedding?

In the grand orchestration of an Indian wedding, every moment finds its rhythm. A new melody is emerging, one that is uniquely personal and deeply intimate—the bespoke wedding soundtrack. This trend is transforming the way couples commemorate their love stories.

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A shining example is Armaan Malik, who composed an original song to encapsulate his love for his partner, ensuring that their wedding wasn’t just an event but a symphony of their journey.

Similarly, Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani reimagined 'Ranjha' from their film Shershaah, rewriting its bittersweet longing into a jubilant celebration of their union.

Here, Mayank Choudhary shares what goes behind curating a unique song for a unique love story. At the helm of producing music for The Wedding Filmer, he has spent over half a decade crafting evocative soundtracks for real love stories, from the beats of 'Ik Onkar' for Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s wedding, to personalised love ballads like 'Mangalyam' for the moving story of Nayanthara.

What’s Your Story?

The starting point is the couple’s unique story. “We identify the essence of their journey—what binds them together, their struggles, their triumphs,” says Choudhary. He recalls working on a composition for a same-sex couple who had overcome significant societal challenges to be together. “For them, finding each other meant finding home. The song reflected that—a place of rest, of belonging.” Another composition was born from the story of a specially-abled bride who had navigated life’s hurdles alone until she found her partner. “It was about the deep solitude she had known and the warmth of finding someone who stayed.”

Making A Choice

Once the core sentiment is defined, the next step is setting the tone. “Some stories demand grand orchestral arrangements, while others call for intimate, ambient compositions,” he explains. For instance, a love story of quiet perseverance may lean towards soft piano and subtle strings, whereas an exuberant romance might be underscored with celebratory rhythms.

Choudhary emphasises that references are key but should never dictate the final piece. The challenge is to extract the emotion from the reference and reinterpret it with an Indian touch, ensuring it remains authentic to the couple. Instrumentation also plays a crucial role in setting the mood. “Wind instruments, especially the shehnai, carry a traditional resonance, but we also use piano, strings, and even Greek bouzouki in unique cases,” Choudhary notes.

The Way Ahead

Preparation for these tracks begins months in advance, with an intricate visual and aural moodboard. The couple’s favourite kind of music, the tonality of their personal journeys, their preferred instruments and their associative cultural significance—all of these are factored in by Choudhary while composing his soundtrack.

For couples looking to immortalise their love story in song, the journey begins with a simple question: What is the sound of your love? Whether it’s a reimagined Bollywood melody or an original composition, their soundtrack will echo long after the last dance has ended.