The Platinum Guide Blog

Happy Tuesday, beautiful Maharanis! It is a lovely day, and as always, we are here to give you a daily shot of inspiration. Today we are pleased to unveil the beauty and glamour that surrounded Khushabu & Ravi's wedding festivities! To begin this journey, let me tell you that the way Tum Hi Ho Events planned and orchestrated this spectacular event was out of this world. They took our lovebirds' vision and made it a dream come true. Just spectacular! Today, as you scroll down, you will be delighted by every single detail from this unique and unforgettable wedding celebration. The marvelous outdoors from the beautiful Wild Dunes Resort hosted the memorable wedding ceremony at the beach, followed for a phenomenal wedding reception, where everyone had a fantastic time! If you are dreaming of a beach wedding, today's feature is right for you as you will get tons of inspiring ideas from it. Khushabu, our gorgeous Maharani, delighted everyone with her natural beauty, and she stole the show with her spectacular look. She trusted her beauty needs to Cinderella Bridez, who delivered nothing but utter perfection! To relive this fantastic time, make sure to visit today's gallery, thanks to the jaw-dropping shots captured by Bhowmik Dave Photography. I know that you will love it as much as we did! So, don't think twice and get ready to be fully amazed!

Tum Hi Ho Events, Bhowmik Dave Films & Photography and Wild Dunes Resort are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Happy Tuesday, Maharanis! As you know, here at Maharani Weddings, you will find tons of ideas and creativity that will help you to increase that inspiration needed for your dream event. Today, we have a phenomenal time prepared for you as we will unveil the beauty that surrounded Amelia & Anthony's fusion wedding celebration! Every single part of it will enchant you. So let me take you to the exclusive Moon Palace, Jamaica, in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to enjoy this dazzling event! The place overflowed with beautiful floral arrangements and ornaments that left everyone speechless. This was thanks to the talent from Zedoj Events and Wedding's team, who created a marvelous environment. If you are thinking of celebrating your dreamed wedding internationally, you can't miss today's gallery. It is brought to you thanks to the talent from Evan Rich Photography, who made sure to capture every detail, smile, and memorable moment of the celebration. This was a wedding out of this world, where two different cultures gather to celebrate their favorite ones. The weather, the food, the chatting, the premises, and the music were the special touch that turned this wedding in a memorable one! And you, my darlings, will love it so much! So, wait no more and get ready to enjoy!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Anthony through a mutual friend. She invited me to his sisters birthday party. I didnt want to go but im glad I did. It took a long time for us to really become friends really about 1 year. He helped me through some tough times and we became best friends. We liked  the same things and did everything together. Soon I couldnt imagine life without him. I knew very early on that he was different and we would be together.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
We didnt have a traditional proposal. I wanted to be more modern and join together mutually. We took engagement photos and announced our engagement. He surprised me with a rare pink sapphire "padparadscha" ring on the day of my bridal shower. My ring is unique and different like me. I cried all of my makeup off before I even got to my shower.

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 a destination wedding is difficult for a type A personality or I think for any bride. I couldnt have done it without my wedding travel agents and wedding planner Heather at Modern Destination Weddings. This is hands down the best decision I made. My own little team helped me with planning every little detail. They answered all my questions and helped me secure my venue and all arrangements for what we envisioned on our day. We wanted a very relaxed, fun, vacation vibe with good food and a party atmosphere. We chose to have our wedding at moon palace in ocho rios jamaica. We had a two day wedding. Friday was the indian ceremony and Saturday was the Christian ceremony. We had a reception and after party both nights!!  Traditional red and orange was my color scheme for the Indian day and white and pink was our color scheme for our American day. We definitely had some unique/ different approach. I didnt want too many decorations and wanted to let the beauty of the island show for itself. We had custom bride and groom drinks. I didnt want traditional bouquets for the bridesmaids so I opted for corsages instead. Being a bridesmaid 2 times and a maid of honor the year before I find bouquets exhausting to carry around and then they really just get wasted at the end, especially if you cant take them home. Having the right makeup and hair was super important to me, I flew in my makeup artist from NY @beautybytamanna . I LOVED the way both of my looks came out. My makeup lasted all day even in the Jamaica heat.  I feel like my jewelry played a very important part in bringing the looks to life. I loved my jewelry for both days and spent lots of time picking the right pieces.
My indian jewelry was from om sons  and my headpiece and earrings were from @bridalstylesboutique

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I saved so many pictures of styles I liked on Instagram and pinterest. For a tropical wedding I had initially wanted a.pink lengha but my MOM insisted on traditional red. I went with a compromise to make my mom happy and wore a red custom lengha for my ceremony and a pink lengha from @rehanasexclusivedesigns for the reception. I am so happy that I followed my moms advice because I felt like a bride in my red lengha. My lenghas both had floral motifs with crystal flowers.  I went shopping with my family first to get ideas and try on. I took my mom, my sister in law and my musee. We shopped for both indian wear and a white dress. But in the end when I was ready with my decision I went only with my mom to buy my final choice.
For my white dress I  chose an eve of milady gown which was from @bridalreflectionsny  It had just the right amount of beading and bling, lots of lace in a floral pattern a train and an illusion neckline.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I feel like I had people who were really helping me achieve everything I wanted for my special day. The most enjoyable part for me was creating those special details for my guests (like welcome bags) with things that they could enjoy and also bringing our own personality and spin to our wedding. I started planning waaayyy in advanced and I think thats one of the most helpful things you can do as a bride! You wont be stressed for time.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
We had a very emotional american ceremony on day 2. Everyone was crying when I walked down the aisle. When i looked up as we were saying our vows all my guests and bridal party were crying. (Including the groomsmen)

We accomplished the atmosphere we wanted for our wedding. We had such a fun time both nights at our after party at the club noir in which we had the vip section. The groomsmen showered the groom with champagne and dare I day "it was lit".

We wanted it to be a mini vacation for our guests as well and I saw many hanging out at the pool and taking advantage of the activites at the resort. Many of my family did a dolphin experience and tried out the wave rider. We were there for halloween a day before our wedding and the resort even had a haunted house and some.halloween activities!

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Both of our ceremonies were verry special to me. The emotion and the joy of seeing all of our family there to support us. The weather was perfect and it was everything and more. We lived in the moment to enjoy every possible thing ( except the food, its true you never get to enjoy your food the day of the wedding)

My maid of honor (my cousin) was the best. She literally fed me in between pictures and ceremony and reception to make sure I ate something. It wad hard to eat with the jewelry, the makeup and of course the nerves.

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.
Its really important to have a Pandit that is engaging and that can carry out your ceremony the way you envision. We had lots of guests who weren't of Indian descent and our Pandit did a fantastic job explaining all the traditions. He was very light hearted and funny. Everyone said the groom and I were so serious lol maybe we were too nervous. But many of my guests complimented us on how great they thought the ceremony/Pandit was.

My cousins did a surprise traditional dance for us which had all my favorite songs. Usually I am the one who dances at all the weddings and occasions so it was a nice surprise.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
FOLLOW YOUR HEART. at the end of the day its what makes you and your groom happy.
Leave lots of time to plan will definitely help with stress levels.
Communication and common ground. The bride gets what the bride wants but its also about the groom too so its important to make decisions together.
Remember why you are getting married and that its about love. One the day of your wedding everything might not go as planned but enjoy in the moment and forget about the rest !

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
My mehndi was done at home here in NY by @hennaforallny. Monita is amazingly sweet and very talented. We did it late on  tuesday night before a flight early Wednesday morning. I tried to keep it on and warm for the longest possible time. The stain was rich and dark and lasted way after my wedding which was 3 days after I had it done.
I did alot of online ordering and found most if not all my vendors on Instagram.
I made a personalized guestbook with shutterfly my absolute go to design family album's.
I ordered my bridesmaids corsages and groomsmen boutineers from etsy
I also had a snapchat geofilter made for us from etsy. We weren't able to use it in Jamaica so I took the image and make custom drink signage for our signature drinks.

Make sure to join us tomorrow for another fantastic love story! 

Moon Palace, Jamaica is a member of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Moon Palace, Jamaica VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Good morning, Maharanis! We were dying to get back to you on this fresh new week to bring you the best of Indian weddings, which is what we do here at Maharani Weddings. Today we have a special event for you as we are double featuring Natasha & Harsh's big wedding bash. That's right! We have a visual masterpiece that you can relive in today's Video Blog. And we also have the fantastic gallery below, thanks to the talent from Studio Nine Photography + Cinema. The exclusive Brooklake Country Club was the venue of choice selected by our lovely duo to host their dreamed wedding. Our gorgeous Maharani walked down the aisle dazzling everyone with her incommensurable beauty and elegance, showcasing a spectacular Mehndi designed by Mehndikalogie. And all we have to say is that we were rendered speechless over such ravishing look! Once the lovely ceremony ended, an unforgettable wedding reception started, and everyone enjoyed every single minute of it. To turn this gala into an epic party, our friends from DJ RAJ Entertainment & Event Lighting jumped into the stage and played their phenomenal beats that set the dancefloor on fire! In between all the dancing and the delicious food prepared by Chand Palace, who delighted everyone with a culinary experience like no other, the night got tot an end! If you want to relive this moment, don't forget to take a look at today's gallery. You will love every bit of it!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Harsh and I met at Quinnipiac University during a South Asian Society meeting. My favorite part of how we met is that we really just started as friends, he was my best friend for while before we recognized how we felt about each other. To date, he is the one person I can always count on and knows exactly how to talk me through any situation (even when I was freaking out about wedding planning). I suppose I knew he was the one when I felt comfortable being my weirdo self around him. That comfort level is everything.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Harsh and I had done long distance for a few years so we always met at the same spot in Hoboken every Friday after work. Those were the best Fridays, we'd grab food, get some dessert, and then just sit by the water and watch the beautiful city skyline. So, when Harsh proposed, we were watching the same city skyline right before grabbing a bite to eat. Unfortunately, it was December and negative eleven degrees. But, fortunately, there wasn't a single person in sight and we had that perfect little moment all to ourselves. Afterwards, we grabbed a bite to eat at our favorite pizza place in Hoboken, Grimaldi's, and then went to my house where our whole family was waiting to celebrate with 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.
I started with the big things like venues, catering, photography/videography, and decor first. Then moved into DJ, hair/makeup, mehndi, and outfits. I did a ton of research, followed a lot of different vendors on Instagram to get a feel of their work, and really made sure I knew the market/pricing. I had schedules for each day, informed my vendors and family of those schedules, and had every detail planned out of the events. Honestly, it was all so so worth it. I was shocked we stayed on schedule and that we were even able to enjoy the food at our own wedding! I really trusted the vendors we chose, they produced great quality work and were very efficient so my overall experience was really great. Everyone was so great about timing and about doing everything they could to make our wedding as special as possible. Would highly recommend all of the vendors we selected.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Our wedding was in the Fall so I really wanted to embrace some Fall colors. So, I chose maroon and blush pink for the wedding outfit, mustard yellow for the Sangeet, and mauve for the reception. I LOVED all of my outfits. I had zero time to go to India for them so I followed a lot of different vendors on Instagram and that's where I found Walia Jones. They made it SO easy for me and my outfits were custom made so beautifully thanks to them. I had a vision and they helped bring it to life. They completed the outfits and shipped everything very quickly so I definitely appreciated that. In general, I knew what I wanted, the style, the colors, and looked through a ton of pictures to customize the outfits how I wanted them. Loved my experience with Walia Jones and would highly recommend!

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
To be truthful, I didn't enjoy the planning. It was stressful, tedious, and took up every weekend until the day of the wedding. However, the actual wedding weekend, I was the most relaxed I had been in months because all that planning and stress was finally paying off. My favorite part was starting the events and watching everyone enjoy something I knew I put a lot of work into. Other than that, the food tasting hands down was my other favorite part lol, Chand Palace did an excellent job with the taste and presentation. Very easy to work with them and they make some quality food.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The outdoor scenery at Brooklake Country Club. I think our guests took as many pictures outside in front of the golf course as we did. That view is so breathtaking and the day of the wedding was cloudy but the temperature was perfect. Since it was cloudy, our pictures came out perfect. Other than that, I think they enjoyed the food and DJ a lot.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
One thing I really wanted to make sure was special and done well was my mehndi. I wanted a certain symbol incorporated in it because it's something that means a lot to both me and Harsh. When Harsh and I first started dating, he gave me a necklace with a dopamine molecule and it was my favorite gift from him because I felt that he truly understood how much I love nerdy things like that. I love that I was able to incorporate the dopamine molecule into my mehndi. It was something we shared years ago and Mehndikalogie was able to make it part of my wedding day - it meant a lot!

We have more prepared for you. So, make sure to joins us tomorrow as we still have tons of inspiring stories to share with you!

DJ RAJ Entertainment & Event Lighting, Studio Nine Photography + Cinema, Chand Palace, Brooklake Country Club and Mehndikalogie are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

DJ RAJ Entertainment & Event Lighting VIEW PORTFOLIO

Studio Nine Photography + Cinema VIEW PORTFOLIO

Chand Palace VIEW PORTFOLIO

Brooklake Country Club VIEW PORTFOLIO

Mehndikalogie VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Good morning, Maharanis! We just reached the end of this marvelous week filled with phenomenal events that inspired our soul. And, today is no exception. We are pleased to present to you the beauty that surrounded Meera & Vishal's wedding festivities. If this sounds familiar is because we have previously showcased this fabulous event with the visual masterpiece created by Joseph Minasi Studios. On this installment, we have the beautiful photo gallery brought to you thanks to the talent from Ajit Singh Photography, who captured every single detail from this spectacular gala. So let me take you to the exclusive Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, the venue chosen by our lovely duo to tie the knot. Everything was perfectly trimmed and planned by KM Events Management, who took our lovebirds' vision and created their dreamed wedding. Such talent! We should highlight the natural beauty that Meera, our gorgeous Maharani, showcased during the entire festivities. Not mention the spectacular Mehndi art created by Mehndikalogie, who took this Maharani's look to the next level and left everyone speechless with the unique design. Do not miss today's gallery for all the details!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Vishal and I officially met through coffee meets bagel dating app. After a couple dates and maintaining a long distance relationship, traveling back and forth to DC and NY, we both knew we shared something special. Shortly after, we introduced each other to our parents and told the family we wanted to spend our lives together. I never really understood the phrase "when you know, you know" until I met Vishal. We fit together like a puzzle piece.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Vishal proposed at Lincoln Center in NYC, outside by the fountain. I thought we were going to the opera, so we both dressed up. After he proposed, I saw a limo arriving and my friends and family came out to surprise us! We all went to a restaurant right after to celebrate! It was the perfect yet intimate proposal. I wouldn't have it any other way!

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.
I wanted to embrace my Indian culture and keep my wedding traditional but with a modern twist. I carefully planned every details of colors, theme and outfits/hair for each event. Each one of our events (Mehendi, Haldi, Sangeet, Wedding, Reception) had its own charm to it. Luckily I worked with the best vendors who were just spectacular about everything! Every vendor from decor, hair/makeup, photographer, cake, etc listened and understood my vision and what we wanted. They were so creative and supportive. Our venue, Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, catered to every need and worked extremely hard to deliver my vision. With the help of my incredible vendors, everything was super detailed and organized. Our planners, KM Events, made sure we were on time for each event and everything went smoothly. The decor was spectacular, the food was incredible, the music was on point!

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I wanted to stick with a red color for my wedding ceremony outfit. When I see the color red, I think of tradition, passion, love, power, and courage. I fell in love with this particular Sabyasachi lehenga when I tried it on and felt like a bride. It was everything I had envisioned.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
We are always talking about how all of our guests were on the dance floor at the reception! We had over 450 people and no one was sitting down! I've personally never been to a wedding where both the young and older crowd are dancing and enjoying life to the fullest! It was truly magical.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
With the perfect Sabyasachi wedding lehenga, I wanted to add my own personal touch. I hand embroidered my late grandmothers name, Manjula, in Hindi on my dupatta that was draped on my head. Although she wasn't physically alive to see me get married, I knew this was the perfect way to have her a part of my big special day. I felt incredible knowing she's with me during the ceremony.

If you were inspired today, wait to see what we have prepared for you on Monday! 

Mehndikalogie is a member of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Mehndikalogie VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Good Morning, beautiful ladies! I hope this week is bringing you many blessings and special days while you are in the company of your close ones! We don't want to end this phenomenal week without filling your cup with a dose of inspiration. Are you ready for it? I bet you are! Today we are pleased to bring you a marvelous fusion wedding that, without any doubt, will make you sigh. So let me guide you through the beauty that surrounded Shivali & Jame's wedding festivities! Right from the start, I want to highlight the spectacular decoration that filled the beautiful outdoors of the exclusive Hotel Irvine thanks to the enormous talent of Deepti's Florals Designs & Mandaps, who created a beautiful mandap for the ceremony. Oh boy, between this mandap and the floral arrangements that surrounded this soothing place, we are sure that these lovebirds could not have asked for a more sweet and charming backdrop to nite their lives in marriage. Once the ceremony ended, a fantastic wedding reception started. Everyone was delighted by every single detail of the night. The marvelous decoration, the delicious food, the emotive speeches, the chatting, and of course, the combination of music and lights performed by Fusion Sounds were the special ingredients for this memorable celebration. Today you are invited to relive this moment by visiting this spectacular gallery, thanks to the talent form AJ Studios Inc, who made sure to capture every detail for us. So get ready to check it out. It is an absolute visual delight that you don't want to miss!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
James and I met in Medical School and we started to study together. We started to hang out more and eventually he asked me on a date. After 2 years we had a long-distance relationship and he hated that so much that he moved closed and started to work at the same hospital as me.  When he moved close to me, I knew that he was the person that I will spend the rest of my life with. 

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I wanted my sangeet, wedding, and reception to be all different according to color and style.  The most difficult part was making sure it was different colors because most of the lehenga in the stores in the USA and India had very similar colors.  But after going to countless stores in 3 weeks we were able to find all my lehngas.  My favorite lehenga is my reception lehenga because I wanted something light color and I wanted to bling out.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The best part was matching decoration to my lehenga.  I was already excited about my outfits and finding decoration to match it, made it even more special.  I absolutely loved that my florists matched my reception decor and flowers with my outfit. 

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
My guests loved the music and DJ, but I think they really loved the little entertainments we had during the cocktail hours.  We wanted to make sure that our guests will not be bored so we had a caricature artist, who was amazing and draw cartoons of our guest to take as a remembrance of our wedding.  We also had a photobooth and they brought tons of props for our guests to use.  Lastly, we used prescription pill bottles as a way for people to get their seat numbers.  On the prescription bottle, the label will say their name, a prescription for Love-Agra, the prescription was our wedding date and the table number where they will be seated.  The guest would find their prescription bottle and fill their bottles with candy from the candy bar.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The really special moment that would reply in our mind would be seeing how everyone was enjoying themselves on the dance floor.  One of the biggest worries we had was if the DJ would be able to entertain both our non-Indian and Indian guests since this was an intercultural wedding.  But he did a fabulous job, he played a mix of Indian and non-Indian songs and people really enjoyed it.  Our guests were constantly on the dance floor, and whenever they were about to leave the next song would reel them back onto the dance floor. People that usually leave right after dinner, stayed until the last song.

That is all for today, darlings! Don't forget to join us tomorrow for more. 

Fusion Sounds and Deepti's Florals Designs & Mandaps are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Fusion Sounds VIEW PORTFOLIO

Deepti's Florals Designs & Mandaps VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.