Hello, Maharanis! You might remember this fabulous Indian fusion wedding from its feature on the Platinum Vendor Blog a few weeks ago (in case you missed it, check it out here); we're thrilled that the amazing folks at Texpertz Photography sent us a video of the spectacular shaadi! We love the beautiful moments Texpertz Photography captured in the video, especially seeing the exact moment Anun and Shwertha became husband and wife (3:14)! Our Indian bride Shwertha looked stunning, with her hair and makeup by Sarah Aasif Makeup Artistry! Then, we saw the exciting reception planned by Elaan Events at the elegant InterContinental Dallas, where we got to witness fun performances and heartfelt speeches. As we saw the newlyweds and their guests dancing to the songs DJ Riz Entertainment perfectly picked (6:56), we were certain the night was one they'd always remember!
On how Maharani Shwertha met her Raja:
"I met my Raja Arun Varghese when we were in college pursuing the same Engineering degree. Most girls usually have some idea of what their dream husband would be like, I am very pleased to say that Arun was all that and more to me! We have so many similar interests and he soon became my best friend! I knew he was the one because he got along well with my family and he could make me happy like no one else can! We are strong individuals and together we are a power couple!"
On the romantic proposal:
"I have a beautifully planned proposal story to share! Arun told me that for our yearly anniversary (where we celebrate the day of our first date) he had set up a photoshoot for us at the Forth Worth Botanical Gardens. He knows how much I love the Japanese gardens there! So I was very excited to have our first professional shoot together. He took me to the gardens where we met with our photographer who was also a good friend to us. We began walking around the gardens and posing around the cute koi fish ponds, pebble stone steps in the water and the Japanese-style houses with bridges. It was so beautiful there during the fall with the colors! Halfway through the shoot I came across an interesting blue present all wrapped and laid out on a rock. As I approached it, I was slightly confused about what to do with it. Arun told me to go ahead and open it, and so I did! Inside was a small multi photo frame! Then as I kept walking forward I found another present by a water fountain and I proceeded to open that; it was a coupon book with custom coupons Arun had made just for me! After that we continued the photoshoot and went to the rose garden and there I caught a trail of flowers leading up to a gazebo with candles all around it and one final present waiting inside it. I walked inside the gazebo and lifted up the present and as I looked up at Arun, he nodded to proceed with opening it. As I unwrapped the present, my heart was beating so fast! I came across a small ring box and when I looked up I saw Arun get down on one knee. He was getting ready to propose!!!! He took the ring box from me, opened it and popped the life changing question! And out from the bushes our friends popped out with signs that read 'Will You Marry Me'!!!! And that's how we got engaged and began our new journey together."
On determining her wedding style:
"To tell you the truth it all came together very slowly. Texpertz was my first Vendor, I worked with Munaza for the first time during our engagement shoot! After that I met with Cindy from Blissful Celebrations, when I started looking at some of her work I began to get my ideas. I remember building the table decor on the spot putting together the different items; that was a lot of fun to design! I soon learned that I really liked the colors pink, blue and gold and that became kind of our wedding palette! I would say our theme was a contemporary fusion wedding! We included a lot of the Christian traditions such as lighting of the unity candle on the stage during the reception which signifies marriage by the merging of two lights into one."
On the best parts of wedding planning:
"I loved that I got to be so involved in every aspect of it. I only had a day of wedding planner, so all weddings selections and meetings with vendors were organized by me and my husband! I really enjoyed planning my own wedding and I realized how much passion I have for making a vision come true -- now I help do that for others! I think my most favorite part was that we had a wedding and reception in Dallas, Texas and then just a few weeks later we had a reception all over again in Bangalore, India! We were blessed to celebrate not once but twice in two separate parts of the world! I had a lot of fun working with Blissful Celebrations in Dallas to design from scratch the stage and the table decorations. I absolutely love Manzanita trees, not only was that our centerpiece but I also made that a guest sign in tree for them to leave their advice/blessings to us on a small note hanging from the tree! One thing I kept in mind throughout my planning was that I wanted my guests to have a memorable time just the way I knew we would!"
On choosing her wedding outfits:
"I definitely spent hours on the internet first! However, I had a pretty good idea of the colors and type of work that the dress would have. My biggest obstacle was that I could not go to India to do the shopping, so my options were very limited. My wedding gown I tried on once and I knew it was the one, I felt very beautiful! My traditional silk saree with peacock designs was from Pothys and I absolutely loved the striking pink and green colors! My lengha came from India and the first time I took it out of the box, I was stunned by how gorgeous it was along with my custom corset top!"
On the most magical moments of the day:
"Hmm, I would have to say the moments leading up to the first dance. Right as we got up to walk to the center of the dance floor for our first dance, he did something that totally caught me off guard: he got down on one knee with a very special ring and proposed to me -- again! He reenacted the proposal in a very unique way with my favorite song playing and this time our friends and family were all there to witness it. It was very cool and I love him for thinking of that, a moment that changed our lives forever!"
On their first dance song:
"We wanted to break from the norm and really show our culture by doing a Bollywood fusion for our first dance! We combined 'Kudha Jaane' from Bachna Ae Haseeno and Five for Fighting's '100 Years.' It was a combination of slow dance and Bollywood choreography. My husband and I came up with our own choreography and it was great experiencing putting together the dance. We learned so much about each other and it really meant a lot to us to see our hard work pay off so beautifully on the dance floor. It was the first time for him to do a Bollywood dance so I had a blast teaching him and to my surprise he came up with some pretty unique steps too! It was a fun and emotional moment for us and it was very special to share that with our family and friends!"
On determining her wedding look:
"I discovered Sarah Aasif through a mutual friend and I remember when I first met her, she was an absolute blessing to work it! Her style was very different and she had a lot of personal touches that were unique (such as her famous glittering eyes). I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted going in and Sarah worked closely with me to bring my vision to life! I wanted a look that would go well with a white gown and a traditional Indian saree, since I was wearing both on the same day with very little time to change. She did my hair and makeup better than I imagined and I really did feel like the most gorgeous bride!"
On how her family and friends took part in the wedding:
"Our family and friends performed many great dances that brought so much excitement to the room and I remember having a big smile on my face watching them have fun out there! My bridesmaids were wonderful, I wanted something very different and unique for their outfits. Their outfits were not 100% the same but had alternating colors and I thought it really added to the colorful feeling of an Indian wedding!"
On her wedding jewelry, outfits, and cake:
"My wedding jewelry was very special to me because everything I wore was a gift from my mom! She had spent years building her beautiful gold & diamond jewelry collection which she passed down to me on my wedding day! I am very blessed to have had the chance to wear them during my most important day!
All my wedding events took place in one day and I had 3 outfit changes: a white beaded gown from Lulus Bridal Boutique in Dallas, a silk saree and a pink/blue wedding lengha! I know a lot of brides would shy away from wearing mehndi when getting married in a white gown but I got it done for my entire arms and feet! It came out an orange/red tone and really brought some Indian flavor to the look! Even the pictures captured it beautifully. My cake was white with a pink saree draping fondant, some said it even looked like pink water flowing down the cake!"
We'll see you here again tomorrow for a spectacular Indian wedding film!
