Prior to their first meeting, Aneesha and Dan had a series of missed connections that lasted almost a decade. Both went to the same college and graduate school, and even volunteered at the same non-profit for years, but didn't meet face to face until a mutual friend finally introduced them. Aneesha knew almost instantly that Dan was special, and their first date at a bourbon bar in Ann Arbor solidified their strong connection. Their relationship led to Dan organizing a quite-literally sweet proposal (read more details below in our interview with Aneesha - it involved cookies!) and an incredible wedding in which the bride and groom thoughtfully combined their Indian and Jewish heritages. Both the Hindu and Jewish ceremonies as well as the reception took place at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles, with planning and design overseen by the talents at Events by C and the rich, impeccably designed decor by Yaadein Weddings. While the banging baraat was in full swing with Dan whipping out his best Bollywood-inspired moves and Dholi Mastana leading the charge, Mahrani Aneesha was readying herself for her Hindu ceremony in a magenta lehenga (her mom's favorite color), mehendi by Bhavna's Henna and Arts, and hair and makeup by Makeup by Mahwish Ali. She also wore some of the most beautiful accessories we've ever seen. The jewelry set she wore for her Hindu ceremony was a 100 year old antique set borrowed from a dear family friend, with very sentimental meaning. Every detail of this wedding was so meaningful and this thoughtful twosome seem like a match made in heaven! We'll be back to discuss their glamorous reception later today with delicious food by Indaroma and the cutest table numbering idea! While you wait, check out their complete gallery featuring rich, dreamy photos by Photographick Studios.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Dan through a mutual friend shortly after I had decided to pursue a career in science education. When we met, he was introduced to me as a space scientist, and I was immediately guarded - I'd spent much of the past 6 months defending my decision to pursue education instead of hard science (my background and training) and was fully prepared for him to be condescending. Instead, he completely surprised me by responding to my science educator lifestyle with "whoa that's so awesome! how did you find that job?!" We quickly discovered that almost the entire decade prior to us meeting had been a series of missed connections - we went to the same schools for college and graduate school, and had spent the last several years volunteering at the same non-profit. We connected immediately (thoroughly ignoring the kind friend who had introduced us in the first place!), but Dan was preparing to move to the DC area to work at NASA in just a couple of months, so it seemed like this was going to be a fun but brief chapter in both of our lives. We went our separate ways, but kept in touch - and six months later, I had an amazing job opportunity to move to DC myself! The rest, as they say, is history!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Dan's family has a secret cookie recipe that he had always told me he couldn't share with me because I wasn't an official "Gershman". I'd given him a hard time about it, but he held fast to this rule, and I was only allowed to be part of the cookie-making process after the dough was made for years. For Christmas, a year ago, we had planned a romantic trip to Montreal after spending the holiday with both of our families. When we got to Montreal, Dan told me he had one last holiday gift for me--and he gave me the secret family recipe! It was the sweetest thing (after I figured out what was going on), and then we had the rest of our trip to celebrate our engagement just the two of us.
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.
Dan is Jewish and I am Hindu, and before getting engaged, we had made a real effort to not only get to know each other's traditions and beliefs, but directly participate in both and figure out how we would weave them together in our lives. The wedding was our first real test. We wanted to really respect our families, our own beliefs, and make sure everyone felt included and valued - but we also wanted our wedding to reflect the life we hope to create together; one that intertwines our cultures.
We'll see you here in a few hours Maharanis!
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