Does every Indian girl dream of their wedding, right Maharanis? After all, we revel in thoughts of our love riding up on an ivory white horse, see your ladies lead the magnificent baraat, and of course, there is a little bit of fashion and flair. Okay, who am I kidding, there is a lot of beauty that radiates from Indian weddings and I have to ask Lindsey and Kishan, where was my invite? Because I too would have loved to set sail for the mehndi on a private yacht! A sophisticated updo, sparkling diamond earrings, and exquisite bib wedding design on her lengha was all this Indian bride needed to up the glam factor. Makeup was perfect throughout the whole voyage from the enchanting hands of Amanie Mokdad. One of the best elements of an Indian wedding is the fine dining and Krishna Catering and Restaurant is right up to dish out the eats! I just cannot get enough of all these insanely gorgeous images by Beaded Elephant (FKA Jobst Media) in our full gallery.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Kishan and I met at Hamlin Corner (lounge/club) in Royal Oak, Michigan in February 2014. I was out with one of my best friends from out of town for a girls night and Kishan was out with his friends as well. He and his cousin approached us on the dance floor and started a conversation. We connected and thus exchanged numbers at the end. However, I also didn't think this would go anywhere. I was a medical student at the time and busy with work and thought to myself, when am I ever going to meet this guy again. At the same time (relevant to this story), Kishan mentioned he had left structural engineering and recently taken over his family business (Krishna Catering & Restaurant). I didn't recall the name of the restaurant but knew it was local.
I continued with my daily life and we initially texted but then conversation essentially stopped. He made an effort to invite me out to his birthday but I wasn't able to go. I never thought I would see him again and this was the end of our encounter.
Another relevant point to this story now arises. Since my parents lived out of town, I used to get food ordered from an Indian restaurant every month. My dad had arranged for this so I would never go hungry. One day after I called, I was expecting my usual delivery.
On the other side of town, Kishan was at the restaurant when his mom told him there was a delivery in Detroit for a girl named Lindsey. He thought to himself, "We don't usually deliver to people named Lindsey in Detroit." He remembered that name and thus checked the phone number on the order. It matched, and this was the same girl he had met a few weeks ago. Lindsey but also known as Lipika. He called everyone he knew to get advice on how to approach this situation. The final decision was that he would surprise me with his presence.
Back to my side of town, I received a call from the driver saying my food was here. He sounded almost like he was smirking on the phone. Not thinking much of it, I went downstairs and walked outside. I acknowledged a person standing and continued to walk ....but then stopped dead in my tracks as I realized who was actually there. It was that guy I met a few weeks ago. He was standing outside with my food.
"So you order food from my restaurant?" Kishan asked. He handed over the food while I stood there awkwardly not able to say anything. "You owe me $85," he said.
I went back upstairs and called everyone I know ... and I had lost my appetite. I didn't know what to think. I believe in fate and that everything happens for a reason. I messaged him back and we had a proper conversation. We went out on our first date on March 23rd, 2014. 1.5 years later, we got engaged, and 3 years later, we got married. I like to think of this as our own Bollywood story (that our friends also acted out at our Engagement party).
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
After medical school graduation in May 2015, I traveled with my friends and family prior to starting residency. When I got back from India (latest trip at that time), Kishan planned a weekend trip to Traverse City (Northern Michigan) the weekend before residency actually started. During the car ride, I had an inkling something might happen but that quickly went away as I asked and he completely denied. We stayed at The Grand Traverse Resort which was absolutely beautiful. On Saturday, June 20th, we enjoyed the wine country with our friends during the day who were also visiting from out of town. For the evening, Kishan made reservations at Aerie Restaurant at the resort. It was a beautiful setting with great scenic views of the lake, sunset, and greenery. We got to the restaurant and started our meal with good conversation. We ordered dessert shortly after dinner and Kishan said he had to go to the bathroom. Little did I know, soon thereafter, he walked back to the table with our dessert and a ring on the plate. He got down on one knee in front of everyone and proposed. The gentleman that was eating by himself sitting across from us suddenly started taking pictures - he was our photographer in disguise! I was completely shocked and swept away.
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.
Much like any bride, my utmost goal was to be organized and stay on top of all our tasks and duties. I wanted to follow tradition and embody elegance and unique character to all our events. I worked with a wedding planner - Rajul Pillai from Blissful Weddings & Events. She did an amazing job helping us with the wedding weekend (and engagement party year before)!
For our wedding weekend, we had our events laid out in 3 packed days. Mehndi (Thursday PM), Haldi (Friday AM), Sangeet & Garba (Friday PM), Wedding (Saturday AM), Reception (Saturday PM). We had family and friends fly from far and near to attend our special weekend. All accommodations and food (non-wedding related) were organized with an itinerary and welcome bag on check-in to the hotel (The Henry).
For the Mehndi, we wanted to do something different so decided to have a yacht party. We booked The Ovation which was a 4-hour sunset cruise around Detroit River with views of Canada and Ambassador Bridge. There were Mehndi artists on board along with dinner and dance floor with surprise performances from our family. I got my Mehndi done the night before (6-hour process) so I could move around on the boat.
Rest of the events were held at The Henry in Dearborn, Michigan - an elegant boutique hotel and venue. When we were initially looking at local options, this was one of Kishan's top choices as he had a lot of experience with wedding venues due to the restaurant and catering business. When I saw it for the first time myself, I fell in love and didn't look any further. In addition, it was able to accommodate our 500+ guests for the weekend.
Our Haldi and Grah Shanti morning was held separately in 2 adjoining ballrooms. Our Punjabi and Gujarati traditions were celebrated with our close family and friends. Thereafter, we had our Sangeet & Garba in the evening. We wanted this to be a complete fusion with lots of color and sparkle. We celebrated with Bhangra and Raas-Garba. Food was laid out in different stations much like street food where people could travel from one to the next. Performances from a Toronto Bhangra team (Shaan Punjab Dee), family and friends, and open dance floor ended the night.
Wedding morning started early for us. I had 13 bridesmaids and Kishan had 11 groomsmen. I remember getting up at 4 am to get hair, makeup, and draping started followed by all the girls. We had our first look before the Baraat which started around 9:30 am. Followed by our ceremony, we went offsite for bridal party pictures on a party bus to Greenfield Village -- a historic district and park with beautiful outdoor views. Coming back around 5 pm, we had a mini break before we started to get ready for the reception.
My vision for the wedding ballroom was a mixture of elegance with gold. Since my lengha was going to be pink, our decor guru Yanni from Yanni Design Studio recommended blush and light pink florals and designed an amazing altar and room. In addition, they also mastered the Sangeet & Garba ballroom based on our initial thoughts of lots of color and sparkle. For the reception, I wanted darker florals while maintaining the gold theme. We used part of the altar as our entrance and added lots of detail including emphasizing the stage, ice sculpture, his & hers drinks & mocktails, incorporating reception floral on the cake, a table tribute to our grandparents, photo booth, etc. We choreographed our first dance which was a surprise to many - started slow followed by breaking out into Bollywood moves.
All my makeup was done by the amazing Amanie Mokdad and hair by beautiful Raimonda Gjekaj. My Mehndi, Mehndi hair and all draping was done by the fabulous Ekta Kansara. I am very thankful for a great team.
Food was a big part of our planning process as well. Mehndi night was covered by the yacht company providing mostly American/Italian food with a hint of Indian appetizers. Kishan's restaurant catered our Haldi lunch, Sangeet & Garba night, along with Wedding lunch. Palace of India from Grand Rapids (West Michigan) catered our reception.
Music was featured all weekend by DJ Sandman (Sandeep Hans from Sandeep Hans Entertainment). Kishan and I met with him beforehand and decided the theme of music each night to ensure variety. Needless to say, he had us dancing all night.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
As a Punjabi bride, I wanted my bridal lengha to be pink. My family and I planned a trip to India and we custom designed all of mine and Kishan's wedding outfits in Chandigarh (Sham Mall). We coordinated colors and tried to embody the theme of each event. For the groomsmen and bridesmaids outfits, we wanted a contrast color and thus royal blue worked well. Their outfits were also bought from Chandigarh as well.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Enjoy the process and cherish every moment of your big day(s)! Be present in every moment - it goes by fast. Planning can be stressful but remind yourself what's important to you and your partner.
It was truly my happiest weekend and I wish everyone the same.
Don't bat a pretty little eyelash; I will return in a twinkle!
Photography: Beaded Elephant |
Bollywood Performers & Instructors: Shaan-Punjab-Dee |
Cakes and Treats: Wisteria Bakery |
Catering: Palace of India |
Cinematography: Robles Video |
DJ: DJ Sandman Sandeep Hans |
Floral and Decor: Yanni Design Studio |
Makeup: Amanie Mokdad |
Hair: Raimonda Gjekaj |
Mehndi Artist: Ekta Kansara |
Hair: Ekta Kansara | Mehndi |
Bridal draping & Styling: Ekta Kansara |
Planning and Design: Blissful Weddings & Events |
Venue: The Henry Autograph Collection
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