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Oakland, NJ Sikh Wedding by Studio KSD

Welcome, darlings, to a tale of love and celebration as we embark on a journey through Supreet & Kabir's wedding. One of the most significant events was the Sangeet held at The Rockleigh. The expansive dance floor beckons guests to let loose and celebrate the joyous occasion, while the attentive service ensures that every need is met with grace and warmth. Supreet wore a magnificent bridal ensemble designed by Abhinav Mishra for the Mehndi ceremony, which was the easiest to choose for our bride. Mehndikalogie adorned her hands with exquisite mehndi designs, symbolizing love and new beginnings. Equishare Baraat Horses added a lovely touch as Kabir made his entrance on a magnificent horse adorned in vibrant colors and regalia. The sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The graceful presence of the majestic horses created an atmosphere of joy and excitement, symbolizing the groom's journey toward his happily ever after. The wedding ceremony took place at the breathtaking Guru Nanak Mission GurdwaraChandai Events meticulously planned every detail, ensuring every ceremony aspect was flawless. From the initial concept to the final execution, their expertise and meticulous attention to detail were evident throughout the entire process. Exclusive Events transformed the venue into a magical wonderland. The celebrations continued with a grand reception at the mesmerizing View on the Hudson, where the energetic beats and seamless transitions by DJ Raj Minocha from Platinum Roadshow Entertainment helped light the dance floor on fire! Studio KSD captured the magic of the evening with their exceptional cinematography skills, preserving the cherished moments of this wedding in a cinematic masterpiece. The team's professionalism and ability to capture candid, intimate moments allowed them to create a narrative reflecting this love story's true essence. Check out the video and enjoy!

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Heena Surani from @houseofchicofficial was my personal shopper and a BIG help when it came to picking out all of my clothes, as well as my mom's and my sister's. We didn't go to India to shop, so I really needed someone I could trust to coordinate with designers and ensure that everything fits perfectly. Heena works closely with many of India's top labels, which made the process smoother than I could've ever expected, especially given the fact that Kabir and I planned our wedding within 6 months.

I knew I wanted to get married in Rani pink, but I fell in love with the ombre Aaliyah lehnga from Dolly J Studios. Luckily, they were able to send me swatches of pink and custom-made the lehnga for me in that color. The swatches also made it easier for Kabir to incorporate the same shade of pink in his ensemble as well.

My sangeet was one of my biggest events and had the most people. I had really struggled to find my look for this event as I wanted to stand out and look bridal but still have fun and feel comfortable enough to dance. Coincidentally, the Rang collection from VVani had just launched, and I fell in love! Once again, I asked for a custom red color (Kabir's favorite!), and Vani was kind enough to give me multiple options on threadwork that would go best with the red. Vani and Heena really helped me every step of the way, offering suggestions and best practices.

My Mehndi outfit was the easiest of them all, as I liked it as is and didn't have to go through any customizations! I'm a traditional bride through and through and knew I'd want to wear yellow.

Lastly, my reception outfit was the most difficult! I wanted a different look while still feeling bridal. I had chosen such heavy outfits for all the prior events and didn't want to fall short at the reception. Our reception was more intimate, so originally, I had picked a taupe color with silver embroidery. Once it arrived, I decided it didn't have the same wow factor as my other outfits. Again, House of Chic came to the rescue and worked with the wonderful Seema Gujral to rush order me a reception outfit in a custom sapphire blue. This one was BREATHTAKING. My makeup artist, Karuna Chani, helped me style the dupatta in the more modern cape style, which allowed me to dance freely and take it off halfway through the night.

All in all, for bigger weddings, I think it's worth splurging on your bridal clothes. You want to stand out amongst a crowd and feel like a princess!

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Definitely the food and the DJ!! I come from a big entertaining/ foodie family, and food was definitely a top priority during the wedding. We served over 2,000 lamb chops during our wedding week! Each day had an expansive menu filled with stations from around the world (Thai, Mexican, Sushi, etc.). The wedding day at the Gurdwara had a completely vegetarian menu, but we were able to incorporate traditional South Indian food, juices, smoothies, etc., to make it more special.

Raj Minocha from Platinum Roadshow was one of our favorite vendors. He helped light the dance floor on FIRE! Each event had a particular musical theme to keep things different. The Sangeet focused on Bollywood music, the Mehndi and Jaago leaned more toward traditional Punjabi, and we had told Raj to turn our reception into a club! He delivered all of the above and beyond.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Our toy poodle puppy, Romeo, was able to make it to the reception and take family photos with us. His doggy daycare Doggie Shrink was super accommodating and coordinated with our wedding planner to make an appearance. Romeo is very special to Kabir and me since we met on the same day I brought Romeo home. Having him in our wedding pictures was magical, and he got to see his mommy as a bride!

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.
Karishma Tanna, the owner of the Indian luxury wedding choreography company Urban Dancera, coordinated all of my family's sangeet dances as well as my solo and Kabir and my dance. She was wonderfully accommodating and taught us all via Zoom from Mumbai. I had seen her dances on youtube and Instagram and had known for years that I'd want her to choreograph my dances. In my opinion, the dance companies in India have more unique, modern steps than the ones based here in the States. The icing on top of the cake was when Karishma flew in from Mumbai to have one last in-person dance rehearsal with all of us before the wedding.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Find vendors that you truly love and connect with! One bad vendor can really sour all of the hard work and effort you put into your wedding, and no one wants that. Taking the time to meet with multiple vendors until you find "the one" is really tedious, yet important.

I also delegated a lot to my parents and my sister. My mom and dad were really passionate about food and decor, and I trusted their opinions completely, so they led those conversations and took those tasks off my hands.

Have a go-to person outside of your family to help run last-minute errands or be on bride duty in case you forget something the day of. I chose a few close family friends and bridesmaids to be my go-to people while my mom, sister, and I were in hair and makeup for 5 hours getting ready.

Lastly, find moments to sneak away with your husband! Those were some of Kabir's and my favorite moments! Our photographers would take us to various locations for pictures, which allowed Kabir and I to catch up and get a few moments to ourselves away from the spotlight.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
We had the @thepaanwala at the Sangeet, which was a big hit with our guests. @urbandancera choreographed all of my wedding dances.

Maharanis, that is all for today! Come back to enjoy the romantic stories we have for you!

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Photography: Studio KSD | Planning & Design: Chandai Events | Hair & Makeup: BEAUT by FAR | Venues: The Rockleigh | Cinematography: Studio KSD | Baraat: Equishare Baraat Horses, Rickshaws and Carriages | Ceremony Venue: Guru Nanak Mission Gurdwara | Reception Venue: View on the Hudson | Floral & Décor: Exclusive Events | Ceremony/Reception/Sangeet Hair & Makeup: Karuna Chani | Catering: Benares | DJs: DJ Raj Minocha - Platinum Roadshow Entertainment | Bridal Fashions: Vvaani by Vani Vats | Mehndi/Jaago Bridal Fashions: Abhinav Mishra | Haldi Bridal Fashions: Tamaraa by Tahani | Ceremony Bridal Fashions: Dolly J | Reception Bridal Fashions: Seema Gujral | Haldi Flower Jewelry: Reemat Design | Bridal Jewelry: Raj Jewels | Cake & Treats: Skazka Cakes | Mehndi Artists: Nidha's Henna Designs | Groom's Outfit: Purusham | Traditional Spiritual Music (Anand Karaj): The Partap Brothers | Mehndi Artists: Mehndikalogie | Choreography: Urban Dancera Company | Paanwala: The Paanwala | Personal Shopper: Heena Surani | Dog Daycare: Doggie Shrink LLC


Chantilly, VA Sikh Wedding by Paperboys Films

Good morning ladies! We are so happy to present the visual treasure Paperboys Films brought us! Praneet and Navjot had the boutique wedding agency filmed their grand Sikh union in Virginia and live-streamed it for those who couldn't make it didn't miss the special moment. The pair paid homage to their Punjabi backgrounds and their ancestors in an epic wedding week. Praneet says. "We really wanted our wedding week to be with people with love, value and make it a celebration." The spree culminated at the exclusive Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles, with an unforgettable indoor ceremony and a lavish reception. Both events featured a splendid floral design with blush and floral elements by The Moment Events. After the ceremony, all guests enjoyed a pizza from Dizzy Cow Pizzeria while enjoying a glass of wine. Superb! Maharani, Praneet paid homage to her family. She held plenty of sentiments wearing several heirlooms while flaunting two splendid Frontier Heritage designs on her big days. At the same time, renowned bridal artist Bridal Elegance by Suman Khosla transformed her into a real-life princess. Raja Navjot, also set the style bar high, donning  Navdeep Emporia Patiala from head to toe and had his elegant turban tied by Pagh Life. The duo and their guests partied until 4 in the morning to conclude the festivities, thanks to Dynasty Ave´s music . No doubt, this wedding was everything the pair had hoped for! SW Events paid attention to the minor details and finally pulled together a fantastic soiree so the newlyweds could relax and actually enjoy their wedding days. Scroll down and relive the best moments of this beautiful multi-day affair. 

Wait for more inspiring real wedding stories, tomorrow! 

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Hair & Makeup: Bridal Elegance by Suman Khosla | Venues: Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles | DJ: Dynasty AVE | Draping/Styling: Bridal Elegance by Suman Khosla | Planning & Design: SW Events | Cinematography: Paperboys Films | Photography: I Alam Photography | Floral & Decor: The Moment Events | Catering: Diya Bistro | Baraat: Harmon’s Carriages | Bridal Fashions - Ceremony & Reception: Frontier Heritage | Bridal Fashions - Brides sangeet / Pre-shoot & Choora: Akriti by Shakun | Bridal Jewelry: Nanak Jewelers Patiala | Bridal Jewelry: Vijay Jewelers Patiala | Cake & Treats: Fingerhut Pastries | Favors: Fingerhut Pastries | Invitations & Wedding Stationery: Somya Packers | Ligthing: Dynasty Av | Mehndi Artist: Bhavna's Henna and Arts | Photo Booth: Magic Mirror DMV | Registry: Zola | Rentals: Sammy´s Rental | Tuxedos: Navdeep Emporia Patiala | Bridal Trunks: Pataaree | Dhol: Saminder Singh Dhindsa | Bridal Jewelry: May Jewelers | Bridesmaids Fashions: Alka Nath Designs | Groomsmen Fashions & Shoes: Navdeep Emporia Patiala | Turban Tying: Pagh Life | Catering: Dizzy Cow Pizzeria | Mehndi Decor: Spoonful of Sugar | Wedding Signature Board: Harper Grayce | Bridal Jewelry: Tyson’s Corner | Live Music: Parteek Dhindsa


Reston, VA Fusion Wedding by August McCue Films

This is by far one of our favorite fusion wedding highlight films. Anshu and Danny are a beautiful couple that joined two heritages and blended them flawlessly in a spectacular affair. August McCue Films filmed and artfully edited the captivating highlight film that shows the best and most significant moments of their wedding days. After an intimate Haldi and a Sangeet celebration, Hindu and Sikh traditions came together at the splendid Hyatt Regency Reston in Reston, Virginia. First, they shared traditional Sikh Vows and later unified their lives in an enchanting Hindu ceremony. The soon-to-be husband and wife royal-inspired looks were everything! Danny arrived in style and as a real Maharaja riding a majestic white horse provided by Olde Towne Carriages. At the same time, Maharani Anshu wore the quintessential Punjabi bridal lehenga for her Sikh ceremony and an exquisite traditional red lehenga for her Hindu wedding. These ensembles are every bride's dream! The dancing evening kicked off with Bollywood tunes and upbeat choreographies. Imperial Decor created the setup with dramatic chandeliers decorating the table, adding elegance to the romantic setup. Visit our blog Main Blog and see all the inspiring snaps captured by Catch Motion Studio, and check out the equally touching highlight film of this fusion love story's grandeur! 

Poignant traditional weddings are feature in Maharani Weddings every day! Don't miss our next story tomorrow. 

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DJ: Dynasty AVE | Baraat: Olde Towne Carriages | Lighting: Dynasty AVE | Sangeet Venue: Hyatt Regency Reston | Ceremony Venue: Hyatt Regency Reston | Reception Venue: Hyatt Regency Reston | Planning & Design: Dream Shaadi | Floral & Decor: Imperial Decor | Hair & Makeup: SKS Salon | Catering: Diya Bistro | Bridal Fashions: Panache by Sharmeen | Bridal Lehenga: Banu Designs by Anu Batra | Cake & Treats: Edibles Incredible Desserts | Cinematography: August McCue Films | Bridal Draping/Sari Tying & Styling: SKS Salon | Mehndi Artist: Naseem's Henna & Arts | Rentals: Imperial Decor | Photography: Catch Motion Studio


Pontiac, MI Sikh Wedding by Killer Creations Photography

Maharanis, Wednesday is here, and I am super excited to share Sonika & Guneet's wedding event with you! The journey through this magnificent event began at the lovely Mata Tripta Ji Gurdwara Sahib, where our couple decided to join their lives for an eternity before their loved ones! After this moving ceremony, the newlyweds hosted a fantastic reception at the elegant Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac. A gorgeous venue where the wedding of your dreams becomes a blissful reality. Maharanis, if you want your big day to have customized planning, superb decor, and lasting memories, you should go with Marigold Wedding Planners. Today, you will witness how impeccable their job is. They created the perfect ambiance for this couple and their guests. I am pretty sure everyone will remember this wedding forever! Along with excellent planning comes exquisite music. Sky Films and Productions are experts on the matter! They know how to make guests move their bodies! For Sonika & Guneet's big day, every guest danced and felt the love through catchy songs. I adore how happy everyone looked! I am also in love with the natural beauty of our Maharani. Sonika looked gorgeus thanks to the incredible hairstyle done by Hair by Ayesha. She was astonishing! Makeup By JHobby highlighted the bride's charm with sophisticated makeup worth sighs! I tell you, my dears, the groom, is blessed with such a cutie! Our lovely couple decided to call Killer Creations Photography and Cinematography so their team could record the most moving moments of this magnificent event! I adore the film down below, and I promise that you will too. So wait no more, click play and enjoy!

My beloved Maharanis, come back tomorrow for more love stories! 

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Chantilly, VA Sikh Wedding by Maria Fasih Studios

Happy first day of December, my beloved Maharanis! A new beautiful entry is about to begin. Bhavna & Siddarth is an in-love couple who decided to keep their promise to love each other forever in the presence of their beloved family and friends at an elegant venue, the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles.  Maryam Shah - Embellish LLC put their excellent touch to create a heavenly setting more than perfect for the occasion! My dears, our precious Bride, Bhavna, has an innate beauty worth thousands of sighs. She knows this, and for her special day,  Bridal Elegance by Suman Khosla highlighted her natural tones with exquisite makeup. She looked like the Maharani she is in every scene. The handsome Groom was astonished by our lovely Bride! Her wedding dress was designed by Bridal Elegance by Suman Khosla; I think Bhavna looked phenomenal. I adore her! Also, an essential part of this magnificent event was the Mehndi designs by Henna By Shazia. It was astonishing! We cannot leave our Groom behind; Siddarth looked incredible thanks to the exclusive designs by Ted Baker London (Tuxedo),  Eton Shirts (Bowtie),  Christian Louboutin (Shoes), and Tiffany & Co (Cuff Links). They all combined perfectly to make him look like the Raja he is. My dears, our lovebirds, wanted to make every guest feel the music to celebrate their love; DJ Shiv - Shivish Entertainment was the team to go to. They played the best songs to keep everyone on the dance floor! To relive the most meaningful moments of this event, Maria Fasih Studios captured a beautiful set of pictures but that's not all, they also produced a beautiful film that will melt your heart. I promise, when you click the play icon, a whole new wave of inspiration will make you fall in love!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I’d lived in New York for several years when Sid and I matched on a popular dating app - Coffee Meets Bagel. I remember our first date vividly. We met at a quaint sushi restaurant in the Upper West Side for lunch, and instead of going off to run errands afterwards as planned, we ended up spending over six hours together! We made our way through various Upper West Side bars, talking about everything under the sun. It was like we had been friends forever and I was super excited to see him again.

Given Sid had just moved to the New Jersey to start his Endodontics residency, meeting was difficult. But we met whenever we could, and we both always left our dates feeling so comfortable and at ease...usually after sharing an amazing meal together. It was clear we had built a foundation of friendship which is so important in a relationship. But a few months later, I found out some amazing news - I was moving to California for a dream job at Google! Sid was so supportive of this, but we decided it may not be the best time do pursue a relationship, especially long distance. We did, however, decide to remain friends.  Our friendship continued with many phone calls and FaceTime calls, until  on a whim, I invited him on a work trip to Barcelona - and he said yes! It only took about one romantic meal and a glass of wine the first night for us to realize we couldn’t fight destiny any longer. That weekend was the most special weekend of my life, because I realized I was in love with my best friend. The rest we say, is history!

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Sid was wrapping up his residency and I was taking a work trip to Singapore. The timing fell right around our one year dating anniversary, so we decided to make a big celebratory trip out of it! The plan was to spend a few days in Singapore after my work event and then fly out to Langkawi, Malaysia for some beach time. We arrived late on a Saturday night so we could spend some time exploring on Sunday before work kicked off for me on Monday. I woke up Sunday extremely jet lagged and cranky, but Sid suggested we go watch the sunrise at the Singapore Orchid Gardens - a UNESCO site right outside the city. The morning was a mess. I accidentally flooded my hotel bathroom when showering (long  story), Sid blew out his lower back, and I ended up realizing I needed to finish one thing for work before my event on Monday. By the time we made it out to the gardens, not only had we missed the sunrise, but it was over 90 degrees, humid, and extremely crowded. We walked around  and made the best out of it, but we both surely weren't in the best of moods. It was only as we were leaving the gardens, Sid noticed a beautiful fairway full of lush green grass and suggested we sit and take everything in after a whirlwind morning. As we finally were able to relax and chat about being together for a year and how happy we were, I was staring out at the beautiful landscape. I didn't even realize Sid was getting the engagement ring out of his pocket! It was then he popped the question, and of course I said yes. Given the time difference, we were able to just enjoy the moment and celebrate 1:1 for several hours before we made our calls to our family and friends back home, which made the moment all the more special.

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.
We were supposed to be married in May 2020, but the universe had a different plan for us and the many other would-be 2020 brides and grooms! I am extremely detail oriented and admittedly picky, so while I did get stressed at times, I really enjoyed the process of planning out every last detail of the wedding. Thus, when we had to cancel our wedding in 2020, we really just had to think about "lifting and shifting" the majority of our plans to a rescheduled date.

Coming from Punjabi families, we knew we wanted to have all of the traditional Punjabi and Sikh wedding events, while mixing traditional and western traditions. We held two events at my parents' house: a Chunni (engagement) ceremony for the families, and a Mehendi for all of the female guests.  I always knew I wanted to do some of my wedding events at my parents home and it really exceeded my expectations! It was extra special as my sisters and I did the design and decor on our own for the home events.

Our sangeet and wedding venue, the Westfields Marriott, was a dream. The #1 reason I wanted to have our wedding there was because of their beautiful terrace surrounded by lush greenery -  I always wanted to have an outdoor Anand Karaj (Sikh Wedding Ceremony) and the terrace was just perfect for it. I had a really clear vision for our ceremony - a simple, clean rustic theme - and ur decorator, Maryam, absolutely nailed my vision. I loved the reception hall we chose for the. massive chandelier and the huge windows. We kept the decorations simple with a same green and white motif as the ceremony.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
When I went to India (New Delhi) for my wedding shopping, I never expected to fall in love with such a traditional dress. I was laser focused on something modern and non traditional, probably in a light pink! But the second I tried my dress on, ONLY due to the insistence of my mom and Masi (aunt), I knew this was "the one."

My wedding lehenga featured a burgundy satin velvet blouse embellished with zadozi embroidery, done with dabka, nakshi, sequence and zarkan work, in intricate goodly floral jaal and dense merging grids, paired with tonal satin velvet lehenga embroidery inspired with tradionational architectureal, floral and grid patterns, coupled with tonal embroidered net dupatta with scalloped heavy border and floral jaal all over. From @frontierraas "Regalia" collection, I felt like a real life Punjabi Queen from the Mughal Empire! My outfit featured a second dupatta in a light peach net to compliment my husband's sherwani, which featured peach dabka embroidery, and our bridal party's peach and gold outfits. It was pulled together with a matching crystal tassel belt.

My beautiful kundan chooda, from @sangini_accessories in Delhi,were paired with ruby and gold kalire.

I kept my wedding jewelry fairly simple, with an antique champagne stone and ivory pearl choker, matching earrings and tikka, and a pearl embellished naath (nose ring).

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the wedding planning process was definitely pulling all of our looks together and doing wedding shopping in India. Given work constraints, we only had 8 days to shop for clothes and accessories for myself, Sid, Sid's brother, my mom, my two sisters, two nieces, two nephews, AND our bridal party of 15 (!), for 4 events total. Though stressful, it ended up being really fun to find the perfect pieces and we literally would be out from dawn to dusk each night. When we returned home each evening, we would do a show and tell for our family of the days finds. We got really lucky that we were able to stay with our family that lives in a great area for new and upcoming designers, Shahpur Jat, so I was able to find some really unique pieces.

Once we finalized our outfits, I really loved the process of figuring out "the look" for each event. Shout out to Suman Auntyji for helping me bring my vision for each event to life!

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
After a year and half of being stuck in the house during a pandemic, I know our guests really loved the intimacy of a small Indian wedding (which is pretty rare) and the energy on the dance floor the sangeet and reception night. We would be remiss if we didn't give DJ Shiv a HUGE shout out for absolutely killing the music selection and providing the energy to keep everyone on the dance floor until the very last minute. He took it all in stride for some our guests favorite dance floor moments, including letting me steal the mic for impromptu raps and speeches, an impromptu limbo session during the reception, and many "naagin" (snake move) dance circles. The vibe was just perfect each night and really brought everyone together to let loose and have a well deserved good time.

We also are still hearing from our guests about our wedding cake, which was a three tier "Rasmalai Inspired Cake" from a local baker, Tahirah Khan, of Sultana Sweet Delights, as well as the Chole Bhature at the wedding lunch, which was made by our wedding caterer, Diya Bistro.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The wedding ceremony itself. I didn't expect to feel so emotional, but I was just so overwhelmed with love for Sid and our family and friends, most of whom traveled from all over the country to be there, freshly vaccinated in the midst of a pandemic. During our "lavaan" (marriage rounds) three of my best friends turned brothers - Rob, Satwant, and Gurpreet- stood at each corner, as well as my cousin brothers Vikas, Amit, and Deepak. I felt so blessed and loved having them by my side during such a milestone moment. My sister, Reena, who is a beautiful singer, sang a Shabad (Sikh Hymn), accompanied by her husband, Eran, on the keyboard. After the Anand Karaj, Sid and I exchanged our own vows, which were from the heart and brought both of us to tears. It was truly a wedding representing a union of two souls, as well as two groups of friends and families.

I should note that during our ceremony, there were tons of cicadas flying around. The 17-year cicadas  hide underground and only make their appearance every 17 years, like clockwork, in the northeastern quarter of the United States in order to mate and lay their eggs before going back underground. Remaining underground for so long gives the next generation a survival advantage when they eventually emerge again in 17 years. While they weirded out some of our guests for sure, in looking back, I find the symbolism of the cicadas being present at our wedding to be really beautiful. It's almost how we all had to quarantine for a year before the wedding and then emerged for a beautiful union and beginning :)

Also during my Sangeet, my parents surprised us with a “Punjabi tappe,” which was called “Kothe te aa Mayya.”

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.
It was awesome to have the chunni ceremony the day before formal events, as it served as a sort of "welcome dinner/meet and greet" for our extended families. For the Mehendi, my friends, who live all over the country, flew in and came straight to my house and kept me company while I was getting my mehendi done. For the official function, we sang traditional Punjabi wedding songs and also some American hits like Backstreet Boys, accompanied by the dholki!

On Saturday morning we had the choora ceremony while Sid (the groom) had his haldi ceremony with his family. It was so fun to see my kalire fall on the heads of ALL my single friends, which means they are all next to the wedding altar. That evening we had the Sangeet, hosted at the hotel, where our friends and family surprised us with a slew of singing performances and dances! Sid and I are both very much into music and I am a HUGE dance/Bollywood fan so I always dreamt of a performance-filled Sangeet. We had songs sung by cousins, friends, uncles, our siblings, and my parents, as well as speeches from Sid's best friend Prashant and my best friend, Courtney. For the dances, my best friend Monika, who is an TOP NOTCH choreographer, coordinated a huge dance with our friends and cousins, along with a solo performance of my favorite Punjabi folk song, "Lathe de Chadar." My sisters Reena and Navita, and best friends Gurpreet and Namita, also did amazing Bhangra dances. To top it off, my little niece, Iyla, and nephew, Evin, did their very first Bollywood dance, and we all melted!  Sid and I also surprised the crowd with a couple's dance to "Morni Banke." This was probably one of the most special moments, as Sid is not a dancer, and had never performed before! Just for me, he learned this choreography so we could fulfill my dream of having a true Punjabi Sangeet -- and he killed it!!!

Sunday was the big day. We kicked off with Sid's Baraat, where he chose to ride in a white Jeep Wrangler Renegade decorated with marigolds instead of the traditional white horse. Before entering the building, we had the Milni ceremony and my bridesmaids and bridesman made sure no one would enter until the groom paid up :).

The reception was the grand finale of the weekend. Sid's brother, Sunny, and his uncle and mom made very heartfelt speeches. My sister, Navita, also made a beautiful speech. I surprised Sid with a singing performance of Etta James' "At Last," to express how much he means to me. Much to our surprise, our family, friends, and nieces and nephews had more dance performances planned, the highlight being an epic performance to "Jalebi Baby," a classical performance by my sisters to "Ghar More Pardesiya," and dances by my brother in laws, Vani and Eran. The rest of the night was followed by many drinks and non-stop dancing in true Punjabi style.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Choose vendors you connect with and trust. You end up spending a year or more with these people planning, and if you have the wrong people by your side, you should trust your gut to go with someone else. There should be nothing stressful about your wedding weekend . If you feel that will be the case during your planning process, you should act accordingly.

I'd also say make sure you get your timeline for the weekend right and go over it several times with ALL of your vendors. For example, your photographer should confirm you have enough time for photos etc., your caterer should have input on when the food should be set up, etc. That synergy is key to ensuring everything runs smoothly! I'd also say have a point of contact for both families to assist with moving things along, even if you have a planner.

My beloved Maharanis, come back tomorrow for more! 

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Hair & Makeup: Bridal Elegance by Suman Khosla | Venues: Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles | Hair & Makeup: Bridal Elegance by Suman Khosla | Photography: Maria Fasih Studios | Photography: Maria Fasih Studios | Floral & Decor: Maryam Shah - Embellish LLC | Catering: Diya Bistro | DJ: DJ Shiv - Shivish Entertainment | Baraat: Shivish Entertainment | Bridal Jewelry: Sangini Jewelers | Cake & Treats: Sultana Sweet Delights - Tahirah Khan | Event Designer: Bhavna B. Sehgal | Favors: BeJoyfulCo | Fireworks: Shivish Entertainment | Invitations & Wedding Stationery: Paperless Post | Lighting: Shivish Entertainment | Mehndi Artist: Henna By Shazia | Registry: Crate & Barrel | Dhol Player: Arshdip Singh | Pagh Tying: The Pagh Life | Floor Wrap: Kundan Events | Groom Outfit (Sangeet and Wedding): Manyavar | Groom Outfit (Reception): Ted Baker London (Tuxedo) | Groom Outfit (Reception): Eton Shirts (Bowtie) | Groom Outfit (Reception): Christian Louboutin (Shoes) | Groom Outfit (Reception): Tiffany & Co (Cuff Links) | Bride Outfit (Chunni): Frontier Raas | Bride Outfit (Mehendi): Rajbinder Chahal | Bride Outfit (Chooda): Indya | Bride Outfit (Sangeet): Seema Gujral | Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mishka | Choreographer for Sangeet & Reception Group Dances: Monika Chadda | Sangeet & Reception Group Dancers: Reena Batra Weerekoon / Navita Batra Bhaskar / Namita Azad / Gurpreet Manda / Courtney Jackson / Natasha Agarwal / Anika Sharma / Sumeen Maur / Shelly Gupta/Shikha Ghulati / Sirisha Vadali / Iyla Bhaskar / Evin Weerekoon / Mansi Sharma | Choreographer for Sister's Classical Dance: Yogen Bhagat | Dancers Classical Dance: Reena Batra Weerekoon/Navita Batra Bhaskar


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