How & Where Did You Meet?
We knew each other at University, however after leaving University we met at a friend's birthday party and started going out with one another

Which Venue Did You Choose & Why?
We started to look for a venue about 3 months after we got engaged which was on February 14th 2004 - Valentines Day. We had some criteria in mind so we made appointments to see a number of different places until we found the right one. The Royal Court Hotel (02476 334171) met all the requirements we were looking for which were things like exclusive use of the venue for the whole day, beautiful grounds, large ball room to accommodate 400+ people.

How did you plan your wedding?
We went to a number of wedding fayres initially to get an idea of the type of day that we could have and the suppliers we could use. The day was then planned with the help of a wedding planner. We had a good idea of what we wanted but needed advice in terms of order of events and the logistics on the day. The wedding planning by Anita Patel of Tania-Tapel (0116 247 1115) was fantastic and a real help on the day. Anita was around from the night before the wedding to the early hours of the day after the wedding day making sure that it all ran smoothly. Anita also helped us to shape the day from about 9 months before the actual wedding day

What did the bride wear?
Aarti wore three different outfits for the three different parts of the day. A light gold, silk lengha for the Civil Ceremony, a heavy silk red cut work lengha for the Hindu Marriage and a blue halterneck silk lengha encrusted with diamantes for the evening reception and party.The bouquet was a dome shaped bouquet made up of very light pink roses with eucalyptus leaves around the stem and long grass with pearls attached coming out from the centre of the bouquet.

What did the groom wear?
Gaurav also had three outfits to colour co-ordinate with the bride A morning suit with a light gold waistcoat and cravat for the Civil Ceremony A light gold and beige silk sherwani with red embroidery for the Hindu Marriage and a blue silk sherwani for the evening reception and party

Describe the ceremony. Were there any particularly memorable moments?
The civil ceremony was attended by 120 guests and the Hindu marriage was attended by 250 guests. Arriving in the Civil ceremony and seeing Gaurav standing there waiting for me was a memory I will always treasure - it was a heart stopping moment when realising that this wonderful moment was for real.

Tell Us About The Reception?
The theme was gold and ivory and the idea was to make it look supremely elegant. There were ivory drapes around the room and the chairs all had ivory chair covers with gold bows. The flowers made the room look beautiful as well.

What Kind Of Food Did You Have?
There was a champagne reception where Indian canapés were served such as cocktail samosas, mini-lamb kebabs and chicken tikka. For the main meal there was chicken tikka masala, lamb rogan josh and a number of vegetarian dishes with accompaniments. A 3-tier cake decorated with pink roses was served with dessert.

What Was Your First First Dance?
Al Green - Let's stay together

Where Did You Go On Honeymoon?
We booked the honeymoon suite at the hotel and went to Bali for a 2 week honeymoon which was heaven on earth.

Our Wedding Planner
Tania Tapel Weddings - Anita Patel
Phone: 0116 247 1115 Web: www.tania-tapel.com

Our Wedding Venue
The Royal Court Hotel
Phone: 02476 334171

Our Photographer
Capital Video Rohit Kotecha
Phone: 0781 313 7043

Our Caterer
Euro Caterers
Web: www.eurocaterers.co.uk

Bridal Beautician
Touch of Elegance - Perminder Chana
Phone: 07930 333 235