This Groom Designed All The Jewellery For His Wife-to-Be

During Covid times, good friends Vedant and Kanishka found themselves playing Ludo almost every day. Those unhurried conversations and games shifted their vibe into something more profound. Five years later, it was that very game that marked the beginning of their romance in their save-the-date!
Life had turned full-circle moment for the two as they planned their big, fat and exuberant Punjabi-Marwari wedding that included a ‘2 States’-inspired mehendi themed food and more. The highlight? Vedant designed every piece of jewellery for her, making for a precious love letter. Over to the Indore-based newlyweds as they relive their journey to the wedding and after, in a fun chat with Manifest.

Your story began as a friendship long before it became a romance. Tell us more. Do you feel your friendship such a strong foundation for marriage?
Funny enough, we knew each other long before we knew we’d end up together. We were school friends, but our actual story began years later, during Covid. When the world slowed down, we started talking more, and somewhere between those long conversations and all that time together, our friendship quietly turned into a relationship. Five years later, here we are.

There’s something special about marrying someone who knew you before the relationship, before the milestones, and before the version of yourself you show the world. We’ve seen each other at our most awkward, stubborn, happy and ordinary selves and we still choose each other.

We’ve grown, changed and figured life out alongside each other, and that shared journey means a lot to us.

Does it feel amazing, marrying your best friend? If so, tell us more.
(V): Amazing? Yes. Slightly dangerous? Also, yes. Because marrying your best friend means there is absolutely no room to pretend that you’re not annoyed because they know you too well!

But honestly, that’s also what makes it so special. I get to marry the person I can laugh with over the most ridiculous things, talk to about absolutely nothing.

(K): He has seen every version of me, the good, the bad, the dramatic, and probably a few I’d rather he forget! and somehow, he’s still here. I think the best part is knowing that I’m not just marrying someone I love, I’m marrying someone I genuinely enjoy doing life with. We can be partners, friends, each other’s biggest supporters, and occasionally, each other’s biggest headache.

Vedant being Punjabi and you being Marwari, did that make for any cultural conversation in your choices?
(K): If there’s one thing five years of dating teaches you, it’s that you start seeing your partner simply as your person. Somewhere along the way, the cultural differences become the fun part and not the difficult part.

What has made it even more special is the way our families have embraced each other. Vedant’s parents, especially, have been so warm and loving towards me and we’ve ended up gaining not just a family, but a whole new culture to celebrate.

And when it came to knowing that this was the right decision, I don’t think there was one particular moment. Five years of growing together, navigating life, understanding each other and being there through different phases had already given us that certainty. We knew, quite simply, that we were each other’s end game.

It just felt like two people who were very sure about each other, and two families who were happy to make a little more room at the table.

Your Ludo-inspired save-the-date is such a charming detail. Take us into how this playful, personal theme came about.

Who knew the game we played to survive Covid would one day make it onto our wedding stationery?

We took something so ordinary from the beginning of our relationship and turned it into something that marked the beginning of our wedding celebrations. And the response made us so happy. Our personal chats were flooded with messages from friends and family telling us how much they loved how unexpected and different the concept was.

It was such a sweet feeling to see something that started as a little experiment between the two of us become something that everyone connected with. In a way, our save-the-date was a tiny reminder of where we started — two people at home during Covid, playing Ludo every day, with absolutely no idea that one day that same game would become a part of our wedding story.

Planning a wedding in just three months can feel overwhelming. How did you manage?

Honestly, I think the three-month timeline worked in our favour as we simply didn’t have enough time to overthink anything!

We were very clear about what felt like us and what didn’t, so we made decisions quickly and moved on. Was it hectic? Absolutely. Did we have moments of “what have we gotten ourselves into?” Definitely! But there was something quite exciting about watching everything come together so quickly.

In the end, three months meant less time to stress and a lot more time to just enjoy the fact that we were actually getting married.

Tell us about the moment you first saw each other on your wedding day. Was there a quiet moment, away from the celebrations, that became your favourite memory?

Quiet moment? Absolutely not! Our wedding was probably the last place you could find one. 😂 Even when I was walking down the aisle, everyone was hooting, cheering and making so much noise and Vedant and I truly loved every second of it.

There was definitely that little magical feeling of, “Oh my God, this is actually our moment,” but what made it even more special was looking around and seeing all the people we love, loving every bit of it with us.

So no, there wasn’t a quiet, dreamy moment away from everyone. There was music, madness, cheering, a lot of laughter and two very happy people in the middle of it all. And honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Did the wedding have both Punjabi and Marwari traditions and elements?  

Our wedding was pretty much a celebration of two cultures, with a lot of dancing in between! We had a 2 States-inspired mehendi, with a proper Punjabi vs. Marwari face-off on the dance floor which, as you can imagine, got quite competitive! 

We also wanted our wedding rituals to beautifully reflect both our cultures. We had the traditional seven pheras with the first three with my mama (called the mama pheras) and Vedant, followed by the remaining four with the panditji. And one detail that was especially meaningful to me was the mangalsutra. It isn’t traditionally a part of Punjabi weddings, but Vedant personally made sure that we included it and had one made for me because he knew how important it was to my tradition. That gesture meant a lot to me. More than simply having both cultures represented, I loved that there was a genuine effort from both of us to understand and celebrate what mattered to the other.

What were your outfits like for each function?

For our first day, which had the mehendi and ring ceremony, we kept things lighter so the outfits over the next two days could feel more special and grander. For the ring ceremony, we wanted an elegant, English sit-down-dinner kind of setting, so I wore a classic custom Gauri & Nainika black gown, while Vedant chose a two-piece Rohit Rahul Gandhi suit.

For the wedding, I knew one thing very clearly — I didn’t want to wear red, white or pastels. I wanted a colour that felt unexpected but still felt completely me. I chose this beautiful wine-sangria shade, and the moment I saw it on, I knew I had made the right choice.

For our carnival, we went in a completely different direction with our Greek/white-party theme. Vedant went with Ankur J, while I chose a custom baby-blue gown from Mishru, a designer I’ve always had a soft spot for.

Looking back, I think that’s what made our wedding wardrobe special — we weren’t dressing for a trend or a Pinterest board. We were dressing for ourselves, and I think that always shows.

Did you have a menu with any fave dishes of you and your families?

This was probably the easiest wedding decision we made because if there’s one thing Vedant and I can talk about endlessly, it’s food! Asian food and chaats are easily our favourite cuisines, so we knew the menu had to reflect that.

And then, of course, there was Vedant and his very serious relationship with coffee. So naturally, a coffee station at every function was not just a wedding detail, it was essential for the groom’s survival.

Was there a wedding after party?

If there’s one thing you can safely leave to the Punjabis, it’s keeping the party going! And we made sure our wedding lived up to that reputation.

Our after parties went on till 7 am, and honestly, Vedant and I were right there till the very end, we were partying almost every night till 6 am because there was no way we were going to miss our own celebrations!

We also had late-night food stations all three days, because no one should have to choose between dancing and food. There was everything from live Maggi to mini burgers, which became a lifesaver somewhere around 3 am.

So yes, there was an after-party… and then there was the after-after-party (laughs).

Most grooms pick the ring. You designed every piece of Kanishka's wedding jewellery. When did that idea first come to you? Vedant, inspired such an incredibly personal gesture?

In a single year, I probably in a year deal with hundreds of brides but designing for the one bride who was going to be mine felt completely different.

For Kanishka, I realised how much more personal it was. I wanted to go all in and create pieces that couldn’t be easily replicated and, more importantly, pieces that she would genuinely treasure for the rest of her life.

For me, it was never about simply creating big, elaborate bridal jewellery. Every piece had to have a thought behind it, something that felt meaningful for that particular day, but also had enough versatility and personality that she could wear it and enjoy it long after the wedding.

I’ve watched so many brides see their jewellery dreams come to life. This time, I got to create that dream for the woman I love, and that made every piece infinitely more special.

Was there a particular moment when you realised the jewellery could become your love language?

I think I realised it the first time I made Kanishka’s proposal ring. That was when it really struck me that jewellery is one of the few things you can give someone that can stay with them for a lifetime.

For Kanishka I was creating something she could keep, wear and cherish long after the celebrations were over. We never wanted one bridal set repeated across every function. Each celebration had its own personality, so we created a different jewellery story for each look.

 Kanishka, what was your first reaction when Vedant suggested he would design your bridal jewellery?

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised at all, given how passionate Vedant is about jewellery, but seeing him actually create something so personal for me was a completely different feeling. It was exciting, a little surreal, and definitely gave me butterflies. There’s something very special about knowing that every little detail has been thought of by the person you’re going to marry.

If your entire wedding had to be described in three words, what would they be?

Love. Laughter. Celebration.