Good morning, ladies! Get ready to enjoy because we're taking you on a love journey through Jasmine & Avneet's wedding festivities. If the name of this lovely couple sounds familiar, that's because their wedding already featured in our Video Blog, thanks to the fantastic film created by Avec Lumiere Productions. And we loved this celebration so much that we wanted to share the fabulous shots by Lin & Jirsa Photography with you. So, let's jump right into it. The beauty, flair, and grandeur surrounding this outdoor wedding mirrored the fabulous look of our gorgeous Maharani Jasmine. She trusted her beauty needs to Dolled up by Lulu, who delivered nothing but exquisiteness in the form of elegant makeup and classy hairstyle. To complement this jaw-dropping look, Beauty by Lishma designed a fantastic Mehndi that we loved so much. Following the line of elegance and amazingness set by our lovely couple, Three Petals Design crafted a heavenly decor in soft-pastel hues, more than perfect for the occasion. And before we go any further, we want to give The Marigold Company a big shoutout for the on-point planning and execution of this event at the Pasea Hotel & Spa. Hands down, they were major contributors in making this celebration as memorable as it was. For more details of this lovely wedding, visit today's gallery for the full reveal. It will take your breath away.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
An intercontinental romance that all started with a swipe! Avneet and I matched on Hinge in November 2017. At the time he was living in Berlin, Germany and I was in Philly completing my fellowship community psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. One of the questions Avneet had to fill out was "What is the most spontaneous thing you have ever done?" He answered, "Quit my job and moved to Berlin." It wasn't apparent to me that he still lived in Berlin at that time. Despite this, there was a clear and instant connection and we spent most of the subsequent winter months engaging in daily phone calls, despite a 6 hour time zone difference. By the time we met in Amsterdam face to face 3 months later, I felt like I already knew Avneet. It was a huge relief to not spend that time participating in the typical "first date" questions, but rather exploring a new city together, with our close friends. We finally made it official in November 2018 after countless trips between the US and Europe. We traveled to new cities as well as to each other's hometowns, endured challenges, and pushed one another out of our comfort zones.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Avneet moved back to the States on May 30, 2019 and picked me up from the airport the following day. We drove to Laguna Beach thinking it was going to be a perfect, sunny California day. We went down to the beach by a secluded cove only to find out it was very gloomy, high tides and almost raining. I was wondering why we were at the beach with such weather until Avneet got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Less than 24 hours after moving home after 3 years in Europe! I had no idea he had planned a proposal and purchased a ring all while living on the other side of the world.
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.
We had spent almost a year planning our original wedding date. We took countless trips to California to get each detail of our Punjabi Sikh wedding just right. I even traveled to India in Fall 2019 after 15 years to customize multiple bridal outfits.
After making the decision to postpone in early March, we were fortunate enough to find an officiant just days before our original wedding date and ended up getting married on a path by the waterfront near our apartment in Jersey City. We did not think of re-planning a wedding for many months but as the COVID numbers dropped throughout the summer, we decided to move forward with only an outdoor religious ceremony, cutting our 300+ guestlist down to just 70 of our closest family and friends. We also cancelled an east coast and west coast Sangeet, as well as a reception, instead opting for a short lunch following our ceremony, also outdoors.
Planning the wedding the second time around really put things such as decor in perspective for me. While I previously spent too many hours to count trying to bring multiple different themes to life for each function, in October I opted for a more clean and elegant aesthetic, using neutral tones and pampas, complimenting the beautiful line of palm trees along the beach for our backdrop. That is definitely not to say we did not splurge on a waterfront venue, seamless white aisle, clear Chivari chair rentals, beautiful place settings, etc, but the main focus was the safety of our loved ones. We minimized exposure by eliminating an open dance floor, seating members of the same household together, providing each guest with hand sanitizers and personalized masks that read "Jasmine & Avneet are quarantined for life!"
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
One particular thing that stands out from our guests is the number of times people said "this is how weddings should always be," referring to being around just their closest loved ones. Too many times weddings can become over-the-top showcases, with endless guest counts and both the couple and guests lose the real meaning behind the day. I believe our guests appreciated how mindful we were of our reduced guest count, although it did unfortunately mean some immediate family from India and Canada were unable to attend. We did have a live YouTube stream set up for everyone to watch the day of.
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.
After two sangeets were cancelled, my in-laws surprised me with a beautiful backyard mehndi. It was an amazing transformation in true Punjabi fashion, full of vibrant colors, marigold flowers, hanging umbrellas and a bangle station. I opted to wear a colorful half lengha to maximize comfort during my mehndi application. Two special designs I incorporated into my bridal mendhi were a pair of sneakers (my husband's favorite) and a dog paw for our puppy, Bixby (named after the bridge in Big Sur, California)! I feel so fortunate to have had such an intimate pre-wedding function with both families, memories I will truly cherish forever.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
We feel so fortunate to have solidified our union with a COVID-safe, intimate outdoor wedding even in the most uncertain of our times. One of the biggest lessons I personally have learned as a Type A, extreme planner, is to just let go. I had spent many sleepless nights, too many to count spreadsheets budgeting and hundreds of calls coordinating 10+ vendors for an elaborate affair only to be hit with barrier after barrier. Despite this we still ended up with the most perfect day... TWICE! We secured an officiant just days prior to our original wedding date and ended up being featured on a COVID wedding segment on the Today Show! Later, in October we were finally able to proceed with our Sikh ceremony surrounded by our closest loved ones. Fate really just has its own way of working things out - whether it be the logistics of a (really) long distance relationship, or planning a wedding. We know we can really tackle anything life may throw at us! We hope this message of love is an inspiration to other couples in similar situations. Two continents, an ocean, and a six-hour time difference couldn’t stop our love story — just proof that love does, in fact, win.
We have more lovely stories for you, ladies! So, make sure to join us tomorrow for more.
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