Good morning, ladies! Are you ready to venture on a trip to the beach? Today, we will take you to the paradisiac landscapes of Cancun, Mexico, to join Krupa & Chirag at their wedding festivities! So, pack your bags and get your passports ready because a fantastic trip is awaiting! For this first installment, we'll be sharing the fabulous shots captured by Federico Salmeron Photo during a romantic photoshoot that got us sighing. Both Krupa & Chirag looked incredibly happy, relaxed, and in love, creating such a magical atmosphere that more than a photo shoot, it seems that we are looking at the pages of one of the most beautiful fairytales of all times. Both our lovebirds attended this photoshoot looking flawless, but it was Krupa who stole the show! She looked like a princess after being pampered by none other than the talented Alex Corbanezi Beauty and Susana Benavides. To crown that sleek look that we loved so much, she got a beautiful Mehndi design from Loto Mehndi, which added an extra touch of traditional flair to her fabulous look! If you want to be splashed with more details of this sweet and romantic story, you cannot miss today's gallery. You will love it!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I was first introduced to Chirag in June 2014 at a wedding. Within a week, he was the first to wish me a happy birthday and our first date soon followed. We dated for a brief period and shortly after, our lives ended taking us both on different paths, however, out foundation of friendship still remained. As luck would have it, we decided to give this another shot about 4 years later. It turns out the time apart was exactly what we needed to easily realize that this was it and Chirag was “the one.” It felt like it was too good to be true and turned us both into believers of destiny.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
At the end of March 2019, Chirag mentioned a work conference in Miami. Being a huge lover of the city and fun in the sun, I thought it was a great idea to invite myself for the weekend so we could make a trip out of it. As I continued to make revisions of our Miami itinerary, Chirag secretly planned the most beautiful and memorable proposal. On April 4, 2019, we were both supposedly headed to a pre-conference yacht party on Biscayne Bay. There we met at the rendezvous point at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens where a photographer was hiding to capture the special moment. When Chirag got down on one knee, I instinctively called him a liar for tricking me but quickly and happily followed up with a “Yay!” Chirag took this as his yes and the rest is history.
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 went into the conversation of wedding planning with both of us wanting the same two wishes- First, we were hoping to have a destination wedding where we, along with our guests, could make a vacation out of a celebration. Second, we were aiming for the most stress free route (if that was at all possible!) which didn’t require an entire year of planning. With both of us having the “get it done” attitude, we quickly scheduled a call with Shaadi Destinations, the experts in destinations weddings, to help us get the process started. They were super helpful with us finalizing both a wedding date and venue within a week of our initial conversation. We chose Generations Riviera Maya, a beautiful resort in Cancun Mexico. We loved the fact that it had an Indian restaurant with an Indian chef on site to help cater to our audience. We selected Cancun because of the short travel time and direct flight options for most of our guests who were traveling from the northeastern states. Shaadi Destinations helped set up a conference call with Maricarmen Subisaga, who ended up becoming our wedding coordinator and an integral part of the wedding. Very quickly we both knew she matched each of our personalities and needs exactly. She was organized, timely with responses, patient, and was able provide honest feedback throughout the process to help reach our goals. We engaged in weekly video conference calls scheduled by Maricarmen to finalize the rest of the details and vendors.
To help expedite the decision making process, we created an inspiration board which consisted of a collection of posts we gathered through internet searching (primarily Instagram/Pinterest) and also completed additional research on recommended vendors frequently used by other destination brides to finalize hair, makeup, mehndi, DJ services, photo/video services, and entertainment. Our wedding coordinator created a schedule for our on-site visit about a month into planning where we were able to see our venue in person, meet with each of our vendors, complete mehndi, hair, makeup trials, and food tastings with both the resort and outside caterer. It was two long days of back to back meetings but it left us feeling very accomplished and comfortable with all of the decisions we had made thus far. We would highly recommend an on-site visit to all destination wedding couples! Once all details were completed, the remainder of the video conference calls were used to finalize timelines, which were further supported by our coordinator and close family who were on site with us during the wedding week to ensure day to day details were followed.
The Welcome Party was Mexican inspired as a greeting for our guests to Mexico and it was an outdoors soiree joined by our surprise guest, Lupito the Donkey, who came bearing beer. For the Manglik Prasango and Haldi Rasam/Pithi ceremonies, we incorporated the traditional haldi color mixed with accents of purple that was inspired by Holi. For the Sangeet we aimed to match our outfits and chose a design with a vibrant color palate that was reflected in our sheer backdrop. The Wedding decor was based on a pretty blush palate that was soft and complimentary of our outfits and natural scenery. For the Reception, which we internally referred to as the “Harry Potter” theme and was one of our favorite events to design, we went with a bold black backdrop in a full candlelit space.
Going into wedding planning, I assumed outfits and jewelry would be the hardest items to knock off of our to-do lists considering our restriction on time and inability to travel overseas to shop a wider selection. It turns out that I was able to find and order all of my outfits in just one all day Saturday shopping trip to Iselin, NJ. The majority of the outfits for non-wedding day events were found at Nazranaa and for the wedding, both Chirag and I were able to, luckily by chance, meet a woman who connected us with a designer in India who custom made each of our outfits within just over a month.
To provide honest feedback on our selected vendors: Shaadi Destinations (travel) was easy to communicate with from the very beginning and helped remove the stress of travel/hotel accommodations for both us and the guests. Maricarmen (wedding coordinator) was our rock for those 3 months and she helped put together a detailed timeline to ensure everything went as perfect as possible. Federico Salmeron (photographer) and Agave Photo Studio (videographer) both worked well together and showed a true passion for what they did and didn’t stop until they got the perfect shot. We were also very happy with our same day edit! Alex Corbanezi (hair stylist) was brilliant with hair, delivered beyond my expectations, and also managed to fit in a perfect style for the groom as well. Susy Benavides (makeup artist) was super sweet and helped me fulfil the minimalist, natural look I was hoping for. DJ Volcanik (DJ/MC) was great to work with, offered great song selections to aid in the process, and helped deliver a dance floor that was full of energy. Loto Mehndi was very talented and executed on the exact design I had in mind. Patravali’s food and live stations were super tasty and left us wanting more- really some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had to be honest. Drums in Paradise (Dhol/Entertainment) put on an interactive glow stick and water drums show that was loved by the crowd. Ohm Audio and Video were very timely and coordinated well with the DJ/MC to deliver seamlessly for each of our 6 events.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I was contemplating traditional red versus blush pink for my bridal outfit. After going through tons of pictures and changing my mind several times, I finally decided on a sleeveless blush pink lengha embroidered in gold design and felt it would be perfect for the destination wedding we were envisioning. Chirag’s outfit was custom made to match my colors and the final result for both of ours was exactly what we hoped for.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Using our imagination, team work, and compromising abilities to put together a final product that we both loved. Our weekly conference calls with our coordinator were always entertaining and really kept things stress free and fun. Even through brief moments of feeling under the gun and pressured to get things completed in time, we still managed to laugh a lot while still meeting all of the deadlines we set for ourselves.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Being able to get away on a beautiful resort surrounded by family and friends. Having a destination wedding also helped destress many close family members as we tried our best to plan as much as we could ahead of time and our coordinator did a fantastic job of communicating/facilitating at each event.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
There are a few special moments that I will never forget: Walking down the aisle and coming to the realization that I was actually getting married! That first look when I saw Chirag on the mandap and the happiness it brought me. And of course, the heartfelt speeches delivered by our family and friends that resonated warmth in our hearts and at the same time, filled us with laughter.
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 family and friends spent a lot of time planning and rehearsing choreographed surprise performances and thoughtful speeches. These filled us with true joy and we’ll cherish the memories forever. At the end of the wedding, we gained even more appreciation for our loved ones who made the celebration and union of both sides possible. We really couldn't have done it without them and we are blessed!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Things will never go 100% according to the timeline and you'll never be able to please everyone fully, but that is okay! Amongst any chaos, just remember to enjoy the moment and the time with your significant other, family and friends because that’s what truly matters in the long run. Remember to smile, be appreciative, and focus on the real reason you’re getting married.
There is still more amazingness and romance coming your way, so make sure to stick around!
