I am a firm believer that just like your beloved romance, your wedding day style should be just as epic! Just ask Maharani Maya who ensured that her sensational Indian-Sri Lankan wedding incorporated all the personal elements that personified her celebration to Sunil. The morning of her fusion wedding, Maya was primed by Beauty For You On Location. I am swooning with matrimonial envy with this bride's chic style. Colors are cool and all, but I also love ivory white trousseau. Planning and design guru Top That Event ensured the series of events transitioned smoothly. Join me in the gallery for all the heartwarming moments of our lively couple shot by Killer Creations Wedding Photography & Cinematography.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Sunil and I first met as freshman in undergrad at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). We had several mutual friends and happened to be getting a ride back together to our respective dorms after a conference- he was the passenger in the trunk of a friend’s car while I was comfortably seated up front. Despite this early meeting, we did not actually get to know each other until several years later while taking similar classes in our Master's program. It was just a few dates before I realized that nobody else would ever be able to make me laugh so hard or smile so much! After a wonderful year together in Detroit, exploring a city working on making a come back, our relationship became a long distance one during medical school. Despite long car rides to see other at the end of some exhausting weeks, it was always worth the trip. There was never one particular moment where I knew he was the one. Instead, it was several years of seeing him put in so much time, effort and energy into making me feel loved, respected and cherished- and I’m assuming this went both ways since we are now married!!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
I spent a month during my last year of medical school doing an international rotation in Sri Lanka and was looking forward to visiting Sunil as soon as I returned home. Little did I know that while I was gone, he had gone to visit my parents, sister, and grandmother to ask for their blessing before proposing. When I got back, I drove out to see him in Cincinnati. He suggested a fantastic brunch spot followed by a drive to a nearby park. He had sneakily arranged for one of his friends to be hiding in the park taking pictures of us. While at a spot in the park that overlooks the city he surprised me entirely by kneeling down and proposing to me. Of course, I was so excited and surprised and yelled out “obviously yes!” We returned to his apartment for champagne and to call our families in Michigan with our great news, and then spent our evening out celebrating with friends.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
My outfit for our wedding ceremony was a traditional white Sri Lankan Kandyan sari. I am extremely lucky to have a mother with excellent taste, and family friends with very artistic eyes. My mother and two family friends custom designed my sari based off of a few different ideas and pictures I collected from various Pinterest boards and bridal magazines. I wanted to keep the traditional appearance while adding elements more personalized to my taste or borrowed from western traditions, like turning the sari fold into a train, using a lace pattern/fabric with some sequin details, and adding pearl strands below a diamond cut out for the back of the sari blouse. My grandmother helped complete the whole look with a beautiful set of gold Kandyan jewelry selected with the help of family friends that brought the jewelry from Sri Lanka.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
There were so many great things about planning our wedding that it is hard to choose just one. We especially enjoyed our food tastings. Shalimar and Madras Masala provided amazing food (Shalimar) and delicious dosas (Madras Masala) for our sangeet and post-ceremony lunch and we were happy when many of our guests expressed that they loved the diversity of choices on our menus. Our food tasting at the Townsend Hotel was fantastic- their chef did a wonderful job trying to incorporate some flavors from our South Asian palate into a westernized menu with plated options including an 8 oz filet mignon, airline chicken breast, salmon, and creative vegetarian dish composed of dahl, fried chickpeas, and cauliflower. Overall, all of our vendors, and especially Cassie (our planner from Top That Events) worked hard to help the planning process go relatively smoothly!
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The greatest thing to hear from our guests after our wedding was that they particularly loved the way our two families seemed to mesh so seamlessly into one. We wanted our wedding ceremony to draw from two cultures, Indian and Sri Lankan, combined into one single ceremony, given several similar traditions. Our families learned each other’s traditions and wholeheartedly participated in the ceremony customs from both sides. When it came to the festivities, our parents performed a beautiful dance together at our sangeet. And at the reception, their enthusiasm on the dance floor was only outdone by the bride and groom! We are so grateful that our families have also become great friends throughout the years of our relationship.
Head on back for the Indian wedding, it's just around the corner!
