Today we are checking out an Indian fusion affair in Jersey City, New Jersey! We are swooning over every scene of Janki and Chris’ highlight film brought to us by Lightyear Studio! The talented Ami Video was in charge of photographing and filming the beginning of this sweet love story during the Sangeet while Lightyear Studio took the lead preserving every minute during the ceremony and reception. The high-energy celebrations took place at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City. At this exclusive venue, our charming duo’s bright vision was brought to life by Diwan by Design, who brought their expert knowledge to guarantee beautiful days of amazing fun and zero stress! Janki’s incredible bridal fashion made her a true queen in an elegant red ensemble for her ceremony and a heavily beaded cream reception lehenga with perfect hair and makeup from I du's by Heather. The reception was a huge success as DJ Ravi kept guests excited all night long and world-famous Carlo's Bakery created an impressive white sweet cake as wedding dessert! Hit play to the film below for more of this dreamy fusion wedding now!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Chris my freshman year of high school. We became best friends pretty quickly and did almost everything together including deciding to go to college in Boston! We didn't start dating until our first month of freshman year in college but I knew in high school that he would be the one I would end up with. He was always been my rock and the constant in my life.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
The entire day started out a little crazy. I was on the busiest rotation of my 2nd year in residency. Chris had told me several months prior that I had to fly home to NJ for a work event he was having for his company. We had our residency graduation the night before in Cleveland and I was out till late and flying to Newark at 5 am the next morning. Chris called me in the morning to make sure I made the flight but I was actually still in bed an hour before my flight! I sped to the airport, nearly threw my keys at the valet, ran through security, rode a golf cart to my gate, and JUST made the flight (doors closing behind me)! Chris told me later that he was so anxious and nervous that I wouldn't make it home! I spend the morning with my family and went to NYC in the afternoon to see my best friend. Chris had told me the event was in NYC that evening and that he would just meet me there. When it came time for me to leave for the event, my friend said she was going to dinner nearby and would just walk with me. I walked up to a building on 5th Avenue and when I opened the door, there was an iPad that read press play. Confused, I looked at my friend who had the biggest smile on her face and pressed play and there was Chris sitting at our high school where we met telling me how excited he was to spend the rest of our life together. I immediately started to cry. After his video, there were recorded messages of his mom and his three sisters, all who live out of state. As I finished watching their messages, his mom and sisters all came out from around the corner. I was in shock. They took me up the elevator. As I stepped off, I saw my three best friends standing there with another iPad, which contained recorded messages from my friends in high school, college, and medical school, and residency. As I walked a little further, there were my parents, sisters, and grandmother with another iPad with messages from my family from India and my extended family in the US. The last stop, around the corner, was Chris, standing on one knee with rose petals on the ground and the Empire State Building (my favorite building) in the background! I obviously said yes! I couldn't have planned a more perfect proposal myself. Everyone who knows me knows how important my family and friends are to me and how much I miss not having everyone in one place. Chris found a way to do that and bring everyone together on one of the most important 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.
The first thing we decided on was our wedding venue. We loved the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City and cannot say enough about how wonderful they were. NYC is both of our favorite places and to get married with that in the background was a dream! Since I was in Cleveland, it was harder to book hair/makeup, photographers, decorators from a distance. I ended up doing it all remotely and flying back and forth to meet with vendors. We decided to keep things simple and focus on what people would remember about the weekend. We spend a lot of time picking our DJ/entertainment and caterers. Once we decided to go with Moghul we did multiple food tastings to perfect the menu. People still tell us how much they loved the food at our wedding and how we managed to make it different but still amazing!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
All I knew when I went shopping in India was that I wanted a red bridal lengha. I had looked online a few times and hadn't found one I loved but had an idea of what I wanted. On my second day there, I tried on a red lengha that had actually already been sold to another client! I feel in love with it and they ended up making a custom one for me!
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Honestly, the best part of the whole process was planning with my husband to be. It was so exciting to put every little thing together and try and create an event that we felt was most representative of our story, full of love and laughter! We had a great time doing every little thing, from putting together the signs for the wedding weekend to food tasting - it was a blast!
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The love story, the music, the food, and of course the singing by the groom, which had everyone in tears and in awe! We are still getting compliments on the wedding!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
While I loved the entire weekend, I would be lying if I said there was anything that I loved more than Chris singing. He is incredibly shy and hates performing and had never sung in public before! I was so confused when he got up and when he started singing I was just in absolute shock! I've watched the video every day since the wedding and still sometimes cannot believe that it happened! The fact that he sang my three favorite songs including one in Hindi was just absolutely unbelievable.
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.
The sangeet was held at the Hyatt Regency Jersey City with decor by Vishu Decorators, photo/video by Ami Video, and catering by Moghul. We had a skit/dances followed by traditional Gujarati garba/raas!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Enjoy the entire process because it'll fly by before you know it! It can be very stressful at times, but everything will come together in the end. It's important not to stress over small details and focus on what you and your partner want your special day to look like overall!
We will see you tomorrow, Maharanis!
Hair & Makeup: I du's by Heather |
Planning & Design: Diwan by Design |
Photography: Ami Video |
Cinematography: Ami Video |
Cinematographer: Lightyear Studio |
Photographer: Lightyear Studio |
Sangeet Venue: Hyatt Regency Jersey City |
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Hyatt Regency Jersey City |
Floral & Decor: Vishnu Decorators |
Catering: Moghul Catering |
DJ: DJ Ravi |
Baraat: DJ Ravi |
Cake & Treats: Carlo's Bakery
I du's by Heather,
Diwan by Design and
Ami Video
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