We are back with more of what went on with Naiya & Dharm's ravishing spree, coming from The Venetian Catering in New Jersey! Special thanks to our friends from Ami Video who did an outstanding job with the images that we have been seeing! Our beautiful Maharani looked dazzling for her dreamed day. She was wearing a classic red lengha with golden details and all the traditional accessories that only true Maharanis are able to pull off! Raja Dharm was also looking sharp, rocking a beige sherwani with all the details in red. Our couple for the reception wore matching deep blue. An elegant color that surely emulated the bright shining stars in the night sky, the same stars that lit the entire reception bash. Guests were up for a treat also with the culinary wonders of our friends from Chowpatty, who never fails to impress. As you will see, Maharanis, it was quite a celebration since M4U Events was in the house! And of course, we hope you enjoy it and get your inspo going! The full gallery is here, dolls! Let's get going!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met the Groom during undergrad at Stevens Institute of Technology. I knew he was the one when I saw him managing cultural events as an eboard member. It showed me that despite being raised in America, he was very in tune with his Indian culture and valued the traditions our families have brought down throughout the years. This was just the cherry on top to his funny, caring, and loving personality. He is always putting others before himself, which says a lot about a person.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
So everyone who knows me knows that I am the definition of "sweatpants, hair-tired, chilling with no makeup on". So Dharm had one of our friends, Anand, who also happens to be a photographer, create a facebook group asking couples to model for him so he can enhance his portfolio. Despite not liking to dress up, I jumped at the opportunity to help our friend out, who is also like a big brother figure for me. Not going to lie, I did try to get away with wearing soccer pants, but Anand bribed me with taco pizza to make sure I dressed up, which I mean what girl doesn't like tacos and pizza. This photoshoot was scheduled exactly the weekend before I had to leave for medical school, so everything worked out in terms of me being ready for it. So Dharm picked me up from my house and we headed to the Hoboken pier, which happens to be right by our alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology. When we got there, we were the only couple there and I was told we have to walk to the path station to pick up a friend who was part of another couple. Me thinking nothing weird about this, I went along. We took pictures as we walked down the pier. When we got towards the end of the pier, a few close friends and family started popping out with signs. This is when I knew what was going on. I saw all my close friends and family circled by the pier by the spot that Dharm brought me to. By the time I turned to look at Dharm, he was already down on one knee, and popped the question!
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.
Planning the wedding was very difficult given that I was away at medical school the majority of the time, and only home for about 10 days every 4 months. Majority happened through Dharm and I having google hangouts daily and going over all the tasks and updates. Dharm did a lot of scheduling to meet vendors exactly when I was home, so it was just a marathon of which vendor or vendors I had to meet that day. Our siblings and bridal parties were a huge help when it came down to managing a lot of the events during the wedding week. My overall experience with all my vendors was that I was absolutely thrilled and taken aback at how much they made everything ran smoothly. Milan Banquet Hall in Garfield, NJ was great with working with our strict time frames and accommodating to our needs. My vidhi and the garba were held there, and everything turned out great. The Venetian also in Garfield, NJ was our location for the wedding and reception, and their service was nothing but perfect. Everyone made sure everything was running smoothly and handled any issues without stressing the bride and groom as well as the immediate family members. We did not have to run around reminding anyone about their tasks. It was their exquisite service, which allowed us to enjoy our day. My hair and makeup for my mendhi night and vidhi were done by Nutan, and I was extremely happy with it. She adhered to me wanting more of a natural look, which I really appreciated. My actual mendhi and hair and makeup for garba, wedding, and reception was done by Darshita from Dulhan by Darshita. She was absolutely terrific given my strict time constraints but nevertheless made sure I was ready to go for all my events. She made sure she took out the time and paid attention to all the fine details, which showed me that she really did care. All the decor was done by Jyoti from Event Decorators. Jyoti was very flexible and always on top of everything. She was very helpful in directing me towards ideas and concepts that would fit my idea for the various events. More than anything else, she worked with my ideas and added her own professional flare to it. Flowers for the wedding and reception were done by Matthew and he worked tremendously hard to design centerpieces with the ideas we gave him. They turned out to be a great feature of the reception. Our photographer and videographer was Meet Soni from Amivideo. We have used his company for years in both of our families, so it was a tradition we wanted to continue. In addition, Meet has changed the company around and has added a very nice cinematic and modern touch which is something we wanted. Our photos and videos came out to be perfect representations of our wedding week. More than anything else, they were never in the way. Half the time I didn't even know certain pictures or videos were taken, which I liked. Their candid shots were a great addition to the albums. Our catering was from Chowpatty Foods. Everyone loved the food and just could not get enough of it. The traditional tastes with modern aesthetics are just eye-catching. Last by not least, our DJ and MC was M4U events. Neil, who was our MC, made sure the crowd was going at all times. They took care of details for the programs, and even other things that we didn't notice. Their attention to detail and ability to keep everyone engaged throughout the day was remarkable. I would recommend all my vendors for anyone who wants to make sure their wedding week is one for the books!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I always wanted the traditional red, white, and gold theme, also because red is my favorite color. I did all my clothes shopping in Mumbai, India in 1 day due to my time constraints. Given that theme, I wanted something was that was royal (delicate but eye-catching at the same time). My wedding dress was a designer from Mahesh Malhotra. It had the right amount of elegance but was not too flashy which is exactly what I was looking for.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I am someone who likes to customize a lot of things, so being able to pick out every detail of the wedding week was something I enjoyed. Color schemes, themes, decorations, invites, and more were never just brought as is. Everything was tweaked in a personal way that suited Dharm and me.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Everyone we spoke to absolutely loved the attention to detail. Everyone was awestruck at the venue. All the food was different and tasteful. The MC and DJ were the life of the party. The photographers were never in the way.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
My entrance into the wedding hall on the dholi is something that I remember vividly. The MC and DJ were on point with the music because I wanted to enter during a certain drop in the beat. The staff at the Venetian made sure I was ready to go and that no one was in the way. Everyone attending the wedding was able to see despite how short or covered by someone else they were. It was the moment where I realized that this is actually happening.
For events other than your ceremony, please tell us as much as you would like about the decor, style, dances, and all the special details.
Mentioned this in the other box, but let me know if you need more information? Dances were all handled by the bridal parties on both sides as well as the immediate families and obviously by Dharm and me.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Enjoy the planning! I was very swamped with medical school while having to plan this, and so at times it took away from the enjoyment of planning my special day. If you feel like you will be swamped, get a wedding planner early on! I did not have one, but I know it would have been probably a lot easier with one.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Jewelry was all real and themed for royal looks for all the events. It was a mix of traditional ones and ones made specifically for the wedding. Mendhi I had our careers included so engineering gears (since Dharm is an engineer as well as me), caduceus (medical symbol to represent me as a future physician), and the BAPS Akshar Deri (which is one of my favorite religious icons since I hold my religion deep to my identity). My mendhi also had elephants on my shins, which happens to be one of my favorite animals as well as a touch of royalty. Our invitations also had elephants on them. Our cake was from A Little Cake in Park Ridge, NJ and was completely eggless. Leo was great with working with our designs. Both the staffs of the locations were terrific, esp the Venetian. It was money well spent.
Enjoy your weekend!
DJ: M4U Events |
Catering: Chowpatty Catering |
Photography: Ami Video |
Cinematography: Ami Video |
Ceremony Venue: The Venetian Catering |
Reception Venue: The Venetian Catering |
Florist: Atlas Floral Decorators |
Decoration: Event Decorators |
Mehndi and Vidhi Hair & Makeup: Nutan |
Garba / Wedding and Reception Hair & Makeup: Dulhan by Darshita
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Chowpatty Catering and
Ami Video
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