Good Morning, Maharanis! It is Wednesday, which means we are right in the middle of the week! And what better way to recharge batteries than taking a look at a romantic wedding celebration! And we have a small surprise! This wedding was so fascinating that it made it to the cover of our Best of 2019 Magazine! That says a lot! So, come and join us on this visual journey through Shibani & Jeffrey's wedding bash! We are starting the day by taking a look at a first look photo session carried out by Maggie Marguerite Studio. And oh boy, we loved every bit of this photoshoot! It was the best way to portray the love of this sweet couple right before heading over to their big wedding ceremony thoroughly orchestrated by Tara M. Events. For this photoshoot, both Shibani & Jeffrey embraced a traditional style that made them look stunning! However, it was Shibani who stole the show after being glamorized by Makeup by Anita and Beautini. The soft colored lengha, the flawless makeup and hairstyle, and the fantastic Mehndi outlined by Mehndikalogie were a perfect combination for that dreamy look we loved so much! For more amazing shots of this lovely couple, make sure to visit today's gallery! It is the perfect preamble for the upcoming wedding ceremony! And remember to bring your beautiful invite designed by Azure Couture Event Stationery if you don't want to miss it!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Jeff and I had multiple close encounters during our lives before we first met. First, we were both born in the Syracuse, NY area (he in 1988, me in 1992). Our families actually know one another from that time, but his family left to move to Seattle, WA when he was 3. After we both grew up, not knowing each other, we both attended Duke University for undergrad. Given we only overlapped one year, we never had the chance to meet there either. Next, we overlapped in Washington DC while I worked for Microsoft and Jeff was at Georgetown Law - we only lived a couple of blocks apart, but still never crossed paths. Finally, a year after Jeff moved back to Seattle, I accepted a job at Microsoft in Seattle as well. We met through mutual friends at at a barbecue, and Jeff asked me out to dinner a week later. It only took a couple of dates for us to realize this was something special.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
In August 2018, my sister (who I am best friends with) and her boyfriend, were visiting us in Seattle. Jeff knew it was important that family was around when he proposed. We went to have a picnic with wine and cheese at Gas Works Park, overlooking the Seattle skyline in the afternoon. While we were hanging out, Jeff got up to take a phone call and walked 20 feet away. After a few minutes, he asked me to come over and join him on the call, I assumed it was his mom. When I walked over there, he grabbed my hands and got down on one knee, and proposed. Next thing I knew, a photographer appeared, as well as one of my best friends from college, and about 10 of our closest Seattle friends. It was the most perfect proposal for me.
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.
I was lucky that my mom and sister were in New York, and could help me choose venues, visit sites, meet with vendors, etc. - They were a huge help and often have better taste than me! I knew I wanted to get married in the NY area since it's where most of both of our families live. When looking at venues, I fell in love with the metropolitan feel of NYC venues, and loved the InterContinental Barclay the most. The team was incredibly helpful, we loved the style of the hotel, and the location was perfect. The hotel offered us the penthouse suite which was perfect for taking our wedding photos on the day of.
We also had the most amazing planner - Tara M Events, who helped us choose every vendor. It was seamless because she has worked with these vendors for weddings before as a v-team. I had Anita Shah for H&M, she understood what i wanted without much direction from me, and her team did an amazing job on my family. We got our outfits from Mumbai - lehenga from Sushma Creations and Jeff's outfit from Telon. We worked with Elegant Affairs for flowers and decor, Shobha from EA was the absolute best. She understood our vision - blush pinks, flowers, and gold accents. This matched with our outfits which also stayed in the light pink and light green pastel family. Lastly, we had food from Moghul - and although it was one food vendor, they made each event unique in their own way. Lunch was indian street food (kathi rolls, dosa, chaat, etc.), cocktail hour was fusion apps (wonton tacos, kebabs, lamb chops, etc.) and dinner was more formal Indian food (daal, lamb, chicken, fish, etc.). We chose our cake from Magnolia Bakery, who worked so well with us the entire time and were so gracious during our cake tasting - we went with a marble cake with mocha buttercream inside.
Our invitations and stationary were done by Azure Invitations - and everything was perfect. Our guests really loved the grand nature of our invitation and the wedding ceremony program in particular.
We wanted this to be an Indian wedding that blended two cultures and two religions: Indian and Korean cultures, and the Hindu and Christian religions. We had an amazing Hindu priest and Christian pastor, who worked together during the ceremony to respect both families. We had a traditional Hindu ceremony, but also read our vows and heard a short sermon from the pastor.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Sushma Creations was recommended to us by a close family friend from Mumbai. Even though I didn't know what I wanted, i knew everything she had as absolutely beautiful. When I got there, it only took me about an hour to find the lehenga. I tried on traditional red, other colors, pastels, etc. - ultimately loving the light pink pastel lehenga with lots of detail. I wanted to be feminine, less traditional, and unique.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
My favorite part was doing the food and cake tastings with Jeff and my family. We had so much fun trying different dishes, picturing how they might be served, and choosing the right blend of menus for each event. Jeff and I absolutely love food and all things related, so it was fun to be wined and dined as we prepped the menu for the big day. Moghul and Magnolia Bakery were both incredible hosts during our tastings and made sure we were happy with our choices, both during tasting and day of.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our guests particularly loved the way we balanced two cultures in our wedding. By having a priest and a pastor, as well as traditional Hindu and Korean elements, we were able to showcase the richness of both of our cultures. Many guests said it was a perfect example of how this can be done with other religions and cultures as well. Azure Invitations (Andaleeb) did an amazing job with our wedding program - it was a beautiful floral pamphlet that explained every single step of the Hindu and Christian portions of the wedding. It helped educate our guests so that they could follow along, and we received a lot of positive feedback about that.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Our first dance was one of the most special moments in my mind. Jeff and I took lessons for our first dance for about 2 months prior, but on the day of, felt that what we learned was too formal and not our style. Five minutes before the reception, we scrapped the entire dance routine we learned, and made it up ourselves. We were natural, laughing, having so much fun, and being ourselves. Our guests could feel the energy as well and it was the best decision we made!
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.
For our wedding reception, we changed into western style bridal outfits. Our decor was still from Elegant Affairs, and we incorporated black, white and gold for a formal feel. My white dress was from Olvi's and Jeff's tux was from Burberry. We danced to Beyond by Leon Bridges for our first dance, and Isn't She Lovely for our father/daughter and mother/son dances. We entered the reception to "Came Here for Love" by Sigala, which was a fun upbeat song. Our band was On The Move Entertainment - they had the entire room dancing and on their feet, most people barely sat down other than to eat. It was one of the best bands at a wedding we had ever experienced! We didn't give them a playlist and they knew exactly the vibe we were going for.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Definitely! I would advise brides to avoid saving work until the end, and try to get a little bit done at a time. It was nice to have about 12-15 months to plan, and space out the various tasks over that time, especially between multiple vendors. I also think having a wedding planner is so essential in staying organized, knowing best practices, and having overall support.
More beauty coming your way, ladies! So get ready to continue enjoying this marvelous event!
More beauty coming your way, ladies! So get ready to continue enjoying this marvelous event!
Invitations & Wedding Stationery: Azure Couture Event Stationery |
Hair & Makeup: Makeup by Anita |
Mehndi Artists: Mehndikalogie |
Baraat: Equishare Baraat Horses, Rickshaws and Carriages |
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Intercontinental Barclay |
Floral & Decor: Elegant Affairs Inc. |
Hair & Makeup: Beautini |
Catering: Moghul |
DJ: Premier Entertainment- DJ Gaurav Kumar |
Baraat: Premier Entertainment |
Bollywood Performers & Instructors: Ajna Dance |
Cake & Treats: Magnolia Bakery |
Cinematography: Maggie Marguerite Studio |
Event Designer: Elegant Affairs Inc. |
Lighting: Premier Entertainment |
Live Music: On The Move Entertainment |
Photo Booth: Neeko Booths |
Welcome Dinner Venue: Toro |
Photography: Maggie Marguerite Studio
Azure Couture Event Stationery,
Makeup by Anita,
Mehndikalogie and
Equishare Baraat Horses, Rickshaws and Carriages
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