Welcome to Maharani Weddings

Sonal J. Shah Event Consultants planned and designed today's Indian fusion wedding event splendidly and we've finally arrived at the captivating crescendo — the reception. It's a bittersweet reality knowing that this is where we leave you today, but don't worry, all of the fantastically fabulous details will satisfy your senses for days to come! Maharani Ritu has swapped her red and white bridal lengha for an equally spellbinding coral-colored reception outfit with just the right amount of sparkle. The elaborate floral mandap has been transformed into an exquisite sweetheart stage, and made the perfect sanctuary for the newlyweds to look upon their celebration from. We can't get enough of Design House Decor's divine wedding decorating skills, and coupled with DJ Manan on the decks dishing out music to move to on the dance floor, this reception was one seriously unforgettable wedding event! To get your fill of this phenomenal affair, head into the complete gallery!

Is your brain on marvelous-overload? We know. Ours too. See you tomorrow!

Sonal J. Shah Event Consultants, Priyanca Rao Photography and Unique Visions Studio are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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We now get to see Nisha and Neel get married at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Virginia, thanks to the candid photography of Mari Harsan Studios. When asked about their wedding planner—Dream Shaadi, our Maharani threw out the word, "seamless," and that is music to a planner's ears! This Indian wedding ceremony is awe-inspiring! The ceiling is captivating with circular lighting fixtures, and the mandap—decorated by Dharma Events is classicly regal in gold fabric. And there's Nisha looking oh-so-pretty as she does her proverbial walk down the aisle. With each step, she gets closer and closer to saying her I do's. And soon enough, vows are recited, malas are exchanged, and man and wife are pronounced in holy matrimony. Catch more heartfelt highlights of this day in the gallery!

From the bride, on the edding style:

"Different. When we first started planning we discussed amongst ourselves and realized that we are people that could pull off things that are different. We wanted to have a traditional Indian wedding but not. Of course, the ceremony and rituals were constant and played majority of the traditional part. We wanted to stay away from red. Red is highly used in Indian weddings period, so we began our process by discussing outfit colors and then having everything flow from there. We both decided that we wanted blue and white to be our outfit colors and once we settled all that, the theme and colors easily fell into place."

On planning:

"We enjoyed all of it due to Dream Shaadi. Wedding planning comes with stress and indifferences between people throughout the whole thing. However, with Dream Shaadi on our side and helping us through each and every step, it totally made it seamless. We built amazing bonds with our vendors (DharmaEvents, Planet DJ Productions, Mari Harsan Studios, IndAroma, Styles by Swati, Edibles Incredibles and Renaissance Arlington Capital View) as they now have become family. Yes, we enjoyed the event itself the most. Being able to spend time with our loved ones as we embark on a new journey in our life."

On friends and family helping:

"Friends and Family made our event successful, without them it wouldn't have been as amazing as it was. During our cocktail hour into the reception there was a monsoon outside. You name it, torrential downpour, raining sideways etc. Luckily we were all inside so no one was caught in the middle of it. The moment everyone will never forget is that a quarter into the reception, the lights go out - complete darkness. Generators begin kicking on as the event staff is attempting to restore power to the room. That is when friends and family came in clutch. We had friends starting chants of their universities and opposing families joining in. Then a game of antakshri started and everyone continued to enjoy themselves. What seemed like 2 minutes really was 10 to 15 minutes, but no one counted because everyone was stilled enjoying themselves."

The reception celebration is right around the corner!

IndAroma, Dream Shaadi, Planet DJ Event Lighting and Styles By Swati - Salon SBS are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Feast your eyes on our stylish wedding party striking a pose in honor of Nisha and Neel's first look photo shoot, courtesy of Mari Harsan Studios. The groomsmen are all about shine in their metallic sherwanis, and our bridesmaids are radiant in bright red-orange saris. Our gorgeous spotlight couple of the hour did away with the traditional red and gold colors, and chose cooler tones of navy blue and white for their Indian wedding attire. I think they look amazing! Adding even more glamour to the look is hair and makeup artist Styles By Swati LLC—giving our Maharani peachy-bronze toned eye shadows and a rose lip. What a sweet look! Make sure to visit the gallery to see this couple's enchanting reception portraits!

The ceremony shots are still ahead!

IndAroma, Dream Shaadi, Planet DJ Event Lighting and Styles By Swati - Salon SBS are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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Planet DJ Event Lighting VIEW PORTFOLIO

Styles By Swati - Salon SBS VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

The renowned Planet DJ Productions invites us to share in the joy and luster of Nisha and Neel's romantic Indian wedding, planned by Dream Shaadi, in Arlington, Virginia. What better way to start off our matrimonial journey than with the bride and groom getting ready for their special day?! Beautifying our Maharani to flawless perfection is hair and makeup extraordinaire Styles By Swati LLC. A darling side pony and soft makeup is the perfect complement to Nisha's coral and navy lengha, and I just adore her choice of silver jewels especially her double strand maang tikka! Perhaps her most treasured accessory (and soul mate of course), is the Maharaja of her dreams, who looks great in a white sherwani. I love the look of excitement in his eyes as he buttons up. We've only just begun so there's plenty more ahead, including Planet DJ Event Lighting mixing up the beats and IndAroma spicing up the treats. While you eagerly await to see more, browse the gallery to see more amazing shots by Mari Harsan Studios!

From the bride, on how they met:

"I met Neel through my brother-in-law's brother, they are best friends and when I would visit him (my brother-in-laws brother) at school, I'd always have a run in with Neel. Neel and I became very close friends through the years. We never dated or even discussed that as an option, but still remained close friends. Shockingly and weirdly enough, I knew Neel was the one when he sent me anonymous flowers. As I mentioned, we never discussed a relationship further than friendship, I received flowers a week AFTER Valentine's Day. The card simply said "xoxo -anonymous". Of course Neel denied sending the flowers when he was confronted and it took him a month and a half to finally admit to them. But when he did, I knew that I could spend the rest of my life with this man. Now Neel only sends me "anonymous" flowers till this day."

On the proposal:

"My three sisters and I always wanted to have a girls weekend so we all began planning a trip to Philadelphia. It also happened that Justin Timberlake was in town the same weekend, so of course, that was the main event of the weekend. We all played the tourist card while exploring Philadelphia. We visited the libraries (shocking) and then one of my sisters strongly urged we visit the Art Museum because she loves art (I just thought it was a hidden passion). As we make our way up the Rocky stairs my youngest sisters urges me to partake in a V-C-U picture, since 3 of us went there. As my eldest sister was taking the photograph from behind us, "someone" comes behind me and shuts my eyes. My sisters "play" along with it saying "oh my god, how'd you get here", "I haven't seen you in ages". I attempt to guess who the person is by feeling their hands and attempting (fail) to touch their face. As my eyes were covered, our parents, siblings, and best friends were forming a circle around us. When my eyes were uncovered, I turned around to see Neel. Of course the first thing I ask is, "are you coming to the art museum with us?" Then I slowly look around and at the same time he is getting on one knee. Tears began flowing and Neel asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! The cherry on top was that Neel had also purchased box seats for the Justin Timberlake concert so all the close family and friends could attend with us!"

On the lenghas:

"Neel and I discussed color options and we settled with blue and white. When we went to India together, we would visit designer stores and specifically mention we want blue and white bridal wear. Of course, it came to a shock to the employees as they repeatedly told us red is the bridal color and it would be difficult. Nonetheless, after spending days shopping, we both were able to fall in love with a wedding outfit that met our color criteria."

Their first look portrait session is next!

IndAroma, Dream Shaadi, Planet DJ Event Lighting and Styles By Swati - Salon SBS are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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Planet DJ Event Lighting VIEW PORTFOLIO

Styles By Swati - Salon SBS VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Let's bogey down with Volcanik Entertainment at Roshni and Vipul's elegant Destination Indian wedding reception at the luxurious Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa in Florida. Ensuring this posh event looks first-class is Dreams to Reality serving up fabulous floral and decor. The floral centerpieces dripping in crystals are my absolute favorite, and the coral and gold color theme is gorgeous! Kimberly Photography catches up with our handsome newlyweds as they carefully cut into their four-tier wedding cake, courtesy of Mikkelsen's Pastry Shop. You can relive all the magic and wonder of this fun-filled affair in the gallery!

That's all for today, see ya next time gals!

Dreams to Reality, Michele Renee The Studio and Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.