Frederick, MD Indian Fusion Wedding by Raj Photo Video

Friday, Love-day! Maharanis, a new magical story comes your way, Kinjel & Sam's. My dears, let me ask you this, how romantic is it to receive a proposal at the same place where you kissed for the very first time? I think it is beyond romantic! That is how this journey began. We know an Indian Fusion Wedding can be hard to plan, but thanks to the dedication Golden Door Events offers, every detail of this celebration excelled our couple's expectations. Glen Ellen Farm is the venue where these lovebirds decided to start their life together as one soul, and they couldn't have chosen a better place to do it. Liz Decorations was in charge of the decoration of this place, and let me tell you; they put together a heavenly fairytale. Our bride and groom wanted to celebrate their love uniquely; that is why King Entertainment put their best musical touch and made everyone dance. Along with great music comes excellent catering. One of the top leading Indian catering companies, Rupa Vira's The Signature, prepared the most delicious meal that represented Kinjel & Sam's taste. Now, let's talk about how gorgeous our Maharani looked during the entire festivities! Kiya & Company and Couture Bridal of Maryland and their exclusive designs made Kinjel look perfectly charming. EMPOWDER by Amola Surya made her makeup and hair, and let me tell you, I adore the way she looked! We also have to mention how handsome the groom looked, thanks to Men's Wearhouse. He is genuinely Kinjel's one true love! Maharanis, the best part of this celebration of love is the most outstanding collection of memories put together by Raj Photo Video. If you check out the gallery, I promise you will fall in love with these pictures. They are an absolute visual delight you don't want to miss!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
My husband and I met when we were 18 years old and had our first date (and many more after) at Centennial Park which was a local park near our houses. We had just graduated high school in June 2012 and were about to begin our undergraduate careers in August 2012. He went to a different university but transferred over to Towson University (where I went) after our freshman. We knew this was it for us and wanted to spend more time together by attending the same university. He and I did everything together, and helped each other grow into the adults we are today. I knew he was "the one" around graduation time in May 2016. As I reflected on our time together, I knew I wanted to spend forever with him.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
He proposed at Centennial Park, where we shared our first kiss and date. It was the sweetest, most thoughtful proposal as he did it exactly in front of the bench we sat at. He even perfectly planned it to have my family and friends around the corner as he knew how important that would mean to 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.
Our wedding was planned to be in May 2020 at another venue for the hindu wedding. Due to COVID, we had to move the wedding outdoors to help our guests feel more comfortable to attend. This was a huge undertaking given that we were planning our wedding at another venue entirely. We were so stressed and overwhelmed but persevered to have the wedding of dreams. I found an outdoor wedding venue and it was so dreamy. I knew I had to get married at Glen Ellen Farm for the hindu wedding, and we went ahead with the process. The Christian wedding did not change other than the guest count being decreased.

Given we were planning two wedding, everything was much more complicated when it came to planning. The Christian Mallu wedding was something I had never seen before so I had to learn all of their rituals and understand what will be happening. Same thing Sam had to do for the Hindu Wedding. While we had religious and cultural differences, our families showed no divide or differences and only wanted the best for us. They loved how we were cherishing our love rather than making our religion and cultures an issue. Our parents and siblings were so helpful, loving and accommodating to the entire situation. They were willing to redo all of the food tastings and see the new venue. All our our vendors were extremely accommodating with the changes and new set up. They were truly the dream team I've always wished for for my wedding.

I loved my hair and makeup every single event which was perfectly executed by Amola. She made me feel like a princess and her work is flawless.

My outfits were perfectly coordinated and the decor team blew us away, they were exceptionally great.

The food was also so unique and exactly how we requested. I highly recommend Rupa Vira for wedding catering.

The DJs for both weddings did an incredible job! During the Hindu wedding, Digvesh from King Entertainment announced my entrance so beautifully that I still have tears watching my entrance. It was majestic. He also did an amazing job during the Baraat and Reception in the evening. The Christian Wedding DJ, Tajinder Singh, was also exceptional and played the best songs all night!

RajPhotoVideo was the perfect team for us. They captured our events so perfectly and were so fun to work with. My husband owns a photo/video company of his own (TrueLifeStudio) and we wanted a photo/video team to capture our special week similiar to his style. RajPhotoVideo did just that and more! Highly recommend this team without a doubt. The pictures speak for themselves, they are flawless. 

Finally, my wedding planners were outstanding. They did everything to make our special day perfect. They not only helped replan our wedding, but helped create a new rain plan the night before our wedding with my amazing husband who stayed up to ensure the mandap was perfectly aligned with the backdrop of the beautiful venue. It was so surreal, dreamy, and felt liked a movie.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I custom designed my bridal lengha, my husbands outfit, and our jewelry as I had a very particular vision in mind and could not settle for anything less. I worked on my lengha for 8-9 months, with multiple revisions and changes along the way. I knew I wanted to wear ivory with pinks, greens, and gold. I specifically didnt want too much gold overpowering my lengha and I wanted birds as a symbol of our unity, love, prosperity and peace in our marriage. Two birds together are in a flower garden, consuming nectar from the same flower. This is another expression of how we will be two hearts beating as one soul.

Once my lengha was complete, I coordinate my husbands outfit and jewelry to match it perfectly.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Desiging my outfits, sams outfits, and wedding party outfits.

I also loved selecting outfits for my parents, grandmother and brother, as well as his parents and sister.

It was so fun doing dance practice with my family and friends. That really brought the wedding spirit alive!

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Guests loved the decor, cake, our outfits, the food, venue, etc. They honestly were blown away from our wedding and how well it was executed by our amazing planners. They did everything in their power to make our wedding perfect. Guests specifically mentioned how they could feel the love between Sam and I, and it felt like a movie the entire weekend. They also felt we were considerate of their safety and comfort during the wedding events. It truly touched our hearts as we thought through every single detail to perfection.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
1. Mehndi night with my close friends and family. Also getting my mehndi done as it was very special as my mami (a professional henna artist in the DMV) did my mehndi with so much love and consideration of what I wanted. It was so beautiful.

2. Haldi ceremony: it was perfectly executed as a joint haldi with my husband. Since my husband is Christian, we knew their tradition doesnt involve a haldi but we both are Bollywood fanatics and couldnt resist having our "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" moment from the song "Kabira". And yes it was on replay!!

3. My entrance during both weddings. The hindu wedding i was walked down by my mama and mami (moms brother and his wife) who are so near and dear to my heart. It was so special. During the christian wedding, my parents walked my down and it was a dream come true. Wearing a white dress was so magical and something I never thought I would experience. I consider myself so blessed and lucky.

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.
Mendhi: It was an outdoor setup where family and friends could enjoy some music, dance performances, and kick off the weekend with joy and laughter. Since we did not have a garba/sangeet due to COVID, we wanted this event to be little liver then your typical mendhi night. Decor was stunning and my outfit was perfectly designed. Sam and I both did individual performances with our friends, and everyone had a great time!

Grah Shanti: Let me start with the decor! We loved it and it blew us away that we had such an amazing backdrop in our home for my grah shanti. Sam and I had a pre-grah shanti shoot at the Turf Valley Resort, and then I had my pooja. The pooja was so great to be surrounded by family and close friends. I started feeling all of the emotions during this event.

Haldi: Decor was so grand and i loved having a combined haldi event. Everyone told us this was the best haldi they have ever been to and it was an honor putting haldi on the groom. I felt so many emotions but couldnt help but smile, laugh, and dance the ENTIRE time. I truly felt like I had "the bridal glow" after this event and was ready to get married the next day.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
1. Don't let your differences interfere with love. Where there is a will, there is a way.

2. Being a COVID bride is one of the hardest challenges I've had to face. Keep your head up and walk into your wedding week with confidence. Trust your vendors and remember you only get to live through this amazing experience once so cherish each and every moment.

3. Always keep a smile on your face because you never know when the camera is watching!

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
I would marry my husband over and over again. He knows me inside and out, and would give me the world. He is truly my person!

That is it for today, me beloved Maharanis! Come back on Monday to start a new week with love and romantic stories.