Happy Wednesday, Maharanis! Are you ready to be part of a story that looks as if it was taken from a fairytale? Let yourself dive into this memorable event, and join Shivani & Yatrik on this romantic journey. This amazing couple is sharing with us the fantastic day they enjoyed with their relatives and friends at The Westin Chicago Northwest. The beautiful bride wore a lengha with a traditional ruby color and embroidery with golden tones that was ornamented with gold jewelry provided by Heirloom as well that complemented her look with a shiny necklace and long earrings flower-shaped. The Haldy ceremony was one of the touching moments during the celebration. The couple could not stop smiling, showing their happiness. Still, the party was not the exception, and every detail was perfectly placed with rose tones selected by Dream Occasions to celebrate the love that was present in this celebration. And, we want to thank our good friends at Le Cape Weddings as they worked their magic to capture the most memorable ceremony moments in such a spectacular way that it almost feels as if we were there! Don't think twice and get ready to rejoice with all the beauty.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Yatrik and I met through DilMil (a dating app). It’s truly a “meant to be” story—as it turns out he grew up with some of my extended family, yet we connected all the dots after we matched. I knew he was the one after meeting the first time in person with an idea after face timing the third day into talking! We’d describe ourselves as a fun-loving couple! We balance each other well and even to this day cannot believe how everything just worked out the way it did.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Yatrik caught me by complete surprise. He told me he was going to be busy with no service for a couple of hours in the OR, while my sister told me to accompany her to a work event at London House Chicago. I was all ready for the occasion and met her there. We went up the elevators as if it was just entering a normal event but when we got to the cupola she was gone. As I turned to the right, there he was standing there dressed up with a pink tie (my favorite color) that matched my dress. He had it all set up for it to be just the two of us while one of my best friends turned out to be the one capturing the moment. The proposal was full of not one but 3 surprises. Everyone played it off so well, and I did not suspect a thing during their planning process. Yatrik made sure our immediate families were present and later our friends surprised us at Lou Malnatis, our first date spot. Chicago was where we first met in person after connecting on DilMil. I’m from Chicago and Yatrik is from Nashville. Who knew the city would become even more special for us as it is now!
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.
Yatrik and I always wanted more of an intimate wedding. Typically, we are used to Indian weddings ranging anywhere from 400-500 people minimum, but it was important to us that ours was a maximum of 350 people. We wanted our close family and friends to be present. As the bride, I always envisioned having those that knew me present at our wedding and Yatrik, fortunately, felt the same way! Given we got married during the pandemic we ended up having 280 people at our wedding all of which we made sure were vaccinated before attending as well.
Our overall experience with the venues was great. Westin was truly accommodating and helped us execute the wedding the best way possible! We did not have a wedding planner but the mother of the bride carried the team. While the bride and groom planned and laid out their vision, the bride's parents did all the hard labor between meetings, phone calls, etc. The bride is currently in school and the husband in residency plus long distance so it was a godsend!
As the bride, I also had a great time with Hair & Makeup. I would highly recommend them for future events.
Details about each vendor are outlined below:
-Hair and Make-up by Marie: I’ve been a client of Marie’s for 5+ years now and I would not trust anyone else to do my hair for me. She knew exactly what my mom, sister, and I wanted for each event without weighing our hairstyles down or giving it a very stiff look. Honestly, I wish I already had another event where she could do my hair again for me! She’s also very honest about what would suit her clients which really helps before you base everything off just pictures pulled from online or social media!
-SYG Artistry & Candice Marie Artistry: Sana did a phenomenal job on not only myself but also my mom and sister. She didn’t make us look cakey and still provided a look that did not move the entire day! She was punctual and organized which helped especially on the morning of the wedding. I never did a make-up trial for any of my looks before the wedding, but Sana just knew what to do. The same thing applies to Candice who did our looks for the Grah Shanti/Pithi. I literally felt like Princess Jasmine after Marie and Candice had completed my hair and makeup!
-Henna by Faryal: Faryal had done my mehndi a few times in the past and since then I knew I wanted her to do my bridal mehndi. As a new mom and during the pandemic it wasn’t easy to travel to other clients, but she made it work. She kept me as her client, and I did not feel rushed one bit. Instead, all the drawings I provided her plus her own input led to a gorgeous design. The mehndi she uses also stains better than anyone else I’ve been with.
-Dream Occasions: Even though it would have been easy to just stick with décor setups they had once completed or something similar they were willing to try new things which we appreciated. We met with them many times or communicated via email. While staying within the budget they were able to put together exactly what we envisioned. Shilpa and Min are very friendly and easy to work with!
-Le Cape Weddings: Jon and Vicky were very fun to work with! Their work speaks for itself, and we were in awe when we saw our wedding highlight. They try to make it unique to the couple. The whole team made it very easy to trust that everything would be handled well during the actual events.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Having boba at the wedding was probably a guest favorite! Since the wedding was earlier in the day, we opted for a mango tea with mango star boba. We wanted to keep it kid friendly and also be refreshing on a hot summer day! We also had his and her favorites which were kept on every seat during the wedding. Her favorite was Ghiradelli Chocolates which played along with the color scheme of the wedding and His Favorite was honey-roasted cashews. The special touch from the bride was actually including pictures of the groom's face on the "Her Favorite" which all the guests got a kick out of. Guests also loved the welcome baskets we had for everyone coming from out of town or staying in the hotel. We included personal touches and made sure all the snacks were accommodating to dietary restrictions. In addition to the itinerary and welcome card, there were water bottles that had personalized labels that read "Welcome to Chicago! Yatrik and Shivani." Snacks included spicy peanuts, fruit snacks, assorted chocolates, granola bars, etc. The guests thought they were professionally made yet it was the bride's idea executed by the mother of the bride and her friends!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
There wasn't just one special moment. It was an indescribable feeling though. During the wedding any moments the bride and groom shared just felt like it was their own. We felt like it was just the two of us yet all the guests were present. I knew when Yatrik and I were together I felt at peace and let go of any stress there may have been on my mind in regards to the details of the wedding.
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.
*All décor was completed by Dream Occasions*
Grah Shanti/Pithi: This was our first official event. We picked colors that would play off our outfits which could also be carried over into the wedding. Given it was a summer wedding we wanted light draping and nothing overpowering so that it still felt like a puja. The draping was a combination of teal, magenta, and hints of gold for both stages. For the pithi, both bride and groom were on the same stage. We used make-up brushes to place the pithi on the bride and groom.
Wedding: The details needed to come together in all aspects for this event. Starting with the mandap, we chose a simple yet romantic feeling. The draping was champagne and light pink color with gold pillars, crystal beading, and florals to accent. The aisle carried crystal towers with tea light candles and white orchids. The theme of the wedding was “Can’t help falling in love” based on the aisle song I had chosen. There were two bags labeled his and her favorite with Ghirardelli chocolates and honey-roasted cashews. Water bottles were provided labeled in pink with a picture of the bride and groom. We wanted the details to be as personalized as possible. We also provided mango iced tea with mango boba in personalized cups to all the guests from Bobar. Assigned seating was provided for the immediate family, bridesmaids, and groomsmen.
Reception: We wanted to carry over the romantic theme created during the wedding but still give it a formal flair. We went for an all-white, monochromatic look with some hints of blush pink (also the bride’s favorite color). We had a couple of dances--groomsmen plus the groom surprised the bride, father/daughter which transitioned into an immediate family dance, bridesmaids and bride, and our first dance! We had a white dance floor as well. The lighting, cake, and accent flowers in the centerpieces for the main tables incorporated blush pink tones. Larger, plastic diamond pieces were scattered around the guest table where there were several pictures of the bride and groom along with acrylic, a personalized card box, a guest book, and Jenga blocks to sign. Dinner was provided by India House Catering and was exactly what the families meticulously chose after countless tastings. We made sure to have enough options for all the guests that attended ranging from Indian food to Indochinese varying it up from the prior events. For dessert, we had a dessert table outside which included mango mousse, Nutella cheesecake, rasmalai, assorted fruit, and our wedding cake. The wedding cake was a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and macerated raspberries. The desserts were provided by Once Upon a Tier and Sweet Reserve Bakery.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
1. Make sure to enjoy the process and day of the wedding as stressful as it can be! It’s so easy to get caught up in all the details, balancing both families, and other aspects of life that the few good moments get missed.
2. Always remember the reasons why you and your fiancé decided to get married in the first place. The engagement period needs to mean something that you can also look back on as time goes on. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the details, balancing both families, and other aspects of life that the good moments get missed.
3. Have a meeting with your photographer to discuss not only the basics but also the type of images you want, the style, and who to incorporate the most. A lot of times poses, group shots, and details get missed the way the couple wants if not clear from the start. It’s also hard to know who’s the most important people you want to shoot at the wedding so it can always be made easier by providing table numbers or pictures of the people you want more pictures of.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Bridal Look:
-Mehndi: This was our first event, so as the bride I wanted a fun, yet simple look compared to the other events leading up to the wedding. I wore an outfit by Label Anushree which incorporated various other colors. I only wore earrings for this event. My hair and make-up were done on my own since I wanted to keep it simple. I had loose waves. My make-up was a natural look with a brown smokey eye.
-Grah Shanti: Both my husband and I wanted to match for these events even though our pujas were taking place in the hall right next to each other. My outfit was from Lashkaraa. It was green with gold and red detailing. The blouse was off the shoulder with a subtle sweetheart neckline. I wore earrings that were red, and a gold chandelier with pearls. On my hands, I wore the Aadhya Hathphool kundan set from the Paisley Pop Shop instead of bangles. It accented my mehndi and added just the right piece to make the outfit come together.
-Pithi: I changed into a yellow and white outfit. Given it was the pithi event, I wanted a midi skirt and a thin strapped blouse with mirror work. There were hints of blue and pink on the yellow to make it more colorful with the event!
-Wedding: I knew going into wedding planning that I was not one to love the bright red look. When I initially went shopping, I thought I would wear a cream or light pink but after trying on multiple outfits, I vetoed that immediately. I ended up preferring a darker maroon color which incorporated rose gold/matte gold work with peaches and pinks. I had it custom-made the way I envisioned it after seeing a different variation. The maroon was just the background color which was not overpowering for me. For my hair, I wanted a loose updo with floral accents and the tikka to be covered except for the main part of my hairstyle. My hair and dupatta sat perfectly for my liking without giving it that stiff appearance. My jewelry complemented my outfit without distracting the entire look. I did not want to wear hathphools for the wedding since I wanted my mehndi to show more and change the look-up. My bangles were just the right amount where you could see the mehndi with enough area between the sleeves and the rest of my arm.
-Reception: Having an all-white décor set up with shades of pink, I wanted to incorporate Yatrik’s favorite color into the outfits. As the bride, I really wanted an outfit that would be all beadwork and sparkle. I picked an Elsa blue-colored outfit and made it look more Indo-Western by ditching the dupatta. I wanted a chic yet not overdone look when it all came together. I wore my mangalsutra, earrings from Paisley Pop Shop, and the bracelet Yatrik gifted me for our wedding. My shoes were from Badgley Mischka. I had Hollywood waves and a subtle smokey eye with a soft pink lip for my make-up.
Groom Look:
-Mehndi: The objective was to match my outfit without it being the same exact pattern. Yatrik ended up wearing a maroon kurta pajama from Manyavar, with a subtle pattern. He wore cream Toms to match the outfit.
-Grah Shanti: For this event, even though they were held separately, we wanted to spin off each other’s outfits. Yatrik’s outfit was from Manyavar, this time being a green floral printed vest with a navy-blue kurta pajama. He had navy blue Toms for this event.
-Pithi: The outfit had lucknowi work and was a subtle shade of yellow almost looking cream. The outfit was from G3 and one of the last outfits we needed to find! He managed to do everything online and the outfit was delivered in time for the event.
-Wedding: A sherwani was worn on the day of the wedding. There was lots of embroidery with accents of matte gold, pink, and peach. Again, the outfit was from Manyavar. The paag was a blush pink and the dupatta matched the paag. The juttis worn were custom-made in India to match both of our outfits to bring the entire look together. No jewelry was worn with this outfit, as the groom preferred not to.
-Reception: A navy blue tux with opaque, silver buttons on the shirt was worn for the reception. Instead of a tie, the groom preferred a bow tie. Everything was provided from Men’s Warehouse as we did not want to buy a tux for the event with no place to wear it later.
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