Welcome to Maharani Weddings

At Maharani Weddings, we believe that every bride deserves the fairytale wedding of her dreams! Here at MaharaniWeddings.com you will find glittering seeds of inspiration for every aspect of your upcoming wedding. In addition to profiling some of the most spectacular Indian weddings from around the globe through interviews, pictures, and videos, we also hand-pick and share a list of the best Indian wedding vendors in our Maharani Weddings Platinum Guide. From event planners to photographers, dj's, florists, cinematographers, makeup artists, mehndi artists, you name it... you’ll find connections to every resource you could ever need for all your wedding ceremonies and celebrations.

All posts with Color "Marigold"

Newport Beach, CA Indian Wedding by Aiya Photography

March 22, 2019 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Good Morning, Maharanis! We are back with more inspiration. The beautiful images by Aiya Photography give us a view inside the whimsical wedding celebrations of Poorva and Nilayam. This cute duo set the festive and fun spirit in the heart of their guests as they brought them all together to liven up their home for a lovely Sangeet celebration. Shawna Yamamoto Event Design was in charge of decorating the intimate event with charming floral centerpieces and tangerine and yellow florals that gave the house an elegant/traditional flair along with the splendid assortment of lights. On her first big festivity, our bride to be, Poorva, amazed the guests in a bright yellow and maroon lehenga set and recruited the super talented Henna San Diego to festoon her arms and legs with intricate bridal mehndi patterns that blended with her trousseau's embellishments. Raja Nilayam also surprised his soon to be wife in a maroon Kurta pajama set. Just perfect! Take a look at the gallery for more of this amazing intimate pre-wedding celebration.

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?

We met through Coffee Meets Bagel.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

Nilayam took me zip-lining one weekend and proposed with a ring pop - something he had always wanted to do. We celebrated with our family a couple of weeks later where he replaced the ring pop with a beautiful sunset-inspired ring. It was the perfect proposal for us: dorky and adventurous!

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.

Both of us wanted a wedding near the beach and so we focused our search along the southern California coast. We chose The Resort at Pelican Hill for its gorgeous views, grand but simple architecture, and open-sky feel. The ocean breeze was absolutely perfect. Our vendors were chosen through a combination of bridal shows, planner recommendations, and word-of-mouth reviews.

We wanted to make our guests and us feel at home as much as possible so we really focused on the little details including designing our invites and stationery.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?

I knew I wanted to wear orange and not the traditional red. I also knew I didn't want something too heavy as I have a small stature and our wedding would be outdoors in August. I found my wedding lengha in a small boutique in New Delhi and knew instantly that it represented me and what I wanted to wear on my special day. Similarly, I knew I wanted to wear a teal colored lengha for my reception and was able to find something that suited my style and personality.

My Sangeet outfit was the most special as I had the honor of wearing my mom's wedding lengha. I had a new blouse designed to make part of the outfit mine but it meant a lot to me to be able to wear her lengha.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?

The most enjoyable part of the planning process was planning the personal details and touches that Nilayam and I had designed. We made our own guest book with our wedding colors, created our own table numbers to match our pun theme, went through old pictures to place on our cocktail tables, designed and wrote our own wedding invitations, and designed and wrote the program card. We wanted to infuse the wedding with our personalities and really make our guests feel at home.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

Our guests felt that they felt well taken care of and very comfortable throughout the whole day. Having an outdoor wedding in the middle of August was a cause of concern due to the heat. We made sure guests had ample shade throughout the ceremony along with custom sunglasses, fans, and plenty of food and drinks.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?

Nilayam's favorite moment was watching me walk down the aisle to the mandap. My favorite moment was being able to dance with him and our family and friends in our joint baraat.

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.

All other ceremonies were held at our homes. Our Sangeet was held at my parent's house in San Diego which was very special. We had a great time watching our family and friends perform their prepared dances. I had an especially fun time performing a dance with my sister. Monsoon catered our Sangeet with fusion food like pani puri shots and gnocchi tikka masala.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?

Try to find moments in the day where you can soak in all that is happening. I felt this helped me to really soak in everything and I didn't feel like the day(s) went by in a blur, as I was warned.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)

My mehndi was done by Tejal Shah from Henna San Diego. I loved working with her as she took the time to understand the look that I wanted.

Our venue was absolutely stunning. We kept our decor to a minimum so the venue and the ocean backdrop would shine through. At the same time, we wanted the decor we had to be vibrant and colorful, staying true to a traditional Indian wedding.

Our florist, Shawna Yamamoto Event Design was able to bring our vision to life, including incorporating my favorite flower, gerbera daisies!

Our flautist, Anis Chandani set the mood perfectly during the ceremony.

Our pundit, Ravi Trivedi made our ceremony understandable and extremely engaging for us and our guests.

The splendor of an elegant outdoor wedding is packed in our next feature! Join me!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Romantic
Sangeet
Mehndi
season
Summer
color

San Antonio, TX Indian Wedding by Sameer Soorma Studios

February 20, 2019 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Loads of fun, charming love, and kaleidoscopic hues! Altogether in the first event of Sheetal and Mukesh! Sameer Soorma Studios gives us a beautiful glimpse inside their wedding journey, a gorgeous soiree expertly planned by The One Event! The dedicated planning firm organized a night of neon lights and traditions for the lovely Sheetal to have her arms and feet festooned with an elaborate henna design for her upcoming nuptials. She went for an equally multicolor outfit that she finished off with a fabulous hairstyle and bold and striking makeup courtesy of Red Lotus Artistry. The couple commissioned the decor to Divine Decor of Dallas who created the dazzling symphony of colors that reigned during the night. The drapery, the props, all blended in perfectly to create a beautiful modern festival that celebrates the love of this lovely pair! Check out the full gallery for more of their unique wedding mehndi night!

Don't go anywhere, the ceremony is just around the corner!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Traditional
Mehndi
season
Autumn
color

Sameer Soorma Studios and Red Lotus Artistry are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Sameer Soorma Studios VIEW PORTFOLIO

Red Lotus Artistry VIEW PORTFOLIO

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

Jamaica, NY Indian Fusion Wedding by Studio KSD

February 14, 2019 Posted by: Shawna Comments

The big time has come for Christina and Scott to have their dream wedding ceremony at the beautiful Prem Bhakti Mandir! Studio KSD takes us through the solemn rites and traditions that started with a big loud wedding procession led by an army of dhol drummers and Raja Scott, and continued with the big arrival of Maharani Christina carried like a princess in a beautifully embellished Palankin! House of Dipali’s team of designers created a masterpiece following the couple’s vision, decorating the temple with a royal mandap and a stunning aisle of Lord Ganesh deities! After the bride and groom recited their long-awaited "I do’s", the ceremony ended in a spectacular way, the dashing duo danced during their big exit and got everyone in the party mood and made this ceremony extra special! Relive every detail of this fusion affair in the full gallery by Studio KSD!

ceremony,indian wedding,maharani,details

ceremony,indian wedding,maharani,indian groom

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

We had been together for over 5 years, and my 30th birthday was approaching. My family planned a 30th birthday party for me and was scheming with Scott on his proposal. On the night of my party, my mom called Scott to the podium to make a speech and also welcomed him into the family. Even though she technically "blew the surprise", I didn't realize what she was saying. I just thought it was just strange that she would welcome him into the family when he wasn't part of the family! All eyes on Scott, he made a beautiful speech about me and our relationship and then recited a poem that he wrote. His poem had lots of foreshadowing about spending our lives together and all things wedding-related. Lots of thoughts went through my head as he spoke with passion--could this be it? was he going to propose? it this actually happening? Scott then walked in front of me, I hear my family and friends gasping, and he drops down on one knee. I was in shock and still not sure if I officially said "yes" but I was happier than ever. We were approached by family and friends and my 30th birthday became an engagement celebration!

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 essentially project planned my wedding, ensuring that I had a start and end dates assigned to tasks as well as a way to track progress/take notes on next steps (let's just say I've project planned a few system implementations in my professional life). This was really helpful for keeping me and Scott on track as to what we needed to accomplish in a reasonable timeframe and my project plan also made sure that I had just enough on my plate without being too overwhelmed. My experience with the Surf Club on the Sound in New Rochelle, NY was phenomenal. Sandro was great to work with, he made wedding planning seamless and helped me to understand what I wanted and set a vision with expectations for my wedding day. His staff at the Surf Club was amazing and ensured my special day was as perfect as possible. The food at the Surf Club was beyond superb and I would absolutely hold another event there in the future. My makeup artist, Usha (@ushamakeup) was spectacular! She worked with me to pick out looks that I liked and spent time understanding my makeup needs. I don't wear makeup often and she did such a great job giving me a natural, soft look. I had complete faith and trust in her! She explained different types of looks and demonstrated them on my face to see how I wanted to flex my style on my wedding day. She was a true professional in understanding my needs and customizing my look to exactly what I wanted. I remember looking in the mirror and being amazed at how she glammed me up on my wedding day! I am still enamored! My photographer/cinematographer was Studio KSD (@studioKSD), and it was such a pleasure working with Tina and her staff. It's really important to have a photographer that you trust, and Tina quickly gained my trust from our first encounter. I knew she was passionate about her work and it definitely showed. She worked diligently with Scott and me to learn styles/preferences and the types of poses we liked. As a result, our photos and video came out natural, showed true emotions and was overall perfect!

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?

The best part of wedding planning was going to dance lessons for our choreographed first dance! We combined three songs that had different styles, and each song had sentimental value to both of us. We signed up for 10 lessons with NY Wedding Dance (http://www.nyweddingdance.com), not realizing how much work had to go into this moment. I truly believe each dance lesson brought Scott and me closer together and was such a huge relief during all the stressful wedding planning. To ensure we were progressing, we met up during lunch breaks at Madison Square Park to practice dancing for 10 minutes before heading back to work. We knew we were getting better when there were crowds of people staring at us and videotaping us on our phones. NY Wedding Dance was great at crafting a dance that was aligned with our skills and personality. Dance classes made wedding planning extra fun!

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

My guests raved about how they had a great time at my wedding, saying how our families were welcoming, loving, and most importantly, knew how to party! They particularly loved the seating cards which served as a dual seating card and gift. I bought multi-color hand painted elephants and attached a seating card to each elephant's trunk. The signage indicated: Welcome to our beginning. An elephant never forgets, so take one, and go where your card directs. My guests loved this idea, thought it was especially unique, and cherished their elephants!

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?

There's going to be a lot happening on your wedding day but try your best not to sweat the small stuff and enjoy your day to the fullest. You've done all the planning you can possibly do for your special day, and if something goes wrong, then don't worry about it (assign someone else to deal with it!). Keep smiling and remember, this day is about you and your loved one!

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Fun fact, Scott and I decided to merge our last names for love and equality. His last name was Wiedemeier and mine was Baksh - our new last name is Wiedebaksh!

The reception celebration is right around the corner

STYLE
GUIDE style
Fusion
Contemporary
season
Summer
color

Studio KSD and House of Dipali are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Studio KSD VIEW PORTFOLIO

House of Dipali VIEW PORTFOLIO

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

Jamaica, NY Indian Fusion Wedding by Studio KSD

February 14, 2019 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Happy Valentine's day! Love is in the air and we’ve prepared an amazing Indian fusion wedding imagery by Studio KSD! The talented team brings a personal approach to the nuptials of Christina and Scott, which were filled to the brim with love, culture and fascinating moments! We start with a quick look at Maharani Christina’s getting ready and prepared by the glam squad of Usha Makeup who created a shimmery makeup look! Our bride-to-be looked fabulous in an exquisite embroidered lehenga choli set and a transparent golden dupatta that glowed as much as her shiny Kundan jewelry set! The man of her dreams, Scott, was also camera ready in a traditional Sherwani suit he completed with a deep red velvet scarf and turban. I’m a huge fan of first looks, and these cute lovebirds had an incredibly sweet big reveal outdoors that is absolutely magical. Find the first look photo shoot of today’s couple in our full gallery!

indian wedding,indian bride,jewelry,details

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

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.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?

See you in our next feature!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Fusion
Contemporary
season
Summer
color

Studio KSD and House of Dipali are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Studio KSD VIEW PORTFOLIO

House of Dipali VIEW PORTFOLIO

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

Conway, AR South Indian Fusion Wedding by Memories by Jackie

January 30, 2019 Posted by: Shawna Comments

We have arrived at Sarasijhaa and Salman’s beautiful fusion wedding ceremony! The next day our bride and groom had all their loved ones celebrating their love at the Legacy Acres - Arkansas’ sweet wedding chapel. This unique spot helped the expert wedding firm Eminent Planning to create a heavenly setting including big arrays with large bold flowers that really blew my mind! Traditional and classy, Maharani Sarasijhaa was ready to walk down the aisle and made everyone’s head turn with her elegant fuchsia silk saree and mesmerizing floral hairstyle by McKayla at Harrington & Company while her lovely bridal party also flaunted jasmine florals on their hairdos that flawlessly completed their lovely sarees! The beautiful bride was carried out to see her Raja Salman’ baraat that was enlivened by nobody else than DJ Riz Entertainment’s exciting Bollywood music! Memories by Jackie was there to capture all the ceremony action and best moments to remember which you can find in our complete gallery!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?

The story of Sal and I started with a ridiculous amount of chemistry —CHEM101 that is. In the spring of our freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania we bonded (pun intended) over our beginner chemistry class, and not too long afterward, developed a slightly more exciting chemistry together. After much consideration, we made the decision that religion (Sal is Ismaili and I am Hindu) was too big to overcome and went our separate ways to medical and business school.

Sal and I stayed in touch through the years. By coincidence (some would say fate) we ended up in the same cities for my away rotation and his internship. While our run-ins were infrequent, they kept us connected, and our friendship stood the test of time.

According to Sal, “In late 2015, Sarasi and I caught lunch as she was passing through Dallas. 10 years after first meeting her, I had the sudden realization that I knew who I belonged with, and I belonged with her.”

Much to my surprise, Sal called me not too long afterward and said he was coming to Seattle “on business.” We had tough conversations but came to the realization that though our religions were different, our morals and goals were the same. We also came to the conclusion that love should and could not be limited by religion. The rest is history, but we can truly say that our relationship has been built on years of friendship and support. We were there for each other through exciting and trying times, so it only seemed natural when chemistry once again appeared. Our relationship has continued to grow and we are unbelievably excited to begin this new journey.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

Sal and I spent two years in a long distance relationship with him in Dallas and me in Seattle. Both of us value and love our families tremendously, so when we started having conversations about our future, we knew that we wanted our extended families to meet. We arranged to have our families gather during a weekend in Arkansas. Little did I know that Sal had more planned.

I was supposed to take a Friday evening flight out of Seattle. I was on my way home to pick up my suitcase when my attending called and said there was an emergent case going to the operating room. Though I was not on call, I knew that it was a unique case, so I called Sal and asked him to delay my flight. He obliged. Thinking back on it, I can’t believe how calm and supportive he was of my career despite all of his weekend plans and the potential that I wouldn’t make it home in time.

The case went well but took some time. I drove straight to the airport without anything I needed for the weekend and boarded the red-eye flight.

I landed in Little Rock the next morning. My sister drove me to my parents’ house for lunch. When we got to my street, my dad and niece were standing at the corner with a tiger lily (my favorite flower) in their hands. I got out of the car and saw both our families spread out along the street with flowers in hand. Each set walked me a little farther down the street telling me how much they loved us and recounting funny and emotional stories. I literally laughed uncontrollably at some points and cried at others. My mother was at the front door and led me inside the house where there was a pathway of petals leading to our back porch.

When I stepped out onto the porch, I was greeted by Sal as well as a pianist and violinist playing our favorite song! Sal proposed and we spent the rest of the weekend celebrating with our families. It’s crazy to think that, had things gone slightly different, I may not have made it to one of the most important weekends in my life!

Video of the proposal: https://vimeo.com/229465502

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?

Sal and I incorporated a lot of our families’ traditions in our wedding but had the most fun planning the less traditional aspects. We realized that we would have all of our loved ones in one place for an entire weekend just to celebrate us! This made us think about how amazing it would be if we could spend at least part of the weekend giving back instead of focusing on ourselves. We decided to add a service/seva event to kick off our wedding. This was probably the most rewarding part of the weekend. Our family and friends ended up making 20 prosthetic arms for people around the world who have lost limbs in tragic accidents. The event couldn’t have been filled with more love.

We also added a twist to a few wedding traditions. We both love to dance, so instead of waiting at the chapel, I was carried out in a Doli to meet his Baraat and join the dancing! We also came out first at our reception so that we could announce our family and bridal party. This meant a lot to us because they made the weekend come together. I think that planning and looking forward to these unique events and moments was what kept wedding planning fun and exciting for us.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

Sal and I are different religions. We really wanted to incorporate both our families’ traditions and share them with our friends in a fun-filled and high energy way. I think our guests enjoyed experiencing all of the unique traditions and seeing them come together. One of our friends posted on social media that our wedding displayed, “profound respect for one another’s faiths, beautiful decorations, and a couple head over heels in love with one another. God is too big to fit into one religion, and so is love.” This meant so much to us.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?

The moment that most replays in my mind is the very end of our Pithi / Sangeet. As the night drew towards a close, the DJ announced he was playing the last song, and then proceeded to play the most perfect song imaginable -- Marry You by Bruno Mars. It was fitting because while the night was ending, the very next event (the following morning) was our wedding! Sal and I found each other on the dance floor, and just got totally lost in dancing to the song together. The energy we had in those moments, the energy of our friends and family around us as they danced along with us and celebrated the song and our forthcoming marriage, was indescribable. For as long as I live, I cannot imagine having more fun dancing to a song that I had dancing to "Marry You" that night. While the entire weekend was perfect and amazing in so many ways, that moment stands out.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)

Here's the teaser video from the wedding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO6s4hoS20c&feature=em-share_video_user

We certainly can’t wait to see all the grandeur of the reception! Follow our next feature!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Traditional
South Indian
season
Autumn
color

DJ Riz Entertainment and Memories by Jackie are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

DJ Riz Entertainment VIEW PORTFOLIO

Memories by Jackie VIEW PORTFOLIO

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

MAGAZINE

FEATURED PLATINUM VENDORS

FILMS

Welcome to Maharani Weddings

All posts with Color "Marigold"

Newport Beach, CA Indian Wedding by Aiya Photography

San Antonio, TX Indian Wedding by Sameer Soorma Studios

Jamaica, NY Indian Fusion Wedding by Studio KSD

Jamaica, NY Indian Fusion Wedding by Studio KSD

Conway, AR South Indian Fusion Wedding by Memories by Jackie

SORT POST BY:

Customer Service

Planning Tools

Advertising/Press

Stay Connected

LANGUAGES

MAGAZINE

FEATURED PLATINUM VENDORS

FILMS

Welcome to Maharani Weddings

All posts with Color "Marigold"

Newport Beach, CA Indian Wedding by Aiya Photography

San Antonio, TX Indian Wedding by Sameer Soorma Studios

Jamaica, NY Indian Fusion Wedding by Studio KSD

Jamaica, NY Indian Fusion Wedding by Studio KSD

Conway, AR South Indian Fusion Wedding by Memories by Jackie

SORT POST BY:

Customer Service

Planning Tools

Advertising/Press

Stay Connected

LANGUAGES

Sign Up

Sign In

This email is already used. Enter your password to link your Facebook account.