Actor Devika Bhise on the day of her Hindu wedding.
After a love story 10 years in the making, actor Devika Bhise married Nicholas Gilson in an intimate, fun-filled wedding in Udaipur this year. Best known for her performance in The Man Who Knew Infinity, Devika Bhise's February wedding was - in her own words - "overwhelmingly special!"
While Devika had earlier delighted fans by sharing a few snaps from the wedding day and pre-wedding functions on Instagram, designer Anita Dongre took to Instagram this morning to give them another glimpse of the celebrations, as well as a look at the couple's adorable love story. In her Instagram post, Anita Dongre shared a few videos from Devika's sangeet night - for which the bride opted to wear a gold and navy lehenga by the designer - and also posted snippets of an interview with her.
In the post, Devika revealed that she had met her better half for the first time in 2007, while she was pursuing an acting course. Over the course of the next few years, they kept bumping into each other - much like a rom-com.
"In 2017, Nicholas texted telling me he had never stopped thinking about me. I was in LA at the time so it took another attempt on his end before the timing worked out. We had the best first date ever," said the actor.
After four months of dating, Nicholas proposed to Devika - and so began the preparations for their wedding.
"I was born and raised in New York but have strong roots in India. Nick was raised in Providence, but his father is from New Zealand, and his mother is from Maryland. So, it was important for us to blend traditional Indian customs with western ones," explained Devika to Vogue. The couple decided to hold their wedding at the Leela Palace Udaipur.
Anita Dongre's glimpse into the actor's sangeet night is just one glimpse into the celebrations that included only close friends and family. The dance performances of the night were complemented by a traditional Rajasthani feast for the guests.
For her mehendi function, the bride chose to spend her time dancing, having completed her mehendi session two days in advance. "The theme was a bazaar- complete with all kinds of vendors from street food, bangles, shawls, palm readers/ astrologers, and textiles," she wrote on Instagram.
Devika Bhise and Nicholas Gilson had two wedding ceremonies. For the Hindu ceremony, the Maharashtrian bride went the traditional way and wore green as per custom. "Maharastrian brides traditionally wear green, and the wonderful Tarun Tahiliani custom designed this beautiful ombre green and pink pearl sari for me, with a pearl mesh veil and the traditional Maharastrian pearl Mundavalya," she wrote while sharing photos from the stunning ceremony.
Dreamy photos of the couple's Western wedding show them cutting their wedding cake with a sword 300 years old. Describing the night, the bride wrote: "It was hands down the best night of my life tied with the night before and the night before that."
After the wedding was wrapped up, the couple brought festivities to a close with an after-party in Goa that included their closest friends. They are currently in Nantucket, spending quarantine with family members.
