Before moving to California and falling in love with the state’s rugged coastline, dramatic beaches and natural beauty, Sanjana Gopisetty and Christopher Philip first crossed paths in New York City. It’s where the duo found love as their friendship slowly blossomed into something more; leading to weekly movie nights, chasing sunsets and spending most of their time outdoors. “His cheeky jokes and quirky shirts would often bring a smile to my face while Chris says that it was my adventurous spirit that first captivated him,” the bride reveals about the initial days of their relationship.
“The more time we spent together, the more we knew we were deeply in love. We then decided to make the move to California to build a home together.” Gopisetty, who originally hails from Hyderabad , India and Philip, who is American, knew that the state’s rugged beauty would serve as the perfect backdrop for their intimate vineyard nuptials—but before that, they wanted to have a private elopement.
“We were always in awe of California’s gorgeous coastline and mountains . Big Sur and Yosemite were the perfect places to capture our promise of love and commitment,” the couple shares. The ceremony itself was a surreal affair as they stood by the ocean, exchanging vows privately, with the waves crashing in the background.
“Everything fell into place beautifully, from the clear weather to the stunning vistas.” For their intimate wedding, which they celebrated with just 80 of their closest friends and family, the couple chose to host their mehendi and haldi celebrations at Philip’s parents’ and their own home. For the haldi, the bride donned a cheery yellow printed lehenga by Anita Dongre, which the groom complemented with a yellow kurta set.
The mehendi was a boho-chic affair with plenty of music, games and special moments captured on a polaroid camera. For this, she chose a floral pink lehenga, also by Anita Dongre , while Philp contrasted in a pastel green kurta. The couple set their sights on The Barn at Harrow Cellars for their wedding, nestled amidst vineyards in Sonoma, California’s famed wine region.
The elegant outdoor venue featured rustic florals in shades of peach, cream, orange and pink intertwined with lush greens. “The wedding day unfolded just as we had imagined. It was a minimalist setting and the vineyard vistas perfectly complemented our vision,” the couple shares.
They had a traditional Telugu wedding ceremony, for which Gopisetty decided to give the traditional red and white hues a miss and opted instead for a one-toned, pastel pink Kanjeevaram sar i, followed by an elegant cream and gold sari. The groom wore a dhoti-style sherwani for a bit of a South Indian spin. For the reception, she changed into a Seema Gujral lehenga.
She kept her makeup muted and instead let her jewels make a statement with a polki necklace set and maang tikka. She then switched to an elegant diamond necklace for the reception to match with her lehenga. Reflecting on their big day, the couple shares that one their favourite moments was when they first laid eyes on each other when the veil between them dropped during the murthum ceremony.
The joy of seeing their family and friends wholeheartedly embrace both of their cultures was a powerful reminder that love really has the remarkable ability to unite people and celebrate diversity. “This was our day—a true reflection of our love story and the beginning of a new chapter amidst the warmth of our loved ones.”.
