Welcome back, ladies! It is time to unveil the outcome of this real-life fantasy. This time, it was the striking and imposing Marriott Raleigh City Center that hosted this majestic wedding reception for Kinjal & Prashant. Thanks to the spectacular work of Yaadein the atmosphere of this reception was so unique and magical and it makes you feel like if it was something out of this world. The lavender, magenta and fuschia tones on the lights, perfectly contrasted with the golden accent on the walls and furnished, created the perfect scenario for Kinjal & Prashant to share this special moment with their family and friends. Our lovebirds attended this reception in the most elegant and fashionable way wearing matching dark slate blue outfits and we are loving the look on them! The elegance of their outfits did not keep them from having a great time, and thanks to DJ Rang, they danced and enjoyed the entire evening to the rhythm of the most harmonious melodies. The smiles, the emotions, and the good atmosphere did not stop throughout the whole evening; it was a great night that was coming to an end when the newlyweds had the first cut at the cake. This was a lovely and magical moment that got beautifully shot thanks to Photographick Studios. It is time for this real-life fantasy story to get to an end, but you can always be transported back to that magical place by taking a look at the gallery that we have prepared for you. Do not miss it!
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How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Our love story began as any other modern-day fairytale- via a dating app known as Dil Mil. We had a somewhat long distance relationship, living a little under 3 hours away. We would take turns going to each other's city, or more often than that, meet at a halfway point and scoping out at different restaurants, going to the movies, bowling, or just walking around places. Our first date was over 12 hours-- we literally walked until 1AM around downtown Raleigh, talking about the most random stuff I can't even recall now. I knew this was a great start to something- friendship or love- no idea, but I knew I wanted to continue whatever it was. I realized he was "the one" during our vacation to Rome. The city views, history, and food/wine was all amazing, but the whole time I couldn't imagine someone more perfect to be sharing such an experience with. His personality, care and love for his family and friends, and his sense of humor--it all just felt so right. We've almost been married 6 months now, and I cannot imagine someone more perfect. Truly feel like I was so incredibly lucky to find someone like him to share my future with. Every day, he reminds me with his little acts of kindness/love that he is my forever.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
My cousins and I had planned a vacation visiting Amsterdam, Budapest, and the Amalfi Coast. On June 7, 2017, Prashant surprised me in Positano, Italy at one of the most beautiful locations. My cousins who were in on this plan, acted like they were taking scenic pictures and asked me to turn around to catch a picture of me glancing onto the beautiful buildings, and when I turned around, he was down on one knee. I can't recall most of the proposal as I was crying (he had tears down his face as well, haha) and in shock, but he asked me to be his travel partner for life, and of course, I said yes. This was one of my favorite moments and I wish I could relive it. Here is a video of the proposal: https://youtu.be/T4rDrcpTfEk
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 was lucky to have my sister help me plan the entire wedding/related events-- she helped me with all of the details to make sure I didn't forget anything, and sometimes, I even joked with her that she was planning her own dream wedding (that's how perfect it was to me). She got me a great gift that helped me get started on the important points, which I read and took notes on creating my own checklists (the book: The Complete Guide to Planning the Perfect South Asian Wedding: Advice and Tips From the Industry Expert by Sonal J. Shah). My now husband and sister whenever available, would attend vendor meetings with me and help me make every decision- from the venue to the color of the flowers on the stage. There were many hiccups along the way with vendors I wanted booking up or not responding as I felt needed. However, my overall experience with all of the vendors that I ended up choosing and just how all of the events turned out-- it was amazing. Initially, the wedding planning was so stressful I often times wanted to quit and just not have a big wedding. However, when the day came, everything just flowed so smoothly. The moment I saw the mandap and I had tears in my eyes. It was more perfect than I imagined. When you spend so long visualizing and thinking of how you want things to be- it can lead to high expectations. My decorator, Karan from Yaadein- went above and beyond these, and left me feeling breathless with the decor for the wedding and reception. The wedding was more perfect than I even imagined it would be-- it's hard to describe how that feeling felt, but all of a sudden all of the stress, crying, and months of planning made sense-- it was definitely worth it.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I knew I wanted a combination of Maroon with a light pink sheer dupatta as I kept seeing bridal pictures with them and it looked mesmerizing. I loved the idea of the color and thought it looked very royal, maharani like :). It was quite the journey to find the perfect dress, I broke down in tears a few times in India thinking I was being too picky and burdening others with their time while going shopping in India. However, when I did try on my bridal dress, I fell in love. It definitely made me feel beautiful- and it's a tip I give other brides. Don't give up the search-wait until you find the one that makes you feel like a beautiful bride-- it happens!
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Food tasting!! For obvious reasons :) My husband and I are both foodies, so it was the most exciting and enjoyable part. We made sure that he was able to attend every tasting session
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think everyone really enjoyed just the closeness and being together for the events. It was all family and familiar- we had a meet and greet dinner for both sides the night before the wedding, so everyone got to mingle.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I had listened to my bridal entrance song SO many times before the wedding- I knew the moment I heard it that I wanted to enter to it. The song was "Din Shagna Da" from Phillauri. The moment the music started playing, I knew this was my moment- I was very teary eyed when it happened. It was an amazing feeling that I cherish.
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.
The other events included a mehndi/sangeet at home-- my sister planned out all of the decor and my we had about 20-30 people help us put it all together. We termed it, "masti, music, and mehndi." It was full of color and perfect!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Wedding planning can be quite stressful and many brides (such as myself) may go through moments where things don't go how you want and you feel like you want to quit, but don't give up. It is worth it in the end!! Truly a magical moment/day to forever cherish.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Just for your pure entertainment, I made my husband read the first two questions and I looked over, and he had tears in his eyes :) I've only seen that happen 3 times- the proposal, when he first saw me as a bride, and when he read this. Moments like this are wonderful.
All of my vendors were absolutely wonderful to work with, very responsive and took what I wanted into consideration. Please see below some details:
Jewelry/clothes: From India
Decorator: Karan from Yaadein (instagram: @yaadeinweddings) (AMAZING- he even surprised me at the reception with a gorgeous flower wall backdrop for our selfie booth, it was a hit with everyone!)
Fun vendor: Paanwala (instagram: @thepaanwaala) Ankit was absolutely sweet to work with and made sure that he made a platter of all of the paans so that we could try them as he knew we wouldn't have time during the reception.
Mehndi: Poonam from greensboro (instagram: @poonamhennaart) - amazing mehndi details! one of the best mehndi designers I have seen
Venue: Raleigh Marriott City Center
Cake: Layla Jones Bake Shop - delicious cake!
DJ: DJ Rang (instagram: @djrang) - did amazing lighting and was sweet to work with
Makeup Artist: She listened to everything I want, and was so sweet to work with (instagram: krista_massey)
Photographer: Photographick
Horse carriage (for exit): J&L Carriage
Don't miss our future posts, as we have more inspirational ideas for you!
