Hello, sweeties! As the golden Californian sun embraced the Westin Anaheim Resort, the world paused to witness the union of Farina & Tahsir. This venue is more than just a location; it's an experience waiting to unfold. Its elegant architecture, complemented by meticulously manicured gardens and stunning views, creates a backdrop that's nothing short of breathtaking. Her bridal mehndi, intricately designed by the skilled hands of Arifa Did My Mehndi, told tales of passion and dreams, perfectly captured by the lens of the talented Thanh The Lai. The breathtaking wedding floral and decor by Ethnic Essence, who also masterfully handled the planning and design, transformed the venue into a paradise. Farina's every move sparkled, magnified by her mesmerizing makeup done by Peace Love Sakina. The Gaye Holud and Walima, events that hold immense significance in South Asian weddings, bore witness to the splendor of 2Create Designs' floral and decor. The atmosphere was electrifying with tunes spun by Dr. Srimix, ensuring that no foot remained still. The guests were then treated to a delightful gastronomic experience by Westin Anaheim Resort's impeccable catering, with each dish echoing the rich flavors of South Asian cuisine. However, what truly stole the show was the magic woven by Lin & Jirsa Photography. Each frame they captured was a timeless memory, exuding raw emotions and profound love. Head over, and look at the wedding gallery. You'll love it!
How did you meet your Groom, and when did you know he was "the one"?
It was really as simple as boy meets girl! Both Kazi and Ahsan families have been a part of the same Bengali community here. I have known Tahsir's older sister since I was young as part of my brother's friends. I found out she has a younger brother when I saw Tahsir for the first time at his sister's wedding in 2009. Even though we didn't meet back then, we had a random Facebook interaction on a photo as complete strangers. Exactly a year later, in 2010, my brother was getting married, and we were hosting an intimate pre-wedding event at the Kazi residence. We were introduced to each other for the first time. Since I was running around, I didn't think much of it. I found out years later that while I was busy with my brother's event, Tahsir sent a Facebook friend request on his way home that very night. I accepted and messaged him the next day, and the rest was history. To this day, we still debate who made the first move technically. As we grew up together through college and then adulthood, we always found each other at the end of every day. There was a certain indescribable comfort and sense of "home" with each other we did not feel elsewhere. Fast forward 12 years later, we wanted the wedding to feel like a celebration of this journey of ours that so many of our closest friends and family witnessed and were a part of.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
True to form in desi culture, the Ahsan parents took the first step and proposed to the Kazi parents officially at our baat pakki in July 2021. We celebrated changing the friendship into a family. Soon after, wedding preparations were underway, and I was waiting for the day Tahsir would actually propose. As the holidays rolled around in December that year, Tahsir mentioned in passing that he had a wedding invite to a VIP holiday party one weekend. I was super excited. As I got dolled up to go out, a chauffeured car pulled up in place of Tahsir as my ride. He had called me to say he would meet me there. Once I got in the car, there was a card with directions and a gift, and I knew it was finally happening. I was dropped off at the JW Marriott Anaheim and walked up to the deck. As I turned in, all I saw was a red carpet leading up to a big "Marry Me" sign with music rolling. There were pictures of our entire journey from 2010 to 2022 laid out as I walked the red carpet. He finally appeared, and before I knew it, we were officially engaged with a ring! As we wrapped up our moment together, we were headed to what I thought were dinner reservations for the two of us. Much to my emotional surprise, he had planned the most memorable engagement party with our closest family and friends. Some even flew in from out of town. It truly marked one of the biggest milestones for me in our time together. Even to this day, I find this moment constantly replaying in my mind. It was the very first time I saw everyone we both love together under one roof there to celebrate us. I will never forget this day.
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.
The families knew we wanted 5 events typical to a Bengali Muslim Wedding - Mehendi, Gaye Holud, Nikah, Wedding, and Walima. The Gaye Holud is a Bengali tradition where the bride and groom have turmeric put on their hands and faces by loved ones and includes all the fun and dancing in anticipation for the big day. The Nikah is a religious Muslim wedding ceremony. The Wedding is the reception and rukhsati hosted by the bride's family to officially celebrate the union of the bride and groom and give the bride away. The Walima is the reception hosted by the groom's family to celebrate the newlyweds and officially welcome the new bride into their family.
We wanted a different theme and feel for each event. The planning and execution took long days and nights of the families spending time after work and on weekends to pinpoint everything to the very last detail. We are both so lucky to have quite a village of individuals with unique skill sets who were willing and happy to help us accomplish our vision. The year quickly filled up with frequent meetings, calls, and e-mails, constantly coordinating and delegating. The Mehendi was an intimate event kicking off the wedding week at home with bright colors, colors, and marigold flowers. The Gaye Holud was representative of us as a couple with a cross between classic Bengali and modern vibes with jewel-tone colors. As a young girl, I always pictured my Nikah to be similar to the theme of Jodha Akbar. The dream came true with my Nikah as an intimate ceremony with ivories and golds to emulate that peaceful, elegant, and serene vibe to it all. The Wedding turned the feels of the weekend from the desi side to an Oscars western black tie formal theme with rich and vibrant velvets, reds, and golds. The Walima culminated with a take-off into our marriage together with a modern aviation theme with midnight blues and whites. Each event ended up really feeling like it represented a different part of us as a couple. With this in mind, every vendor/venue was chosen based on how they would execute our big day after a lot of research.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
The colors I decided on for each event were exactly what I had hoped for. Through different styles and colors, I felt every outfit was very me for my big weekend and matched the theme and color palette I envisioned. The Mehendi started off with a green lehenga with a multicolored blouse. The Gaye Holud had 2 outfits - one in a classic red and yellow sari worn Bengali style and then a yellow and pink Anarkali later. The Nikah outfit was an Anarkali Pakistani style in rich ivory and gold chikankari work. Red has always been an iconic classic color for our desi weddings, in my opinion. So the big day had to be a velvet deep red lehenga I was looking for with 2 peach net dupattas. The Walima ended with a raw silk midnight blue lehenga with gold work and a gold tissue dupatta. All lehengas were worn in a different style to allow for diverse looks. I meticulously thought of colors for Tahsir and the family for color coordination with my outfits as well and was more than pleased after having seen how it all turned out in the pictures!
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Looking back, while it was the most stressful year ever, I really miss the mayhem and chaos we lived in 24/7. Constantly having your favorite people a phone call or text away to talk through to-do tasks etc., is not a luxury we have anymore as we get older and need to schedule a time to catch up. Knowing how many people were up and dedicating their valuable time to us was so humbling; we could never express our gratitude in words. No matter how much time you spend planning and executing, it's the people who make any wedding enjoyable and memorable at the end of the day. We couldn't be any luckier to be surrounded by the most genuine people ever. We felt so overwhelmed with all the love from our closest friends and family all weekend and after.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I can't speak for our guests, but from what I heard, everyone really appreciated the attention to detail and theme at every event. We were very intentional in keeping the guest experience in mind, whether it was food, vendors, desserts, activities, performances, timelines, etc. It felt like it was all worth it when they enjoyed it all! Our wedding party, in particular, loved being included in everything all weekend. Everyone was ready to party!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
A special moment that constantly replays in my mind is a surprise Tahsir had for me at the Gaye Holud. We had planned for two of my favorite singers from London to perform at the Gaye Holud and the Walima. Due to scheduling conflicts, we were only able to lock down one of them for the Walima. During our variety show at the Gaye Holud, there was a moment where the MC was introducing someone I was not aware of in our timeline. I was in panic mode for a second since I didn't know what was happening. But then the singer popped out on stage and walked down singing to me. I was in pure shock. Tahsir was looking at me for my reaction, and I couldn't believe he had gone through all that trouble to surprise me on our special weekend. I don't know how he squeezed that in without my planner self-knowing! That moment was truly a surprise for me, and what a memorable performance it was!
A close second is the moment I had my first look with my bridesmaids on the Wedding day. I have grown up with each one of these girls for more than half my life, and seeing everyone be so genuinely excited and emotional once they turned around was definitely a core memory for me. Their presence at that moment of heightened emotions for me was the very support I needed right then and there. They relayed later to me that they even appreciated that moment as it was very memorable to them.
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.
There were a couple of ordinary things we tried to incorporate into our wedding events. We had an engagement shoot in Jaipur and in LA, 2 performers (one at the Gaye Holud and one at the Walima) flown out from London, a Bazaar at our Gaye Holud filled with trinkets and favored everyone took home, multiple live food stations with (desi food puns!) at the Gaye Holud, live statues and a gold dance floor to emulate the Oscars at the Wedding, a cartoon video produced by my own sister-in-law that was a play on a song from Disney's Encanto about the Kazi Ahsan family at the Wedding, an unconventional entrance performance for the bride and groom at the Wedding incorporating the live statues, a custom Coke and mocktail bar at the Walima, an airport check-in process to get your seat number at the Walima, 2 police escort entrances - one with the Baraat at the Wedding and one for the Bride's side at the Walima, and to top it all off another unconventional entrance of the bride and groom at the Walima on a plane!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
The biggest advice I received as a bride-to-be was to enjoy the weekend and really soak it all in because it passes by in the blink of an eye. I was very conscious of taking off the planner cap and putting on my bride cap from the day the Mehendi began. I made sure to take mental shots of moments and conversations and all my emotions. Looking back, I do feel like I was very present at my own wedding and can't wait to relive it over and over again through pictures and video.
A tip to the wise as a planner - your event will only go as smoothly as your timeline. Make sure your timeline for each event is down to the very smallest detail of who is doing what and when for the big day. We were very meticulous with all our timelines and delegated to-do tasks for each day. We made sure the lists were distributed to every vendor/planner/family/wedding party member who needed them. It also helped me keep my bride cap on for the weekend!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Our entire weekend was a product of the coordination and execution of all our friends & family, vendors, and venues who went above and beyond for each event. Every vendor and venue poured their heart and soul into making our big day special, and it meant nothing short of the world for us. As we look back at all the pictures and videos, we will always appreciate every soul who touched this wedding.
My loves, I hope you have enjoyed today's feature. Until next time, keep dreaming and loving!
