Hello, loves! Prepare to be swept off your feet by the enchanting tale of Keerthana & Suraj's wedding held at the majestic Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center. With its grand ballrooms and picturesque settings, this venue provided a perfect backdrop, reflecting the couple's sophisticated taste and grand vision. Thanks to the meticulous planning by Electric Karma, every detail, from the floral arrangements by Décor One by Nalini to the rhythmic beats from Desi Junction DJs, is seamlessly integrated to create a magical atmosphere. Keerthana looked stunning in her wedding attire from Bhargavi Kunam Studios and the exquisite reception outfit by Gaurav Gupta, complemented by the intricate jewelry from Shree Jewellers Hyderabad. Ms. Painted Lady enhanced her natural beauty with flawless makeup. The Original Henna Company adorned her hands with elaborate mehndi designs, adding to her bridal splendor. As the evening unfolded, Mir Anwar Studios captured every heartfelt moment, preserving memories they will cherish forever. Check it out!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
It was hard for Suraj to try to surprise me, especially since we are both resident physicians and only have certain vacation days! But he really pulled out all the stops. He proposed in Austin, Texas, with the gorgeous hill country sunset in the background and violin players playing the Bridgerton soundtrack (which was the first TV show we watched together). After the proposal our family and friends came out and surprised me, I had no idea they would be there! It was the perfect evening! We then flew to Mexico City and celebrated our engagement, just the two of us!
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.
When Suraj and I decided to get married, we knew that the most important thing for us was accessibility for our guests - we wanted to be able to celebrate our special day with our favorite people! We chose a long weekend as it was an auspicious day and because more people would be able to attend that weekend. We honestly chose a lot of our vendors at once - we got married in my hometown of the Woodlands, Texas, and I grew up attending weddings there and knew exactly which vendors I wanted. At the top of that list were my HMUA Artist Alexandria (Ms Painted Lady), our DJ/Production Company DesiJunctionDJs, our Decorator Decor One by Nalini, and of course, our photography MirAnwar Studios! I honestly did not even look at other vendors for these things - because I always knew that they were who I wanted, and I do not regret it at all. We were also very fortunate to have an amazing wedding caterer in Biryani Pot - as they created so many unique dishes just for us! Honestly, our vendors felt more like family by the end of the wedding!
We truly treated each event of our wedding like it's own mini party, and I wanted our personalities to really shine through. We fused our Western lives while still honoring tradition. We hosted a Haldi “happy hour” that led into our Fiesta-themed welcome dinner, complete with a taco truck because we got engaged in Mexico City, and I grew up in Texas! We had a groom’s cake with a halal food tray on it because Suraj lives in NYC, and because our first date was at a local coffee shop in Austin, we had a custom coffee cart at our reception.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
This was probably the easiest outfit for me to select. Bhargavi Kunam has been designing clothes for me since I was a teenager, and I knew that she would be able to bring my vision to life. I knew I wanted to wear a Kanjeevaram sari, and pink is my favorite color. She got the sari woven especially for me and made the blouse and veil, which just really brought the look together! It was my dream wedding sari, and I felt like a Telugu princess in it! She is phenomenally talented, and I would recommend her to any Telugu bride who is looking for a truly special wedding sari!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I would say that a really special moment during our wedding that constantly replays in my mind is when I was walking down the aisle with my parents, there was such a rush of emotion and I truly felt so blessed to be there in that moment, with the people I loved walking towards the man I loved. And when the pardaa dropped, looking at Suraj, I felt a sense of calm, as though everything had led up to that moment, it was magical.
The most important aspect of the wedding was the love that our families shared and the way our wedding transported us back to India. In a time when everyone seems to be adapting and changing things, I wanted all the traditional aspects of the wedding – from a pellokoothuru with blessings from the women in my family to the abundant nakshatra viewing and the most beautiful kanyadaan on a mandap filled with jasmine flowers and golden temple bells. My parents both walked me down the aisle together to a custom Telugu composition that described our love story. Our wedding was a true testament to our cultures – both American and Indian, both traditional and new, and all full of love.
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.
Our sangeet was truly so fun! It was "Prema Mela" themed, and it included custom cocktails, carnival games, and an entrance on an auto rickshaw! The carnival games included one that was called Buttabomma's Balloon Pop, and the game was actually built by my close family friend, who is like a second dad to me! The prize was Kondapalli dancing dolls, and we actually got them from a local craftsman in Kondapalli. We also created a storyline for our sangeet program that revolved around texting to celebrate our long-distance relationship. where each group was introduced with a Siri tone saying “text sent to,” and then the name of their group chat, and over 100 people danced! It was so awesome, as the bride I was in like 15 dances and just loved dancing with all of those special people in our lives!
In lieu of return favors, we decided to donate to a charity – the Smile Foundation, which provides funds for education for children in urban and rural areas across India. This was really special to us as Suraj and I are both very aware of the life we have been given by the sacrifices our parents made, and we are truly blessed. We loved the fact that our wedding gave us an opportunity to make someone else's dreams come true!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
I don't know if getting married automatically makes me the bridal expert, but I would say this - remember what matters to you and your family. A wedding should be about the love between two people, and the rest will fall into place. Don't get bogged down by the little things, and focus on what you can control. Your wedding will be beautiful because it will represent the two of you! Also the BEST advice I got was this - select a day the week of your wedding where you delete your to-do list, for me, this was the Wednesday before events started, and after that just let yourself enjoy. It is a lot easier to do when you don't know what you didn't get done, haha! Just enjoy the moment. It goes by so fast!
Darlings, I invite you to lose yourselves in our daily breathtaking features. You'll love them.
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