Good morning to all my gorgeous Maharanis! I am eager to share the magical day of Christine and Rajesh's wedding with you. This lovely couple decided to say "I do" at the breathtakingly Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul. The beautiful architecture of the place and their loved ones' presence combined to create one of the most romantic settings I have ever seen. And not to mention the reception! The elegance and traditions are undoubtedly one of my favorite things about this celebration. Our newlyweds decided to have a captivating bash at Crystal Team Room- Finley Catering. It was an enchanting venue straight out of a fairytale! Christine, our dear bride, went for a lovely white dress from RK Bridal and her charming prince, right by her side, wearing a stylish suit. And let me tell you, girls, they looked perfect! The gracefulness of her attire was the ideal match for the heavenly decor provided by Florista Decor, with a beautiful mix of delicate flowers and golden embellishments. The ambiance was precious and magnificent, and I think the whole event seemed like the most fantastic event of the year! The joy is remarkable in everyone's smiles, and I applaud the extraordinary setting Luxe Event Group gave our lovebirds. Their brilliant entertainers demonstrate their expertise and enthusiasm through their work, making a lasting impact on the couples' guests. It was undeniably an unforgettable celebration, immortalized in a sweet set of pictures captured by Studio KSD and their incredible team. Maharanis, we have created a dashing gallery for you to be inspired! I am sure you'll feel the love radiating through every picture!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Funny story- we met on Tinder when I was in New York for a winter break during law school. The next day I returned to Washington, D.C.! We started talking and the conversations were effortless. Turns out we crossed paths throughout our life but ended up meeting on a dating app. We were both from the same small city in New York, we both went to the same middle school, he was in my best friends class, and I went to high school with his brother. We texted for months but did not have a chance to meet in person until one day Rajesh drove all the way from New York to D.C. for a 2 hour date. That's when I knew it was true love. He is the soul you read about in fairytales. He is the kind of person who makes your life better. That's how I knew he was the one.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
On our second date, I took Rajesh to see the D.C. monuments at night. I convinced him that there was no better time to see it than when all the tourists were gone and when all the selfie sticks weren't in sight. As we sat there, on our second date, I became emotional on the Lincoln steps about how much history happened there. Somehow he didn't get scared off at this history nerd having a moment. Three years after that first date my now sister in law decided to tell us she was planning a trip to DC. As the DC enthusiast I was, I sent an itinerary right away with all my favorite things including the monuments at night. Little did I know it was Rajesh's ploy to propose to me at my favorite spot. She then invited me to come on their trip and I suggested we make a siblings trip out of it. Jokes on me. The trip "I planned" had already been planned out by Rajesh. As I am leading everyone up the stairs to the Lincoln memorial, my favorite monument, the people start to move aside. I look down and there Rajesh is on one knee. I was FLOORED. Before I could say yes, my friends and cousins run out from behind the pillars screaming in excitement. Rajesh knew how important it was for me to have my loved ones there and my loved ones all made the trip out to D.C. to be there! The next day, Rajesh had our parents and family come down for an amazing brunch at my favorite D.C. restaurant. I replay that weekend over and over in my head.
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 constantly hear about un-involved grooms but that was never the case here. Rajesh is a perfectionist and artist. He knew from the beginning that he wanted to make our wedding perfect. He spent months researching perfect venues and unique experiences for our big day. That somehow had us end up in Philadelphia, a city neither of us lived in. We fell in love with Crystal Tea Room for its history and beautiful aesthetic. But what sold us? THE FOOD. We are huge foodies and we were able to custom make our entire menu. The other vendors fell in love quickly. We met Aji from Eventify and knew right away that he was the wedding coordinator for us. His ability to be on top of things and connect with people made him perfect for the job. We went with Florista for the decor because they understood we wanted an aesthetic that was timeless and natural. Shades of gold and white with romantic candles everywhere. Hair and make-up was easy in that Cinderella Bridez was the only company I contacted. I loved that they made you look like a better version of yourself, not a completely unrecognizable bride. Bhargavi worked her magic and I could not be happier. Photography was something we struggled with for some time. We wanted a mix of romantic, dark, light, impromptu shots, and everything in between. Studio KSD nailed our dreams. Planning was stressful due to the global pandemic but having a partner whose only goal is to make you happy made the process effortless. In a weird way, the pandemic gave us more time to celebrate our love. Our families threw multiple bachelorette parties, pre-wedding events, and random parties in between to make up for the loss of our first wedding.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I always had the image of being a classic bride. I wanted to look back at photos in 30 years and think to myself that I would wear those outfits again. I truly felt I accomplished that. I went to RK Bridal for my wedding dress and immediately Malak knew the aesthetic I was going for. She brought out a simple white, off-the-shoulder A-line gown, and I was SOLD. I started crying when I put it on and it was so confusing. WHY AM I CRYING? AM I ALLERGIC TO SOMETHING? No, I was just so overwhelmed that I had found the perfect dress. My bridal lengha story was even funnier. Let's rewind to February 2020, I am hearing of this thing called covid that is ravaging through China. I hope on the flight to India and think how bad could it really be? My mother-in-law packed me a few masks and I wore it on the flight thinking to myself "man this is super uncomfortable." We arrive in India and it's go go go. We are off to shopping for lenghas, sarees, wedding invitations, bridal outfits, and everything in between. I knew similar to my wedding dress, I wanted a classic lengha. I searched stores all through Kottayam and Kochi and finally found an off-white dress that weighed more than I did. But it was BEAUTIFUL. I bought it and it took up an entire suitcase on the way back.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the planning process had to be the food tasting and seeing all the venues. The different venues treat you like a queen and it's great.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
All we heard about was how great the food was. Our cocktail hour was something we put a lot of effort into. We had so many stations and so many different types of food! We had a New Orleans station with oysters shucked to order, crawfish mac and cheese, fried oysters, shrimp etouffee, and jambalaya. A Neptune station with lobster tails, lobster mac and cheese, mussels marinara, shrimp stir fry, and baby clams. A carving station with slow-braised brisket. A Mediterranean station with gyro, chicken souvlaki, different dips, grape leaves, flatbreads. A Marrakesh station with Moroccan spiced rack of lamb that was carved to order, chicken tagine, saffron couscous, baked white fish chermoula, spiced shrimp briouats. We had a slider station with all different types of sliders, brisket, braised Italian pork, mini Angus burgers, grilled portobello burgers, and truffle fries. For dinner we started with a lobster ravioli as the first course, guests could choose between duck, filet mignon, salmon, or a butternut squash and goat cheese ravioli. Following dinner, we had an entire room filled with desserts. An ice cream sundae bar, cannolis, sfogliatella, tiramisu, all different types of cake, all different types of pastries, coffees, teas, and dessert wines/liquor. In addition to our wedding cakes, After the dessert room, we had a "power hour" around 1 am during the after-party. Here guests could have Philly cheesesteaks, wings, fries, and other bar food.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
A really special moment that replays in my mind on the big wedding days is all the times Rajesh and I got to be alone. Whether it was for a few minutes or a half-hour. We took these videos on our iPhone after each part of the night (ceremony, entrance, cocktail hour, first dance, etc.) We talked about how we were feeling and what we were excited for. I can't wait to show our future kids the behind the scene videos.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Enjoy the process. It's never worth dressing for. DELEGATE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. Teamwork truly made my dream work.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Fun fact: I am highly allergic to flowers and we had wood or silk flowers everywhere. All the bouquets were completely made of wood. No one even noticed!
Maharanis, this is all for today. Keep coming back for more romance!
