Sharad & Hasnat had plans for a big family affair in Bangladesh. They realized their plans had to change to an intimate wedding in Canada. With 20 of their closest friends and family they were able to have a beautiful intimate wedding day that they will always remember!
Bride & Groom: Sharad Protiti & Hasnat Khan
Wedding Date: August 22, 2020
Photographer: Woodgate Photography
Original Guest #: 1000
Original Budget: $40,000
What was your original plan?: “Our original plan was to get married in Bangladesh on 1st January 2021. The whole arrangement would have 3 parts: A turmeric ceremony, a wedding ceremony, and a reception.” – S & H
Ceremony & Reception Location: Family residence
Colour Palette: “A lot of traditional golden. No specific theme, but our traditional Bangladeshi wedding ceremonies usually have lots of red and golden.” – S
Tell us your story!: “Our parents had been planning our wedding for over two years. A venue was booked in Bangladesh for 1st January 2021. It was simply not possible to go back to Bangladesh with the risk factors involved. So, we started thinking about a more intimate wedding in mid-May.
My then-fiancé had moved to Ottawa from St. John’s, Newfoundland for work. I was studying on-campus at Memorial University of Newfoundland. My university switched to remote learning, so I quickly decided to move to London, ON to my sister’s place.
Luckily, we somehow both ended up in Ontario, and so, thoughts about the wedding frequently crossed our minds. It was fairly easy to eventually decide on a short and simple wedding at my sister’s residence. We all figured that a summer wedding would be a good idea, instead of waiting till January next year.
We weren’t expecting much with the wedding, really. The world had come to a standstill, and a full-blown celebration was not really what we were going for. We decided on 20 people in an indoor setting. We shopped online and gathered a handful of traditional stuff we found here and there (there are really not many!). It was difficult to constantly look up wedding items online while studying remotely. My friends and family were super-excited, albeit sad to not be able to attend, and called me every now and then.
On my wedding day, I somehow missed my alarm and woke up really, really late. I rushed to put on my makeup, jewelry, saree, and veil–all on my own–and somehow managed! With endless efforts from both sides, we made it with almost no external help. We had the most wonderful wedding ever! Erin Woodgate’s brilliantly shot photos wonderfully reflect our happiness and joy.” – S
Final Budget: Around $8000
How did you find your photographer?: “We chose Erin Woodgate based on my sister’s newborn photo session. She was friendly, understanding, and efficient. We had hired her for a 2-hour coverage for the wedding ceremony, and we are extremely happy about how everything turned out. My favourite part was the outdoor shoot–there is a pond behind my sister’s house, and we decided to take a couple of shots by the pond. The weather was great, and everything was just perfect for our intimate wedding!” – S
Biggest Challenge: “It might sound like I am lying, but my husband’s outfit was the only one that fit his size in the small basement store he visited before our wedding. I had to choose my saree out of the 3 wedding sarees he had found at the same store. Some of the jewelry was also picked up from there. At that time, I was a little underwhelmed; but now when I think about it, I can assure you that I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. The biggest challenge was to find traditional Bangladeshi wedding items online. All day, I would just switch between amazon.ca and my remote-learning tab for university work.” – S
Best Memory: “After the ceremony, my husband and I drove to Niagara Falls. And well, I always ride in cars… but that drive was just… different!” – S
Any advice for couples planning their wedding?: “Just do it! Planning too much can raise expectations and make you nervous, so keep your plans to a considerable minimum. Just keep calm and enjoy the day! In the end, it’s all about memories–how you want to remember your day.” – S
