Good morning, Maharanis! The end of another fabulous week is here, and we don't want to miss the opportunity to share one of our favorite love stories with you. Today, we are pleased to introduce you to a unique fusion wedding that went beyond our expectations. Seeing two different cultures mingle together and become one through Alekhya & Justin's wedding celebration, is something to cherish and admire! So get ready to enjoy it! For this first installment, we are going through the pre-wedding events hosted at the Grand Hyatt Regency Columbus, a perfect place chosen by our lovely duo. As you know, a wedding is something that we have dreamed of ever since we were kids. And we want all to be perfect, just as in our dreams! To make that happen, Alekhya & Justin trusted their dream to the fantastic crew from B3 Events, who went above and beyond to make their dream a reality. The sangeet hall decoration is something that we want to highlight as our Maharani quoted: "The butterflies were hung all over the ceiling, and the sangeet decor just made my jaw drop when I saw it." Hands down a phenomenal decor very well complemented by the beats from DJ Mavi Productions, who enlivened every moment of the evening! If you want to relive this memorable night, visit the fantastic captures from Style & Story in today's gallery. And in case that is not enough, you might want to visit Veda Films' website to check the blockbuster video they created!
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How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Justin and I met through friends in October 2015 and we bonded over watching Ohio State football and the Dallas Cowboys. After spending many weekends together watching sports, and trying new cuisines, we became great friends. We started dating a few months after and it slowly evolved into forever.
I knew Justin was the one when we started having a conversation about life goals. He always pushed me to consistently lay down plans to reach them. I also knew he was the one when I knew he would always teach me something new and I knew I was a better version of myself with him in my life.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
We had made a trip to Cleveland in September for my birthday because I loved the fat head's brewery there. Justin had made reservations at a restaurant called adega to symbolize my name. There was a beautiful rooftop bar on top of the restaurant. After dinner, we went to the rooftop bar and he dropped down on one knee with the Cleveland city skyline behind me. It was a beautiful night spent in Cleveland.
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.
When I started out wedding planning, the things that were non-negotiables were the outfits I knew I wanted and the photographer. Everything else could be changed as needed. Oct 5th would be the auspicious date we would go on to select for the wedding.
I knew at the start of the planning since my fiance is Chinese, I would need a wedding planner to get everything in order. I wanted my dad to be in charge of choosing all the food and mainly my mom to choose the decor. We chose B3 events (Chanakya and Vini) because we had heard so many wonderful praises about their work. They were with us from venue choosing to the farewell brunch after the wedding.
We started by looking at venues that could host over 700 people. This posed an issue as that was also the same day as a big Ohio State homecoming game. After a couple months of deliberation, we chose the Hyatt downtown. Chanakya from B3 events, worked with us and Hyatt to make the contract negotiation would be stress-free.
When we started with decor, I knew that I wanted something different for the sangeet. I wanted something that was not the typical look. I ventured down the idea of doing butterflies. Butterflies to me were the significance of change and evolvement, which is how I viewed going into a marriage. The butterflies were hung all over the ceiling and the sangeet decor just made jaw drop when I saw it. Chanakya delivered beyond anything I had hoped. The wedding decor I was not particular about but Chanakya did steps by the mandap that were filled with candles and a layer of water with candles. It was breathtaking. Much in the same manner, I left the decor for the reception in Chanakya's hands. I wanted something different but didn't quite know what. He came up with a stage that had panels of peonies which were my favorite flowers. The only request I had was to keep much of the colors coral and gold. I was also very particular about the dance floor for the reception. I knew I wanted a quote that said: "I have traveled oceans of time to find you". All of the decor was just beautiful and delivered to perfection.
I knew I wanted style and story as my photographer even before wedding planning started. We worked with Stephen who had done many south Indian weddings before.
I worked with Lauren for my hair and she did a fantastic job for all the events and Kayee did my makeup. Kayee did my makeup for my engagement party and I loved that she knew how to work with Indian skin.
An important component was the food. We worked with mogul catering from New Jersey for the sangeet, wedding, and reception. The food presentation to the taste was just phenomenal.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
My outfits for mehndi, sangeet, and reception were purchased in Mumbai and Hyderabad when I went for shopping in India last summer. My original plan was to wear the lime green Sabyasachi lehenga for the Sangeet and Shyamal and Bhumika for the reception. As I was shopping for my mehndi outfit, I fell in love with a yellow lehenga with mirror work all over at Origins in Hyderabad. I realized I would have to wear my Sabyasachi for the mehndi and the Origins outfit for the sangeet. I ordered the Shyamal and Bhumika outfit in Mumbai and this one required more work as I didn't want the color that was already in store. Once I got back home, we went through a process of color selection for myself and Justin. I wanted a pastel pink to go with the coral and gold theme. Justin wore his outfit for the wedding and mine was for the reception.
For my wedding sari, we went to Kanchi in Tamil Nadu. I knew I wanted a pink sari and I ended up choosing a sari that was pink with gold hues. I also knew I wanted an antique jewelry look. Whenever I thought of a bride, I always envisioned old elegance and so the sari and the jewelry look put everything together.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I would have to say the most enjoyable part of the planning process is seeing the end result. You wait till the magical day and you reap the benefits of time and energy put into it. Walking into a room and seeing what I envisioned was so so worth it.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
After talking to our friends and my parent's friends, they were all blown away by the decor for all the events. They also commented on how wonderful and delicious the food was. Our friends who recently got married were pleasantly surprised at how smooth the wedding flowed with no hiccups.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
There a couple moments that constantly replay in my mind. The first one is the reception entrance as bride and groom and how giddy we were and excited to celebrate. The second one is actually seeing my four grandparent's faces during the wedding and seeing how happy they looked. Having my grandparents with me during the wedding meant everything to me.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
I would say priortize your non-negotables for what you want for the wedding and make sure you do them. Not everything will turn out how you want to select the things you know will make a difference to you and your fiance. I did this and I would suggest every newly married couple to do the following. I asked my wedding planner during the reception if we could get a room to ourselves to eat dinner and have 15 minutes to spend time just the both of us. This is so important because it gives a little bit of time to soak in everything but to be in each other's presence without all the outside celebrations.
Yes, we have more for you! Please come back for the outcome of this magical event. You will love it!
