For three days, the rhythm of Shefali Sharma and Krish Sheth's wedding was dictated not by a planner's schedule but by the river that flowed alongside it. Guests woke up to the sound of the Ganga, gathered on its banks for an Anand Karaj, watched a traditional aarti at sunset and ended the celebrations with a bonfire and a rafting expedition downstream.
This approach felt right for the couple whose story began through travel. While Sharma and Sheth had been introduced before, an overnight train journey to Goa was a catalyst for their relationship, built on shared adventures, endless conversations, and a love of discovering new places together. Years later, after their bond deepened during the lockdown, Sheth proposed beneath the Northern Lights in Iceland.
When it came to planning their wedding, Rishikesh felt like the most obvious choice. “Shefali spent countless summers in Dehradun with her grandparents and studied in Mussoorie, while I grew up making annual rafting trips with my family. So in many ways, choosing Rishikesh felt like bringing the two parts of our lives from before our marriage together,” said Sheth, adding that their search led them to Anand Kashi by The Ganges, perched on the banks of the sacred river.
The wedding unfolded over several days, with each event taking on a distinct personality. Pyaar Da Pind celebrated Sharma's Punjabi roots with all the colour, warmth and joyful chaos of a village wedding. Guests were welcomed by a tractor baraat, danced alongside bhangra and gidda performers, followed dholwalas through the property and enjoyes themselves at a mela having golgappas, fresh sugarcane juice and familiar Punjabi favourites.
At the heart of it all, however, was the anand karaj. The couple gathered all their guests for a traditional Ganga aarti before their varmala ceremony. “It became one of the most talked-about moments of the entire wedding. As the sun dipped behind the hills, the chants echoed across the river, and the eight ceremonial mashaals lit up the ghats. It was also our first spiritual experience as husband and wife, which made it incredibly special for us,” recalled Sharma.
Even the cocktail celebration drew inspiration from the surroundings. The ceremonial mashaals used during the aarti became part of the evening's design language, transforming the riverside setting into a dramatic celebration that still felt connected to the destination.
The celebrations continued even after the wedding. Their close ones sat around a bonfire by the river on their final evening, sharing stories from the previous few days before heading out for a group rafting expedition the next morning. “I've always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie,” confessed Sheth. “Ending our wedding with rapids instead of brunch somehow felt perfect.”
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