Happy Thursday Maharanis! We love winding down your hectic week with sensational weddings since they put us in weekend relaxation mode. Farah and Hamid’s South Asian wedding weekend was a whimsical yet lux treat that hit all the right notes! They chose the elegant Chateau Briand and The Carltun venues to celebrate their love, and the planners from Tara M. Events pulled out all the stops to ensure this was a once in a lifetime event filled to the brim with otherworldly beauty. Beautiful bride Farah was fit for royalty as she floated into the reception venue in a shimmering golden lehenga with hair and makeup fit for a Queen by Heena Das and artistic henna by Mehndikälogie. Excuse us while we pick our jaws up from the floor! Elegant Affairs created an indoor oasis comprised of blush and champagne hues. This masterpiece decor was an eclectic blend of fresh florals and synchronized draping with the majestic backdrop of glowing chandeliers and lighting. Farah and Hamid’s wedding definitely took the stunning factor up to full blast. Take a dip into the charming full gallery captured by Ajit Singh Photography. Make sure to scroll below for all the behind the scenes scoop from the Main Maharani herself!
![]()
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
It was the first week of my orientation at NYU Stern. On Saturday, we had volunteer day and I had to go up to Harlem to hand out backpacks to children with State Bags. That morning, he told me to wear something nice after I got back. The trains were stressful and delayed, and I got back just in time for a quick change. Hamid arrived at my door with a plate he had painted for me at Color Me Mine just a week before. The bottom of the plate said "Farah The Eternal Flower." He told me our Uber was arriving, and what confused me most was that we were going to Central Park Tennis Center. Little did I know, that was the closest to the Central Park Reservoir with a beautiful view of New York at sunset. Glad I made it back in time for that perfect moment! He got down on one knee, and we had a nearby runner take some photos of us to capture the sunset.
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 always knew that I wanted a rustic theme for my wedding, and I always knew that I needed a wedding planner. Tara Manchanda from Tara M Events made the wedding of my dreams possible. She listened to every single detail and had unique suggestions along the way. My parents had picked the venues before we even hired Tara because I knew I wanted a small (small for Indian Weddings around 300 people) wedding in Long Island where I grew up. They picked the Chateau Briand for my Sangeet, as it could accommodate more people and had great ambiance. For the ceremony and reception, they chose The Carltun because of the beautiful outdoor garden and classic indoor atmosphere.
I knew I wanted someone local for my hair & makeup, and I loved the looks that Heena Das had done on other brides in the area. She and her team were also able to accommodate my bridesmaids, mom and sister-in-law, which was extremely important for me.
I always knew I wanted an Indian designer outfit for my wedding, and landed at Sabyasachi in Mumbai. By coincidence, both my Sangeet and Reception outfits were from there. I was extremely satisfied with their customers service, and they fixed my outfits to the T when I went back a second time to Mumbai before the wedding for my fitting. I wanted my ceremony outfit to be indowestern so I went with HoliChic by Megha, referred by a good friend of my brother's Sheetal Patel.
Lastly, the décor really depended on my outfit choices. I knew I wanted a rustic theme for the reception and a beautiful floral outdoor ceremony. The Sangeet took more development, and I ended up with a beautiful floral adorned swing, F&H marquee lights, lounge seating, a bangle cart -- more informal and casual, which was the theme of the event. Everything was pink, something that surprised me myself.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Like I said in the previous question, I went to Mumbai in December of 2016 for my Wedding shopping. I visited Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, Anita Dongre, Shyamal and Bhumika and many other well-known designers. I always knew in the back of my mind that I wanted a Sabyasachi bridal outfit and ended up picking both my Sangeet and Reception outfits from there. I wanted to go with something that was out of the ordinary for my Sangeet, and picked a royal teal. It was from the Mughal Garden collection. It was not a color or dress that I thought I would pick, but I loved the combination and the royal look. My dad chose my reception outfit - it was a light pink gown appropriately named "A Starry Night." Luckily, the light pink gown went with the rustic theme I had always dreamed of. My ceremony outfit designed by HoliChic by Megha was white because I always wanted a white outfit for my nikkah because my Mom had worn a white and gold sari at her own wedding.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I think the most enjoyable part of the planning process was the décor. Once I had my outfits in hand, it was stress free and I could finally envision what my wedding was going to look like. I did a lot of small things in addition to the big planning like ordering table card holders from etsy in the shape of keys, setting up a guest book station with polaroids. I loved those small little details.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think my guests particularly loved the size of my wedding and the small details that went into it. 300 guests seems large, but it was manageable and I was able to meet and greet each and everyone one of them, which was awesome. Second, we set up a few unique things at the wedding - keys to hold the escort cards which were actually bottle openers that guests could keep, a guest book with accompanying polaroid cameras where they could leave us messages, and lastly, the coolest thing my wedding planner recommended: a hidden artist who would make sketches of people attending the wedding without them knowing. He would hand them the envelope after he was done - a surprise element!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
A really special moment in my wedding that constantly replays in my mind is when all of my uncles and aunts did a special dance at the Sangeet. They were not choreographed at all, but they had a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed it.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Don't stress too much! The wedding is over before you know it, and all the planning that goes into it seems like a long time ago.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Mehendi - Mehendikalogie is amazing and was able to do a NYC skyline across my palms.
Happy Thursday loves!
