Rajasthan, India Indian Wedding by Vows and Tales

Good morning, beauty queens! We are starting this Tuesday with a trip to India. Yes, you read right: India! Today, we are heading over to Rajasthan, India, to take part in Shalini & Rishi's 3-day wedding festivities. So, get yourselves ready, because what is coming right ahead will take your breath away! There is something extra special about weddings that take place in India that never ceases to amaze us. Maybe it is the fact that they are full of flair and traditions, or perhaps it is the fact that seeing a love story come to life in the very same place where our dearest traditions started is mindblowing. We really don't know! What we do know is that today's love story will make your inspiration fly, and your hearts melt with tenderness and joy, so let's don't wait any longer and get ready to be amazed! Let's start by taking a look at the mesmerizing wedding ceremony held at the surroundings of the Joypur Bansi Resort. This striking venue, which also hosted the Sangeet and the reception party, was the perfect place for Shalini & Rishi to tie the knot. There was so much beauty overflowing from every single scene of the ceremony that anywhere you looked, it had perfection written all over the place. Same perfection and beauty that we found in our gorgeous Maharani. She donned a traditional but glamorous lengha designed by Papa Don't Preach By Shubhika, and walked down the aisle looking like a goddess! It was a perfect moment, where everyone sighed and dropped a couple of tears of joy over so much beauty. And we want to give a big shoutout to Shraddha Luthra and Sunita Pawar for taking such good care of Shalini's beauty needs. Their spectacular work is so impressive, and we cannot stress how much we loved it. But that is not all! Shalini went a little further to achieve her dreamed bridal look and got marvelous pieces of jewelry from Ra Abta by Rahul Luthra and a fabulous Mehndi designed by Deepa Mehandi Art. After the ceremony, there was an epic reception party that marked the end of the wedding festivities, and it was so spectacular that we found ourselves lost in words to describe it. Thankfully, the good friends from Vows and Tales were there to capture all the amazingness. Dive into this fabulous celebration by visiting today's gallery!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I wrote a short story about us, would like to share it here.

A ‘Just In Time’ Love Story

As most of the best relationships go, Rishi and I were introduced through mutual friends. From our first date in a small italian restaurant, to a romantic surprise proposal full of champagne and best friends in NYC’s Central Park Bow Bridge, our love story was the fairytale every girl dreams of.

While there were months of being physically apart and plenty of arguments due to many cultural differences, our love story is one for the modern age.

Several years ago, my sister settled in the US and ever since, my heart and spirit were torn. My heart will forever belong to India but my spirit wanted to achieve something wonderful in the land of opportunity. Rishi was the answer to a question I never asked.

God’s timing is a mysterious thing and one needs to have faith in it

From Rishi’s surprise trip to India early in our relationship, to our Iceland and Paris vacations, to my parents surprising us in Los Angeles, We were blessed with the hand of God gently guiding us throughout. This followed our engagement in LA in the presence of our loved ones.

Our The-Day was here!!

I have always wanted a wedding full of memories, traditions, much fun with our loved ones.. much before this had planned it all!
Just days before the world went under lockdown, We lived our Dream, a magnificent Destination Wedding in Jaipur, India- full of many loved ones who braved COVID-19 to celebrate our union.
Just the way I dreamt my wedding to be! I am and will be forever thankful to the ones who were part creating these moments.

Now, quarantined together in Santa Monica, California - looking through our incredible pictures by Vows & Tales and waking up to such beautiful posts by bloggers from across, is reliving those memories.

Realizing how many couples have had to postpone their wedding celebrations - I want to share a small piece of advice. Love is more important than any celebration - but a wedding celebration is about the people - so, if you can - wait and do it right.

Hang in there and lots of love,
-Shalini

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
RED. The only thing I was sure about is - Wanted to keep my wedding lehanga red. Red color may be played out or something that brides have been wearing since centuries but I needed no modern twist there, Specially when Pastels are trending, I still wanted to have a red lehanga which could look very traditional and royal for the ceremony but since I was wearing my lehanga for the reception too after the sunset Pheeras, I needed something that could look very royal for the ceremony and classy as well as chic for the reception.
I instantly fell in love with my outfit when I tried the Rimple and Harpreet's beautiful design. I did not even try any other design.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
You never enjoy planning your own wedding.
Being an event planner myself, planning my own wedding and whole process was extremely stressful.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Guest had A LOT OF FUN. All they did was - dress up, dance, drink and eat.
They enjoyed pretty much everything- from the world's cuisines personally curated for each event according to theme, dancing till 8AM every night, interesting and unique themes of events. All 4 days for them were total madness and fun. And last but not the least the gorgeous cake is something they still talking about.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
On my D day - The moment when I saw my groom and when Rishi saw his bride. The connection and that eye contact between me and Rishi was the most amazing feeling ever. The moment I would cherish for life. It's a feeling that can't be put in word.

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.
The whole wedding was inspired by Peacocks and elephants that includes the Mandap decor, the favours, cutleries, Decor, My mehendi and even my LEHENGA. This was because Rishi loves elephants and I adore peacocks.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
YOU should be the one to have the most fun in your wedding. So enjoy to the fullest.
ALWAYS HAVE A SMILE. They say is right, happy brides are the prettiest
Start taking extra care of your skin from the day you decide to get married lol

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 a Royal Welcome dinner at one of the most beautiful forts in India - Amer Fort, Jaipur which was the start of the events. - Gazal Nights followed by my mehendi.
Rainbow Mehandi the next day.
Rishi's Haldi
Cocktail Night - For which I designed my gown myself, My train was approx 8 Mts long.
Chuda Ceremony & my haldi
Wedding ceremony
Reception- Our wedding cake was highlight of the evening which had a beautiful decor of flowers and crystals and was grand and gorgeous.

We are still sighing over so much beauty, and we need a moment to catch our breath. But don't forget to join us tomorrow for more. We will have a new love story to share with you!