We wrap up the week with a big and beautiful farm Indian wedding in North Carolina! Puja and Dhaval shared a fondness for nature, so they planned an outdoor wedding to celebrate their love and picked the beautiful Addison Farms as wedding venue. This picturesque 300-rolled acre farm is a true gem that provided the quiet and charming ambiance the pair wanted for their union. Both families celebrated multiple events prior to the big day. After all the party-packed pre-wedding celebrations, we were so excited for our wedding. Puja says. Yaadein Events helped the couple have a flawless planning process and assisted them in creating their dream wedding. Dhaval entered in royal style, riding a white horse by Southern Breeze Carriage. At the same time, Maharani Puja walked down the aisle as a real-life princess escorted by her brother and cousins. She flaunted a stunning red bridal outfit from India and accessorized it with stunning Chic Pari's jewelry. The pair stood beneath a magnificent mandap structure created by MM Celebrations to exchange vows in a romantic morning ceremony, and the golden hour served as natural backdrop. Bhowmik Dave Films & Photography took advantage of the daybreak and captured this once-in-a-lifetime moment and the couple posing in a charming photoshoot amidst the green meadows. The images are simply stunning! The newlyweds hosted a wedding lunch after the wedding rituals, and in a blink of an eye, MM Celebrations transformed the locale for the cocktail hour and reception night! Their final function was a glamorous event that fused crystal details, champagne, and ivories hues. Taaza Bistro Burlington paid homage to Puja and Dhaval's, creating a delicious menu that indulged their loved ones while Masters of Beats had them busy on the dance floor with the best music. These two made their party stand out with the best entertainment and created a unique reception! Although their wedding day will fly by, plenty of moments will remain in the couple's hearts forever. Unfold these lovely instants in our complete gallery. Just click here!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
It's crazy how life work sometimes. In 2013, Juhi (Puja's Older sister) and Dhaval became friends on a Spring Break trip with a group of mutual friends. I knew of Dhaval, but nothing else! After the trip, I noticed Juhi and Dhaval were hanging out a lot more and became the best of friends! Juhi found Dhaval to be a very genuine and caring kind of guy and light bulb immediately went off in her head about matchmaking the two of us together. Little did Juhi know at the time, but Dhaval already was crushing on me! Juhi would always try to convince me to date Dhaval and give him a chance, but I would always refuse and say "he isn't my type!" I however was already crushing on him after I met him for the first time during our Spring Break, just testing out the water!
Over the years, I grew closer to Dhaval and we became very good friends. I came to learn what a gentleman he truly was with how he took care of me and others around me, how he stood up for what he believes in, how he noticed my every habit, passion, and dream. He was a man of noble character & I fell hard for him! I knew Dhaval was the one for me when he stood by myself through all the happiness and all the sorrow I went through in life, he was my rock through it all! I fell in love with my best friend.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
When we took a family trip planned to Puerto Rico in summer 2019, Dhaval decided that was the PERFECT time to proposal, but it was all a big surprise for me. While I asked him multiple times to come to Puerto Rico, he said I had to stay back because of work. Little did I know that I was in for a surprise of a lifetime.
Despite sharing my location, I was unaware that he was in Puerto Rico getting ready for the proposal. I was missing him in Puerto Rico and FaceTimed him constantly to know if he was doing and all.
On a gorgeous, sunny day of June 30th, 2019, he asked me to marry him! The proposal was exactly what I had dreamed of, from the beach setting with small tiki torches to the rose petals shaped into a heart... it was perfect! I had no idea what I was walking into, as her sisters and Dad led me towards the beach. I was in complete shock, as I walked towards him, he gave me a beautiful bouquet of red roses, got down on one knee to ask, “Will you marry me? Without a doubt I2 cried and yelled, “Yes, hell yes.”
As both families cried and hugged one another, the celebration began with champagne popping. With a pour in his and her glass, it was time to #poradrink.
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 during Covid was a rollercoaster ride! Luckily, I had a good bit of knowledge and expertise in wedding planning and figured out how to navigate my way through with Dhaval's help! Overall experience was such a journey and process, just being able to see all your dreams and wishes come to life. Our dream wedding was to hold an outdoor wedding & so we did at the most perfect location, The Addison Farm. Absolutely stunning venue with 300 rolling acres of land surrounding. Our wedding attires we envisioned came true as the royal Indian bride and groom with simplicity. I felt like Dhaval's queen on our wedding day! Everything fell right into place when it came to the details and each event had an experience of it's own.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I flew out to India with Dhaval and my older sister, Juhi a few months before the wedding due to Covid traveling was very limited. We went to India with a full vision and were very surprised when we got there! There were a lot of trials and errors, but 10 days in India and we got all of our outfits for all the different events knocked out. I envisioned my bridal lengha to be red like a traditional bride with a very extravagant duputta (bridal veil). We went through so many lenghas the first day I was starting to worry, but the first boutique we visited on the second day I selected my wedding lengha within 2 hours! I saw it and immediately wanted to try it on, fell in love and saw myself wearing it on our special day. My entire wedding outfit pulled together so beautifully I felt like Queen Jodha and Queen Padmavati! For my reception, I wanted the exact opposite. I wanted something more elegant and sexy, so I chose a backless champagne colored lengha & Dhaval wore a classic black tux.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I have dreamt of my wedding day since I was a little girl, so the real preparations started years ago! I would save Kankotris (Indian wedding invites) from weddings, different styles of wedding programs, props used during receptions, and all sorts of little details. I also formally worked as a wedding planning associate as well as a wedding planning decorator assistant, both jobs taught me so much people don't usually think about like the logistics/behind the scenes of each event, how to organize the physical added details (table setting accessories, cake table accessories, disposable dinnerware supplies, etc), timing itinerary, financial budgeting, and so much more. The most enjoyable part of the planning process besides having my fiancé and family supporting and helping me through it all was being able to pull years worth of details together and sorting through it to find exactly what we wanted!
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
We have heard nothing but the most amazing compliments about our wedding week! Our guest found our venue to be an in town destination wedding and fell in love with the scenery. Indian weddings are very complex with the details, guest count, and all the moving parts to it, so it can be challenging to do an outdoor wedding with the risk of forecast changes. The weather changed up on us on our wedding day, but we were fortunate enough that it was bright and sunny during our wedding & it rained during my vidaai instead. It worked out so smoothly!]
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
My special moment that constantly replays in my mind is when my brother and cousins walked me down the aisle and I was just so excited and nervous to see Dhaval. We locked eyes and everything fell into place, all the behind the scenes chaos disappeared and all I remember is how happy I was in that moment. I truly felt like a queen on our wedding day walking down the aisle with the love of my life waiting on the end of it.
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 Haldi ceremony was outdoor to capture the beauty of nature with all the greenery surrounding us! It was poolside and I sat under a banana leaf tree in a lotus. The Mehndi Night was inspired by a Bollywood/Moroccan theme through the food and decor! The Ganesh Pooja ceremony was very traditional with Ganesh and lotuses everywhere representing purity and prosperity! The Sangeet Night was a power-packed Bollywood theme with endless dance offs and food! We had a party-packed celebration of all the pre-wedding events.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Looking back to our big, fat Indian wedding there isn't much I would change, but words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be:
-Try to get as much sleep before the wedding week starts along with maximum amount of relaxation
-Do your homework and know the in's and out's of your wedding itinerary/details, (if you know 100% of what you want then you can help your vendors see the same vision)
-Make sure you are eating and staying hydrated throughout your wedding. Assign your sister or bridal party member that job if you have to!
-Get on extremely comfortable and friendly terms with your make up artist and hair stylist. They will spend the most time with you out of all the vendors, so they need to have a clear understanding of what is important to you (being on time for the events, certain looks you want, etc). They are there to pamper you and set a good atmosphere for you, YOU are the focus! Remember that.
-Enjoy every bit of it & try to slip away with you Groom to really capture the moment. It will fly by, trust me!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
I incorporated our family pup, Mocha in everything I possibly could! My Mehndi artist, Poonam Henna Art, added his paws in my Mehndi. He was my "Pup of Honor" and rode in a decorated wagon down the aisle. For my cake design, I added a little figurine of him next to the cake where we scratched a little part of the cake up to make it look like he did it! We made sure he had the spotlight as well!
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