A downright awesome celebration takes over our pages on this beautiful Tuesday thanks to wedding storytellers from Jashim Jalal Studios! Neelam and Karan are the love-struck couple who decided to start a life together with a big bold celebration of love! A backyard Mendhi party festooned by One Events Management in rich, striking colors and lots of charming elements initiated the marital bliss and offered the guests a night of fun and great delectable food thanks to The Kati Roll Company and Confused Donuts. Mehndikalogie's henna artist outlined the outstanding mehndi design on the bride's arms and legs that I absolutely adore! The professional planning staff of Surbhi Patel from One Events Management skillfully produced this and the following pre-wedding event, making all the couple's ideas a beautiful true! Medley Entertainment's live performance at the Sangeet/Garba night created a truly magical experience while the dance performances gave a special "Bollywood" atmosphere! Milan Banquets was the venue picked for this unforgettable evening and while you're here, check out the beautiful moments in our full gallery!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Karan and I met on the dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel. Post Date 1, I was still unsure about Karan but decided to give him a shot. Very soon after, Date 3/4, I knew this was it. It's like they say, "When you know, you know."
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
I am all things Christmas obsessed! It was a no brainer to Karan that he'd be proposing during the most magical time of the year! With the help of Neelam's friends and family, he located a little terrace area that overlooked the Rockerfeller Center tree and St.Patrick's Cathedral where he had a mini tree, candles, and champagne set up. He also had an ornament on the tree that said, "Will you marry me?" with a ring on it. It was the perfect night!
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.
Lucky for me, I had tons of help! Some vendors I knew I wanted to work with and some vendors I instantly clicked with. It helps that I'm surrounded by family and friends who were part of the Indian wedding industry which made my job a ton easier!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I knew I wanted a very traditional look for my bridal lengha. I definitely wanted it to be the color red but that definitely did not help narrow down my choices. Every one had different opinions on what my lengha should look like, but once I tried my lengha on, I loved it and just decided to go with it!
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Seeing everything come together was the best part. You can plan for months/years, but finally seeing things come in the mail, or seeing the final product of something you've been working towards was the most exciting and rewarding part of the planning process.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Definitely think the uniqueness of the different events (Welcome Holi Party, Backyard Mendhi Party, etc) is what guests enjoyed most. Each event had a different look/vibe to it and think that was something guests seemed to enjoy the most!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I don't know if I would describe this as "special" but the fact that every event (even outdoor events) were rained out on was definitely memorable. It downpoured during every single one of our events (even engagement shoots) and we definitely confirmed we had the worst luck. However, our family and friends did not let this get in the way of making the most out of our week. We danced in the rain during our welcome holi party, braved the rain under tents during our backyard mendhi party, and even brought the baarat indoors!
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.
Welcome party- This was hosted by the groom's sister and brother-in-law. It was a holi theme where everyone was required to be dressed in white and we (the bride and groom) wore mustard yellow outfits. It was cold and rainy and every one was pretty nervous on how the day would turn out. Once the alcohol was flowing, the music was blasting, and we had delicious food in our stomachs, we danced in the rain all day. It was one of the most fun days and one that we'll never forget!
Backyard Mendhi- I've always wanted to do my mendhi at my home surrounded by family. The goal of every event was to party hard and this was no different. We had different food truck vendors come in, set up a flower wall backdrop, and had our closest friends and family in attendance. The beginning of the night started in a downpour and leaky tents, but once the rain subsided, we opened up the walls of the tent, the party just grew and ended up being one blurry night! :)
Sangeet/Garba- This event was all about being colorful. We wanted the music to be live (thank you Medley Entertainment! :)) and the food to be delicious! Having a mix of two different cultures (Gujarati and Punjabi), we started our night off with Garba, went into performances, and started the dance party which was the Sangeet portion of the night. There was a lot of dancing, laughing, crying (happy tears), eating, and shots involved!
Reception- Because our Garba/Sangeet, Ceremony, and Reception were all in the same venue, we wanted to ensure each event felt unique. Our reception really leaned into the geometric theme. Because I didn't want a room full of just flowers, our decorators were great about bringing our vision to life. Working with Susmita from Style by Susmita, she even incorporated this theme into my dress! It included geometric shapes and tulips which represented true love. It all came together wonderfully!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
It's totally possible to have a beautiful wedding with limited resources and budget. Be creative and think outside the box. There's so many resources out there and ways to bring your vision to life outside of just leaning on the vendors.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Instead of bouquets, I had the bridesmaids walk out with frames that stated how they knew the bride.
We had a hanging cake stand which hung from the ceiling (something I really wanted).
Cold fireworks for the bride entrance.
We've got more on the way!
Photography: Jashim Jalal Studios |
Mehndi Artists: Mehndikalogie |
Live Music: Medley Entertainment |
Mehndi Venue: Bride's Residence |
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Milan Banquets |
Planning & Design: Surbhi Patel from One Events Management |
Mehndi Floral & Decor: One Events Management |
Sangeet / Reception Floral & Decor: Wedding Design |
Hair & Makeup: Style by Susmita |
Mehndi Catering: The Kati Roll Company |
Catering: Fired up Flatbread |
Mehndi Catering: Confused Donuts |
DJ: Raaz Entertainment |
Cinematography: Rare Air Films |
Lighting: Raaz Entertainment
Jashim Jalal Studios,
Mehndikalogie and
Medley Entertainment
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