Good morning, ladies! Get ready to enjoy all the beauty and magic surrounding Vanesha & Shajib's wedding festivities! We're starting this couple's big day by joining them at a harmonious and vivid Baraat procession leading to the exclusive Riverview Room, where the ceremony took place. But this Baraat comes with a surprise! Instead of having just Shajib taking part in the Baraat, our gorgeous Vanesha also took part in this event riding her own horse! Although the Baraat has mainly been considered a groom's tradition, Vanesha stepped up to have her own Baraat. She made her voice heard, and against all the odds, she got into her own horse and had a blast. Definitely a true example of how traditional ceremonies can be adapted to modern takes; empowering women and adding a little spin-off that makes them even more significant. This Maharani was living her dream, and you can see how happy she was thanks to the beautiful shots captured by Mary M. Cinema. This Baraat procession was so captivating that all people passing by stood up to take some pictures and to admire the beauty of our lovely Vanesha. And we cannot blame them as this Maharani looked like a princess from a fairy tale thanks to the fantastic work of Makeover by Paro, who took care of her beauty needs. For more amazing shots of this Baraat procession, head into the gallery that we have prepared for today. It is full of fantastic and enchanting details that you're going to love!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
When I moved to New York 4 years ago, I was desperately trying to meet new people. I met Shajib within the first 2 months of moving. He was someone who made dating seem so easy. His carefree and laid-back attitude gave me a glimpse of the possible future, that we could be happy even if we were just chilling on the couch watching reruns. That's when I knew, the moment of just hanging out and doing something extremely routine, but feeling so happy to be with each other.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
We took a day off work to go to a quaint town near NYC. We were planning on doing some hiking, exploring, and just having a fun day. It was a sunny but cold day with temperatures of around 9 degrees. Shajib was guiding me towards a spot that he had looked up online, but we got lost and ended up getting off the trail to find this beautiful lookout point. Once we got there, he walked straight up on top of a picnic table and held out his hand for me to join, he distracted me so I would turn around, and when I looked back at him, he was down on one knee. It had been 2 years since we had been dating, and even though we had discussed getting married, I was not expecting it and I completely started ugly crying. We were lucky enough that another couple were hiking up a few minutes behind us to that spot and took a couple of proposal pictures of us. It was perfect because it was him.
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.
Wedding planning was a little difficult, neither of us had any idea where to begin. We started by deciding where to get married, we knew it wouldn't be in New York City or my hometown in Mississippi. We narrowed down our top choices and finally agreed on New Orleans. We had some difficulty with a couple of vendors, a planner who wouldn't finalize the contract and kept increasing her charges, and a decorator who quit at the last minute. Luckily I was able to find Rena with Alchemy Events, who agreed to be my planner even though I had already finalized some key details. Once she came on board, it seemed like everything started falling into place. It was just nice to talk things out with someone who had wedding knowledge and make the best possible decisions together.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the planning process was probably doing the test ride on our horses for the baraat. Meeting the vendors for the first time and sharing our vision with them, having them understand exactly what we needed was also a really exciting experience. It was like we were building our own world, and we could do whatever we wanted, we didn't let anyone force us into following arbitrary rules, and luckily our immediate families were very supportive of our (my) wedding dreams.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The Baraats, for sure, there was a moment when I got up on my horse with all my guests in front of me, and I just felt so loved. Then, my baraat met Shajibs, I saw how much fun he was having, we caught each other's attention for a moment in the midst of all the celebration, and we both knew that we would always remember this moment.
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.
It was important to both of us to represent our Hindu/Muslim, Indian/Bangladeshi, NYC/MS customs, and traditions. We made peacock colors our theme, as they also worked with Mardi Gras colors. We worked with our planner to represent everything we possibly could, our sangeet had Mardi Gras masks and beads to represent New Orleans, but we had desi style cushions on the ground for people to sit on. We had brought a lot of maangtikas, chooris, and chunnis from India, for everyone to use and dress themselves up to enjoy the sangeet festivities.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
It's going to be stressful, it's going to be difficult, it may seem impossible at times, but it's so amazing when all your loved ones come together to celebrate your love. You have to disconnect from planning and project management mode the week of your wedding, at that point, stop worrying about the details and just enjoy. Even if something isn't exactly as you planned or seems like it will be a disaster, just let your vendors handle it and spend time with your friends and family to take in all the love.
At the end of it all, the only thing I remember is having fun, smiling and laughing like I conquered the world and crying because of how much this wedding would change our lives. I don't remember any of the details and I don't even care to remember which flower arrangements we went with or if we got the expensive chairs. All I remember were the range of emotions I felt, and how much love I was surrounded with.
We are just warming up over here, so make sure to stay close if you don't want to miss the upcoming events.
We are just warming up over here, so make sure to stay close if you don't want to miss the upcoming events.
Sangeet Venue: Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans Convention Center |
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Riverview Room |
Planning & Design: Alchemy Events |
Floral & Decor: Herbivore Floral Designs |
Hair & Makeup: Makeover by Paro |
Catering: Orchid Indian Cuisine |
DJ: KhanCept Entertainment |
Cake & Treats: Haydel's Bakery |
Cinematography: Mary M. Cinema |
Event Designer: Alchemy Events |
Lighting: KhanCept Entertainment |
Live Music: Young Fellaz Brass Band |
Mehndi Artist: New Orleans Henna |
Photo Booth: Party Portraits Photo Booth |
Rentals: True Value |
Baraat Horse: Saddle Up & Ride |
Rentals: Element |
Fabric Draping & Flowers: Simply Adorable |
Rentals: Just Ask Rentals |
Transportation: Riverbend Charters |
Photography: Mary M. Cinema
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