An Indian Wedding in Barcelona Woven with Heritage and Modernity

Amidst the sculptural grandeur of Espai Xavier Corberó, where labyrinthine arches frame the Barcelona sky, Ajuney and Kulpreet’s wedding unfolded as an ode to heritage and modernity. The city, a pivotal chapter in their love story, became both setting and muse for a celebration that wove together the richness of Punjabi tradition with the understated elegance of Mediterranean design.

The Anand Karaj ceremony embraced the raw beauty of the venue, where guests sat in organic clusters beneath cascading florals, soft fabrics, and sacred rumallas designed exclusively for the space. At La Llotja de Mar, candlelit imperial tables stretched beneath soaring ceilings, their settings a quiet study in texture and atmosphere — blue florals, raw linens, and candles en masse.

Our Story

Names / Ajuney Hora & Kulpreet Chilana

Location / Barcelona, Spain

Wedding Date / June 29, 2024

Guest Numbers / 125

How We Met

We met during the strangest time — online, amidst a global pandemic. Replying to a prompt about the best chocolate almond croissant in San Francisco, we decided to meet at a bakery called Craftsman & Wolves. Initially feeling a touch nervous, any confidence we had quickly faded as we locked eyes — both of our faces still hidden behind masks. Those first moments were sweetly awkward as we ordered pastries; the sesame hazelnut financier was a perfect distraction from our nerves.

Our Engagement Story

Exactly two years after that moment, we recreated our first date — picnicking at Dolores Park, exploring our love for music, art, food and design while wandering by the murals in Clarion Aly. The date ended with Kulpreet proposing in his courtyard alongside a table lined with sentimental items from the past couple years — including a chocolate almost croissant.

What we love most about each other…

Our ability to connect on so many levels — spiritually, intellectually, emotionally. We often find ourselves saying, “Most people don’t really get me, but you… you really get me.”

The Setting

Wedding Location

Our story took a memorable turn in Barcelona a year after we met. Kulpreet surprised Ajuney during a trip she was taking with a friend. Barcelona was our first international experience together and that naturally inspired us to return for our wedding. Our vision was to create an intimate experience where we could share our love for architecture, food, and culture in the city of Barcelona itself. We love exploring new cities and we wanted to share that experience with our closest friends and family. We planned a series of events that uniquely blend Punjabi, Spanish, and American cultures at venues in the heart of the city.

Aesthetic

Given our design backgrounds, we wanted style and aesthetic to be an important part of our wedding. Indian weddings are traditionally maximalist where more is better.  We chose a minimal design to allow our venues to speak, where each design element — be it florals, structures, stationary — is thoughtfully curated and purposeful as if it were part of the venue itself. Our goal was elegance and meaningful simplicity rather than excess. We chose venues that are inherently beautiful and architecturally interesting so the decor could elevate and complement the space, rather than overshadow it. The aesthetic reflected our values — celebrating our Punjabi heritage while highlighting intimacy, intentionality, and subtle beauty.

Photography

Selecting our photographer was easy — we love Tejas’ artistic, editorial-style film photography. Tejas beautifully captured many raw moments from the weekend that truly move us and every time we revisit our album, we discover new ones.

We also learned that our florist had independently arranged for her own photographer, Silvia, to document the styling and decor. Silvia’s shots perfectly capture the essence of our curated aesthetic.

Videography

We were drawn to Supér Weddings for their quirky, unique approach to wedding videography. Their edit offers a vibrant, fun reflection on the weekend and how it really felt to be there.

“Indian weddings are traditionally maximalist where more is better. We chose a minimal design to allow our venues to speak. Our goal was elegance and meaningful simplicity rather than excess.”

Style Notes

Sangeet Décor

The sangeet took place on the terrace of ME Barcelona, set within a classic Eixample courtyard. We transformed the space into our viah wala ghar — our wedding home — using its existing greenery, layered with lush floral arrangements in deep reds, oranges, and pinks by our florist Diana. Oriental rugs guided guests to a white dance floor under string lights and suspended floral garlands. Nostalgic home videos looped softly on a courtyard wall, becoming a quiet focal point as night fell and guests gathered.

Ceremony Décor

Our anand karaj was held at Espai Xavier Corberó, a sculptural, architectural space reminiscent of Indian gurdwaras. To honor Sikh tradition and the setting, guests sat informally on the floor among soft carpets, florals, and fruits in pale pinks, lavenders, and greens. Our cream rumallas complemented the serene palette. Silvia, our stylist, created a seamless flow for traditional elements like the milni, which took place before Corberó’s iconic rock sculptures. After the ceremony, guests explored the grounds, enjoying a relaxed, minimalist lunch setting.

Reception Décor

Our reception venue, La Llojta del Mar, is a neoclassical building in Barcelona that dates back to the fourteenth century. The cocktail hour took place in the majestic courtyard, followed by dinner and a lot of dancing in the historic Contracting Hall.

Silvia designed a concept that was consistent with being on the mediterranean — combining a color palette of blue, grey, a touch of yellow, black, cream with natural textures, raw materials, linen, moss and sand.

We made an entrance via a grand staircase lined with blue florals and candles into the courtyard to join the cocktail hour. The Contracting Hall featured two long imperial tables that emphasized candles over florals to create a warm, intimate feel.

“As the day drew near, it became clear that it was going to rain… just for the hour during our ceremony. All of the intention that we put into the design and layout of the space was thrown into complete disarray during the morning of the wedding. But where we landed was even more beautiful.”

Stationery

We opted for no paper invitations and instead used Bliss&Bone for all communications about our wedding. We’re both software engineers, so we were able to customize and personalize our website for each wedding guest.

Silvia from Fresh&Wood worked with us to create a pamphlet that explained the anand karaj ceremony as well as a dinner menu for the reception.

We also designed and printed our own stationary for personal letters addressed to each of our guests to recognize the impact they’ve had on our lives.

Favors

We gifted our guests a tote filled with Spanish olive oil, chocolates, turrón, the personal letter, and four postcards we designed with AI that included artwork of scenes from our wedding. We invited guests to mail them back to us from their future travels.

Food & Beverages

For the welcome party sangeet — we created a menu that combined Spanish and Punjabi tapas. We worked closely with Manjeet, from Out of India to create a special “saag chip” canapé that we actually conceptualized on our second date. The anand karaj featured a buffet-style Indian vegetarian menu that was also catered by Out of India, including some of our favorite dishes — ghaddi pakora and roti made fresh in a tandoor.

For the reception, we chose Sensacions catering because of their inventive and creative canapés. We invited our guests to experience something new with a Spanish and Catalan menu — including ajoblanco, fideuá, cannellonis and churros con chocolate as a midnight snack.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress & Shoes

I incorporated personal touches into each outfit. For the Sangeet, I paired my mother’s wedding lehenga with a custom-made top inspired by traje de flamenca. The anand karaj look featured a pastel pink lehenga designed together with my sister, who herself is a visual artist and designer. For the reception, I selected a cream and gold lehenga by Seema Gujral with some custom touches.

Guest Attire

We requested our guests on both sides to wear shades of lavender, symbolizing our families coming together. This delicate hue beautifully complemented the monochrome backdrop of Espai Corberó.

Wedding Rings, Jewelry & Accessories

Ajuney’s engagement ring is a toi et moi wrap ring designed by Kulpreet. It includes one pear-shaped diamond and a family heirloom from Kulpreet’s mom. Inscribed inside the ring is their names written in the Gurmukhi script: ਅਜੂਨੀ + ਕੁਲਪ੍ਰੀਤ.

For each of the events, I incorporated sentimental pieces of jewelry from important women in my family — a minimal gold necklace from my sister, an ornate mixed ruby and pearl gold set from my mother, and a modern diamond set from my aunt.

Hair & Makeup

I opted for soft, natural makeup throughout the weekend, varying my hairstyles to complement each occasion. I chose soft waves for the sangeet to pair with the Spanish and Indian influences in my outfit, a bun for the anand karaj to highlight the intricate pearl and embroidery details on my chunni, and a half-up, half-down style for the reception.

Groom’s Attire

My father and grandfather both wore western suit and tie at their anand karaj, but I chose something in the middle — a modern, half-length sherwani from Seema Gujral.

The Details

Transport

The wedding ceremony began with Kulpreet making an entrance during the baraat and ended with the doli ceremony where we departed together in a 1949 Jaguar MKV convertible.

Honeymoon

We spent our honeymoon at The Royal Mansour in Marrakech. Our criteria was a nearby country we could retreat to after the wedding that had rich architecture and food tradition.

Wedding Songs

“Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.” We read this quote and discussed early on that we wanted to emphasize music during our ceremony.

We were fortunate to have Priti Kaur create a unique composition for the laavan sung during the ceremony. The composition incorporated three raags from the Sikh musical tradition and she was accompanied by Sikh instruments including the esraj and tabla.

One of the highlights of our weekend was Priti Kaur singing Hum Ghar Sajan Aaye a capella which is traditionally sung before the milni.

Entertainment

The sangeet opened with a Spanish guitar duo as guests entered. The festivities began with a dholi performing Punjabi boliyan — an interactive element to break the ice and get all of our guests dancing.

The cocktail hour of the reception featured our brother-in-law, Atish, DJing and a saxophonist as guests entered the Contracting Hall.

Officiant

The Sri Guru Granth Sahib — the Sikh spritual teachings — is at the center of the Sikh wedding ceremony. It was important to us to conduct the ceremony in accordance with Sikh traditions. One of the highlights of our planning process was connecting with the Sikh community in Barcelona. We are fortunate for the guidance and support of the community at Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib in Barcelona.

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

We had no backup plan for the rain. We hadn’t anticipated any in June. We arrived a week before the wedding, constantly checking the forecast. As the day drew near, it became clear that it was going to rain… just for the hour during our ceremony.

All of the intention that we put into the design and layout of the space was thrown into complete disarray during the morning of the wedding. But where we landed was even more beautiful.

It was almost poetic — there was thunder and lighting leading up to Ajuney’s entrance followed by pouring rain. As soon as the ceremony started the sun came out and bells from a nearby church began ringing.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

Talent does not necessarily correlate with number of followers or even years of experience. We had many incredible vendors that had neither!

If I could give other couples one piece of advice…

Be intentional about the things you don’t want. We chose to forego some common wedding elements like a cake, photo booth and paper invites. We even decided not to do a first dance on our way to the reception — instead, we joined our guests for what became an impromptu dance party as our brother-in-law DJ’d during the cocktail hour. Our advice: Actively decide what matters to you as a couple and feel empowered to omit elements that don’t resonate with your authentic selves.

Our Contacts

Wedding Venue / Espai Xavier Corberó

Reception Venue / La Llojta del Mar

Wedding Stylist / Fresh & Wood

Wedding Planner / Crystal Events

Photography / Studio of Tejasvir and Silvia Foz

Videography / Supér Weddings

Bride’s Dress / Frontier Heritage and Seema Gujral

Grooms Formal Wear / Seema Gujral

Wedding Rings / Nick Engel & Co

Makeup & Hair / Erika Avià Beauty

Henna / Laiba

Florist / Go Floral

Catering / Out of India and Sensacions Gastronomy & Emotions

Officiant / Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib

Ceremony Musicians / Priti Kaur

Entertainment / Atish, Enigma London, Diamond Group and Javier Luque Eventos