The Bel Air Bay Club is hosting today's Indian bride and her groom's second, more intimate fusion wedding ceremony, and it's all been captured in striking detail by Erin Shimazu Photography! Maharani Janani is the picture of bridal perfection, thanks to the talented hair and makeup skills of one of our favorite artists, Dolled Up By Lulu. The bride sang a song during her ceremony and wowed guests, and the photographer, with her talent and charm. The newlyweds then frolicked on the California coast for a beautiful portrait session that is sure to melt your hearts. These lovebirds are clearly meant to be and that's evident in each and every spectacular frame. Make sure you check out all of the details from their wedding celebration, like the floral and decor work at their post-ceremony soiree by School Garden and the incredible wedding cake by Hot Breads in the complete gallery.
From the bride:
"We had already had a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony in Puttaparthi, India (where my 94-year old grandfather lives in a tiny ashram in a secluded village). Having the wedding in India allowed my fiance's father, my grandparents, and extended family in South and North India to attend our ceremony. However, we had several friends and family in the U.S. and decided to have a ceremony and reception near our home in Santa Monica, CA to celebrate with our local loved ones.
The Bel Air Bay Club was a dream come true - overlooking the very spot where my fiance proposed to me! We kept the ceremony small and intimate so we could mingle with everyone properly during the event. We designed the ceremony ourselves, featuring the people and components of a marriage that were symbolically most important to us. During our ceremony, held outside with the Pacific Ocean as our backdrop, the beautiful setting sun lit up the sky in a rainbow of colors. Our parents shared reflections and readings on the meaning of marriage, and we took their blessings (along with the audience's). I sang a traditional Sanskrit bhajan to my fiance, while one of our dear friends played the guitar. At that moment, the sky turned bright pink (something I didn't even recognize at the time - it was only pointed out later by our friends and family!) We exchanged our commitment of faith and love for one another in front of everyone and had them bless us as we walked down the aisle.
Later, everyone entered the Club to a delicious array of hors d'oeuvres, from a menu we had designed ourselves. My fiance is a music producer, and one of his friends was the DJ. The music was fantastic and our guests had input in selecting the songs. I work as a physician and community advocate, and had found a florist who worked with inner city kids to grow school gardens and become involved in interior decorating. The kids came and set up the flowers on all the tables. We also had the younger kids in our guest list help with setting up final flower arrangements.
The food was a blend of things we loved from our favorite ethnic cuisines. We had things like samosa slides, chaat salad, grilled cheese toasts with shot glasses of roasted tomato soup, spring roles, mini pot pies, butternut squash dal, etc. The mango cake, which we found in a cake shop in Little India (Artesia), was a winner - egg-free, creamy and mousse-filled. As people ate, we featured clips of the video of our wedding in India, which everyone loved. We then had toasts, followed by dancing and more fun!"
Have a wonderful rest of the day, ladies!
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