Welcome to Maharani Weddings

It is a rainy afternoon in San Francisco today, and I am thrilled that I get to stay inside and enjoy some more good stuff from Suki & Andy’s wedding. Cozy up with a cup of coffee and enjoy some more of this magical affair.  I always race to open the submissions that are Nikki Khan events. If you aren’t familiar with Nikki Khan’s work, you should definitely take a few minutes to peruse her website. She has elegant taste, and brings her swanky style to everything she does.  Nikki’s reception draping, linen, and layout designs flawlessly accented by the beautiful florals from Nisie’s Enchanted Garden. This understated sweetheart table adds a touch of class to the reception. I see people go overboard with décor all the time, so it is refreshing to see something edited and well thought through.  And, it creates a romantic backdrop to toast the new Mr. & Mrs.

From the lovely bride : The idea of planning a wedding for over 600 people was very daunting to me. At first, I thought I would just hire an excellent wedding planner (Nikki Khan) to take care of it all for me. I realized through every step of the process how impossible it was for me not to be involved, and instead I found myself having all kinds of visions and ideas about what I wanted. Nikki and her team were so great to work with and really encouraged me to express my creative side.

While I had so much fun throughout the festivities, I think my favorite part was walking into our reception hall, hand in hand with my new husband, into a ballroom more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed up, with all of our closest friends and family cheering for us. It was truly a moment I'll never forget. Thank you to all of our vendors for helping us create and remember such magical moments and to Maharani Weddings for posting this!

As a very special treat, we have Suki & Andy’s Same Day Edit which was produced by Elysium Productions.  I have said it a few times already, but this wedding was extra special because their was tons of family involved.  Take a look at these words from the uber talented Julie Hill:

From Julie : The next day, I received an email from Suki informing me that her Grandfather had passed away sometime in the early morning. Although I was very sad to hear this news, I thought it was amazing that he held on to witness his granddaughter get married. What a fantastic last day of living and how special it was for Suki & Andy that he was there! Although the SDE was shown on Saturday, I added a little tribute to him in the beginning for this blog post.

Huge congrats to the adorable couple and big thank to the dream team of vendors that made Suki’s wedding an inspiration for all of us to enjoy forever!

*Suki & Andy's Dream Team* :

Coordination and Design ~ Nikki Khan at Exquisite Events
Photography ~ Dina Douglass at Andrena Photography
Videography ~ Julie & Alex Hill at Elysium Productions
Flowers ~ Nisies Enchanted Florist
Hair and Makeup ~ Jeannie Jeffries at Couture Bridal Service
Draping ~ Royal Events
Linens ~ Wildflower Linens
DJ & Lighting ~ Special Occasions  

We have had a glorious week at Maharani Weddings, and I promise that today’s posts will be the icing on the {wedding!} cake.  I am always a bit sad when I get to final posts of a wedding story, because that means that all the deliciously fabulous images are coming to an end.  Lucky for all of us, Suki and Andy are going to go out with a bang!

The outstanding (and I mean OUTSTANDING) Dina Douglass, of Andrena Photography, sent me this featured wedding, and it is oozing with delightful details and inspirational ideas.  The bride, Suki, is a real gem.  She has a sweet nature to her that Dina captured beautifully.  (No big surprise here, she's part of The Platinum Guide!)

 
The timeless style of this reception is what really makes my heart skip a beat.  I just adore how Nikki Khan (also part of The Platinum Guide) layered the soft, feminine colors to come up with a color palette that has an elegant undertone. It’s chic. It’s stylish. It’s everlasting.

From Nikki : We designed the cocktail hour in peacock colors palette with drapery to create a formal entrance to the area.  A large peacock was perched on the branch with tons of flowers at the center of the escort card table. For the cocktail hour, all the table linens were in the peacock colors and were custom created.  Guests enjoyed the appetizers in the foyer and out on the terrace overlooking the ocean while the live jazz trio played the music. The ballroom doors were opened to the sounds of a 7 piece band playing jazz music.  The colors were all champagne, blush and gold.  There were three different flower centerpieces, a custom gold dance floor, blush chiffon draping, beautiful lighting, and custom linens.  All the guests were wowed by the effect and throughout the night, and we heard were tons and tons of compliments. Guests were also very impressed with the fact each event had a completely different vibe.  For entertainment at the reception there was a DJ, live band, and a Michael Jackson impersonator per bride's request.

 
 
 
I know, its hard to believe….so, so, SO many original concepts, it is a little hard for me to contain myself. Suki and Andy’s wedding will go down as a Maharani Weddings favorite.  Back in a bit with some more amazing morsels from this fab affair.  Stay tuned!

You know how they say, “it’s the little things in marriage that make it amazing…”  I think that the same statement definitely applies to weddings.  Its all the small accessories of a wedding coming together to accomplish that unforgettable, beautiful impact all brides are after.

If you are lucky enough to have a chance to meet with Nisie, at Nisie’s Enchanted Florist, you are in for a real treat.  Part designer, part artist, she comes up with some of the most amazing ideas that will simply blow you away.  Nisie has the ability to roll American ideas into South Asian traditions to create an extraordinary, modern aesthetic.

 
    
The latest trend with mandaps is to have a chandelier hanging from the center.  This classic chandelier gives the mandap a contemporary spin, and adds a focal point to the center of the stage.  It gives the illusion of a halo dangling above the couple’s heads.  If you look closely you will see that they dressed up the candle stick lights to look like individual bud vases.  With Enchanted Florist on your team, absolutely no detail is left forgotten.

 
 
 
I love this chandelier-in-the-mandap trend, but I am very curious to know what you all think.  Drop me a comment below and let me know if you would say “I do” to this trend!

I can barely contain myself today, because I am just ecstatic to share Suki and Andy’s ceremony with all of you.  This wedding is all about the most fabulous parts of Indian culture – love, family, and food! If you missed even a morsal of their Sangeet or After Party, you owe it to yourself to have a look.

Suki and Andy got married at the very popular Hyatt in Huntington Beach last summer.  Dina Douglass, from Andrena Photography, was on deck to make sure not a detail or moment was forgotten.  I have been a fan of Dina’s work for a while now, but the shots she got of this couple’s ceremony leave me utterly breathless.  I think that every wedding she submits seems to get better and better.

My eyes are fixated on this double necklace action that Suki is sporting.  Pure, unadulterated glamour.

Beautiful emotions, candid memories…a few dimensions of Dina’s work that I constantly amazed by.  This  ceremony décor was all about the details, so I have a special post filled with ideas that you will want to ransack coming up next.  Back in a flash!

So we are off to a running start this morning.  And, I have to say that I am already head over heels in loooove with this wedding.  When it comes to parties – I adore surprises.  It’s all about the unexpected…engaging color, décor, or a twist to an event. Surprises leave the guests curious about what is unfolding in front of their eyes, and what may be around the corner. I am just amazed by the after hours event Nikki Khan, of Exquisite Events, pulled off at this Sangeet. All done flawlessly, of course!

From Nikki : The guest dined outside and saw family entertainment on the stage. We had created a clubby environment inside the room for guests to move in after 10 pm.  This room was a radical contrast to the area outside.  Furniture, dance floor, linens were all edgy and white.  The DJ was raised on the stage and dessert buffets were set inside with fresh crepes, indian sweets, and fruit, and paan with masala chai.  The guests danced to the music until the wee hours of the morning!

Hair & Make Up by Jeannie Jefferies, Couture Bridal / Photography by Dina Douglass, Andrena Photography

So different and oh so cool!  Club S&A - all white, and all modern.  What I am so impressed with about this wedding is that it was done with an edited eye. Often I see weddings where the decor gets so big and loud is almost tacky. Suki and Nikki didn't go over the top with decor for the Sangeet, and they saved the big bang for the wedding. 

I am so excited to spill the beans on of the rest of Suki and Andy’s wedding week with our readers, because it just keeps getting better and better.  Trust me, you won’t want to miss a thing! See you in the morning!