Preeti and Cana celebrate in style with an awe-inspiring Indian fusion wedding and reception at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in New Jersey. To make their day extra special, the talented Abhishek Decorators create a regal mandap draped in burgundy fabric and framed with fresh, white flowers. This is truly a throne fit for a king and queen! After the emotional I do's are said and done, Priyanca Rao Photography takes us to the after-party where a modern, Winter Wonderland of a sweetheart stage—designed by Sajawat and Partyland Event Design Boutique, awaits our charming newlyweds. Our Maharani is captivating in a velvet, navy blue lengha, with amazing hair and makeup by KC Makeup by Karuna Chani! She's joined on the dance floor with her suited man who definitely knows how to lead! The rest of the night is filled with heartfelt toasts and a tasteful dinner by Moghul Caterers. The one and only DJ Manan made sure to keep the party going through the wee hours of the night by playing the most hypnotic beats! While you check out the gallery for all the highlights from this event, I'll see if I can get my hands on the entertaining highlight reel by Studio Nine Photography + Cinema!
From the bride, on the wedding style:
"When I sat down to figure out what my dream wedding would be, I knew it had to be a day not just about me, but about our families and us. A wedding cannot be a true celebration if we are not surrounded by our friends and family, they are what makes us who we are. I wanted to incorporate as much of our Indian traditions as possible. Growing up of Hindu faith, this was very important to me, and thereby very important to my fiance. We went with the full traditional indian wedding, including Baraat and all. As we began to plan, he began to understand the importance of certain traditions, such as the uses of sindoor and significance of the mangalsutra. Our main objective was including as much family and tradition as possible and making sure the ceremony and reception were about reflecting on our relationship as a couple. We knew we wanted to go with more of an earthy theme. We both like more of a rustic decor, so we wanted to incorporate as much foliage and natural wood as we could. As for the colors, honestly, that was more of what was available. One of the first things we did after getting engaged was travel to India, for him to meet all our family and of course, do some much needed wedding shopping. Many of the designers asked "so what's your theme, what's your color?" and I remember saying "well what do you have in stock?" It was more about the practicality of it all and to develop the final theme from there. I ended up liking a turquoise (similar to tiffany blue) for the bridesmaids sarees, which then became the theme for the wedding. I didn’t blend in too much, so I wanted my wedding outfit to be a completely different color, which ended up being a rani pink. So the final wedding color palette became pink and turquoise. For the reception, I knew I wanted to go more dramatic, more winter wonderland. Natural woods, white orchids (my favorite flower) and plush foliage. So we went with a very dark and rich royal blue (also one of my favorite colors). Once those few aspects were decided, we were able to start planning the little details."
On her favorite part of planning:
"My favorite part in planning the wedding was all the family interaction. It was the first time both our families were planning together. It allowed us to grow as a couple and for our families to become closer throughout the process. My utmost favorite part was also in planning the little details. I am ALL ABOUT THE LITTLE DETAILS! We had matching petal holders with a turquoise embossed gold inlay and turquoise scrolls to match the bridesmaids and groomsmen. For the reception, all the stationary had the same border and theme as our wedding invitations. Most of this was done by myself and my family and not by the decorator. It was a lot of sweat and tears, but these little personal touches are what made the day about us and not so cookie cutter. So my family and I delved in, paper glue and all. It created some very fun and memorable moments. Some examples would be: the petal holders we used for the ceremony. My mom, extended family, and even Cana would sit there rolling these little petal holders while drinking chai and just chatting... it was adorable. The stationery used for the reception: "Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Couple" allowed us to give our family and those who didn't know the other side, a little insight into our relationship. We had little coasters that said "BEST DAY EVER." because for us, it really was! Due to Cana's side of the family not being familiar with many of the indian traditions, it was also very important to us to make sure they knew exactly what went on throughout the wedding ceremony, so we customized turquoise scrolls with full description of each step (the scroll was also a little detail Cana came up with rather than the usual pamphlet.) Our signature drinks included a nostalgic drinks from the south, Moscow Mules (which we called “Marry Me Moscow Mules”). So if I had to say what my favorite part was.... it was being able to bring these little details to life!"
On special moments:
There were actually 2 moments most special to me. First, when I first entered the wedding ceremonial area on the arm of my Mammaji walking me down the aisle and seeing Cana sitting at the mandap in full Maharajan sherwani and pagri smiling as he saw me enter. We were FINALLY getting married, we made it!! and all our family and friends were there with us to celebrate. All our traditions were in full effect, making smile from ear to ear. And second, hearing that introduction at the reception "for the first time, Dr's Cana and Preeti Pasierb!" and us strutting out as husband and wife for the first time! At that moment, I think we were both happiest and felt the magic. We came out to Pharrel's "Happy" accompanied by a live dhol beat from our dhol player we had at the Bharaat. The fusion of western and indian beats, just like Cana and myself!"
On family and friends helping:
"I was lucky enough to have some amazing family in India take care of things even after we left. I in trusted many of these tasks to my Buaji in Bombay. She was the main designer for many of the original serials is in India, so she knew many of the seamstresses and had a great eye for fashion. She was my savior. She designed many of my outfits throughout the wedding week and had many of my outfits stitched. Without her vigilant eye and determination, the vision I had for our wedding, would never have come to fruition. A huge effort was made by my Mammaji and his family as well. They brought all the remaining bridal wear and decor in massive suitcases when they came for the wedding. Without such supportive and kind family, our wedding would not have been the same. Those little details would have never been met."
On the first dance:
"I wanted our first dance to be a blending of both our cultures. Our first dance was a mix starting with Al Greene's "Let's Stay Together" followed by 2 States "Mast Magan." Cana had chosen Al Greene. Al Greene’s old school soul music, hit home with us, with the lyrics stating just how we felt, one line repeating " I am so in love with you..." quite fitting for the two of us. I chose Mast Magan because the storyline of that movie hit home for me. We were both from two different cultures, two different states, but even with those differences, we found love in one another. My overall goal with our first dance was again the fusion of 2 different styles of music and dance, to create something special. We combined traditional ballroom foxtrot with bollywood free style in both the Al Greene and Mast Magan songs, starting slow, and then picking up the pace. I was trained in Kathak, so I went ahead and incorporated Kathak steps in both songs along with the ballroom steps. For instance, turning instead into a Kathak spin vs the traditional ballroom turn. We even did foxtrot to Mast Magan. Cana said that I couldn’t help but light up whenever that segment of the song began."
Have a wonderful day, gal pals!
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