Suryagarh is a modern fort in golden stone on the edge of the Thar, about fifteen minutes out of Jaisalmer. Weddings here mean desert wind, bright days, cold nights and sand that gets everywhere, and the bride's look has to cope with all four.
2012The year she went full-timeA thousand-plusWeddings, large and smallPune studioShe comes to your venueNo mark-upOn fares or rooms
Good to know first
From Pune to the Thar for your Suryagarh wedding.
Tejaswini is based in Pune. Jaisalmer is a long journey, so she arrives a day ahead and stays at the hotel through the functions. Fares and a room close to Suryagarh are the family’s cost, charged without mark-up.
BrideDone by Tejaswini herself
TravelAt cost
Based inPune
Hair & drapeIncluded
Jaisalmer Fort, about fifteen minutes from Suryagarh.Photo: Clément Bardot · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
What it is like
A fort made for the desert.
Suryagarh was built in the style of Jaisalmer's old forts, with ramparts, towers and courtyards in the same golden stone as the city. It sits on the Sam road west of town, surrounded by open desert.
Planners like it because it offers several outdoor spaces, from small courtyards to large lawns, and the desert itself for dinners among the dunes. Most weddings take the whole hotel.
Desert weather is the challenge. Winter days are bright and dry, the wind can pick up in the afternoon, and evenings are cold. Skin dries out fast, so preparation matters as much as the makeup.
The hotel
A fortress built for celebrations.
From the hotel's listings and wedding planners' descriptions. The hotel confirms spaces and numbers.
Built
A modern fort in golden sandstone
Rooms
Around 70 to 95, depending on listing
Outdoor spaces
Several, from about 50 up to 1,000 guests
Location
Kahala Phata, on the road to Sam
To Jaisalmer Fort
About 15 km
Nearby
Kuldhara, and the dunes at Sam
A desert wedding day
A Suryagarh wedding day.
09:00
Skin prep
Extra hydration for dry desert air.
10:30
Bride begins
Makeup, hair and drape.
14:00
Courtyard portraits
In the shade before the light turns gold.
16:30
Baraat
Hair checked for wind.
17:30
Sunset pheras
Touch-ups close by.
20:00
Dinner
Refresh and a warm wrap.
A Rajasthani bridal look by Tejaswini.
Desert-proof looks
Four looks for sun, wind and sand.
Haldi in a courtyard
Shade from the walls. A barely-there base and waterproof lashes.
Mehendi on a lawn
Dry heat. Hydrating prep, a light base and hair tied away from the wind.
Pheras at sunset
Golden light on golden stone. A satin finish and a red that does not turn orange in warm light.
Dinner in the dunes
Fire light, cold air and wind. A warmer cheek, a deeper lip and hair fully secured.
Tejaswini
Your artist at Suryagarh
Tejaswini has styled more than a thousand brides since 2012. For a desert wedding at Suryagarh she plans for dry skin, wind and cold evenings, and settles the looks with you before the long trip from Pune.