Welcome to Maharani Weddings

Good morning, ladies! Don't miss Ankita & Kunal's intimate wedding in today's Platinum Guide Blog.

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We were introduced through mutual friends - he was living in New York and I was in Chicago. Our first date was actually a FaceTime, but eventually we met in person and hit it off! There probably wasn't a single moment where I knew he was "the one" but it was a feeling that I had from the very early days - he is kind hearted, caring, fun and a foodie like me :)

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
It was a cold February Saturday in Chicago, and I had a work event in the evening where significant others were invited, so Kunal was going to join me. Kunal told me that a cousin of his was visiting so we would stop by to see his cousin first, then go to the work event. So we got dressed up, and walked toward the location where his cousin supposedly was. As we walked over the Clark Street Bridge, Kunal stopped to take in the sights. I was freezing, so I was like "ok it's pretty, let's move on!" He asked if we could wait a minute and then reached in his pocket and proposed!
After the proposal, we went back to the place of our first date to grab a drink. Little did I know that Kunal had planned for my entire family and his family to be waiting for us at our apartment. We had a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends that evening.

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.
Wedding plan in the times of COVID was very difficult. We had a number of different ideas - backyard wedding at my parents' house, civil wedding at City Hall, but we landed on a very small outdoor ceremony that was fairly simple. We had a civil ceremony officiated by a judge and are hoping to have a bigger Hindu ceremony in the future.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I purchased my bridal lengha not know that I would wear it for my wedding! I bought the outfit in Jaipur a few years ago just because I thought it was very pretty. With COVID, my trip to India to shop for the wedding was canceled, and I thought the outfit I had would be perfect to us on this day.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Writing the vows with Kunal, as we though about the kind of marriage we hope to have

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
With COVID, there is a lot of uncertainty about the future. We chose to get married because we didn't want to put life on hold because of things our of our control. I would encourage brides to be (and grooms to be) to think about what is most important to them and know that weddings can be reimagined and still be very special.

Peter Nguyen Studio is a member of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Peter Nguyen Studio VIEW PORTFOLIO

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

Welcome back, Maharanis! We are glad you could join us because we are venturing on a trip to India, to join Kanika & Ritik at their enchanting wedding hosted at the Taj Falaknuma Palace in India. So, get yourself comfortable and get ready to enjoy today's jaw-dropping film brought to you by our good friends from The Wedding Filmer! When Kanika & Ritik decided they wanted to tie the knot in India, they knew how impressive and majestic India can be, so they wanted their wedding to be extraordinary to keep up with the beauty and radiance that India has to offer! A vision this big requires a lot more time and planning, so this lovely couple decided to bring YOLO Entertainment & Weddings on board, as the expertise they have in taking wedding celebrations to the next level is out of the question. And this time, it was no exception! The incredible design and the mesmerizing decor crafted by Minttu Sarna helped make this event not just classy but truly faithful to traditional Indian weddings. For this long-awaited day, Kanika trusted her beauty needs to Daniel Bauer, who delivered nothing but perfection in the form of exquisite makeup and sleek hairstyle that made her look like a goddess. And in case you were wondering where she got the spectacular lengha and the dazzling pieces of jewelry, they came from all-famous Sabyasachi's collection. No wonder why Kanika had that dreamy look we all want to have for our big day! Ladies, if you want to take a closer look at this cornucopia of beauty and flair, click play below and get ready to dive into this mesmerizing event.

That is all for today, but don't forget to join us tomorrow for a new inspiring story!

Maharanis, get ready to enjoy Zohra & Rehan's real-life fairytale in today's Platinum Guide Blog!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met through a common friend and realized after meeting that we are from the same med school, had so many friends in common but never really met each other then.
So when we met in the US, its like we clicked right away

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
No major scoop. We kept it traditional. Families met. And we decided on a wedding date, which was way harder than it sounds

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 kinda knew had an idea who I wanted for my vendors in Detroit. And luckily enough, they were all very nice and accommodating.
I only had about 8 weeks to plan my wedding, while working as a physician-in-training with long hours. All I had to do was share my ideas and my wonderful vendors brought it to life.
Honestly, I was so lucky to have jhobby to do my make, Ayesha my hair, Gagan for video/pics/music/lighting and Tina from Marigold

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I always knew i wanted something with gold and red, with a lehnga and choli. I went to Pakistan and met the designer i was getting my dress from in person. She tool my measurements, we did some rough sketches and I came back to the US. My Mom took care of the rest.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
All the pre-wedding festivities. The spending time with family, late-night sittings, singing, dancing.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The guests enjoyed everything. The table setting, photobooth with props, dessert station, my dress, my makeup and hairdo. Everything turned out phenomenal.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Making my entrance, and seeing my husband get up to receive me

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.
One evening main event right after the nikkah with beautiful floral centerpieces on a gold table setting, LED lights, hanging flowers, green leafy floral backdrop with hanging chandeliers, entrance centerpieces with a petal throwdown, photobooth, dessert station, sparklers, and fog machine. A hired bhangra dancing troupe.

For the reception, it was a slightly smaller day event. The ballroom itself was like a small art gallery with complimenting pnk/white decor.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
This is a very stressful time and its normal to want everything to be perfect, but don't forget to breathe and enjoy the process. This is your moment, cherish it.

Marigold Wedding Planners, Sky Films and Productions and Hair by Aysha are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Marigold Wedding Planners VIEW PORTFOLIO

Sky Films and Productions VIEW PORTFOLIO

Hair by Aysha VIEW PORTFOLIO

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

Hello, beautiful ladies! We missed you during the weekend, and we are delighted to be back with more energy to continue sharing amazing stories with you! And talking about amazingness, today's love story is what Maharanis' dreams are made of. So get ready to enjoy it! Hosted at the Rosen Centre Hotel, Janki & Arun's wedding was a cornucopia of beauty and flair. Just take a look at the beauty of our gorgeous, Maharani. Unbelievable! She looked breathtaking in her elegant and fashionable Lengha, beautifully complemented with the sleek hairstyle and exquisite makeup designed by Sangita Patel. And we cannot forget about the incredible Mehndi outlined by Henna Allure. Without any question, this design provided a well-balanced combination of tradition, elegance, and beauty to the overall look. Weddings to Desire LLC followed the lead of our gorgeous Maharani and planned an event to die for! The beautiful floral arrangements crafted by Anmol Kismet Weddings provided the perfect backdrop for this long-awaited event, and we cannot stress how much we loved them! If you want to check more of this ceremony, head into this gallery for more. The good friends from Noor K Photography shared the spectacular shots taken during this event, and we've put them all together for your enjoyment. So, wait no more and go check it out!

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.
Planning was a whirlwind for us. He proposed on December 2 and we got married in May the following year. Needless to say, time was of the essence. We were researching three cities at the same time. We decided on Orlando as the hotels could accommodate a large party and we would be able to have all our events in one space. We had amazing decorators that were talented, creative and attentive. We gave them very little guidance and they gave us a more beautiful wedding than what we could have imagined. Our mandap captured the charm of an outdoor spring wedding.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Truth be told, I wish I had more time to shop in India or custom design my outfits. However, all things considered, I was lucky to find the outfits that I did. I fell in love with the wedding outfit as soon as I saw it.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Walking down the aisle and seeing my husband to be’s face as the partition came down was simply magical. For that moment, every worry or concern melted away. We were born so overwhelmed with happiness. I will carry that moment with me always.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
You and your family spend countless hours on planning every minute detail and it passes you by in the blink of an eye. Savor every minute-soak it all in!

Try not to sweat the small things and think about, instead, all of your loved ones you have traveled to share this momentous occasion with you. I wish I had more time to spend with everyone. While they are there for you, you hardly get any time with them.

See you tomorrow for more. Same place, same time!

Anmol Kismet Weddings is a member of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Anmol Kismet Weddings VIEW PORTFOLIO

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

Ladies! Don't miss Parina & Pathik's intimate wedding celebration in today's Platinum Guide Blog.

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Pathik and I met online via DilMil. He lived in Boston and I was in Jersey. The beginning stages of our relationship was rough, his work required him to travel internationally 3 weeks out of a month and I knew he was the one when he would find a way to meet with me in his one week back in the states. That’s how I knew he was the one - he was willing to make plans with me during his small time frame back at home and that showed me that he made spending time with one another a priority.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Pathik proposed to me about 2 weeks before he decided to move to New Jersey to be closer to me. He proposed to me on a very windy day in battery park, and made me the happiest woman around. I was so shocked that even though I knew that the ring goes on the left hand - I was so surprised and shocked that rather than gracefully handing him my hand I gave him both hands to let him choose where the ring should go. Turns out I wore my ring on the wrong finger and didn’t realize it until I FaceTimed my sister to tell her the news and she called me out on it.

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.
Planning out wedding started over a year before the actual wedding date. We had all of our vendors selected by November 2019. But in February 2020 covid hit and changed so many aspects of the plan. We went from having 4 events at 2 venues with 500 people each to having only the wedding with 90 of our closest family and friends.

The wedding was nothing like what we planned but it was everything we truely wanted. Shrishti our wedding coordinator helped keep us calm and figure out how to work with the constantly changing regulations and we couldn’t be more greatful.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I went to India to do my shopping, and unlike most brides experiences. I fell in love with my outfit within the first 12 hours of being in India. I bought the dress from the first store I went to and fell in love with it.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
There was no joy in our wedding planning all of the fun things that were to take place were canceled due to covid. We never had a food tasting as we didn’t have a typical caterer. We opted to go for a safe way of getting food to our guests with food trucks. We didn’t get to have a cake tasting as we felt having a large Cake that would have to be cut and served could be risky and we wanted to try and be as safe as possible so we had a Ben and Jerry food truck take the place of the wedding cake. We didn’t want to risk catching or transmitting anything to the makeup artist and I put all my trust in her the day of and let Arfana Jasar work her magic.

The most enjoyable part for us was just being able to have the wedding given the climate of the world with corona virus.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The guests still rave about the precautions we took at our wedding. We provided all of our guests with custom face masks, we set up all of the seats to be set up 6’ apart, we made sure that we avoided indoor dining as that is risky and had food trucks set up outside so it was a safer method for all of the guests to enjoy the food. The pizza vita, tacowala, and Ben and Jerry’s food trucks did a great job and everyone loved it!

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Given the risk Covid put on everyone present at the wedding pathik and I had to make the difficult decision to cancel so many events. The hardest one to cancel was the reception. I had spent so much time planning dances and making song selections for entrances and something I dreamed about, the first dance. Before the vidai/farewell I was able to have my first dance and that had left me in tears since it was something I was really looking forward to.

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.
I only ended up having the ceremony, so I was able to convince the bridal party to do a little dance as the bridal parties entry to the mandap so I could still have a little bit of dancing for our wedding.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
For any brides to be - don’t forget that you are planning the wedding as way to celebrate the start of a new and beautiful chapter. So remember that it is something you want to enjoy not overplay.

Florista Decor, Arfana Jasar and Events By Srishti are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Florista Decor VIEW PORTFOLIO

Arfana Jasar VIEW PORTFOLIO

Events By Srishti VIEW PORTFOLIO

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