Good morning, Maharanis! If a glimpse of what a real Maharani celebration is all about is what you seek, look no further because today's filmy is everything you have dreamed and expected out of an Indian wedding bash. The gala comes to us from PA, and I can't believe the grandiosity and glam displayed throughout it. Our friends from Lightyear Studios truly outdid themselves with this feature. So many colors, ambiances, delicious plates, dances, guests, and memories, captured by their talent. Impressive! The exclusive Hilton Philadelphia at Penns Landing was the venue of choice for Neha and Sunny to tie the knot! The Indian queen of the night, Maharani Neha, wore beautiful outfits and luxurious accessories that praised her innate beauty and made her look like a goddess. The team from Flawless Beauty by Pauline was in charge of dolling up this beauty, and they delivered nothing less than perfection. So talented! Today you are invited to relive all of the details that surrounded this celebration. So don't think twice and press play below for all of the highlights! You will love it!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Sunny on Dil Mil! I remember seeing his picture and thinking I really hope this one sends me a DM. His profile said he was vegetarian and loved Garba- what more was I looking for? We chatted through texts for a few days and then he asked me out on a date. I was giddy and nervous! We met in Princeton for dinner and drinks. I had an inkling he was the one after our first date. He was honest and charming. We spent every weekend together after that, mostly in Philly and eventually fell in love.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
As a teacher, I get a week off in April for Spring Break so we decided to go to Saint Lucia. It was somewhere neither of us have been to and a destination where we could relax by the pool and swim in the ocean. As we did our research, one of the things I really wanted to do was hike the Gros Piton mountain. We decided to do the hike early on, on our trip so we would have time to recover after. I remember trying to read Sunny's face every time we talked about the hike- does he want to do this hike? Am I forcing him? Is this a bad idea? But I didn't let these thoughts stop us from our original plan so we rented a car, drove to the mountain and met our tour guide. You can only do this hike with a tour guide and for them, it's like a walk in the park. Sunny packed a speaker in his backpack which was a good distraction as we made our way up to the top. We would sing along to a song as we hiked and then take a break for a few mins, then sing another song while we hiked and stop again for a few mins. It was strenuous but we eventually made it to the top two hours later. When we got to the top, we took in the moment, snapped a few pictures and then our tour guide said let me take you to a different spot with a better view. Now we were off trail, literally hiking in the mountain and I kept tripping over rocks and branches. I remember thinking this wasn't such a good idea but then as we got closer to this secret lookout point, our tour guide started filming our reaction on his phone. I didn't think much of it because that view was truly breathtaking- it was better than the top of the mountain. Sunny told me to face the ocean so that he could take a picture of me looking out in the distance. While he was getting his phone, he was also fumbling with his speaker. I was irritated, thinking why can't he just put down his speaker and take in this moment with me. As I started turning around, he started yelling, no wait, wait wai...let me take another picture! It was taking too long... so I turned around and there was Sunny, on one knee, with a ring, asking me to marry him while our tour guide captured all of it on video. I obviously said yes- we hugged, we cried a few happy tears, and we kissed. It was a special moment!
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.
After attending so many of our friend's weddings over the years, Sunny and I knew there were a few vendors that were really important to us and needed to book immediately. Sunny wanted DJ Gaurav because he knows how to get a crowd dancing all night and I wanted Pauline Nobles for hair and makeup because her work is truly flawless. We contacted them as soon as we selected a wedding date. Both of us wanted Lightyear Studios to be our photographers and videographers because their work is great quality. It took us some time to find the right decorator but in the end we found someone we loved- Nirali Decor. She was so easy to work with and made our visions come true. We used Platinum Dream Events as our day of coordinators and they did not miss a beat. Allison Manna at the Hilton was fantastic and helped our wedding day run smoothly.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
After Sunny proposed, I became very serious about my Pinterest boards. I created a board for mehndi designs, Garba decor, mandaps, hair/makeup looks and of course, wedding lenghas. The more I kept searching and pinning, I quickly realized that I was gravitating towards red bridal lenghas with heavy embroidery. Sabyasachi's designs caught my eye. I loved the way he created bold red lenghas with gold embroidery at the bottom of the skirt and floral sequins all over. When I went to India with Sunny and his parents, our first stop hours after we landed was Aso Palav. We spent nearly 6 hours there but I walked out with my wedding lengha. It was a bold red with gold embroidery at the bottom and floral sequins all over. I had my Sabyasachi moment.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The best part about planning our wedding was food tasting! You really can't go wrong with Moghul. They have so many traditional and unique items. We stuck with traditional Gujarati food for lunch after the wedding ceremony and North Indian/ Punjabi food for dinner during the reception. For our cocktail hour, it was important for us to have some Indo- Chinese items and finger foods that were easy to eat. We chose South Indian items for our Mehndi night and had stations with lots of Mumbai street foods set up at our Garba. It was important to us that we offered different items at all of our events.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our guests absolutely LOVED the venue. When our family and friends received their save the date card and wedding invites, most of them thought our wedding was in Center City Philadelphia- with tall buildings, crowded streets, and pedestrians everywhere. But once our guests checked in at the Hilton on Penn's Landing, they found it to be a mini-resort with a swimming pool in the hotel, food trucks and hammocks on Spruce Street Harbor Park and a Ferris Wheel at the Blue Cross River Rink! There was something to do for everyone no matter the age and given that both of us have large families, we envisioned the Hilton to be the perfect venue not only for us but for everyone.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
One of the best moments of our wedding was the Baraat. Sunny's baraat started over by the Seaport Museum, right outside the Hilton along the river. DJ Gaurav got the crowd so hyped and excited, everyone was dancing regardless of it being 90+ degrees outside. My bridesmaids and I were dancing in front of the windows that overlooked the waterfront. At one point, DJ Gaurav had everyone look over at the windows where I was waving at them and they were waving back at me. It was a moment where I knew Sunny was having a great time dancing with his family and friends and he knew I was with my girls smiling and laughing as they made their way to the Hilton. We had a drone that was able to capture so many shots from different angles of the baraat and they make us so happy!
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.
Sunny and I surprised our family and friends at our Garba night with a dance to Dholida and Chogada. People are still talking about it! We had a lot of fun putting it together.
My friends from childhood did a fabulous job at the reception with their dance and my brother really shocked everyone, in a good way, with his dancing skills.
Nirali from Nirali decor really killed it with her team. We loved the way she set everything up for us. She was easy to talk to, easy to work with, and made all of our events look and feel special.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Don't stress on your wedding day. Enjoy it! Remember to smile and laugh :)
Your guests will be able to feel your energy so make sure you stay positive and upbeat!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Cake was from Bredenbeck Bakery
Bouquets were from IGO in Edison- they have a little floral shop in there that also do garlands
Please visit us tomorrow for a new filmy moment. You will love it!
