Hello ladies, welcome to today’s big film reveal! I Do Wedding Video is here to bring the story of Nicki and Ravishankar through a cheery highlight film! The blissful celebrations were launched with a night of garba dance and dandiya sticks that set the tone for the following events! The perfect time to get married arrived for Nicki and Ravishankar in a summery day of August at the sophisticated Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa. The arrival of the groom in a steed from Enchanted Carriages along with his wedding procession announced that the big moment had arrived for these two to marry at the coastal location which offered a perfect outdoor ceremony ambiance for the marriage rites. The lovely Nicki also made her grand entry decked in an alluring AsoPalav lehenga impeccably draped by the beauty expert squad of Bridal By Nisha and brightened her hands with a breathtaking mehndi design by Henna San Diego. All guests enjoyed some drinks while the Sitar of Ronobir Lahiri Music played on the background in a cocktail hour that preceded the big bash. Mantra Indian Cuisine served a fabulous dinner that suited every taste while the premier Fusion Sounds kept the guests moving by providing music entertainment all night long!  

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met in 2015 at Penn State, where we had both started working around the same time - I was the social butterfly who talks to everyone, and he helped me with my IT issues - a few weeks later, we had our first day-long date. I knew he was definitely "the one" when he got me the Mindy Kaling book "Why Not Me?" for Christmas when I had already owned/read it, but it told me he knew me well enough! 
 
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
I am impossible to surprise, so I am very proud of Ravi for throwing me off on this one, by proposing when I was post-night shift and not-yet-caffeinated. He took me to my favorite botanical garden, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, and brought his best friend (and future best-man) and his girlfriend (now wife) and used the ongoing orchid festival as a cover-up. He proposed in a beautiful spot under a gorgeous bunch of orchids, and all I could say was "of course!" 
 
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 think it takes a year (or so), a village, and a lot of patience. Social media can be helpful for finding people, but also terrible with constant comparison to other weddings which may look great, but may be significantly out of budget!
- For venue, I fell in love with multiple places around San Diego but did not want to have a different hotel or site for events without adjacent hotel rooms. If this is also important to you, do not settle for anything less! I loved having everything all in one place! Many venues are now more open to Indian weddings so I felt we had plenty to choose from. I was lucky to get married on my dream date, 8.18.18, which was a rare find! 
- I was a busy 3rd-year resident while planning my wedding, and was planning a west coast wedding from the east coast, and to avoid getting overwhelmed I scheduled one thing per week to book/research. I had the venue sorted by June, most main vendors done by November. I went to India in January for 5 days and then afterward took a break with planning until around April, after I took a big board exam. We then focused for the most part from April to August, and everything worked out great! I think that break was a great way to not get burnt out from the wedding planning process.
 
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
- We had the sitar player, Ronobir Lahiri, playing during our happy hour and guests LOVED this! For those who don't know him, he plays English and Indian songs by sitar - Youtube him! When doing my research, I loved Ronobir's music so much and knew we wouldn't really be part of the cocktail hour, so also had him play for an hour during dinner service, which was great since I also got to listen to it. Again, guests were OBSESSED! 
- The food from Mantra catering was also spectacular on both days - all the fusion, traditional food, and desserts were amazing!
 
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
- When I was told the wedding ceremony had ended THIRTY MINUTES EARLY!!!! I was SO happy! We did group photos on the mandap (this was going to be cut if we had run late) and I even got extra photos with my bridesmaids too. For my Type A personality, this made me extremely happy! 
 
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Have a wedding coordinator (and all vendors, really) whom you trust, and who just "gets" Indian weddings, and isn't thrown off by the madness! 
 
Come back tomorrow for more inspiration!
STYLE
GUIDE style
Traditional
Bollywood
Cinematography
 season
Summer
 color
Mehndi Artists: Henna San Diego | DJ: Fusion Sounds | Draping/Styling: Bridal By Nisha | Catering: Mantra Indian Cuisine | Live Music: Ronobir Lahiri Music | Baraat: Enchanted Carriages | Cinematography: I Do Wedding Video | Photography: Lin & Jirsa Photography | Ceremony & Reception: The Westin Carlsbad Resort & Spa | Planning & Design: Events by Sep | Floral & Decor: Kumba Events | Hair & Makeup: Drea V Makeup | Bollywood Performers & Instructors: Margi Shah Dance Company | Bridal Fashion: AsoPalav | Cake & Treats: Cute Cakes SD | Photo Booth: Pixster Photo Booth | Rentals: Rent My Wedding | Rentals: My Marquee SD
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