When love meets paradise, magic happens—and Shivani & Alpesh's wedding was pure enchantment. In the beautiful setting of Riviera Maya, the couple orchestrated the ultimate celebration of love, culture, and timeless beauty. Their Gujarati wedding at the iconic Hard Rock Riviera Maya was nothing short of a Bollywood blockbuster, brimming with vibrant traditions, heartfelt moments, and jaw-dropping elegance.
The festivities began with Shivani's Mehndi ceremony, where Lemons and Mehndi transformed her hands into intricate works of art. Against a lush floral wall by ASR by Roque Sandoval, Shivani sparkled in her emerald green lehenga, a vision of joy and tradition. Her dazzling smile and beautifully adorned hands spoke volumes about the excitement in her heart. And let's not forget the "Henna Party" neon sign—modern touches met time-honored tradition in perfect harmony!
The couple's reception was an elegant evening of sophistication and sparkle. Shivani dazzled in a silver gown, her jewelry from The Jewellery Trunk catching every light in the room. Alpesh, the dashing groom, matched her glow in a classic navy tux. The night came alive with heartfelt speeches, a dance floor that wouldn't quit, and shimmering chandeliers. Pyaar Planning ensured every detail was meticulously executed, leaving the guests in awe.
Planning a destination wedding isn't easy, but Indian Destination Wedding, Inc. proved to be the ultimate concierge for this grand event. From ensuring guests travel smoothly to creating seamless experiences, they deserve a standing ovation for their behind-the-scenes brilliance.
From the vibrant Mehndi to the glamorous reception, every frame of Shivani & Alpesh's wedding was captured beautifully by Gareth Davies Photography. Want more inspiration from this stunning destination celebration? Check out their gallery and let us know your favorite moment in the comments below! Remember to follow us on Instagram for daily doses of wedding magic!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
From the moment we first met there was an instant connection, we very quickly developed a lot of inside jokes, and conversations were never boring, but at the same time silence was also comfortable and not awkward with him. Even his weird habits weren't all that weird to me! I think there wasn't a singular moment when I knew he was "the one", but rather just one day there was sort of a realization that through his words and actions and how caring and funny he is, that he truly is my best friend and I can't imagine a future without him. That's probably a pretty standard answer, but it is true I guess I just knew!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
I definitely wasn't expecting it! He came to Houston during February for Valentine's Day, and we were getting ready to go out to meet up for a friend's birthday dinner. I was done getting ready and waiting for him in our living room (which never happens right? When is the girl ready before the guy ever!). I called out to see if he was ready, and he shouted back "I need a few more minutes!" from his room, and I was getting a little worried because we were running late already for the dinner! He comes out holding something behind his back, and asks if I would like to open my Valentine's gift early. At first I said no (since we were already running late), but I saw him get a little sad, so I told him "okay really quickly I'll open it!" He gave me a rose, but it wasn't an ordinary rose, so he told me I needed to open it! And when I opened it, it was a rose jewelry box, and the ring was inside! He was very nervous but got down one knee and asked me to marry him, and I of course said yes! It was very nice, private, and definitely unexpected for sure! I definitely apologized for rushing him afterward, I felt so bad!
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 decided to have our wedding in Cancun, my dad had always told me a destination wedding would be lots of fun so I have him to thank for the idea! My parents went and toured various hotels in Cancun and Riviera Maya, which helped with deciding on a venue! We planned our wedding through Pyaar Planning Mexico, which was a huge help! They were very knowledgeable about vendors and pricing and gave us great advice to make sure our day was perfect! We had lots of Google Meet video calls to discuss details and make sure everything was perfect. We were able to do a site visit 3 months before the wedding at the hotel, where we got to pick locations for all the events/ceremonies, talk to our decorator and florist finalize ideas, and we got to trial our hair/makeup, and do our engagement shoot with our photographer and videographer. All of our vendors were, hands down, the best vendors; our wedding turned out exactly as we had dreamed it to be! From the big ticket items down to the tiny little details, our experience with them truly made our wedding fun, spectacular, and memorable for everyone! Our vendors were truly special to us, if you ask us, they are now part of our family!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Buying my wedding dress was actually a happy accident, we were in the UK visiting family over Christmas holiday, and we went to Leicester and Southall to look for wedding favors and outfits for my family. I wasn't planning on buying anything for myself as I thought my family would want to look for an outfit in India instead; however, we eventually started to wander towards the bridal sections of shops to see what styles were available and to narrow down a color I wanted (At the time I was deciding between a maroon or green outfit for the big day since I usually look good in those colors!). We eventually found ourselves in Vivah Fashions UK in Leicester, and while we were looking, my mom saw an outfit folded away under other clothing items. She asked for it to be pulled out, and when the lady helping us held it up to me I knew instantly that it was the lehenga I was going to get married in! The pearl and floral embroidery were so beautiful and the sparkle the lehenga had was gorgeous!! And funnily the lehenga was deep red, not maroon or green like I was originally thinking!
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
For me, the most enjoyable part of the planning process was getting to talk about my ideas and the details with my family, groom, and planner! Talking about everything with them helped me get really excited because they all helped me find ways to make everything we wanted happen, and I think it also got everyone else excited to because they got to see it all come together as well! Also, it was so exciting to see everything go from ideas and conversation to reality!
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our guests shared with us that they really enjoyed getting to have a vacation and wedding all in one trip! They shared that they liked how on time the events were, and because of how we spaced out the events, they had lots of time to relax and enjoy their time in Mexico! They shared that they enjoyed the resort, the food, and the decor and that they enjoyed getting to know each other as they celebrated together. I got to see people who have never met before become friends and enjoy the celebrations as much as we did, and I think that's truly special.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I shared a lot of special moments with the groom and our families of course, but I think one moment I replay over and over again is our first look. We weren't sure if we wanted to do a first look before the ceremony, but we decided to go for it and it ended up being a really special moment! It not only gave us a chance to get some really good pictures, but it really allowed us to have a small part during all of the festivities where it was just us together where we got to talk and be alone for a bit before we continued on with the rest of the ceremony day with our family and friends.
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.
For the flowers I had complete trust in my parents to decide on those. They are florists by trade, so the flowers had to be perfect! You can ask my planner how particular my dad was about them! But I think the flowers turned out perfect!!
Color schemes mainly centered around our outfits and our favorites. I knew that the Mehndi was my favorite part of any wedding, so I picked my favorite color, green, and accented it with peach. For the Sangeet, we just wanted colorful and vibrant colors, but we weren't very picky. For the Haldi, we decided to go for colorful and bright; we wore yellow and white but had bright hot pinks and light blue to accent the yellows; for the Wedding Ceremony, we went traditional red and pink, which also matched my outfit, and for the Reception we went with the groom's favorite color navy blue and centered accent colors around that (white and lavender).
I have my sister to thank for coordinating all the dances and the sangeet games; she worked so hard and coordinated all the activities for the sangeet and reception! She's amazing! Jeopardy the Shivani Edition was a lot of fun to watch!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Wedding planning can be very stressful! Remember to have fun and ask for help if you need it! Don't forget it's your day and about what you want! Be flexible; there are bound to be hiccups, but don't worry, it will all be wonderful and special in the end!!!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Timing: Day 1: Mehndi; Day 2: Haldi in the Morning, Sangeet in the evening; Day 3: Wedding; Day 4: Reception
Bride's outfits: Mehndi - Cbazaar.com; Haldi - Monga's Southall; Sangeet - Southall ; Wedding - Vivah Fashions UK Leicester; Reception - G3 Surat
Every detail has been carefully planned, making this wedding a blend of culture and elegance.
