Pleasanton, CA Indian Wedding by Wedding Documentary

Happy Monday, ladies! Let's start this week with an extra boost of inspiration by taking a look at the spectacular shots by Wedding Documentary, showcasing Varsha & Nikhil's outdoor wedding celebration! This time around, we are taking you to a Private Residence at Castlewood Country Club to join these lovebirds in their magical journey into a happily ever after. And believe us, you are going to enjoy this marvelous celebration to the fullest. Saba Decor Rentals crafted a marvelous decor while Nazooq Petals took care of the floral arrangements, and this winning combination resulted in a spectacular event like no other we've seen in quite a while! From the outdoor ceremonies to the intimate reception, everything was beautiful beyond words. But nothing compared to the jaw-dropping look of our gorgeous Maharani after being pampered by TM's Makeup Artistry and Pratixa. Hands down, a dreamy look for this ultra special day. If you want to check more of this wedding celebration, don't miss this spectacular gallery. We're sure you will get tons of inspiring ideas from it!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met for the first time while in grad school in Florida for a game night with a group of friends. We didn’t really keep in touch after that and just followed each other on social media. Three years later we both ended up in California for work. Nikhil saw a story of mine in instagram and dm’d me. We decided to meet eventually and he drove an hour and half to meet me in San Diego. One thing led to the other and here we are :)

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
There was no formal proposal. It was very organic. We just realized we wanted to be with each other for the long run and get married.

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.
Our wedding was initially supposed to happen in Chennai, India. But then 2020 happened. Our parents were pretty sure that they wanted us to go ahead with the wedding even if they couldn’t attend. We initially considered pushing it, but just having no idea when things would get better, we decided to go ahead with the wedding on the planned date, but in California instead. While our parents couldn’t attend we had family in SoCal and in the Bay Area. We finally decided on this beautiful castle like venue in Pleasanton. A friend of mine went to the wedding venue multiple times and FaceTimed me, so that I could tour the place. The actual planning of the wedding took place over four different time zones as my Dad lives in the UAE, my mom and Nikhil’s mom in India, my sister in Toronto and us here in California. My aunt and cousin were instrumental in the whole planning process. They set up this super helpful google doc with options for vendors, websites for and outfits. We could not have pulled this wedding off without them! I used this google doc as my reference and slowly researched about each vendor and fixed on my final vendor list. Another aunt of mine suggested Sri Caterers for food catering. One of the best decisions we made as far as this wedding was concerned. Nikhil and me worked on curating a menu that would have Tamil, Telugu and Kannadiga elements to it. The food turned out to be super aunthentic and tasty. I coordinated with Sania regarding the color scheme and decor over multiple phone calls. Since I was getting everything done from San Diego, I could only connect with my vendors virtually. Our outfits were all ordered online after phone and video calls to the stores that we bought them from in Bangalore. I sent a sample blouse to my aunt and she got my wedding blouses stitched for me in the Bay Area. As far as makeup was concerned, I was basically looking for an artist that would ensure that my makeup looked natural and I looked like myself on my wedding day. Pratixa did a wonderful job with that! I shopped for my accessories online at Vriksham. They helped me put together the right accessories that would suit both my sarees. Sarees and accessories all had to be approved by my sister. She is always my go to for anything related to clothes and fashion :)  Photography, Videography and live-streaming was very important to us as our parents would not be there physically for the wedding. After going through various portfolios and live-streaming links, we decided on Wedding Documentary. We don’t regret that decision one bit. Everyone was all praise for the streaming and we love our wedding videos and photos. For the wedding background music, we requested people in singers in our families to record and send it to us. So it truly felt very personal.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I just knew I wanted one of my outfits to be a blush pink saree and I found the perfect one at Janardhana Silks.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Having done everything virtually and seeing it all come to fruition on the wedding day was the best part. It turned out exactly as we had planned.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Everyone loved the venue and the food :) I think another aspect of the wedding, the guests appreciated were the personalized gift bags we ordered on Etsy with each of the wedding guest’s name etched on it.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The Saptapadi. That moment was beautiful. With Sita Kalyanam sung by Nikhil’s mom playing in the background :)

But to me the most special part of the wedding was that involved the efforts of so many people. We could not have pulled any of this off without our family and friends. While our parents couldn’t  make it to the wedding physically, they were involved in every aspect of the planning and were present throughout virtually.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
There will be moments when you will be extremely overwhelmed or frustrated during the planning. Make sure you have your closest friends or family on speed dial for those moments! Definitely helps to vent every now and then :) But seriously, just trust that everything will work out in the end! You have probably already taken care of anything that was in your control.

What a great way to start this week, isn't it, ladies? Remember that we have new stories every day, so make sure to join us tomorrow for more!