Welcome to Maharani Weddings

At Maharani Weddings, we believe that every bride deserves the fairytale wedding of her dreams! Here at MaharaniWeddings.com you will find glittering seeds of inspiration for every aspect of your upcoming wedding. In addition to profiling some of the most spectacular Indian weddings from around the globe through interviews, pictures, and videos, we also hand-pick and share a list of the best Indian wedding vendors in our Maharani Weddings Platinum Guide. From event planners to photographers, dj's, florists, cinematographers, makeup artists, mehndi artists, you name it... you’ll find connections to every resource you could ever need for all your wedding ceremonies and celebrations.

All posts with Style "Garba"

Anaheim, CA Indian Wedding by Peter Nguyen Studio

April 8, 2019 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Hey there Maharanis! I'm super excited because the great Peter Nguyen Studio takes us through the beautiful wedding journey of Chandni and Jay as part of today's editorial feature! After a special and intimate Mehndi event, a vivid Garba night was the point of departure for these lovebirds who created a magnificent "Indian Village" theme for the occasion! Kumba Events was the creative mind behind the colorful umbrellas, the rickshaw ride, the lovely swing and the charming food stalls that gave the real feeling of being on the streets of India! Besides the traditional props, the Dandiya Raas dance was a huge success thanks to the lovely custom-made Dandiya sticks that had the name of the happy couple on them! Jayshree Gohil and Girish Gohil animated the celebrations with their fantastic live music while their families also contributed by performing wonderful dances. Chandni and Jay both had bright stylish ensembles! Chandi looked fabulous in her tri color outfit and her side braid hairstyle by the talented Dolled up by Lulu livened up the entire look! We'got more in our files so visit the full gallery for more awesome details on this event!

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How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?

Chandni and Jay first met at one of their mutual friend's apartment in Irvine. Towards the end of the night Jay was looking for a new beer pong partner and Chandni had volunteered to join his team. After running the table for the rest of the night the two of them starting becoming good friends. After a few hangouts, the two realized that this friendship was turning into something more. A month after the couple had met, Chandni had graduated from college and moved back home to San Fernando Valley. The couple remained friends and kept in touch through texting and phone calls. Jay always tried to get Chandni to come to hang out with him (he is very persistent) after she moved back home but the timing never seemed to work and it was hard when Chandni lived in the boonies. After 6 months of being friends and staying in touch, Jay decided to ask Chandni out on their first official date, April 6th, 2013.

After their trip to Peru, is when Chandni knew Jay was "the one."

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

The day Jay finally popped the question. Jay planned this day out to every single detail. He planned and designed a scavenger hunt with the use of a scavenger app called Klikaklu. He led Chandni to believe that they were just going out on a late anniversary date that involved an app telling us where to go all day. Jay asked a bunch of ordinary questions as if he was filling out a survey of things the couple enjoyed to do, their shoe size, favorite color, etc. Little did she know that Jay was actually gathering all this information to plan out the whole proposal ;)

The date started off by opening the app on their phone that had a countdown of when they could start the scavenger hunt. The concept of the app was to guide you to different locations and to match the picture in which the app would give you to reveal the next clue. The first clue lead the couple to a shopping center where they had to match an image on one of the windows of the shopping strip. Once the couple matched the picture the app revealed that they had unlocked a free reservation for a cooking class (which Chandni and Jay attended on their first anniversary). After the class was complete the couple then opened the app again to receive clue #2. This clue took them to the Oaks mall, where both Jay and Chandni had to find and match a specific directory location. Once the couple matched the picture, the app asked for them to look under the directory for an envelope. The couple opened the envelope and inside was a free coupon for Chandni to get a touch up at Sephora and a drink coupon for Jay to indulge at the local Lazy Dog restaurant. Clue #3 was a QR code printed on the bottom of the coupon code that they had to unlock which asked the couples to go to the fitting rooms at the Nordstroms located in the mall. Jay with the help of Chandni's closest friends purchased an entire outfit for the proposal and that outfit was waiting for her inside the dressing room. Once they changed into their new attire the couple then opened the last and final clue. Clue #4 the last stop on the list was Westlake Village. The clue told Chandni and Jay to follow the red balloons to their final destination where Chandni would have to type in a 8-digit code. At the final balloon, there was a table with flowers scattered all over and an iPad. Once Chandni inputted the code to unlock the iPad, a video montage started playing that Jay had created (similar to how he asked Chandni to be his girlfriend 4 years back). Once the video ended, Jay took Chandni's hand and started to express his love for her. Chandni, overwhelmed with joy, did not really remember what Jay had said because she was already in tears but recalls just saying "YES". After the proposal all of Jay and Chandni's close family and friends came out to celebrate with the couple.

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.

I had my dad, Raj Patel, be my wedding planner. He organized and planned the entire wedding. I would research online and send my dad excel sheets of vendors, ideas, and pictures and he would contact multiple people and just make sure each one was executed successfully.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?

I knew that I wanted a velvet outfit but the color was undecided. I went to India, and my first day of shopping I did not want to buy anything. I wanted to try on different styles and different colors to get an idea of the perfect outfit that I wanted. I did my research before going to India and had a style in mind. After trying on different styles and colors, I ended up creating a custom wedding lengha. I decided to go with a traditional red with a pastel pink dupatta.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?

Getting to pick out every little detail of the decor. This was one aspect of the wedding that I got to have full control over and discuss with our vendor (Kumba Events).

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

The ENTERTAINMENT! There were a lot of performances and a lot of music and dancing.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?

The entire wedding was like a dream come true. My dad (who was my wedding planner) did an amazing job to make sure that the entire weekend went smoothly. I wish I could replay the entire weekend over and over.

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.

I wanted to do something different for my henna night, so I had a Mediterranean themed henna party. We had Mediterranean food and decor! Additionally, for my garba night, I wanted it to look and feel like a village in India. We had food stalls ( just like the food stalls on the streets of India), decor (decorative umbrellas, matkas, bike riksha, swing, etc.) and the traditional Gujarati street food. I surprised the groom at the garba with a fusion dance and the groom surprised me at the reception with a cute "Chandni" dance (since my name is Chandni) and a bhangra dance. We had families and friends all perform both nights, which was exciting for all of the guests.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?

Enjoy every minute of all of the events. Do not get stressed out if you see something missing or if plans change, because there is nothing you can do about it at that moment. This is your wedding day and you will cherish these moments forever.

Find and an enchanting dose of inspiration in our following post!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Traditional
Garba
season
Autumn
color

Dolled up by Lulu, Peter Nguyen Studio, 3D Sounds and Bridal By Nisha are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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Peter Nguyen Studio VIEW PORTFOLIO

3D Sounds VIEW PORTFOLIO

Bridal By Nisha VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Mahwah, NJ Indian Wedding by Studio KSD

March 25, 2019 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Hello, loves! To complete today's Wedding Video Blog we continue with an extraordinary set of detailed images from Maharani Komal and her Raja Parth that takes us for a ride through the wedding festivities. After a formal outdoor photo session with the charming duo, the photo team of Studio KSD snapped more images of the soulmates indoors the splendid Sheraton Mahwah Hotel, which was the venue picked to begin with a colorful night of Garba Raas dance that kicked off their happily ever after. The room was a sea of colors thanks to the vibrant decorations provided by Nirali Decor that decked the space with a lively theme! Beautiful drapery fanning out and traditional props scattered all over the place and a magnificent Jhula were just a few of the many elements that created a joyful ambiance for the traditional Dandiya Stick Dance night! Dressed in equally cheery colors, Maharani Komal donned a teal color lehenga skirt, and a fuchsia color choli that she paired with a yellow dupatta, her over-the-shoulder hairstyle created by Makeup by Shaili gave her that extra touch of playfulness to the entire look! Scroll down and go over the lovely images of their first grand event and visit our full gallery for more inspiration!

In our following feature, we will go inside the grand ceremony! Join me.

STYLE
GUIDE style
Sangeet
Garba
season
Summer
color

Studio KSD is a member of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Columbia, SC Indian Fusion Wedding by Jamie Howell Photography

September 6, 2018 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Good morning, ladies! It’s finally time to present the lovely images of Krupa and Alvin's fusion wedding simultaneously with the wonderful highlight footage showcased in our Video Blog by the talented Jamie Howell Photography. The lovely couple pulled off a series of gorgeous pre-wedding events that welcomed their guests to the festivities, starting with a sweet mehndi party in which the groom's mother, Linda, created a wonderful giant flower and fruit backdrop for Krupa to have her intricate henna paisleys applied by Blush Beauty by Nadia. Next on the list, the Vidhi ceremony for the bride prepared the gorgeous Maharani with a sequence of heartwarming rituals that blessed her for her wedding day. A Garba Raas night introduced the groom’s family to the true spirit of an Indian wedding celebration which you can enjoy in our full gallery by Jamie Howell Photography!

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How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?

I met Alvin in Columbia, SC while I was working as a nurse and he was in his last year of medical school. I knew he was the one when nine months after meeting him, my grandmother became ill and passed away. This happened just as Alvin was graduating from medical school and getting ready to move to New York for residency. During this time Alvin was ALWAYS there anytime I needed him and even though my family did not know him yet he attended a traditional Indian funeral service, where he was 1 of 3 Americans (the other two were two of my bridesmaids).

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

In October 2016, Alvin had a 2-week vacation and we decided to spend the time at home in South Carolina. During this time we planned to see our families, go to the South Carolina State Fair, stay at his family's lake house, and go on a cruise to the Bahamas. I was positive he was going to propose while we spent a few days at his family's lake house. We spent a lot of time there with each other and our friends at the beginning of our relationship and we both always cherished our moments there. He didn't end of proposing so I figured it wasn't happening this trip because the last part of our trip was the cruise and I just didn't think he would do it then. I was wrong! We went to dinner on the cruise ship on October 16, 2016, and had to wait for a table so we were given a buzzer. Alvin put the buzzer in his pocket and we went to get a drink at the bar. I was starving and was worried Alvin would not feel the buzzer in his pocket so I asked him if I could just hold it. He said sure and instead of pulling the buzzer out of his pocket he had a ring box! It is so hard to surprise me, but he did it and continues to do it!

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.

Our overarching goal for our wedding was to expose our families and friends to both of our cultures and families. Alvin and I have always said we will not have an exclusively Hindu or Christian household, but instead, we wanted to share our traditions. We wanted our wedding to be the foundation for a marriage that not only celebrated our love, but was also entertaining, open, educational, and prioritized our families. I did a lot of research about fusion weddings on Maharani Weddings and Big Fat Indian Wedding. We then had extensive conversations with our parents about their wishes/concerns/expectations. We all decided together what events we wanted to have during our wedding weekend and then figured out how to have all those events in 2-3 days.

We accomplished this by including some purely Hindu and Christian traditions as well as combining some. We combined the traditional American rehearsal dinner with the Mendhi party, and both families hosted it as a casual get together with artisan pizzas and some of our favorite snacks. While I had my Grashanti, Alvin's family had a brunch for family, the wedding party, and our out of town friends. The Christian wedding ceremony was our chance to expose the Indian side of the family to a formal, classic Christian wedding ceremony in the beautiful church where Alvin's family went when he was growing up. The Garba was the evening following the Christian ceremony, and it was our way of introducing the American side of the family to the fun, exciting Indian wedding traditions. The next morning, Alvin rode a beautiful white horse for the Baraat, and both sides made it out for some early morning dancing! We tried to make sure that the Hindu priest spoke excellent English, and that he was willing to explain the ceremony so that it was very accessible to everyone involved. After the Hindu ceremony, everybody had some time to rest up before the huge reception where we tried to combine both of our traditions, families, food, and music until late into the night!

I had some difficulty picking our vendors because I really wanted to hire local vendors from North Carolina and South Carolina. I once again used Maharani Weddings and Big Fat Indian Wedding for research. I quickly found that in order to have options and stay within budget I would have to extend my search into Georgia and even Virginia. I created a list of potential vendors and then extensively googled them. I then contacted my top 2-3 vendors and requested quotes and phone meetings. I only contacted 2-3 vendors because we were living in NYC at the time and our schedules were too busy to coordinate phone calls and meetings. We sent the vendors a very detailed email that contained our estimated head counts for each event, the schedule of events, and our expectations.

The only vendors we met with in person prior to finalizing them, were the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and Rahma with Carolina Wedding Belle. We felt strongly about checking our the venue in person for obvious reasons. We wanted to meet with Carolina Wedding Belle because we were considering them to do the decor/floral for the whole weekend and also do coordination. We felt like we really needed to connect with our decor person/coordinator because that was a big part of the wedding.

I still cannot believe that I picked a photographer/videographer and makeup/hair/henna artist without meeting them in person but I believe it all worked out because I did my homework and I did a lot of research on what types of questions to ask vendors.

We were so pleased with all our vendors and we attribute that to us having a clear vision and expectations for our vendors and our vendors having the same in return.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?

When we got engaged, I knew we would have two wedding ceremonies (Hindu and American). I always knew I wanted a red lengha for my wedding so that was an easy choice for the Hindu ceremony. I went to India to shop for my Indian outfits and we went straight to Asopalav. We chose to start there because we knew they would have a variety and were used to dealing with short turn around times.

I thought about getting a trendy fusion white gown from India for the Christian ceremony but in the end, I decided wanted to stay traditional and I got a beautiful white dress by Augusta Jones from The White Magnolia Bridal Collection in Greenville, SC.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?

The most enjoyable part of the planning process was doing it with Alvin. He was a very involved groom. There were many arguments but it helped us to get to know each other more. We both learned from each other and our own strengths and weaknesses. I have heard numerous girlfriends complain about how they were so stressed about the wedding and their grooms didn't get it. I was glad that Alvin shared the stress of planning a wedding and he understood my frustrations. I think after planning our wedding we would make a good party planning duo. :)

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

Our guests loved the combination of Hindu and American traditions. Both sides embraced both cultures and it was exactly what we wanted. Alvin's family fully embraced the baraat and had a blast. A lot of my family actually joined Alvin's family during the baraat. I would say that was everyone's favorite moment. They also loved our cake which was cardamon with chocolate filling and vanilla buttercream frosting.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?

My favorite moment was walking out at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and seeing Alvin for the first time since the rehearsal/mendhi the night before and seeing how packed the church was. We were expecting to have a large wedding but physical seeing the number of people who showed up to support us was just amazing.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?

My number one advice would be to create a budget that takes into account unexpected expenses that will come up the last couple weeks leading up to the wedding. My brother and sister in law (whose wedding was also featured on Maharani Weddings) gave us that advice and it was the best advice we got. Alvin and I worked hard to set a REALISTIC budget and frequently check in and adjust during our 1.5 years of planning.

Remember it is YOUR wedding. EVERYONE will give their opinions on things but the only two people who matter are you and your future husband. Be sure to make sure you two will be happy with whatever decisions you make.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)

I want to make sure the complete list of vendors that was hopefully submitted by our photographer gets posted. We had amazing vendors and we want them recognized. As I mentioned earlier it was hard finding vendors in NC, SC, and GA and I hope brides in these states will find my vendor list helpful.

All the solemnity of a Christian ceremony and the fun and excitement of the Hindu ceremony are coming up next!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Sangeet
Mehndi
Garba
season
Summer
color

Opening Minds Entertainment and Carolina Wedding Belle are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Opening Minds Entertainment VIEW PORTFOLIO

Carolina Wedding Belle VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Oak Brook, IL Indian Wedding by Rebecca Marie Photography

October 19, 2017 Posted by: Neha Comments

We’ve finally reached the grand finale reception event celebrating the union of Jessica and Viral. Jessica was a dewy goddess in loose waves and rosy cheeks thanks to the artistry of Patty McGuire. She chose an elegant white lehenga to celebrate her final wedding event, and she truly resembled an angel. Jessica and Viral took a few intimate moments to themselves as frolicked on the gorgeous grounds of the Oak Brook Hills Hilton Resort. The couple enlisted Shaadi Creations to spearhead decor of the reception, and the talented team brought the outdoors inside with a foliage inspired wreath acting as the centerpiece to this lovely affair. The couple kept the chic vibe going with mesmerizing uplighting and a five tiered cake adorned with golden mehndi designs. Okeyne Media Lab swarmed the space with euphoric beats as guests dined on fine Indian cuisine from India House and Naansense. What a once in a lifetime celebration! To see the complete set of photos from this stellar soiree, step into the full gallery by Rebecca Marie Photography and get lost in all the charm.

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It's almost Friday Maharanis! See you bright and early tomorrow!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Bollywood
Ballroom
Romantic
season
Summer
color

Oak Brook, IL Indian Wedding by Rebecca Marie Photography

October 19, 2017 Posted by: Neha Comments

Jessica and Viral were married in a pristine Indian ceremony on a radiant summer day in Illinois. The morning of the wedding started off with a sensational glam session. Patty McGuire was in charge of ensuring this lovely Maharani’s locks were perfectly in place and eyes were dazzled with kajal and sparkle. We are sure that when Viral laid his eyes on his bride during the first look, his heart fluttered with delight. The duo’s first look photos were positively charming, and their love simply bursts from the screen. And we’re obsessing over the natural yet high octane decor that Shaadi Creations created for the ceremony at the Oak Brook Hills Hilton Resort. A cream and tan mandap festooned with a red Ganesha installation was the ultimate in chic luxury. As Jessica walked gracefully down the aisle in an embroidered red lehenga with a soft and flowing white dupatta, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. What a beauty! As they took their sacred vows, guests cheered with delight, and the couple bounded from the stage in a shower of fragrant rose petals. Rebecca Marie Photography captured all the pretty moments that you can find in the full gallery. Hurry back for all the reception deets, featuring music by DJ Alladin and Okeyne Medialab and a food cart from Naansense!