Welcome to paradise Maharanis! Nikki and Ashish had the wedding weekend of their dreams in front of the crystal waters and white-sands beach of Cancun, Mexico! Our newlyweds gathered their closest loved ones at the fabulous Villas Del Palmar Cancun, where they chose to host all of their wedding events. The first step to become husband and wife comprised a beautiful haldi ritual in front of the ocean that took place before an energetic Sangeet celebration night, also overlooking the ocean! Maharani Nikki, followed not only fashion but also tradition, wearing a swoon-worthy coral lehenga with a blue choli with heavy embroidery for her big day! Luckily, Monga Sangha traveled all the way to Cancun to make sure our Bride looked extraordinary for each event! The solemn ceremony was flawless and super intimate. Every tear and laugh of the nuptials was filmed by the destination wedding cinematographer Fine Arts Studio, who helped the couple make tons of memories. Getting married internationally can be stressful, nevertheless this exotic elopement was carefully planned and designed by KP Style Events who were on top of everything and made the entire weekend run smoothly! The magical soiree was full of white florals and tasteful adornments. I’m so obsessed with the elephant topiaries provided by Euforia! Total inspiration. For his first night as a married man, groom Ashish wore a well-tailored black tux jacket and black trousers that made him shine at the dance floor! After raising their glasses, all guests danced thanks to Encore Entertainment, who rocked the party along with a fantastic saxophonist, Rivera Sax, who gave the night a special feeling. Hasten to watch the amazing compilation of this Cancun Wedding!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
It all started with two swipes right and an app called Dil Mil.
People say that love usually finds you when you're least expecting it and that was the case for us. Both of us downloaded Dil Mil (an Indian dating app) hoping to find that special someone, but at the same time, neither of us had high hopes. Little did we know that downloading the app on our phones would change our lives for the better.
It was December of 2015 and after a lot of swiping right and left, we both matched. Nikki was in Seattle, Washington and Ashish was in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After finding out where the other person was located, Nikki was a skeptic and didn't think the distance would work, but Ashish being persistent insisted we continue talking and see where things go. After less than four weeks of texting back and forth, talking on the phone, and video chatting, Ashish made the decision to fly out to Seattle and we met in person. We were both full of excitement, nervousness, and doubt for our first meeting, but the minute we saw each other at the airport, we both knew we made the right choice. Our first date went better than we could have expected, we got along great and conversation was effortless. By the end of Ashish's trip, we both knew that we wanted to continue this journey together.
After a year of flying back and forth, across the country to be with each other, Ashish proposed to Nikki in December 2016 in Seattle.
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.
My husband and I both knew we wanted to do a destination wedding and celebrate with just our close friends and family so we started the search for a resort. We wanted something that was big enough to accommodate our guests and events, but also small enough so that everyone was together and could get to know each other and not be spread out throughout the resort. We found Villa Del Palmar in Cancun and loved the venue. Having all the guests and events in one place made things so much more convenient for our guests. The wedding coordinators at the resort were super helpful and we were able to plan the majority of our wedding communicating with them while still in the US. My hair and makeup artist, Mona Sangha from Vancouver gave me different looks for each of my events and helped to bring my vision together.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I went shopping with an open mind for my bridal lengha but knew I didn't want anything red and was more looking for pinks and corals. I tried on outfit after outfit before deciding to do a custom piece. I took inspiration from 3 different outfits that I tried on and we sketched out my wedding piece. My husband's outfit was a blue atchkin with gold throughout so I decided to go with the blue for my top and the coral for the bottom. The outfit turned out beautifully and was exactly what I envisioned.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the planning process was doing our first site visit. We booked our resort and planned the majority of our wedding without seeing the resort in person. Two months before the wedding we did a site visit and were relieved that not only did the pictures online reflect the resort, but that the resort was even more beautiful in person. During this trip, we walked the grounds and saw where each of our events would take place which made everything even more real for us. We also did the cake tasting during that trip so I was pretty content to say the least :)
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think the guests loved that the resort was smaller and guests from both sides were able to mingle and get to know each other easier. By the end of the weekend, everyone knew everyone and had had some conversation with each person which isn't an easy feat for an indian wedding of any size! I know I definitely enjoyed seeing both families really interact and get to know each other and creating the feeling of one family.
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 on the beach and was a pretty traditional setup with lots of colors. There were multiple friend and family dance performances from both sides, and I even did a dance.
I love elephants so we decided to go with an elephant themed reception. My husband even surprised me with two large elephants on the sides of the stage which I loved and was NOT expecting (Still not sure how he pulled it off without me knowing)!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Try not to stress about every little detail on your wedding day and really enjoy every minute of it. You, your partner, families and friends have all spent thousands of hours planning for this day and it will be over before you know it. So just have fun and celebrate your marriage and the start of a new chapter in your lives!
Have a good one, loves! Don't forget to keep hunting for more wedding inspiration!
