Most high school crushes don't last, but Aanchal and Neel is a love story that stands the test of time. They met while Aanchal was a Freshman and Neel was a Sophomore and have been together since then! After a surprise flash mob proposal and Covid pushing their wedding date almost a year later, the wait finally culminated in a big wedding spree! Aananya by ZK helped the couple through the entire process and together created every last detail for each event following the couple's vision. These details included the splendid decor Liz Decorations created for the outdoor ceremony. The plethora of pretty hues and gorgeous flowers contributed to the space's spring and bright feeling. Raja Neel surprised the crowd by riding one of the stunning white horses of Olde Towne Carriages for his Baraat. At the same time, Aanchal amazed her Raja and her guests, looking like an authentic Maharani. An exquisite red lehenga and a beautiful flower bun by Hair by Mim comprised her trousseau, while a bespoke bridal mehndi by Bhavna's Henna embellished her arms and feet! She picked an elegant lehenga set in her favorite color for her reception, and Malia's Makeup Artistry elevated the look with flawless makeup! At the culmination of their extravaganza at Lansdowne Resort & Spa, the couple treated their guests to a beautiful confection specially created for the occasion by Girl Meets Cake and entertained the partygoers with Platinum Roadshow. At the same time, SVPDJ added some shine to the decor with their fabulous lighting! Villatoro Productions did an extraordinary job filming all the steps that led these two to their big day, and we couldn't hold ourselves from sharing this charming highlight film! Click below and get inspired!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
My husband and I met when we were in high school. I was a Freshman and he was a Sophomore. We were both in the same Spanish class and our teacher assigned our seats to be next to each other because she said “she saw the spark”. We began dating the following semester and have been together now for 12 years! I knew he was the one when he was there for me through thick and thin and stuck around through it all.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
My older sister told me her fiancé had an award ceremony in DC that we all were going to attend. The weekend before the “award ceremony”, my mom, 2 sisters, and I went shopping for our outfits. The day of the proposal, my family and I got ready together and we headed to the Georgetown waterfront. As I was walking down the beautiful steps of the waterfront I reflected on how beautiful of a day it was and how gorgeous the water looked. As I made my way around the fountain and up the stairs closer to the water, I see a group of people in a formation. Next thing I know, music plays and a flash mob is occurring right before my eyes. Midway into the performance my then soon-to-be fiancé made his way from the back of the group to the front and at the end of the amazing dance, he took my hand, brought me by the water, and popped the question in front of our closest family and friends!
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 difficult planning a wedding during Covid and having to postpone our plans. A lot of my shopping was done online, including dresses, jewelry, and accessories. Luckily we have a dream team of vendors that we used previously for our engagement party, so we wanted to keep with the same team for the most part for the wedding! We also worked with Saumil Parikh from SVP Entertainment, who is a close family friend, and he guided us through a lot of the process.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Pinterest was my savior! I was able to pick up on colors and styles that really suited my personality and found a great vendor through Etsy to buy my wedding dress. I knew I wanted to go traditional red for the ceremony and had to throw in teal at some point because it’s my favorite color! So I chose a bold teal to wear for the reception.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part was by far being able to plan with my best friend of a husband! He was not a laid back groom, he made sure to involve himself and give his opinions! Which worked really well for me because I’m so indecisive. He also used to DJ and event plan so he brought a lot of great thoughts to the planning process. Aside from that I’d have to say I individually loved planning out the decor and making my sketches of each event come to life through the colors we chose!
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think they really loved how we made each event OURS. We adapted traditions to what represented us and we involved our wedding party who we love so much to really be apart of our wedding events. I think that brought a wholesome feeling that really filled the room.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The first looks! I had 3 first looks, first with the groomsmen, then with the rest of the wedding party and family, and finally with my husband to be. The momentum grew perfectly leading up to the most awaited moment of my life, to see my groom see me as his bride. It was such a unique thing we did and I loved that it played out that way.
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 used Liz Decorations for all of our decor and she went above and beyond! We really wanted each event to have a different look and feel from the other. We wanted the mehendi to be fun and vibrant, while the garba having a traditional and musical feel to it. We wanted the ceremony to have a romantic simpler look with a contrast of the reception to be grand and elegant. And Liz executed all of these visions so beautifully!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Plan ahead as much as you can and make to do lists! You can’t account for everything, but you don’t want to feel stressed out leading up to your big day (because the nerves will kick in anyway!). We have a lot of time to plan, especially with postponing our wedding date. I know that won’t be the case for every bride and groom, so use the time that you have efficiently by making monthly to do tasks. Also, definitely hire a wedding day coordinator! This literally saved my life and I could not be more thankful for Aananya!
To all the brides- don’t forget to keep aside moments for you and your groom to take a breath and capture what’s happening around you. It’s going to go by so fast, and you’ll want to sink it in while it’s all there in front of you.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
My wedding day jewelry was bought from Evotique (located in CA, but they work over video calls as well)! Our amazing cake was done by Girl Meets Cake- Misty was so lovely to work with and she really takes the feedback to make you the most delicious cakes with the best flavor combos! Bhavna’s Henna did my mehendi and she incorporated the story of us starting from high school through where we live in the DMV- her art is amazing! We are so thankful for all of our vendors to get us through the highs and lows of wedding planning!
No comments yet.
Please, sign in to leave a comment.