June 2019 saw my engagement party in the South-East of London! The other half and me decided that we wanted a non-traditional engagement party in chic yet casual environment. Firstly because we wanted to do something different, and secondly as a traditional Indian engagement function can be expensive (it can equate to be a mini wedding reception!). The “formal” part of our engagement celebration was the engagement dinner with family only. So we held this engagement party to celebrate with our friends as the “informal” part of the occasion. Our venue host was London’s Sama Bankside nestled away in Southwark. The team there were so flexible, funny and friendly, which helped us immensely and be at ease! The party’s theme was to be rustic, yet keep with being sophisticated with the glitz of silver and diamonds.

The Decor

The incredible Balloonista worked with us to bring our decor vision to life and honestly they exceeded our expectations! We wanted silver and rose gold theme balloons dotted everywhere across the room. They helped us execute the EPIC photo and cake backdrop area with props, which made it the best for photo fun!

The Cake

We have always wanted to do a naked cake! So this was the perfect opportunity to execute it, as it fitted perfectly with the rustic/glam theme. We were also keen to have cupcakes as favours for our friends to take away. The cupcake concept was to have around 100 or so created to form the shape of a ring and hearts, and that too have ring toppers in the to match the occasion. The cupcakes were nutella (*drool) filled with cream frosting on top, and the naked cake was vanilla with again a cream frosting covering. We opted for a silver glittered ‘engaged’ cake topper from the amazing wonder-world of Etsy!

The Details

Other features we added for the party was an engagement book, so our friends could write personal messages to us. We also added a DIY temporary tattoo station which went down so well, so well that people temp tattooed their necks too (with several tattoos)!

The Make Up & Hair

One of my favorite make up artists in the industry today, Huma Tahir did my makeup and hair! As she knows I am someone who dislikes heavy makeup on myself. So I specifically requested for makeup which is not too heavy, but still glam and quite neutral/nude. For such an evening occasion I opted for my hair down and out with loose wavy curls. I absolutely LOVED my makeup and hair. THANK YOU Huma! Here are some behind the scenes with the party look in the making!

The Jewellery

I had such pleasure wearing Toraan Jewels at my engagement dinner, that I could not resist getting my party jewellery with them! I’d opted for an opulent enamel choker with matching earrings. The pastel turquoise matched perfect with the green tie dye hues in the saree! Paired with this also was a matching beautiful statement bangle.

The Outfit

Rather than wearing a western outfit for the non-traditional engagement party, I really wanted to wear a statement saree. I swaying between a ready-made dhoti style saree (from Viva-Luxe) and a statement saree. For the statement saree, what better inspiration than from the fashionista herself, Sonam Kapoor’s Cannes day look by NorBlack NorWhite! I can only describe this brand as where athleisure meets Indian style, they are uber cool! I spotted this look of hers when she wore it in 2017 and it was love at first sight. So I decided this fitted the bill the best for the engagement party theme, as it was tie-dyed in multi-colors (I love multi-colours!) and it was all silver shimmer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hv5ZgHri1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The mesh blouse and ribbed sports style bra vest that came with it; I had to ditch as it gave the overall look an athleisure aesthetic and that too it was too tight for me. So the perfect solution was to pair this up with a white bardot style bodysuit! After searching and searching online, I found the perfect white bardot on Pretty Little Thing! The other half found his white linen blazer jacket at trusty old Zara and black chinos from good old Topshop, which complimented my outfit sportingly well!

The saree styling for this was inspired by Sonam’s “mermaid-esque” Cannes look! The saree was styled with a beautiful twist around the shoulder area, which was done by the amazing Vikas Rattu!

My Look

Saree: NorBlack NorWhite

Choker & Earring Set & Bangle: Toraan Jewellery

Make-Up & Hair: Huma Tahir

Bardot Bodysuit: Pretty Little Thing

Decoration & Cake

Balloons: Balloonista – Created by Aurelija

Naked Cake & Nutella Cupcakes: Tempting Sweet Treats

Temporary Tattoo Stand: Doris Loves

Cake Stand: John Lewis

Guest Book: Paperchase

I would like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to my other half, sister, Huma Tahir, Aurelija from Balloonista, Purti/Shlok from Toraan, Vikas Rattu, and my besties for their help on this special occasion! Can’t thank them enough!

If you have any questions on wedding planning do feel free to get in touch here. Follow me on Insta > www.instagram.com/londonkiladki or like on Facebook > www.facebook.com/londonkiladki

Photos: Riaz Rony / Dev Joshi Photography