We're spending day three of our newly launched blog with a Maharani fave, Robles Video Productions! The talented cinematographers captured a stunning Indian wedding in Dana Point, California, at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott, and it's simply splendid in every way! The blushing Indian bride, Leena, wed the Raja of her dreams, Alok, in a traditional Hindu ceremony, with not so traditional elements — like rain! — but neither that, nor anything, could stop these lovebirds from becoming man and wife! Ethnic Essence planned this beautiful event, which featured an outdoor ceremony and an incredible reception filled to the brim with spectacular details. Maharani Leena was the picture of Princess perfection from frame to frame, thanks to her extraordinary hair and makeup artist, Parul Gandhi of Karishma Beauty Salon, and we were head over heels for her sky blue reception lengha! Check it out!
Maharani Leena, on her wedding style:
"I feel that there is an elegant beauty in simplicity, and that is the style I wanted for my wedding. I looked through many color palettes and fell in love with a combination of soft rose pink and gold. I also really wanted to have floral baby elephants as part of my mandap. My decorator/coordinator Smita Mohindra from Ethnic Essence made it all come to life so perfectly - they are so cute and make me smile every time I see them!"
On what she enjoyed most about planning her dream wedding:
"The best part about planning my wedding was getting to spend lots of time with my family, especially my mom and aunt, bouncing ideas off each other and then ultimately watching it all come to life. I couldn't have done it without them. Also, I love to eat, so the food and dessert tastings were pretty fun too!"
On finding her dream wedding lenghas:
"I first combed through Pinterest and looked at a few local stores to get an idea of what was out there. I ultimately ended up working with a designer, Puja Oberoi, to create a custom lengha for my ceremony. She created a beautiful lengha for me with zari and stone work with a deep red blouse, gold skirt, and soft pink dupatta that matched my color scheme perfectly, and she made a matching outfit for Alok too. I also went shopping in India and after seeing a few bridal lenghas there, was very happy with my decision to design my outfit at home. I did find the perfect reception gown in India though - first store, first dress I saw!"
On her hair and makeup:
"I don't wear makeup on a regular basis so I wanted to look natural, and I love the look of french braids, so I used that as the foundation and then I worked with my hair and makeup artist, Parul Gandhi, to come up with the final look. She executed beautifully!"
Additional thoughts from the bride:
"About an hour before our outdoor ceremony was starting, it began to rain. We weren't sure if it was going to stop, so we waited awhile but it did not let up. Everything was already set up and looked so beautiful, and we had dreamed of an outdoor wedding by the beach, so we made the difficult decision to go ahead, rain and all, and still get married outside. It was cold, wet, and windy, but our family and friends were so supportive, huddled together with towels to watch us get married, and our vendors improvised to make it all work. In retrospect, it was actually pretty incredible to get married with all the elements of nature surrounding us."
See you tomorrow for another incredible wedding film, friends!
