Anusha Balaji and Deek Velagandula’s Garden Wedding at Calamigos Ranch

A friendship that grew into a love story

Anusha Balaji and Deek Velagandula built their relationship over years of friendship before celebrating their marriage at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. Their wedding brought together South Asian traditions, distinct designs for each event and a reception that changed plans when rain arrived. The couple’s approach offers a useful reminder: a strong visual vision can coexist with flexibility when the day takes an unexpected turn.

The pair met on their first day at Northwestern University in 2009, living five doors apart in the dorms. Anusha, a Strategic Partnerships Manager at a home-health tech startup, and Deek, a venture capitalist, became close friends and supported one another through professional and personal changes. They stayed connected after college, even as their lives took them to different cities: Anusha to Philadelphia, and Deek between New York City and Los Angeles.

Following several visits about a decade later, Anusha realized her feelings had changed. An impulsive text led to their first official date in March 2019. She describes Deek as the person who makes her feel most seen and accepted, a closeness that had been part of their friendship since they were 18.

A proposal by the water

Anusha had told Deek she wanted to be proposed to near water, where she feels calm. When he suggested a beach day in Malibu, she suspected a proposal was coming. The setting matched what she had hoped for: gentle waves, sunshine and people enjoying the beach. Even though she expected the question, she says she cried as soon as Deek began speaking.

There was another surprise in the works. Two weeks before the proposal, Anusha had mentioned that she would love to celebrate their engagement in a house in the hills with their closest friends. Deek had already been planning that gathering as the reveal after the beach proposal. For the couple, the moment captured how well their long friendship had prepared them to understand each other.

Finding the right planning partner

Calamigos Ranch was Anusha’s clear choice from the start. She wanted an outdoor ceremony surrounded by greenery, with the feeling of a secluded forest. The venue’s natural setting suited that idea without requiring the couple to build the atmosphere from scratch.

A Panache Affair planned the wedding. Anusha says her first conversation with planner Shveta gave her confidence in the fit: she valued Shveta’s warmth, accessibility, experience and professionalism. Just as important, the couple wanted a planner who could carry out an established vision rather than replace it with a different one. They appreciated a team that listened, responded promptly, shared candid feedback and followed through on commitments.

That distinction is practical for couples interviewing planners. Anusha and Deek knew they wanted a partner who would strengthen their ideas with recommendations while respecting their preferences. Their experience also shows why working style matters: planning involves sustained communication, and trust can make it easier to handle both creative decisions and last-minute changes.

Haldi and sangeet: two distinct moods

The haldi drew its palette from warm, sunny orange tones against the ranch’s lush trees. Marigolds, earthen pots and foliage were arranged with wooden triangles for a look that kept traditional elements in focus while feeling simple and natural. Anusha wore a modern saree in peachy tones, bringing her personal style to the tradition of wearing yellow. Deek coordinated in a silk kurta and embroidered jacket.

For the sangeet, the design shifted to a softer, whimsical palette inspired by Anusha’s pastel lehenga. Roses and pampas grass brought in romantic texture, with lavender and orange accents, draping, candles and elegant dining arrangements. The couple wanted the event to feel more like a lounge than a formal room: seating areas surrounded the dance floor so guests could mingle, move around and join the music and dancing at their own pace.

An open-air ceremony beneath the trees

The ceremony centered on a large tree at Calamigos Ranch. Rather than enclose the mandap in a boxed structure, the couple kept it open and organic, with pillars of roses and leaves leading toward the tree. Cascading branches formed a canopy overhead, accented by delicate flower strings. Flowers and pampas lined the aisle, with petals underfoot.

Soft, neutral tones supported the setting’s natural calm and made the couple’s red outfits stand out. Anusha added a personal moment: an audio note she had recorded for Deek played as she walked down the aisle with her parents. She describes it as an emotional surprise for the two of them and for friends who had followed their story since college.

A disco-inspired reception, with a weather pivot

For the reception, the couple traded the ceremony’s garden calm for a tropical club-night feel. Flowers and foliage mixed with disco balls, and the design took cues from Deek’s love of dance music and the energy of an EDM concert. A wall of records served as the seating display, with each record marking a table assignment. Shawls were provided to help guests stay warm as they celebrated.

Rain required the team to move the reception from outdoors to indoors at the last minute. Anusha says she arrived without knowing what to expect and was moved to tears when she saw the finished space, feeling relief and gratitude for Shveta and the A Panache Affair team. The pivot is a reminder that a rain plan isn’t only about having an indoor option; it also helps to have a planner and team ready to carry the design through a change of setting.

Advice from the couple

Anusha recommends choosing a planner whose working style fits the couple’s. Before speaking with prospective planners, she suggests discussing together which qualities matter, then setting those expectations during conversations. She also found it helpful to have a sense of the theme for each event, giving the planning and design process a starting point. Pinterest and Instagram can help couples research ideas, she says, provided they make time to explore and refine what they like.

Her final advice is to keep the purpose of the celebration in view. Planning a South Asian wedding can feel overwhelming, especially when it includes multiple events and many design decisions. For Anusha, the central point remains celebrating a couple’s commitment with the people who love them; outfits and decor are meaningful, but secondary to that.

Wedding makers

Venue: Calamigos Ranch, Malibu
Planner: A Panache Affair
Groom’s outfits: Telon for the haldi and sangeet; Sabyasachi Mukherjee for the wedding; Enzo Custom Beverly Hills for the reception
Bride’s outfits: Tarun Tahiliani for the mehndi; Ritu Kumar for the haldi; Aisha Rao for the wedding; Panache by Sharmeen for the reception

The original feature appeared on WeddingSutra.