Hello, beautiful Maharanis! Do you know what day today is? Today is Friday, the perfect day to say I do and fall in love with an Indian Fusion love story! Stephanie & Paul are a gorgeous couple who decided to join their lives together at the St. James Catholic Church, followed by a grand reception party at The Grand Marquis, a place where your dreams come to life. The reception overflowed with the most delightful decoration; the bride and groom were amazed to see the fairy tail Florista Decor put together exclusively for them. Every detail went off flawlessly thanks to the magnificent planning of Jessy J. Events. I adore this celebration of love! Now, let me tell you about the beautiful attires our lovely Maharani wore. Kleinfeld Bridal and Hayley Paige dressed up Stephanie with exclusive designs that made her look like a real queen! But that is not all! Rebecca Lee Artistry and Pashka Gjinaj created spectacular hair and makeup designs that praised this Maharani's innate beauty. And I think we can all agree that she looked breathtaking! No wonder why Paul chose our Maharani to be his companion for the rest of his life! The romance was all over the place, and to put a musical touch to this event; our lovebirds decided to call D&S Event Solutions. They know how to animate a wedding festivity glamorously! And in case you were wondering who is the mastermind behind the breathtaking shots that we are sharing with you today, it is no other than the highly talented team from Studio KSD who went above and beyond on every photograph they captured during this love story! So wait no more, and get ready to enjoy today's full gallery. We're sure it will get you inspired!
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How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I knew he was "the one" when his flight got cancelled and he drove 10 hours from NYC to Detroit to surprise me for my birthday!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
https://howtheyasked.com/paul-and-stephanie/
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 wedding was originally scheduled for May 23-May 24, 2020, but we decided to postpone about a month before due to the pandemic. We luckily were able to get our venue deposit back which gave us more flexibility in choosing a new date for 2021. We didn't finalize our new date & venue until February 2021, but somehow we managed to realign every single one of our original vendors for our new dates on June 12-June13, 2021 with a new venue we loved even more. It was the wait worth it.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Wedding dress: I always knew I wanted a dress with a full skirt/ballgown because when else in life would I get a chance to wear something like that and feel like a princess?! had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite designers, Hayley Paige, during my appointment at Kleinfeld. I worked with Hayley to mix & match two of her gowns and said was lucky to have four of my best friends and my sister by my side while I said "Yes!" to my own custom wedding dress.
Top: HP "Tulua" gown (low scoop back, crystal bodice, scalloped jewel halter neckline)
Bottom: HP "Dare" gown (Ivory draped organza cascading skirt)
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Not going to lie, all the uncertainty of COVID made the planning process very stressful. Postponing meant we had 2 & 1/2 year engagement period. But the best part of being a bride-to-be was all my friends and family were extra nice to me ;)
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our venues & the food! Our cocktail hour at the Grand Marquis, NJ had amazing stations. Our DJ was great and everyone danced away two nights in a row
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The first thing Paul said to me when I walked down the aisle was "I love your dress" with a big smile on his face. All my nerves for the day went away.
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 our pre-wedding night we had a combined Mylanchi & Chantham Charth event at the Neel Kamal hall Royal Alberts palace. The hall's pre-set decor around the walls made it really feel like an Indian palace. I worked with FloristaDecor and designed the stage to feel like we were sitting in a palace garden. My family's color theme was lime green & Paul's family color theme was lavender. I designed my two lenghas at Milan Design-Kochi. Both of our families had their own grand entrance with song and dance. Paul and I came out on a floral decorated bicycle rikshaw (by FloristaDecor) while he pedaled to "Mere Sapno Ki Rani".
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Take professional dance lessons for your first dance! My husband was a little reluctant at first, but we both had so much fun at Fred Astaire Dance Studios-Midtown. We only took 5 lessons but each session was a much-needed break from all the wedding stress and left us feeling happier and closer to each other.
Our First Dance Song: Speechless - Dan & Shay
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
My engagement ring is rose gold (LaurenB Jeweler) and I really wanted to have a rose gold thali (minnu) to match also. I've never seen one in rose gold before, so we went shopping in India hoping to find it, but jewelers only had yellow gold and white gold ones available. So we had a rose gold "Knanaya minnu" custom made in India by Josco Jewelers. They said it was the first one ever to be made in the country! (now they have the mold for future brides looking for rose gold)
My Mehndi on one hand included the Philly "Love" sign - from where my husband and I had our first date & first picture together.
That is all for today, my beloved Maharanis! See you next week with more love stories!
