This Couple Won Rs 11 Lacs in Our 2023 Dream Wedding Giveaway: Read Their Wedding Story Here

Wedding Photography: Project Particles

In April 2023, we hosted the biggest wedding giveaway of its kind, where one lucky couple was awarded 11 lakh rupees as the winning giveaway value to plan their wedding. With this giveaway, we offered them the chance to book the services of their favorite wedding vendors and/or book their dream wedding venue through WeddingWire India’s marketplace. WeddingWire India's giveaway covered any booking costs up to Rs 11 lakh for a maximum of 10 wedding vendors (including venues).

Win 15,00,000 For Your Dream Wedding in 2024

Who Won the 2023 Giveaway?

And the winners are... 

Wedding Photography: Project Particles

The lucky winners from the 2023 giveaway were Juanita D’souza and her fiance, Saurav Mohanty. Juanita belongs to the industrial port city of Karnataka (Mangalore). She has a Masters in Advertising and PR Management from DeMontfort University, Leicester, and is currently based in Mumbai. Saurav studied mechanical engineering at the Vellore Institute of Technology and pursued a Masters from De Montfort University, Leicester. He is from Bhubaneshwar, Odissa, and currently works in Khargar, Navi Mumbai.

Bride's Wedding Gown: Karleo 

Their Meet-Cute and Love Story

Juanita and Saurav met in Leicester, where they were pursuing different postgraduate courses. D’souza shares their made-in-heaven meet-cute story. “We became best friends from the moment we laid eyes on each other. We have contrasting personalities—he is an introvert and I am the total opposite, but it was an instant connection. We started dating a few months after we met. We are a group of 5, and since 2015, we have been friends. All five of us were from different parts of India, and we never left each other’s side in the UK.”

Our winning couple have been best friends from the moment they saw each other. They have committed to never losing their friendship. They don’t identify as the ‘lovey-dovey’ couples and revealed that their love language is sarcasm and tantrums. Explaining their contrasting personalities better, D’souza shares, “He exudes opulence, while I am kaam chalau; he is methodical and organized; I strive for perfection; he delights in shopping; and I am the bag handler, anxiously awaiting my turn at the food court. Complete opposites are getting together; this is going to be a funny wedding.”

Exclusive Discounts on Wedding Venue Costs

Taking the Leap of Marriage Together

“We didn’t think about marriage initially and believed in living one day at a time,” D’souza said when asked about marriage plans. “We realised it was time to discuss our future when Saurav started getting some pressure from family to settle down, and they were sharing suitable profiles for him. We then started discussing how we wanted to build a life together. Having had a really rough childhood, I never wished to get married, but Saurav understood me and prepared my mind for marriage over the years.”

All About Their Dream Wedding

Wedding Photography: Project Particles

D’souza shares, “The contest I won literally made my dream wedding come true. Ever since I started visualising my marriage, I had envisioned making my own wedding gown and going crazy about it. WeddingWire India did not just help me in making my dream gown come true, but also helped to pull off almost the entire wedding and the major expenses related to it from wedding photographers, wedding venue, wedding planners, and a lot more. I am able to do the wedding the way I wanted it to be without creating any pressure or burden on my family, which has been a blessing for me. I am able to do so much more than I initially thought."

Their beautiful inter-cultural wedding witnessed Mangalorean Catholic as well as Hindu wedding ceremonies to honor the cultures of both the bride and groom’s families. 

Find Top Wedding Vendors in Your Preferred City 

Roce Function 

For this traditional Mangalorean Catholic wedding ceremony held at the Imperial Banquets, the couple chose a Boho, Mangalorean decor rustic theme, including coconut tree branches, banana leaf, and a lot more that gives a feel of traditional Mangalorean village and its customs. 500–600 guests came to bless the couple at this function. The men were asked to wear a lungi and shirt, and the women were asked to wear a Kerala saree.

Church Nuptials and Reception 

Wedding Photography: Project Particles, Bride's Wedding Gown: Karleo 

The church wedding was held on the CIDCO lawns. D’souza had a dreamy wedding theme in mind, with the colors plum, wine, and green taking center stage. D’Souza shares, “We have an entourage of 4 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen, and everything from their dresses and decor matches the colour theme. With a lot of fairy lights and little use of color, the planned decor was nature-inspired. We kept the gathering for the day wedding intimate, with 200 guests.”

“I wanted the reception to have a feel of minimal decor with a beautiful stage and passage where everything is in its natural element. We invited 1200 guests for this event, and the dress code for the guests was evening gowns and suits."

Pre-Wedding Events

Wedding Planning: Knot Planners

The couple planned a beautiful haldi and mehendi ceremony for 400 guests to honor the traditions of the groom’s family. The theme for their Haldi event was all yellow, starting from the decor to the dress code. This was followed by a sangeet ceremony. Filled with lights, their sangeet ceremony was a starry event where guests came together to celebrate the couple. The guests were given a free hand to ‘Dress to Impress’ as the dress code. 

Hindu Wedding and Reception

Wedding Photography: Project Particles

The next morning, a beautiful day wedding was planned with a traditional wedding theme, and the guests were asked to be at their best ‘Desi Swag’. The wedding ceremony was planned for 500 guests. 

Wedding Planning: Knot Planners

Marking the end of a memorable celebration, the groom's family hosted a wedding reception for 600 guests. It was an evening function where the men were asked to wear Indo-Western outfits, and the women wore beautiful lehengas.

Dream Wedding Vendors

Roce Venue: Imperial Banquet

Wedding Venue: CIDCO Exhibition and Convention Center

Bride's Wedding Gown: Karleo 

Wedding Photography: Project Particles

Wedding Planning: Knot Planners

Bridal Makeup: Vedika Heda

Catering: Surinder Catering Services

Wedding Planning: Knot Planners

Have an inspiring wedding story that you would like to share with our readers? Send us your wedding story and photos at socialmedia@weddingwire.in and stand a chance to get featured.