Looking for wedding inspiration? Check out Prita & Vishal's regal affair on the Platinum Guide Blog!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I was at his house one day and randomly stumbled upon a book he had called "Loving Someone with Anxiety" and immediately started to cry. I do struggle with anxiety and the fact that someone was willing to love me and accept my anxiety and figure out how to be better for me truly touched my heart. I was very used to hearing that my anxiety was something I had to fix and 'get rid of' so the fact that he truly loved me - for me - was amazing!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
He did a great job with the proposal. I own a condo on a beautiful lake. That lake is my favorite place in the world and it has a peaceful dock. At the time of the proposal, I had rented it out. Vish somehow got a hold of the tenant and convinced him to lie to me, sending me a text that a break-in had occurred at the condo. We were on our way to dinner to meet friends, so we had to make a u-turn and go to the condo. Once at the condo, I couldn't find the tenant. Everything outside the condo looked fine and normal. I got very worried the robber had kidnapped my tenant and was holding him hostage in my condo. As my freakout worsened, Vish told me to calm down, and that we should go to the lake and wait for the police there. Calm down is the worst thing you can say to someone who's freaking out! So I decided to try to open the door and that's when he pulled me back and said that today was not the day I would be superwoman, that this was way too dangerous and we needed to back off. He literally dragged me to the lake while I screamed and cursed him out. I couldn't understand how he didn't think this was a serious situation! Internally, I started doubting how I could love such an insensitive person. I must have figured everything wrong about him! As we got to the dock, I noticed a bouquet of flowers on the bench and then I realized what was about to happen. Vish had to set up this wild story because he knew there was no way he'd be able to get me to my favorite place in the world without me suspecting anything. He got down on one knee while a photographer hid in a nearby boat and captured the moment. It was incredibly sweet and romantic! He then took me to dinner, where we were supposed to meet our friend and when we got there, I saw that all my friends and family were there, waiting to celebrate us!
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.
It was a dream come true wedding at our local Gurdwara for the Sikh Ceremony, at our family's house for the Mehndi night and at the Ritz for the Hindu Ceremony and dinner reception. It was a perfect mix of a local home vibe mixed with an out of this world romantic glamour vibe.
The customer service at the Ritz was above and beyond. Chef Jayshree has her own signature Indian fusion dishes, and she's based locally in Orlando. She caters to all the Indian weddings at Ritz hotels across the country, and we were so lucky to have her do our reception food. It was delicious and a nice break from all the other Indian food we'd been eating at all the other events - while also still being Indian enough for those who love their traditional Indian meals! The atmosphere at the Ritz was also incredible. It was impeccable!
My hair and makeup team were the dream team, and were able to change over my looks, from top to bottom, with just 30 minutes to do so between looks. They were able to incorporate my vision while also gently encouraging me to take some risks that made my looks completely unique. My Sikh ceremony look was traditional, while for Mehndi night they turned me into a modern Barbie doll! My Hindu ceremony look was epic, they turned me into a royal queen, and for my reception look, turned down the drama into a soft and romantic gold shimmery Belle look. I didn't have to ask to change anything; all my hair and makeup lasted throughout every event, and the best part was that I still looked like me at the end of the day!
My photographer was incredible and was always there for me. Anytime I needed them for a photo, they were there. They understood my vision and went above and beyond to make sure they captured the shots I wanted. They had snacks on hand in case we needed anything as well and also handled our guests with such grace. I'll never forget how at the Gurdwara, all I wanted was a break. Our photographer pulled us away from our guests, tucked us into a study room, gave us water, and had us stay there for 5 minutes so we could get a breather - all while telling our guests we would be right back. I didn't have to ask for this, they could just tell and simply knew. They really went above and beyond to make sure we had a super special day and that they captured that day too.
Our theme was England Garden, and everything was very beautiful and natural with a lot of browns, greens and red-red roses. It wasn't a big over the top wedding, it was intimate and romantic. The one thing we wanted every guest to feel was loved, and I really think that's what was experienced.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I really like traditions. I love celebrating them and creating my own! We had a Sikh ceremony at the Gurdwara, and I wore bright red. For the Mehndi, I wanted to go completely against tradition and wore white with pastels and mirrors. The Hindu ceremony outfit was my favorite and was a deeper red and green. To change things up, I did two dupattas, with a green one on my head. I love how that look turned out. It was a great mix of traditional and modern. For reception, I was all gold! I had a lot of fun with my hair and makeup team changing up the looks to match each outfit. For the Hindu ceremony, my makeup artist wanted my look to be a bit more edgy, and she used dark green eyeliner in my waterline. I like taking fun risks like that. I think everything turned out beautifully!
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Doing it with my husband by my side. We were both equally involved, and I felt so grateful for his support! This truly was both of our weddings :)
Oh - and the food tasting was awesome! The team at the Ritz really made sure we enjoyed everything and left with very full bellies! As we left, I took a deep breath, taking in the incredible scent they had flowing through the Ritz. I said, "I wish my house smelled like this." Moments later, their event coordinator came out with gift bags for me, my mom, and my mother-in-law. We all got candles of the Ritz scent so we could burn them at home! They made us feel so special!
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Everyone knows that the only thing guests care about is food, booze, and music, haha! I will say though that our guests also had a great time. Everything was very well planned and we got a lot of compliments on the timelines of each event (it wasn't Indian Standard) as well as how little time was wasted. There were a lot of breaks and time for people to chill out and relax between events. The mandate photos went smoothly, and we captured everyone in under 30 minutes! Our wedding planner did a great job planning each second out!
I think the guests could tell how much my husband and I loved each other during the events as well. Our love for each other came out in different ways - from the wedding and reception entrances to the speeches. The speeches were so heartfelt, even I was moved to tears. I also wrote a song for my husband and sang it for him at the reception. That was his and everyone else's first time hearing it, so that was very special.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
We aren't dancers, so every time we practiced our first dance, we were making mistakes. It got to a point where we said it was ok if we made a mistake during the actual performance because we just couldn't manage to nail it. When it was showtime, somehow, we actually did the whole dance without any mistakes! We just looked at each other in disbelief and felt so accomplished at the end of the performance! It was like we had just won a gold medal together! Best moment ever!
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.
Our friends and family put together a great 5-minute Punjabi/Gujarati dance mashup. The best part was the end when everyone joined flashmob style! It was great to see my coworkers absolutely killing it on the dancefloor and dancing to Bollywood!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
You have to really tune out the outside voices and do what is best for you. You're never going to make everyone happy, and someone will always feel left out, someone will always find the food too cold or spicy and someone will always think you did something wrong and now your marriage will be cursed.
Everything happens very fast, so make sure you take moments to enjoy your partner and plan in moments to have some time just the two of you. Remember - this is just one day. Don't sweat the small stuff and put all that energy into your relationship and make sure it is healthy and nourishing. That is much more important than any wedding detail.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
My husband is Hindu and I am Sikh. A special memory that comes to my mind is how all the men in his family got their Pugries tied for our Sikh Ceremony. I felt so loved and appreciated that I wanted to celebrate our customs with us and didn't shy away from it. Also, Vishal's cousin Ami did something very special for me. My Naniji is 90 years old and is bedridden. She couldn't attend any of the festivities. When we were doing Mehndi at home for the family, Ami took one of the cones and put mehndi on my Naniji's hands so that she could also be a part of the wedding celebrations. It really moved my heart that his family did all this for me and my family. I felt so loved!
This was more than a wedding—it was a royal celebration to remember.
