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Greetings, Maharanis! Yesha & Neel's wedding celebration is now live in today's Platinum Guide Blog.

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When the algorithm put together his “filmi” eyes and her beautiful smile it was love at first swipe for these two Dil Mil members. The first love marriage in both their families, it wasn’t until the third time they rescheduled their wedding, that they finally got to take the walk back down the aisle in July of 2021.

The bride dreamed of doing her bridal shopping in India and the way the moons aligned she got only 48 hours to get through it! Luckily her best friend and mom had come to India a month before to pre-shop for her arrival. With her mother narrowing down the shops, and the bride deciding on a traditional feel with two different colored dupattas, the hunt was on. (And, would make a great reality show might we add!) As soon as they entered House of Ghunghat the wedding angels began to sing. She tried on an outfit and could tell by glistening eyes and wide smiles all around she had found the one.

“I am not always secure in my body, but it was so important to me that I felt beautiful and confident in all my outfits. I loved my bridal outfit and there is not a thing I would change about it. I tell all brides that there will always be an outfit you fall in love with and feel like the queen of the world in - don't compromise. I would give my dress shopping experience a 10/10.”

This wedding was all about the guest experience. The crafty groom personally built a haldi swing for the bride and also a "Tequila Made Me Do It" wall for the mehendi where a hand came out of the wall to greet you with tequila spritzer. The Haldi Party, was centered around a pool party theme and they ensured guests remained cool in the sun with a snowcone truck on premises. Finally for the Sangeet the bride surprised her groom with one of their favorite singers - Mickey Singh!

Congratulations to the beautiful Roli & Nigam!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Nigam through our fairy godmother - Dil Mil - almost six years ago. Neither of us knew how quickly we would fall for each other (some may call it love at first swipe)! I have been a hopeless romantic through most of my life (thank you Bollywood) and remember swiping on Nigam because he had the kindest and most "filmi" eyes; he says he swiped on me because he loved my smile! We bonded over our love of sports, movies, food, and our desire to travel. The only flaw is that he is a dedicated Patriots fan. While we were in our talking phase, he went away on a boys trip. That's when I started to realize how happy he made me feel and that I loved talking to him about everything and anything. Just as I started missing him, I received a package at my door. Prior to leaving for his trip, he had ordered a build-a-bear named Dilan (named after Dil Mil) dressed in a Panthers sweatshirt for me. This is when I started becoming Nigam's number one fan. When he came back from his trip, we started our days talking to each other and ended our days with FaceTime dates. We were the weirdos that said I love you before we met (trust me we know it's strange and our friends still tell us it's strange), but it just felt right. We realized it was time to finally meet up. By this point my sister, Ketika, and my friends were eager to meet Nigam, since I could not stop talking about him. Ketika invited Nigam to her graduation party (bold move that came with family drama of course). Nevertheless, Nigam came down to Charlotte and met me, my friends, and then my family all in one weekend. I met Nigam by myself first, the night before my sister's graduation party. After a couple months of interacting through a screen, there were finally no more barriers. We hugged and instantly he felt like home. He was exactly who I thought he would be and vice versa. We met up with my friends later that evening at a rooftop and went out. At the end of the night, my heels began digging into my skin. I sat down to take them off. During this time I was actually scheduled for a gall bladder removal (romantic, I know) right after this graduation weekend. Knowing I was in pain, Nigam scooped down to the grown and took off my heels for me. Sitting on the ground with his shoe in my hand, I felt like a modern-day Cinderella. That's when I knew he was the one. He is the kindest, most gentle, and fun guy I have ever known. I had never brought a boy home and I was proud to bring him. The way he integrated himself with my family and friends - that sealed the deal.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Nigam says he knew within the first few months of dating that he was going to marry me. He always recounts a time I had visited him where we were strolling through a park. Our conversations consisted of talking about what we wanted in life, our families, and me asking him hypotheticals like if he could only eat one thing for the rest of life, what would it be. He said it was those simple conversations that showed him what a normal day-to-day life with me would look like. We had a long-distance relationship through our entire dating time period and I think one day he woke up and thought it was about time that we took the next step to close this distance. We both talked about marriage openly with each other and made sure we were on the same page. We went ring shopping together (one of my favorite memories). He actually did some eye-talking with the rep and I wasn't even aware he bought it until the proposal. I am the first person in my family to have a love marriage and the first non-gujarati member in Nigam's family. It took a little convincing, but we are truly lucky to have families who were willing to be open-minded and value the love we have for each other. With that being said, we are both family-oriented and knew we wanted both our families to be there whenever the proposal happened, so we could honor our families for putting our wishes above their beliefs. On April 13, 2019, a little over three years since we first swiped on each other, Nigam made me the happiest girl in the world! He proposed to me at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in front of over 100 friends and family members. It was the sweetest set-up with vases lined up in a heart shape, rose petals on the ground, and balloons and precious pictures of us tied to the railings. I knew the proposal was coming. It is very hard to surprise me because I love knowing everything. I picked up details from things people would say and little slip-ups. I just was wrong on the timing. I thought it would be at night, and prepared accordingly. I was 3.5 hours late to my own proposal (combination of NYC traffic, oversleeping, and a few mishaps). Luckily, it was a beautiful day, so my friends and family had a great time. Everyone had such a blast, that I am not quite sure how many people were sober by the time I came haha. To this day, I am still at the receiving end of many many jokes about punctuality and how patient Nigam is. I can't tell you what exactly Nigam said (luckily we had a videographer), I was so overwhelmed by the views, all our loved ones, and most importantly that I was getting engaged to my best friend!!!! That was all I ever wanted for my proposal and he nailed it!

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I knew I wanted to do my bridal shopping in India. Growing up, I spent almost every summer there as most of our family lives there. I was having an engagement function in India, so I thought I would do my wedding shopping there prior to the event. I had a three day window to get outfits/jewelry for both Nigam and I. This window was shortened to two days when our flight from JFK was significantly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight in Abu Dhabi. It was the best 48 hours ever! Don't get me wrong, it was STRESSFUL, but I had my parents, Nigam, Ketika, my best friend Shivani, and Nigam's cousin - Tithi to get me through it. My mom had come to India a month before to scope out the scene! Mom's really are the best. So, that helped narrow down the shops we went to. I was very open on what I wanted my bridal lengha to be. I knew I wanted something that felt traditional, but didn't necessarily want the bridal red. I knew I wanted two different colored dupattas, but didn't really have any other requirements. As soon as I entered Shaveta & Anuj's store (House of Ghunghat), I knew this was it. The staff and Shaveta were the sweetest. You could tell they really cared about their customers and were passionate about their work. It felt like I was on a Say Yes to the Dress episode. As soon as I tried on what would ultimately be my bridal outfit, I could see everyone's eyes glisten and smiles all around. I think my dad cried! I am not always secure in my body, but it was so important to me that I felt beautiful and confident in all my outfits. I loved my bridal outfit and there is not a thing I would change about it. I tell all brides that there will always be an outfit you fall in love with and feel like the queen of the world in - don't compromise. I would give my dress shopping experience a 10/10. I think my bridal dress crew enjoyed it as well, but it might be because of all the cold drinks, teas, and samosas/pakoras they were offered while I was trying on outfits.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I can't say there was just one moment, because from start to finish it was such a special day! We both teared up at our first look. He looked so handsome!! We had been waiting for this day for so long. We were originally supposed to be married in May2020, but the pandemic caused a warranted delay. The long distance was getting to us and we were ready to just start our next chapter, together. Nigam and I have been through a lot together from medical issues to an active shooter situation, and to finally have our happy ending - well that is priceless. I do have to give an honorable mention to my bollywood dreams coming true when I felt that sindoor hit my maang and when Nigam put my mangalsutra on! Lastly, when we looked out into the crowd as a married couple, there is such an overwhelming feeling of being so loved by all your friends and family that is indescribable. We are truly lucky and honored to have an amazing support system!

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.
For my Haldi Pool Party event, Nigam actually built the swing that I sat on while everyone put turmeric on me. When I saw it in person, I felt like Nigam built the Taj Mahal for me. We actually have moved that swing to our backyard and one day I'll tell my kids "Your dad built that for me!". Our Mehndi was on a semi-rooftop, and we wanted it to be interactive. We had mehendi artists, tarot card readers, a magician (was on the Season Finale of Penn & Teller: Fool Us), and a "Tequila Made Me Do It Wall" where you rang a bell to receive a tequila spritzer. Our Sangeet was themed Two States, One Love as our families are from two different states in India and in the US! The evening was full of amazing performances and ended with a surprise performance from the one and only - Mickey Singh!

After chatting for months on social media Lisa & Devan met in Austin for the weekend and sparks flew. Countless dates, phone calls, dinners, walks, and coffees continued until the bride’s birthday trip in Arizona. As the sun was setting, Devan proposed on the Horseshoe Bend trail.

Giving a nod to tradition, the bride settled on an ivory lengha with red detailing. Traditional kundan jewelry and bangles completed her quintessential bridal look. In the evening, they made a turn for something more modern with a chic black tie reception.

The wedding was overflowing with small, thoughtful details infused throughout. The guests enjoyed personalized welcome cards, cocktail napkins, a treasured jenga block guest book, and an adorable squad of little ones created a warm and inviting ambiance into the couple’s celebration.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff, enjoy every moment, and know that the things that go wrong, only you will remember. I think that a lot of brides, like myself, are stressed through planning and then before you know it, it’s over!”

Congratulations Lisa and Devan!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Devan in 2016 in Knoxville, TN in a group setting. We didn’t talk much then, but he reached out to be in 2018 via social media. We talked for 9 months before I agreed to us finally going out together. He planned the best weekend for us in Austin and I knew that weekend that we was the one!

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
We went to Arizona for my 28th birthday with a group of friends. Devan and I flew in a day early to be able to celebrate my birthday together before everyone else arrived. We had planned to go to a nice dinner and he suggested that we go to Horseshoe Bend before dinner since it was “only a short walk”. It ended up being a mile and a half or so up this rocky path where we watched the sunset and next thing I know, he was down on one knee!

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 booked my vendors a year in advance. I secured my planner, decorator, photographer, DJ, and hair and makeup first. I then booked my draper, henna artist, desserts, etc. I absolutely loved ISHNAE & CO and how welcoming they were. They made me feel absolutely beautiful the entire weekend and they made me feel at ease. I also loved how relaxed and fun our photo/video team was. Navi K Productions team was also great.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I knew I wanted my wedding outfit and reception outfit to be purchased here in the states so that I could see it and pick my colors in person. I knew I wasn’t a “red” bride, but still wanted a touch of red to keep it traditional and bridal. I am glad that I chose an ivory base with red accenting.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I enjoyed working on all of the small details that mattered to me most. I loved my jenga blocks, cocktail napkins, welcome cards, thank you cards, etc. I also loved practicing the dances with my family and husband!

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think everyone had a great time at the reception. The dance floor was packed the entire night and the music was great thanks to DJ Vinay with Desi Junctions DJs! This was definitely the highlight of everyone’s weekend.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
There were multiple moments like this, but walking down the aisle with my parents and all of the emotions going through my head definitely replays in my head. Our first dance is another moment that I replay often!

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.
We kept our wedding welcome dance a surprise! That was such a fun dance to work on together and a nice treat for our family and friends. 

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Don’t sweat the small stuff, enjoy every moment, and know that the things that go wrong, only you will remember. I think that a lot of brides, like myself, are stressed through planning and then before you know it, it’s over.

When your wedding week hits, remember that you have planned all year for this and that now is the time for you to enjoy yourself. Be kind to yourself, treat yourself, and enjoy the moment!

When you know, you just know. This couple knew from the moment they were engaged they wanted to have a destination wedding in Cancún because it's where they took our very first trip together.

Although the Pandemic threw off our original plans of getting married in December of 2020, took a gamble on May 2021 in the hopes of increasing chances that everyone would be vaccinated and be able to safely attend and they won!

Working with Shaadi Destinations to choose Generations Riviera Maya/El Dorado and coordinate guest travel and itineraries, The Shaadi team was extremely flexible and very helpful with moving around dates, as it was a challenge to reschedule anything these days, let alone a destination wedding!

Generations/El Dorado is an one of a kind property in Riviera Maya, located a bit further south from the hectic Hotel Zone area. Featuring existing South Asian motifs the resort is the perfect backdrop for Indian weddings. To add to the list they have a wonderful on-site Indian Restaurant, Haab, that catered all of the Indian food items for the wedding. They are known for Chef Kaushal who uses fresh ingredients grown on site.

It was important to the bride to make sure that her bridal outfits matched the overall theme and decor for each event. The Sangeet was filled with many bright colors so an outfit from Aisha Rao became the natural choice. The bride’s lengha was a beautiful shade of deep crimson with peach and green floral accents that matched the floral decor of the mandap. For the reception she donned a dusty pink lengha that had mirror work which danced under the fairy lights.

“We both played equal parts in wedding planning which made us feel like we had a shared project and true partnership. We both brought our strengths to the table and added creative elements to our events that reflected our personalities. For example, my husband's a gamer, so he put together a playlist of video game jazz covers for our cocktail hour, which also featured custom cocktails named with Gujarati puns (Majama-rita anyone?) that made everyone smile.”

What a breath of fresh air! Congratulations to the beautiful pair!

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.
We knew right from the start that we wanted to have a destination wedding in Cancún specifically because it holds special meaning to us (it's where we took our very first trip together and where we realized we had something special). 

We also wanted to make sure our guests felt like they were on a vacation where we just-so-happened to be getting married. The Pandemic threw off our original plans of getting married in December of 2020, so we took a gamble on May 2021 in the hopes of increasing chances that everyone would be vaccinated and be able to safely attend (which they were). 

We worked with Shaadi Destinations to choose our resort (Generations Riviera Maya/El Dorado) and coordinate guest travel and itineraries.  The Shaadi team was extremely flexible and very helpful with moving around dates, as it was a challenge to reschedule our wedding to a date that worked with all of our vendors. They were also helpful with recommendations for vendors such as Federico Salmeron (photography), and JC Castillo (planning).   One of our favorite things about working with Shaadi Destinations is their private Facebook group which helped us collaborate with other couples going through the same process.  It's a great resource to discuss all of the questions that couples have, and to get insight into picking vendors in Cancun.

Generations/El Dorado is an extremely unique property in Riviera Maya,  located a bit further south from the hectic Hotel Zone area. A lot of our venues had decor "built in" because of the existing South Asian motifs (such as the beautiful Ganesha statue at the Palapa Ganesha where our sangeet was held).  The resort also had a wonderful on-site Indian Restaurant, Haab, that catered all of our Indian food.  Chef Kaushal did an amazing job making incredible food from fresh ingredients grown on site. 

When we first started planning, we quickly realized that we wanted the whole experience to be as stress-free as possible, including the day-of.  After choosing a few vendors on our own, we decided to bring in a wedding planner, JC Castillo.  He has a tremendous amount of experience with Indian weddings. Any time we had a concern, he was able to address it.  Every meeting we had with him made us feel more confident for our big day, and we felt like things were really in motion once brought him into the process.   He has great relationships with a lot of local vendors and was able to bring our vision to life, and introduced us to other vendors such as DJ Krish and our Dhol player Jonathan from Drums in Paradise.   He also partners with Pistillo Florals to bring luxurious floral arrangements and decor to every event.

Federico Salmeron has a very unique style of photography and has worked with many Indian couples.  He has a firm grasp on all of the best locations for photo ops at our resort. He knew how to work with the backgrounds and light and bring out all of the amazing colors to make our photos really pop. His cinematography colleagues at Saptapadi Weddings captured incredible moments and put together cinematic videos that still brings us back to this day.

My makeup artist, Alex Corbanezi, was amazing at recreating each of the inspirational looks I showed him.  He made my entire bridal party look stunning and he also offered bridal draping services, so I really felt taken care of.

Loto Mehndi did my Bridal Mehndi and I was blown away at how intricate of a job they did, especially on the Gayatri Mantra which I wanted included on my arms. They were very communicative and a total pleasure to work with.

At our Sangeet, after enjoying delicious Churros from Los Pockets, our guests went over to the Mehndi tent where Lemons & Mehndi  adorned their hands with beautiful designs. Shaadi Destinations also hooked us up with branded coconuts at our ceremony from kocoo.mx which helped our guests cool off from the heat.

It was important for me to make sure that my bridal outfits matched the overall theme and decor for each event.  The Sangeet was full of many bright colors so I wanted to wear an outfit from Aisha Rao because her vivid colors and designs, such as the beautiful shade of blue that matched the ocean, were a great fit for the tropical locale.

The bridal lengha was a beautiful shade of deep red with peach and green floral accents that matched the floral decor of the mandap.   The reception outfit was a dusty pink lengha that had mirror work which really glimmered under the fairy lights.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The site visits!  It was a lot of fun to have an excuse to go on vacation but also check out the venues, meet vendors, and taste a lot of amazing food. Planning in a tropical paradise made the process a lot more enjoyable.

We both played equal parts in wedding planning which made us feel like we had a shared project and true partnership.  We both brought our strengths to the table and added creative elements to our events that reflected our personalities.  For example, my husband's a gamer, so he put together a playlist of video game jazz covers for our cocktail hour, which also featured custom cocktails named with Gujarati puns (Majama-rita anyone?) that made everyone smile.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our intention was for our guests to enjoy an intimate wedding, but the pandemic pared down our guest list even more.  This ended up working to our advantage, however, because it allowed us to spend more individual time with our guests.  They also loved the overall vibe of the resort and spaced-out schedule which helped everyone feel like they were on their first truly relaxing vacation in a long while. Choosing an all-inclusive resort made it easier for people to have a great time and not have to worry about anything. They loved our personal touches such as our music selection, custom cocktails, and decor, which all reflected our personality.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
At the end of the "Vidaai" after the ceremony, our car had to rush us straight to our COVID test in order for us to get our results in time before heading back to the US. This was completely unplanned but we decided to make the most of the situation and brought our photographers along with us. They captured a moment we'll never forget! Fortunately everyone at the wedding tested negative, but every time we look back at that photo it reminds us how extraordinary the times were.

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.
When it came to decor I was really intent on each event having its own vibe.  For example, with the Sangeet, I really liked the idea of having very "Old Bollywood" style decor elements with lots of colors. We had fantastic entertainment lead by family, and an impromptu Gujarati Garba and Raas which we taught to a lot of our guests on the spot.  It ended up being a really fun and memorable experience.  We also planned a special surprise at the end of the night: fire dancers and water drummers from Drums in Paradise!

All of our venues were outdoors due to COVID, which worked out in our favor given that the weather was beautiful and the natural scenery provided a gorgeous backdrop. This enhanced our chosen decor while helping us out budget-wise:  win-win!  Our Pithi was held amongst palm trees and flowers, and our decor company added flowing marigolds and religious motifs. 

The reception incorporated more western decor. We used some bohemian elements such as Pampas Grass and blush tones.  The fairy lights reflecting on the dance floor made for amazing photos that we didn't anticipate so we're glad we opted in for the upgrade.   We were pleasantly surprised with a performance from my sisters and their husbands dancing to "Señorita" from "Zindagi na milegi dobara" which was the perfect song for an Indian wedding in Mexico! 

We wanted our first dance to connect to where we were getting married, so my husband and I taught ourselves a salsa dance to a beautiful latin-fusion rendition of "Chura Liya" by Jonita Gandhi.  My husband edited the music and I found the choreography, which we practiced every night as a regular part of our wedding planning process.  Learning the dance ourselves felt really special and brought us even closer together.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Learn to let go! Once I had arrived I stopped worrying about all of the little things and told myself that I was just going to have a good time and go with the flow. I trusted the process and it showed, because everyone commented on how relaxed I was throughout the weekend.   

You only get this time once and it will go by quickly, so make sure to enjoy every minute, and don't forget that you have guests that want to spend time with you as well, so make sure they feel your presence. 

When planning, don't get so caught up in the whole show of things that you forget about the guests' experience.  Try and keep the guests' point of view in mind, because what you think really matters may not even be that important.

Things may not all go precisely as planned but keep in mind that while people won't remember details like the color of your napkins, they will remember how good of a time they had.

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Happy Fri-yay, Maharanis! I hope you are having an incredible day. To kick off the weekend, I am about to tell you all the details about Rubina & Anuragh's celebration of love. Their journey began on a sunny morning in October of 2013 on the gorgeous and romantic Caribbean island of Antigua & Barbuda. They both woke up determined to change the world and headed to volunteer at a community health fair as passionate medical students who had never met before. Rubina's innocence and cuteness made Anuragh fall in love almost immediately! He introduced himself, and they ended up conversing for hours to get to know each other. They made memories that will last a lifetime, from adorable lunch meetings in between sessions to romantic excursions on the island! The handsome groom proposed, and our Maharani said "Yes!" to a life full of happiness, adventures, and infinite love! To celebrate their new chapter, they chose to have a lovely ceremony and an elegant reception at The Addison Park. Gladly, Abhishek Decorator made sure to create an ambiance to make every guest feel like they were on a fairytale. I am pretty sure everyone loved it. My dears, you know how much I love to dance! That is why I want to tell you who put every guest on their feet. Raj Minocha played the best hits and brought vibrant energies to the room! Prime House Productions made sure to record every sweet moment during the wedding for the bride and groom to treasure forever! You know that a good banquet is always an excellent way to make your guests feel special. Our couple knew this and made sure to call Bukhara Grill for a new dining experience featuring the flavors of the long-forgotten Northwest frontiers of India. Maharanis, let me tell you all about our Maharani's look. Rubina made sure to get her traditional and classy attire at Ashu Kapoor- Centushti by Ashu. They sure know how to pamper a lovely Maharani. Prime House Productions teamed up with Catch Motion Studio to immortalize every moment of this gorgeous wedding. The first team recorded a film for the newlyweds' delight! The second crew made sure to photograph these lovebirds' most emotional moments and turn them into a jaw-dropping gallery brimming with love, luxury, and pure joy. So, make sure to check it out down below!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
This is our "Jab we Met" story from the Groom's perspective that was used for our wedding website: Our story begins on a sunny morning on October 5th, 2013 at the beautiful and romantic Caribbean island in Antigua & Barbuda.As passionate medical students who never met each other, we both woke up at a crack of dawn, ready to save the world, and headed to volunteer at a community health fair. It almost felt like our stars had aligned and we were assigned for our tasks at a quiet corner of a library in medical school. I approached Rubina to introduce myself, and we ended up talking for hours to get to know each other, Rubina’s innocence and cuteness swept me off my feet. It was almost love at first sight. Our stories unfolded and our bond and friendship grew as years passed as we finished medical school. From our cute lunch dates in between classes to romantic getaways on the island, we created memories that we will carry with us forever. Our endless facetimes during our time apart and my surprise visits to come see my Rubina made us realize that even distance could not keep us apart. I proposed her to be my girlfriend on July 2017 in the midst of festivities at Rubina's sisters' wedding. Our happiness and relationship grew from there, and we haven’t looked back since.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
In the midst of the pandemic, I was visiting Anuragh for Memorial Day Weekend in NYC. On the last day of my trip, he convinced me to get all dolled up for a date. We drove up to the Brooklyn Bridge where he had the most beautiful set up ready for me. He proposed to me on May 24th, 2020 on a breathtaking backdrop of Manhattan and Brooklyn bridge.  Anuragh had already contacted all my closest friends and family to send video messages to help curate a beautiful memory for me to watch during the proposal while still being safe during the pandemic. It was one of the happiest days of our lives.

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.
Over the years of being in the relationship, I had imagined what I would want our wedding to look like. So I had a good idea going into it and decided to start looking at venues right away after the proposal due to the COVID weddings being postponed to 2021. As soon as I found my beautiful venue in NJ, the rest all fell into place. I was able to book all my top choice vendors smoothly. Due to living in Tennessee for my medical residency, I was unable to do a makeup/hair trial so I trusted my gut and went with my MUA and I'm glad I did because she was absolutely amazing to work with. Fortunately, my mother is a Indian fashion designer who was able to fly to India and put together my beautiful wedding wardrobe. For decor, I wanted a breathtaking floral mandap with wisteria and fresh flowers surrounding us. Luckily, my decorator was able to customize everything I had in mind with perfection.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Red has always been my favorite color growing up so choosing that color for the bridal lehanga was a no-brainer for me. I knew I wanted it to be unique and also incorporate Anuragh's name in it. So for the design I went for a lehanga that showed the Baraat embroidery throughout it. I also incorporated my groom by having "Anuragh ki Dulhania" as my Latkan. And this was possible thanks to my mother, Centushti by Ashu.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Putting together everything I dreamt about and having it all come into place especially during the pandemic was the best part of it all. I honestly did not think this wedding would have been possible due to COVID-19 but I was truly blessed with the best vendors who help me make my dream into a reality.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Guests loved our outfits and decor at the wedding and the Viennese buffet at the reception.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Walking down the aisle, I saw Anuragh standing there just staring at me under the most beautiful mandap I could have imagined. Nothing else mattered around me at that moment, I had the biggest smile walking down the aisle to marry my husband.

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.
We started off our wedding festivities with a Chowki the weekend at my parent's house in Maryland. We had my Mehendi at a banquet hall in Maryland a couple of days later, where we partied and danced the night away. Next morning, was my haldi and chooda ceremony where my sister and brother-in-law put the chooda on me. Everyone color coordinated their outfits and wore shade of yellow in honor of the haldi ceremony. For Sangeet, we wanted a more traditional setting so we had the decorator do a beautiful background with colorful umbrellas while we sat on the Jhoola. We had lovely performances by my cousin, our families, bridesmaids and a surprise performance by me and my groom.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Just enjoy the process. It is time consuming but everything does fall into place. During our first look of the reception hall, I was able to take time out and have a private first dance with my husband. It was amazing to be alone and live in the moment without everyone's eyes on you on your special moment.

Maharanis, keep coming back for more love and romantic stories!

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