Eka Lakhani and Ravi Bhagchandka Would Much Rather Be Sanely In Love

There is the kind of love that doesn’t announce itself with fireworks or sweep you off your feet in an instant. The kind of love that is not shaped by cinematic moments or grand declarations, but instead by friendship, mutual respect, and the magic of mundane everyday moments. When celebrity stylist Eka Lakhani first met film producer Ravi Bhagchandka on her 23rd birthday, he had gatecrashed the party with a common friend. But there weren’t exactly sparks flying. What followed was a 15-year-long journey of growing from acquaintances to friends, and ultimately tying the knot. The best kind of relationships after all, are the ones born out of serendipity, but built with intention. 

Like all great love stories, Eka and Ravi stumbled upon love when they weren’t looking for it. But when they eventually found it, the couple allowed things to unfold at their own pace by letting each other grow outside of the relationship as well. “We were never in a rush and wanted to grow individually, focus on our careers, and be absolutely certain of what we were building. Over time, that patience and shared growth only made us stronger and more sure of each other,” Eka explains.

Their story is not made of larger-than-life milestone moments, but the seemingly ordinary, in-between moments that quietly shape their relationship. “Some of our most cherished memories are from the simplest moments in the early years—spending unplanned time together, watching movies and matches together, meeting each other’s families and close friends, and building our own bonds with them. It’s all been special,” recalls the ace stylist. Their relationship saw such a slow and natural progression, that there wasn’t a single moment of epiphany where she knew that he was the one. But instead, a gradual journey where marriage felt like the most organic step after years of being together. “There wasn’t one defining moment,” she explains. “It revealed itself over time through consistency, comfort, and the way we grew together. By the time we chose marriage, it felt completely natural and was the most meaningful next step to a relationship that had already stood the test of time.” They didn’t have a wedding proposal, nobody popped the question, because to them, every day felt like choosing ‘forever’ with each other. “There wasn’t one singular, grand proposal. It was a series of quiet, meaningful ones. From choosing to be in a relationship, to moving in together, to getting engaged, and eventually deciding to get married. Each step felt like a proposal in its own way,” Eka exclaims. 

When it came to planning the wedding, the stylist didn’t have a moodboard, or an aesthetic set in stone. She wanted to approach the wedding intuitively, and what followed was a celebration that was rooted in tradition, and was true to both of them. It started with the Lagan Lakhvanu, a traditional Gujarati ceremony, where the first wedding cards are written to God, for which Eka opted for a custom Jigya Patel piece, which was a blend of a panetar and a gharchola.

For the mehendi, she chose an Anuradha Vakil outfit, which was light, vibrant, and full of colour. Being a Sabyasachi bride felt like a natural choice for her. “I always dreamt of being a Sabyasachi bride. I had interned with him early in my career, and when I reconnected with him for my wedding look, he was certain that I should wear red.  That stayed with me,” she quips.  Eka picked a red Banarasi lehenga for the wedding, embodying the classic Indian bride, and Ravi went for an ivory hand-embroidered achkan by Raghavendra Rathore.

For the evening, she wanted something more elevated and glam, with the sindoor as the focal point. Therefore, she opted for a custom Manish Malhotra look dipped in gold, which went beautifully with Ravi’s deconstructed burgundy sherwani by Kunal Rawal. “He’s [Ravi] always been very secure in his aesthetic and, in many ways, lets me take the lead visually. He chose his looks to complement mine, allowing me to fully express my vision while still staying true to his own classic sensibility,” Eka points out. Their wedding—much like their journey leading up to the big day—was filled with a plethora of heartfelt moments. “The night before the wedding, while we were out with our friends at different locations, I called Ravi and we decided to meet for a quick round of photo ops. We ended up taking random pictures on our phones, striking the most ridiculous poses in a little red room that had been set up for my portraits the next day,” she recalls. “It was such a playful, unfiltered moment, just the two of us, with our close friends, letting loose before everything began!”

For Ravi, it was the baraat that was his favourite moment from the wedding; when the celebrations truly began, surrounded by his closest friends and family, all coming together with so much energy and joy. Whereas Eka looks back at their varmala ceremony as her most memorable moment. “The varmala was deeply emotional—walking in, seeing everything come together, and feeling the weight of our journey in that one instance. It felt incredibly real and grounding at the same time,” she says.