Ladies! Today talented photographer and wedding narrator Mir Anwar Studios presents how a fairytale comes to life! Sonya and Ronak are a lovely couple who tied the knot at the premier MGM National Harbor where they first met! Sonya shares, "We wanted a venue that was local, however, encompassed all of the aspects of a destination ." Their wedding was initially planned to be abroad but got postponed and relocated due to Covid. Thankfully, they had Urvashi Mishra as a wedding planner. She and her professional team orchestrated and guaranteed everything ran smoothly after shifting plans! The duo called on their guests to their exclusive wedding spot with a beautiful invitation designed and printed by The Royal Collection. I am sure these invites left all guests breathless! Sonya and Ronak's wedding celebrations went from a destination wedding to a local one. Nonetheless, their stylish event plans remain equally grand! They asked Elegant Affairs to create a monochromatic ambiance for the ceremony to complement the modernity of the venue. They also went for big impact, adding LED Video Walls from D&S Event Solutions to the ceremony venue. Maharani Sonya surprised too, adding a touch of color to the white wedding scene! She wore a stunning lehenga set infused with turquoise blue and peach hues. Her glam squad: Farah Hasan's team created her flawless makeup and hairstyle, while Bhavna's Henna and Arts designed a Mehndi masterpiece in her hands and feet. For the reception, the newlywed's entrance was one for the books! Ronak made an entry on a hoverboard while Sonya donned a breathtaking champagne Falguni Shane Peacock lengha! This two exuded pure elegance! Their wedding events culminated with a grand and vivid bash where DJ Insomnia from Premier Entertainment set the scene so everyone could have fun on the dancefloor. At the same time, family and friends enjoyed the menu selections for the night provided by Ind Aroma and a multi-tier confection created by MGM National Harbor. Please peek at Sonya and Ronak's big day highlights in our gallery.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Ronak and I met at a wedding in National Harbor. We had instant chemistry. I knew he was the one when we had the same sense of humor. Ronak was a natural fit in my family and we share a lot of the same goals in life as well as a shared a passion for health and fitness.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
New York has a very special place in both of our hearts. Ronak proposed to me in Central Park and surprised me with an engagement party with all of our friends and family.
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.
One of our favorites places to vacation is Cancun so we instantly knew we would have a destination wedding there. We wanted the beach wedding but wanted all of the best vendors from the US. Unfortunately, we had to switch gears due to the pandemic and reschedule our wedding and move from destination to local. We wanted to venue that was local, however encompassed all of the aspects of a destination. We decided to go back to where we met, National Harbor, and fell in love with the MGM. This property was essentially an indoor resort from its casino, movie theater, food court, spa, coffee shop, and amazing bars and restaurants. It was the perfect venue for the wedding of our dreams.
We chose Urvashi Mishra as our planner because not only does her incredible portfolio speak for itself, but our first meeting with her she made us feel like family. She was with us every step of the way from choosing our destination venue to moving our entire wedding from Cancun to the MGM National Harbor. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.
Photo and Video we decided to go with Mir Anwar. We loved his style and thought it would add a nice dramatic affect to our fun and lively wedding events.
For entertainment, my husband knew from the very beginning he wanted DJ Insomnia from Premier Entertainment. We knew he would be able to deliver the vibe we wanted for our events.
When it came to decor, I wanted everything to compliment the mordern look of the MGM. Elegant Affairs was able to capture the vision I had for all of our events. For the wedding I wanted something that would allow my Lengha to pop so we chose colors that would compliment the bridal party. We stuck with turquoise blue, peach tones and whites. For the Reception, I didn’t want any color so we stuck with white and gold. I wanted the decor to match my beautiful Falguni Shane Peacock lengha. To match the signature feathers on the lengha, we choose pops of pampas grass throughout the centerpieces.
Hair and Makeup was done by Farah Hasan. I love her style of makeup and knew it would be the perfect fit for the look I was going for. I had so much fun working with her and she did an amazing job styling and creating my looks.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
When I went to Mumbai to look for my wedding lengha I was still planning on a destination wedding. I wanted something colorful and fun to go with Cancun scenery but with a hint of traditional. I ended up choosing a magenta base but there were pops for peach and blue to fit the destination theme. For my reception, I wanted the exact opposite. I wanted something more classic so I chose a champagne color lengha from Falguni Shane.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable process was being able to work with so many different vendors and being able to be creative throughout the whole process from choosing the menu to creating different looks for each event.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The guests absolutely loved the venue especially with the built-in entertainment the casino brought.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Our wedding entrance was so much fun. My husband came in on a hoverboard.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
As hectic as it can be, enjoy every moment of your events because it goes by in a blink of an eye!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
I absolutely loved my mehndi. Bhavna Naik is so gifted! I had so much fun chatting with her throughout the entire process. She made four hours fly by.
