Welcome to Maharani Weddings

Good morning, dears! We have a brilliant day ahead of us with our charming couple, Prianka & Amit, to dazzle everyone with their lovely wedding celebration. These lovebirds had a day full of joy at the Hilton Easton for their ceremony and reception, surrounded by their loved ones and the vivid ambiance Crown Entertainment provided throughout every festivity. Our couple's fashion choices were flawless with a splendid mix of lively colors that made Prianka's eyes shine with life and love. The enchanting bride complemented her attire with the graceful mehndi Henna by Sangeeta did for her; what a clever artist she is! Our Maharani was all about details, not only because of the intricate patterns on her skin but also the carefully crafted scheme Blissful Events Rajul Pillai planned for her wedding day. This team of professionals took care of every aspect, allowing our couple to fully enjoy their celebration. And the decor B3 Event Management provided is stunning, just as thoughtful and picturesque as all the other details! I am sure none of the attendants would ever leave this day behind, yet, they had the opportunity to freeze some moments with the Photo Booth that Crown Entertainment granted. Of course, our couple made several memories of their own that Yours Truly Media captured during the day, and we have their splendid cinematographic work available for you, Maharanis! You can watch this lovely video by clicking on the play button below. Enjoy, my darlings!

Maharanis, keep coming back for more happily ever afters!

Wednesday is here, ladies! This time a fairytale is here to make you fall in love with the captivating event Ratika & Rahul hosted in the fascinating The Guild Inn Estate. This wedding reception was like no other. The combination of colors and the exceptional floral decoration that Karma Design Studio put together for this ceremony made this event look elegant, delicate, and majestic. It was the perfect complement to set the mood for this solemn and memorable event! The great team from Fresh Look Beauty created a dreamy look for our lovely Maharani, including a classic hairstyle and gorgeous makeup. I adored the stunning saree that was the perfect touch to enhance Ratika's beauty! Ladies, the bridal fashions were in charge of  Devika Arora, Bombay Trendz, and The Sapphire Hut Costume Jewelry. This was a night to remember! Thanks to the well-known team from Darkroom Doctors Studios, who created mesmerizing scenes of every tender moment of this event, our lovebirds will be able to relive their big day for eternity! The exceptional DJ KSquare played the most captivating tunes to set the perfect mood for this wedding. All the attendants were amazed by watching how the newlyweds, Ratika & Rahul, moved to the beat of the most beautiful melodies. At the same time, the elegant chandelier provided the perfect spotlight to enhance this romantic, luxurious, and fantastic scenery. Lipica & Madhvi created an excellent performance that fascinated every guest! Maharanis, we can relieve this love story by checking out the fantastic video below.

We hope that you have enjoyed this journey as much as we have! Remember to stay close for more!  

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Hi there, Maharanis! I hope you have a fantastic week! Today, I will share the unique story of Ashley & Christian in our week's filmy day. This wholesome ceremony was the peak of romance with not only a lovely couple head-over-heels with each other but a romantic venue perfect for celebrating the beginning of a lifetime together. From the beginning, our couple knew that the celebration of their love had to have a touch of classical beauty with today's modern luxury. There was no doubt in their minds that the Franklin Plaza Ballroom would be flawless for this with its premier spots and proficient team. Of course, the delightful scene couldn't be complete without the magnificent ornamentation from Surroundings Floral Studio. They specialize in making their clients envision a reality with their passion and professionalism, and Ashley and Christian's wedding day was no exception! Now, ladies, it is time to talk about our Maharani's beauty! Ashley was a sight to behold with a phenomenal dress. I am sure you will fall in love with it! Just picture it: walking down the aisle to the arms of your significant other with an attire worthy of a queen. Ashley sure knows the feeling! Not only did these sweethearts grace their guests with their looks, but they also made sure that everyone had an entertaining night with the assistance of Do It All Entertainment. With the rhythm and soul only the best of the best can bring, they kept the dance floor packed throughout the night. Even with all these astonishing details, the celebration's highlight was undoubtedly our couples' love for each other. The type of love we grow up reading about is unconditionally fierce, and these two finally found it! The talented crew from Bharti Productions LLC captured their romance for you to be a witness of their devotion, too. Click the play button right below. Enjoy, my Maharanis!

This is all for this entry, my dears. Keep coming back to feel inspired!

My Maharanis, our filmy day is finally here! We have Christine and Rajesh starring in today's entry with their amorous wedding day. The sweethearts had a magnificent ceremony celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul. With its marvelous architecture, this location served as the perfect scenery for our couples' new chapter to begging. The adoring couple could not keep their eyes from each other as they savored their special day. The sweethearts moved on with an elegant reception at the Crystal Team Room- Finley Catering surrounded by their loved ones in this exceptional venue full of life and romance. The event was the perfect example of traditions and the modern world gorgeously colliding. The fantastic decor Florista Decor did for the event gave the comforting atmosphere an even more magical touch, adding to the couples' dreamy day. The guests were all smiles and glee while dancing to Luxe Event Group's faultless music set. With this proficient team in the DJ cabin, there is no doubt everyone will have a night to remember! Now, ladies, get ready to be swept off your feet by the radiant bride and her flawless look! Our divine Maharani and her natural charm enchanted more than one with her heavenly attire from RK Bridal. Christine was a ray of sunshine, dazzling everyone that looked her way! Cinderella Bridez's artistic makeup gracefully accentuated her traits. Her soulmate, Rajesh, was handsome as ever with his dashing style and heart-eyes just for Christine. As our fashionable couple made their way into a shared life together, the skillful Studio KSD team captured every second. The adoration between this two is evident in every second! You can witness this happily ever after, too, dears. Just click the play button below and enjoy!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Funny story- we met on Tinder when I was in New York for a winter break during law school. The next day I returned to Washington, D.C.! We started talking and the conversations were effortless. Turns out we crossed paths throughout our life but ended up meeting on a dating app. We were both from the same small city in New York, we both went to the same middle school, he was in my best friends class, and I went to high school with his brother. We texted for months but did not have a chance to meet in person until one day Rajesh drove all the way from New York to D.C. for a 2 hour date. That's when I knew it was true love. He is the soul you read about in fairytales. He is the kind of person who makes your life better. That's how I knew he was the one.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
On our second date, I took Rajesh to see the D.C. monuments at night. I convinced him that there was no better time to see it than when all the tourists were gone and when all the selfie sticks weren't in sight. As we sat there, on our second date, I became emotional on the Lincoln steps about how much history happened there. Somehow he didn't get scared off at this history nerd having a moment. Three years after that first date my now sister in law decided to tell us she was planning a trip to DC. As the DC enthusiast I was, I sent an itinerary right away with all my favorite things including the monuments at night. Little did I know it was Rajesh's ploy to propose to me at my favorite spot. She then invited me to come on their trip and I suggested we make a siblings trip out of it. Jokes on me. The trip "I planned" had already been planned out by Rajesh. As I am leading everyone up the stairs to the Lincoln memorial, my favorite monument, the people start to move aside. I look down and there Rajesh is on one knee. I was FLOORED. Before I could say yes, my friends and cousins run out from behind the pillars screaming in excitement. Rajesh knew how important it was for me to have my loved ones there and my loved ones all made the trip out to D.C. to be there! The next day, Rajesh had our parents and family come down for an amazing brunch at my favorite D.C. restaurant. I replay that weekend over and over in my head.

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.
I constantly hear about un-involved grooms but that was never the case here. Rajesh is a perfectionist and artist. He knew from the beginning that he wanted to make our wedding perfect. He spent months researching perfect venues and unique experiences for our big day. That somehow had us end up in Philadelphia, a city neither of us lived in. We fell in love with Crystal Tea Room for its history and beautiful aesthetic. But what sold us? THE FOOD. We are huge foodies and we were able to custom make our entire menu. The other vendors fell in love quickly. We met Aji from Eventify and knew right away that he was the wedding coordinator for us. His ability to be on top of things and connect with people made him perfect for the job. We went with Florista for the decor because they understood we wanted an aesthetic that was timeless and natural. Shades of gold and white with romantic candles everywhere. Hair and make-up was easy in that Cinderella Bridez was the only company I contacted. I loved that they made you look like a better version of yourself, not a completely unrecognizable bride. Bhargavi worked her magic and I could not be happier. Photography was something we struggled with for some time. We wanted a mix of romantic, dark, light, impromptu shots, and everything in between. Studio KSD nailed our dreams. Planning was stressful due to the global pandemic but having a partner whose only goal is to make you happy made the process effortless. In a weird way, the pandemic gave us more time to celebrate our love. Our families threw multiple bachelorette parties, pre-wedding events, and random parties in between to make up for the loss of our first wedding.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I always had the image of being a classic bride. I wanted to look back at photos in 30 years and think to myself that I would wear those outfits again. I truly felt I accomplished that. I went to RK Bridal for my wedding dress and immediately Malak knew the aesthetic I was going for. She brought out a simple white, off-the-shoulder A-line gown, and I was SOLD. I started crying when I put it on and it was so confusing. WHY AM I CRYING? AM I ALLERGIC TO SOMETHING? No, I was just so overwhelmed that I had found the perfect dress. My bridal lengha story was even funnier. Let's rewind to February 2020, I am hearing of this thing called covid that is ravaging through China. I hope on the flight to India and think how bad could it really be? My mother-in-law packed me a few masks and I wore it on the flight thinking to myself "man this is super uncomfortable." We arrive in India and it's go go go. We are off to shopping for lenghas, sarees, wedding invitations, bridal outfits, and everything in between. I knew similar to my wedding dress, I wanted a classic lengha. I searched stores all through Kottayam and Kochi and finally found an off-white dress that weighed more than I did. But it was BEAUTIFUL. I bought it and it took up an entire suitcase on the way back.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the planning process had to be the food tasting and seeing all the venues. The different venues treat you like a queen and it's great.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
All we heard about was how great the food was. Our cocktail hour was something we put a lot of effort into. We had so many stations and so many different types of food! We had a New Orleans station with oysters shucked to order, crawfish mac and cheese, fried oysters, shrimp etouffee, and jambalaya. A Neptune station with lobster tails, lobster mac and cheese, mussels marinara, shrimp stir fry, and baby clams. A carving station with slow-braised brisket. A Mediterranean station with gyro, chicken souvlaki, different dips, grape leaves, flatbreads. A Marrakesh station with Moroccan spiced rack of lamb that was carved to order, chicken tagine, saffron couscous, baked white fish chermoula, spiced shrimp briouats. We had a slider station with all different types of sliders, brisket, braised Italian pork, mini Angus burgers, grilled portobello burgers, and truffle fries. For dinner we started with a lobster ravioli as the first course, guests could choose between duck, filet mignon, salmon, or a butternut squash and goat cheese ravioli. Following dinner, we had an entire room filled with desserts. An ice cream sundae bar, cannolis, sfogliatella, tiramisu, all different types of cake, all different types of pastries, coffees, teas, and dessert wines/liquor. In addition to our wedding cakes, After the dessert room, we had a "power hour" around 1 am during the after-party. Here guests could have Philly cheesesteaks, wings, fries, and other bar food.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
A really special moment that replays in my mind on the big wedding days is all the times Rajesh and I got to be alone. Whether it was for a few minutes or a half-hour. We took these videos on our iPhone after each part of the night (ceremony, entrance, cocktail hour, first dance, etc.) We talked about how we were feeling and what we were excited for. I can't wait to show our future kids the behind the scene videos.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Enjoy the process. It's never worth dressing for. DELEGATE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Teamwork truly made my dream work.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Fun fact: I am highly allergic to flowers and we had wood or silk flowers everywhere. All the bouquets were completely made of wood. No one even noticed!

And that's a wrap, ladies. Come back whenever you need more inspiration!

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Wednesday is here, Maharanis! I am eager to share this marvelous story starring Siddhi & Parthiv. These lovebirds have been planning their wedding day for years! And they finally were able to celebrate their extraordinary love on a warm summer day at Chicago Marriott Schaumburg. The luxurious venues were ideal for such a unique celebration, complemented with the stunning decor only JD Event Design could provide. The excellent planning and design were in charge of the one and only JD Eventz. Thanks to this team, our charming newlyweds could enjoy the day without worry. Hey ladies, let me tell you all about our Maharani's exquisite fashion taste. I have to say, one of my favorite looks was her wedding outfit from Gauri Alkapuri. She was stunning! Makeup by Sonu Patel's artistic makeup design for our lovely bride accentuated her features, not to mention Anisha Creations' mehndi art. You won't believe how gorgeous it looks! And the charming groom, Parthiv, looked dashing with his traditional attire from Sequinze. These sweethearts know how to make an impression! Siddhi & Parthiv had Dholmaster Sherlock in the DJ cabin getting the attendants on their feet and dancing to his lively music set. I am sure India House's catering services were exquisite, as always, to delight our couple's beloved guests. The newlyweds would want to cherish their big day for eternity, so they trusted the skills of the magnificent Gandhi Films and Photo team to capture their undeniable love. The mesmerizing video is right here, so you can also be a part of this sweet romance. My dears, this perfect visual masterpiece awaits you! Click play and fall in love! 

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Parthiv and I met during undergrad at the University of Illinois Chicago. We met our freshman year and were friends throughout. Just another Indian couple who met at UIC. Shocking! Sparks didn’t fly till our senior year, however, we were both too stubborn to acknowledge it. Despite being away for graduate school, we continued to connect and here we are a decade later. His nickname is Party, my nickname is Sid, hence #PartywithSid!

I knew Parthiv was the one when one night after a date my car battery died. He drove to get jump cables, started my car, and then followed my car home to make sure nothing else happened (and he lived in the opposite direction 45 mins away!).

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Parthiv and two of his cousins have their birthday in November. They planned a cousin’s birthday party in Chicago. Three weeks before that, my friend was trying on dresses for a wedding she was attending, she and my other friend convinced me to buy this red dress I fell in love which my friend was wearing (little did I know they were ensuring I wore something beautiful to my proposal). His cousin's wife took me to get our nails done the day before just because (little did I know she was ensuring I had my nails done for the proposal). Parthiv insisted before we go out we should get some quick food, he really wanted Busy Burger (a place were visited A LOT at UIC). We decided we would get food and then meet everyone out. Parthiv called an uber and as we got closer towards UIC campus, he said let’s go take a walk (that’s when I knew!). We walked to the UIC quad and he proposed. It was perfect proposing at the place where our relationship started.

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.
We originally planned our wedding for May 2020(yes, we were one of many couples impacted by the pandemic). We canceled all our events, moved into our new house, got court married November 2020, and eventually had our wedding weekend August 2021. From engagement to our actual wedding celebrations, we have been planning this wedding for 2+ years!

I did a significant amount of research on all vendors/venues, I have PowerPoints, charts, and excel files to prove it. As a detailed oriented person, I wanted to make sure I looked at many aspects before choosing something. The running joke at the reception was my 47 page wedding weekend timeline (including pictures of locations individuals need to be at, floor outlines, and even the exact time Parthiv needs to wake up, shower, and leave his groom suite).

Our venue and vendors were amazing from beginning to end. They were with us pre-pandemic helping us plan, they went out of their way to accommodate us as we worked thru finding another a date the year after, and they advised on things that I didn’t even think about having in the timeline.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Being the detailed oriented person, I did my research for two months straight before going to India. I knew the color, fabric, design, and style I wanted. My first day of wedding shopping, we went to Gauri-Alkapuri in Baroda, India. I pretty much chose my dress within 2 hours because I knew exactly what would work for me. I choose red because I wanted the wedding ceremony to have a classic romantic vibe. My red bridal lengha popped amongst the white tent and mandap.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I secretly did enjoy spending hours on researching, making all those excel files and the 47-page timeline. I enjoy planning, coordinating, and organizing!

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Everyone was just excited to be together! The pandemic distanced family and friends. We were all excited to safely be in one place to party the night away. Every single person in that room was impacted by COVID in some way, and like my cousin said during the reception, everyone deserves a round of applause for preserving.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I still can’t stop thinking about the amazing dances we had at our reception. Special shout out to our 30 person bridal party and group of friends for the skit and dance, it represented the bride, groom, and the relationship!

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.
For my Grah Shanti and mehndi, I wanted to honor the traditional values, the respect and love in my circle of friends/family, and the fun relationship of the bride and groom. For my Grah Shanti, I wore the blouse my sister wore to her Grah Shanti 6 years prior (my something old!). Our Mahrej for this event was a close family friend who did my sister’s Grah Shanti and my cousin’s Ganesh thapia. For my mehndi, we celebrated Raksha Bandhan, danced to songs my friends and I performed at other weddings, and set up some pictures of Parthiv and I as we went thru college. A special moment: my sister and I danced to the same song to each other (Phoolon Ka Taron Sabka Kehna Hai). We surprised each other with it!

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
It is acceptable to over plan, although things will happen out of your control, you know you put your 200% towards it while it is executed. It is also acceptable to overthink before deciding because when it is executed you know you looked at all aspects prior.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
The coolest part, our wedding photographer/videographer did my parents wedding 30 plus years ago in India! I love that I can say the person who took pictures at my wedding is the same person who took pictures at my parent’s wedding. Other unique details
1. We booked our wedding/reception venue while it was still being remolded(they didn’t even have floor down in the ballroom yet!). We booked it sight unseen (except pictures).
2. My grahshanti and mehndi venue, I found it while doing deep research on the Maharani wedding posts.
3. Our wedding table numbers were in gujurati numbers (a nod to our BIG gujurati families!)

And that's a wrap, Maharanis. Keep coming back for more romance!