Also read | Anirudh Ravichander to marry Sunrisers CEO Kavya Maran; wedding reception on November 21 When a chart-topping music composer and a media heiress are about to marry, you think the invite is going to be extra. But Anirudh Ravichander and Kavya Maran just flipped the script. Forget flashy designs and gold foil overload. Their wedding reception invitation is an elegant architectural keepsake.
Designed and handcrafted by Ranjani Iyengar, founder of design atelier Pink Whistle Man, this is not your standard envelope invitation. We’re talking a heavy, three-dimensional box in a dreamy palette of powder blue, ivory, and silver. The outer structure is covered in floral and scrollwork carvings, secured with silver-toned hinges and a silver-finished oval crest. It looks less like a wedding invite and more like a sculpted antique relic you’re meant to keep forever – and that was exactly the point. They wanted something soothing, restrained, and structurally stunning. “The idea was to keep the invitation classic without making it too personal or explicitly telling their story through the design. They wanted soothing colours, so we worked with a palette of powder blue, ivory and silver. The box opens via multiple doors to reveal layered stationery inside, but holding that much carved weight while keeping the design intact? Major challenge. “The box itself is extremely intricate and unique in its construction. This involved working through the construction details and procuring specific, exclusive parts to bring the box together,” Ranjani explained. It took an entire village of craftspeople, print specialists, and her printer’s team to pull it off. Each piece was handcrafted and hand-painted to preserve the integrity of the 3D reliefs. Inside, the stationery is just as luxe — fine foil stamping, detailed relief embossing, vellum overwraps sealed with custom wax emblems. Maximalist in craft, minimalist in colour. “The colour palette was another important aspect. Everything follows the same tone, with powder blue and ivory forming the primary colours, complemented by silver details. The invites have reached big names across politics, business, and cinema — from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy to top film and business personalities are on the guests’ list.
Because it had to support the lids’ weight while maintaining the intended design, figuring out the structure was quite complex.
The brief came straight from both families and the couple, with Kavya being super hands-on throughout, according to Ranjani. “The brief was to create something very classic, elegant and timeless, but at the same time, something that had keepsake value, almost like a relic that people would want to hold on to,” Ranjani told HT Lifestyle. “Kavya was very involved in the process, and we worked quite closely together because she’s great with attention to detail,” she added. Also read | A look at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s regal wedding invite Anirudh and Kavya specifically did not want something overly personal or colourful that told their love story in graphics. The intention was to create something that felt elegant and distinctive without being overly colourful or cluttered,” Ranjani said. we wanted to exercise restraint and ensure that it remained easy on the eyes,” Ranjani said While the design has a maximalist element to it.
The grand wedding reception is set for November 21 in Chennai. Anirudh and Kavya will reportedly marry in Greece an intimate ceremony in November with only close family and friends.
