Welcome to the captivating love story of Tanya & Joel, set against the shimmering skyline of Las Vegas, Nevada! Their wedding was nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece, seamlessly blending traditional Indian elegance with modern sophistication—and trust us, the wow factor was turned all the way up. This wedding had everything from heart-stopping entrances to a dance floor that could rival any Bollywood blockbuster. Let’s dive in and relive the magic!
Regarding grandeur and glamour, few venues can match the splendor of ARIA, Las Vegas. With its impeccable service, stunning architecture, and breathtaking spaces, ARIA became the perfect canvas for Tanya & Joel’s dream wedding. Scheme Events orchestrated every detail precisely, turning into a wonderland of love and celebration. Every inch radiated perfection, from the contemporary ceremony set up to the opulent reception hall. The ceremony was a beautiful blend of Indian rituals and modern vows, officiated by Peachy Keen Unions. Tanya’s father walked her down the aisle to a stunning floral mandap designed by Saralunn Floral and Byanca's Event and decor, whose floral artistry brought the ceremony and welcome party to life.
The first look—oh, where do we even begin? Tanya descended the staircase like an ethereal queen in a dazzling red bridal lehenga by Swati Couture. Joel, impeccably dressed and already emotional, was waiting at the bottom. Cue the string quartet from Premiere Wedding Music, whose romantic melody made the moment unforgettable. As Tanya tapped Joel on the shoulder, his reaction was a mix of awe, joy, and, well, tears that left not a dry eye in the room (we’re looking at you, groomsmen!).
As the guests entered the reception hall, they were greeted by a dazzling setup featuring LED chandeliers by LED Unplugged and a chic black-and-gold dance floor wrap by By Dzign. This wedding was a treasure trove of unique details. Guests were handed personalized cocktail stirrers from designLEE Studio, while the napkin rings by Heritage Collection added a royal touch to the tablescape. The vellum-wrapped menus by Zazzle were an elegant nod to the couple’s refined taste. Tanya’s stunning mehndi, done by the incredibly talented Dipti Threading, added another layer of intricate beauty to her bridal look. And let’s not forget the guest book from Industry & Main, which will undoubtedly hold precious messages that Tanya & Joel will cherish forever.
From the candid emotions of the first look to the grandeur of the reception, their photography turned fleeting moments into timeless treasures. The team’s keen eye for detail and artistic storytelling ensured that every image radiated love, joy, and elegance. Thanks to Mashaida Co., Tanya & Joel’s wedding album is nothing short of a masterpiece.
If you’re mesmerized, visit our Instagram page @MaharaniWeddings for more stunning visuals and behind-the-scenes moments.
![]()
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Whether it was chance, fate, or some other power, no one will know for certain what brought Joel and I together, but we are certainly grateful it happened. On November 13, 2021, that’s when the universe decided our paths should cross in Las Vegas, NV. However, our story doesn’t begin there because we connected before the meeting. Joel was part of the Red Devils Squadron 232, which my brother, Taj, was part of when he passed away in October 2015 during his deployment. Taj and Joel were good friends, and although we had both heard of each other, we had never met in person. After my brother’s passing in 2015, some of the pilots from the squadron continued to keep in touch with my family and me. They would periodically check in on us and, whenever they were in town, come by and see us. It just so happened that in 2021, they were all going to Las Vegas for a reunion, and since my parents lived in Las Vegas, they wanted to see them. They reached out to me, and I helped plan their visit with my parents but since it was during Covid, I had to limit the visit to only a couple of the guys. My parents and the guys even convinced me to fly in for the night and see everyone because it had been such a long time. It was great to see them and after we had all spent the evening together, it was time for the guys to head out and rejoin their group and enjoy the rest of their night. However, they insisted I join them and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. I figured there was no harm in having one drink and being out for an hour. Little did I know it would turn into such a fun night of laughs and memories lasting several hours. The energy was just too good to leave!
Joel was among the guys there, and he was the first one I spoke to. We exchanged pleasantries and caught up on life, and I left it at that. Later that night, Joel approached me, and I don’t know if it was the old-fashioned or something else in the air - some friendly banter eventually led to an exchange of numbers. I thought this was the beginning of a friendship and nothing more, but Joel texted me the next day, the day after that, and the day after that. Our text messages soon turned into hour-long phone calls and then FaceTime. Three months later, we had our first date in Los Angeles, CA, where I was dog-sitting for my best friends who were out of town. After that, we never looked back.
Joel and I dated long-distance until we got engaged on April 15, 2022. We made an informal rule that we would never go more than 3 weeks without seeing each other (a tip given to me by some good friends who had a successful long-distance relationship). Joel is based in Yuma, AZ, and I’m from the Bay Area, CA, so we traveled a fair amount.
If you asked Joel when he knew I was “the one,” he would say that it wasn’t a single instance but a feeling that grew very quickly. Every time we saw each other. Eventually, I would have to leave, or he would have to leave to go back to our respective homes. There came a point when he didn’t like that, and he was happier when I was with him. His home felt empty when I wasn’t there.
I knew Joel was “the one” on our second date. We were in San Diego, and I was visiting him while he was on a work trip. It was one evening when we were just hanging out, and I got this very strange feeling that I hadn’t had before. Before we met, I felt like something was missing in my life. I felt unanchored, and because of that, I was always on the go. Then that night for the first time in a long time I didn’t want to go anywhere, I wanted to stay right where I was, so long as I was with him. He made me feel connected, and he made me feel at peace. I never understood what people meant when they said, “someone felt like home”. I thought it would be some type of feeling that shocked you to the core. To my surprise, it was a sense of familiarity and comfort. He made me feel safe, and that’s when I found out he was the one.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
On April 15, 2023, Joel used my birthday as a cover to propose to me. He planned a birthday getaway to San Diego to celebrate my birthday and organized (what I thought) a birthday dinner with some of my closest friends. He even got some of my friends from Los Angeles to drive down. He booked a fabulous private room at Mister A’s in downtown San Diego, which had a patio deck that overlooked the city. I had no idea that this was going to be the proposal, I was just over the moon to see my friends and celebrate my birthday.
During our cocktail hour before dinner, on the private patio at sunset, he went to give a birthday toast, but it turned out to be my proposal. With some of my closest friends that I call family, Joel got down on one knee and proposed to me. I said, “Of course,” and went straight into his arms. I was so overwhelmed with joy that he had to ask me to stop hugging him so that he could put the ring on me. We spent the whole night celebrating after that. The icing on the cake was that he had one of my friends Facetime with my parents so they could watch the whole thing. It was perfect!
Tell us how you went about planning your wedding, and your overall experience with the Venues, Hair & Makeup, Outfits, Decor Theme, and all of the other important details.
Joel and I wanted two things: 1) a place that meant something to us and 2) to incorporate both our cultures. When it came to choosing the place, since we wanted somewhere special that had meaning to us, we narrowed it down to Napa, San Diego, and Las Vegas. During the picking process, my dad’s health started to take a turn for the worse, and because my parents live in Las Vegas, Las Vegas became the clear winner. It also made the most sense because we had so many people coming from out of town and around the country – it was easy to get to, and a place where people could have a lot of fun. Once we picked the location, it was time to hit play. I hired a full-time planner, who was fabulous! She took all my requests and made it a reality. I relied on her heavily to vet and choose the vendors since she was based in Las Vegas.
Due to my dad’s health, we couldn’t go to India to go shopping for my bridal attire. Luckily my dear friend and owner of Swati Couture, Swati Khanna Kapoor, was able to make my bridal dream a reality. She took to heart all my requests to heart and provided exquisite details. Her suggestion to use a cathedral veil and have Joel’s name written in Hindi on it, took my bridal lengha to a whole new level.
When it came to hair, makeup and jewelry, I knew what I wanted, and I wanted it to be “me”. My style is generally timeless and classic, so I wanted to stay true to that. I also wanted my attire to tell a story. Since it was an indo-western wedding, I chose an off- white wedding lengha. However, I always saw myself in red for my wedding, so I had to find a way to incorporate that in. With Swati Courture’s assistance, I wore a beautiful red lengha for my welcome party/sangeet, then an off-white lengha for my wedding with the cathedral veil, and a Berta wedding dress for the reception that sparkled throughout the night of dancing.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I wanted my bridal lengha to incorporate both cultures so I chose to do an off-white. I never pictured myself as anything but an Indian bride so I wanted to stay true my vision and wear a traditional bridal lengha but incorporate Western culture by wearing a shade of white. To kick the wedding weekend off, I wore a beautiful red lengha and Joel wore an all black Jodhpuri Suit with black embroidery.
To close the clothing out, I wanted to dance the night away in something comfortable but still bridal. I chose a Berta sparkling wedding gown. I changed all my jewelry to items that had special meaning to me. A watch given by my father on one wrist, a bracelet given by my mother on the other and a beautiful anklet borrowed from my best friend.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The mock up process is the best and most exciting. You finally get to see your vision come to life and start executing on it. I still remember seeing the first version and I was thrilled. My planner nailed it! Joel and I wanted something classy and yet romantic and Paulina, our planner, heard us.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The guests loved a couple of things about the wedding, but I think the standouts were the dinner, dancing, and Dhol player (the entertainment). We really wanted the food to be good and the Aria hotel delivered. Their food was amazing from beginning to end. Aria also was open to experimentation and wanted to explore doing new things. I wanted to incorporate my Indian heritage throughout the day, so having some Indian food was very important to me. When I told the hotel I wanted Indian food, they loved the idea, and the chefs created an Indian sampler paired with naan that was delivered to every table in addition to the entree the guests chose. The sampler was even placed on a mehndi-like motif.
I told my planner and the DJ that we wanted this to be a fun wedding that was focused on the guests having fun. The DJ understood the assignment. The dance floor was full all night long until the very last song. What kept everyone on the dance floor was our Dhol player. He started the evening by leading everyone from cocktail hour into the dining room where all the servers were standing at attention, it was a grand reveal for our guests. When the dance floor opened the night, he joined our guests and played along with both Indian and Western music. To this day, my guests remember and love the Dhol player. Some guests even added music to their playlists where the remix had Dhol players.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I have two. The first look and the feeling in that moment stayed with me. At first, Joel was against doing a first look because he wanted the first time he saw me to be when I came down the aisle, but I persuaded him to do the first look, which also helped with the photos. When we look back, we are so glad we did that because I was really nervous before the ceremony, and the moment he held my hands, all my nerves went away. It was also one of the only times in the day we got to be alone and take in everything that was happening. It was a beautiful moment to be together.
The speeches were also incredible. From our friends to our parents and lastly, Joel’s toast, they were all so meaningful and beautiful. Joel’s toast particularly put everyone to tears. While our day was full of joy, we had to take a moment to remember two people we loved, who we lost, and who served our country. My brother Taj, who passed away in 2015 on deployment, and Joel’s best friend Andrew Mettler, who passed about in 2023. Both great men that helped shaped us weren’t present for this day. It was a heartfelt toast.
For events other than your ceremony, please tell us as much as you would like about the decor, style, dances, and all the special details.
We did a welcome party to start the weekend at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas. Since our color scheme for the wedding was gold, black, white, and blush pink, we wanted the welcome party to have all the color and fun. We leaned into my Indian culture and brought out all the vibrant colors. We had live music that night, accompanied by two mehndi artists for all our guests, and a bangle and bindi bar so everyone could get into the spirit of the wedding!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Remember what is important – you and your husband- and celebrate your love. There are many things that are outside our control, and things can happen, but don’t let it ruin your day or stay with you. Accept it and move on. This is the one time in your life that everyone you love will be in one place to celebrate you and this occasion in your life. Don’t let anything stop you from enjoying that! We were meant to have an outdoor ceremony, and while we had a contingency plan, we never truly believed we had to use it – but we did. The weather did not oblige for that day, and we had to move the ceremony inside. I chose the venue because of its outside space. I was disappointed but I did not let it stand in the way of the remarkable day that was about to unfold.
Also, memories are so important so please take care in choosing a photographer and videographer you really want to work with. This is one area where you could splurge, and I don’t think you’ll regret it. I sure don’t!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
We had an open seat at the ceremony in the front next to my mother for my brother. While he wasn’t there physically, we know he was smiling down on us that day.
Our cake had a mehendi design on it.
Our signature cocktails were an old fashioned called "The Vulture" (Vulture is Joel's call-sign) and mine was a paloma called "The Esquire" because I'm a lawyer.
This wedding wasn’t just an event but an experience—a celebration of love, culture, and connection.
