Deven and Anjali met at Texas A&M in 2018 as sophomore electrical engineering majors. Deven was the longboarder who often arrived a few minutes late to Circuit Theory and didn’t speak to Anjali at first. The real introduction came through AIESEC, the student organization where they recognized each other at the same moment and started talking.
Soon, study sessions became long conversations about goals, life choices, and the big questions people usually save for later. His confidence and spontaneity balanced her quiet, cautious nature, nudging her toward new experiences without breaking what made her steady. They began dating in 2019 and stayed close through the rest of college and into adulthood.
In October 2023, they traveled to France after she found a flight deal to Paris and booked the trip. As departure neared, clues slipped out of a sudden family visit, a brief flash of a ring photo enough to stir suspicion, but not enough to reveal the plan.
During a private château tour in the Loire Valley, led by a photographer, the guide asked for a “test shot.” Deven proposed right then. They spent the day moving from castle to castle, then shared wine with a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary, who offered marriage advice that felt like a small gift from strangers at exactly the right time.
Wedding planning took two years, in part because an Indian wedding can be large and tradition-rich, and in part because they chose to move slowly. They avoided rigid style rules and focused instead on connection selecting vendors they genuinely clicked with and trusting the creative process.
When they toured D’Vine Grace Vineyard, the decision came quickly. The estate’s feel and outdoor courtyards recalled their French engagement trip, and the venue’s layout supported an open-air weekend that felt relaxed and immersive for guests.
Bhuvana Dhinesh, a boutique luxury South Asian wedding photographer, photographed the weekend with a clean, editorial sensibility while staying respectful of ceremony and family dynamics. She works with both film and digital photography, using each for its strengths: film for softness and depth, digital for speed and clarity when scenes change quickly. Her experience photographing all kinds of South Asian wedding traditions shows in how she anticipates key moments without interrupting them, and in how she captures details that carry meaning: the way hands meet during rituals, the shift in a parent’s expression, the calm before music swells.
Style choices reinforced that personal-meets-grand scale. The bride wore a striking red Kalighatta lehenga for the ceremony. Another event featured coordinated Mahima Mahajan looks for both partners, and her reception outfit was a standout Seema Gurjal design. Their wedding bands came from Zazzy Box. The groom wore an exclusive Cartier watch, with additional Cartier rings as finishing touches. They also choreographed their own dances, messy, fun, and unmistakably theirs, keeping the weekend warm, human, and lived-in.
Venue: D’vine Grace Vineyards
Photographer: Bhuvana Dhinesh Photography
Videography: Transition Films
Coordination: Cherry Bird Events
Hair & Makeup: Refined by Haniya
Cake: Cakes by Design
Mehndi: Mehnaz Ranmal
Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam
