Aruna Seth and Thomas Adolff instantly hit it off after being introduced through mutual friends over a decade ago. The conversation flowed naturally, and it seemed as if they’d known each other forever. Rather than diving right into a relationship, however, several years passed before they crossed paths again – although Aruna and Thomas couldn’t stop thinking about each other throughout that time span.
Finally, on Halloween, the two rekindled their connection and seamlessly picked up right where they left off. This eventually led to an engagement on a summer’s evening, when Thomas proposed with a gorgeous Russian blue kitten – who the couple named Lucas – who had an engagement ring tied to his collar.
“I initially started planning the wedding two years ago,” Aruna shares, “starting with a trip to India to stay with my family. I wanted to learn about Indian traditions and decide what aspects I wanted to include in my wedding, as most Indian weddings are up to a week-long! On my trip, I managed to find some beautiful, colorful scarves and bangles which we gave to all of our guests at the wedding in Lake Como.”
While in India, the bride-to-be was also in search of the perfect Indian bridal outfit. Aruna’s fashion adventure started when a stylist friend from Mumbai managed to connect her with her favorite Indian designer, Falguni.
“I had a dream bridal appointment, and we created a piece of couture art with special individual touches,” Aruna describes. “The bridal outfit design was adorned with intricate embroidery of fluttering butterflies combined with the threads from my mother’s wedding sari, perfectly embodying my brand to symbolize the something old intertwining with the something new. The most important aspect for me was creating something sustainable, as we were up cycling my mother’s wedding outfit.
I had a few beautiful dresses – 11, to be exact. It included a collection of designers from around the world. For my main white ceremony dress, I had my heart set on the famous Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad. I wore a romantic, embellished, layered tulle gown by Zuhair paired with a gorgeous, repurposed Chantilly floor-length veil from my previous bridal archives.”
During one of their trips to Italy, Aruna and Thomas came across the perfect wedding destination. They happened to visit Lake Como and fell in love with the breathtaking Italian villas and scenery. Without a doubt, the couple knew they would be having a destination wedding in Lake Como.
After two years of wedding planning – not to mention, multiple postponements – the bride and groom were elated when their wedding week had finally arrived, and they couldn’t wait to welcome all of their family and friends who had waited so long to celebrate together.
“I remember feeling extremely grateful that it was actually happening, and I was surrounded by all the people that we loved,” Aruna recalls. “We had a white ceremony and an Indian ceremony, as they were such different experiences to share with our family and friends. The white ceremony was an elegant black-tie affair; and for the Indian wedding, everyone made such an effort and looked amazing in their colorful vibrant sarees and kurtas.
We had a beautiful Italian vegan meal; my husband and I both eat sustainably and vegan, so this was very important to us. We had amazing entertainment courtesy of Black Rabbit Projects. They organized exciting and vibrant entertainment for all of our wedding events. One of our particular favorites was a brilliant magician preforming at our white wedding, and Aaron the wedding illustrator who painted over 37 of our guests and presented each of them with a special portrait of themselves at the end of the evening. My husband Thomas and I made a toast thanking all of our family and friends for being able to attend our wedding in these uncertain times. My father and brother also gave speeches which were heartfelt and touching.”
Aruna and Thomas’ destination wedding week in Lake Como proved to be an unforgettable experience that they will always cherish. To follow up their incredible wedding, the newlyweds planned a romantic honeymoon trip to the Maldives at Christmas.
> Written by Lauren Malamala
WEDDING TALENT
Location: Villa Erba Lake Como, Italy; Wedding Planner: Savvy Event Studio Lake Como, Italy; Floral Design: Vincenzo Dascanio Lake Como, Italy; Ceremony Dress Designer: Zuhair Murad & Falguni Shane Peacock India; Reception Dress Designer: Rani Zakhem Couture; Groom’s Attire Designer: Zegna Official; Cake: Sugarcups Cake Design Tuscany, Italy; Entertainment: Black Rabbit Projects London; Hair and Makeup: Fabio Sarra London; Photography: Muse Motion Pictures London