Friday is here, inspiration-seeking Maharanis! To kick start our weekend with all the glam in the world, we have another Indian wedding feature to get enchanted by, and this one is a no-miss! This time around, we head down to Lafayette Hill for Payal & Ravish's union, and of course, it was as beautiful as it can get. We already know that Priyanca Rao Photography delivers some of the best pictures in the industry, so it is no surprise that today's gallery is totally beaming. The Chubb Hotel & Conference Center was the host of the gala, skillfully planned by Payal & Ravish and coordinated by none other than Shayosa Events, and as we will see, all of it accurately reflected what today's lovebirds were all about. Such a flair! So, ladies, you know what time it is! Below all the details!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met Ravish on Dil Mil in June 2017, he had a witty Seinfeld quote which made me smile, so I swiped right!
I was falling for Ravish pretty early on in our relationship. I was able to genuinely be myself around him. I knew he was the one for me when we took a ski trip together and I caught the flu while there. He took care of me in every possible way by being by my side, bringing me food, keeping me comfortable, picking up my meds and constantly checking up on me. It was then, I knew that I truly loved him and that I see myself with him forever.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Ravish and I decided to go to Montreal in October 2018. He had a whole weekend planned with exploring the city. I anticipated there maybe a proposal in the planning however he told me before the trip that the ring isn't ready and so I didn't think anything of it thereafter. On Saturday morning, we had brunch at the Maggie Oakes.
Then we went up to Mont Royal, it's a park that over looks the city of Montreal. Since it was October the view of fall trees was spectacular. After few minutes of walking around and taking pictures. Ravish said let me take a picture of you over looking the city and when I turned around he was down on his knee. I was surprised and elated.
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 loved planning my wedding. Our venue was breathtakingly beautiful. The ballroom was rustic with exposed brick and high beams and had tall windows along the side to bring in the natural light. It was important to me to have a ballroom that was open and inviting and I want to stay away from hotel ballrooms. Our venue however was not a full-service venue, which meant we had to rent china, hire staff and all the necessary linens as well. The venue worked with us to help manage all the necessary items our decorator, Nisha Shah from Lax States was beyond helpful. She brought my vision of having an open, mandap setup to life. Nisha has a very unique way in ensuring the set up resembles the bride and groom's personality along with their outfits. Our wedding outfits were perfectly coordinated with how the mandap was set up as well as our reception stage.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I love my outfit. The dress made me smile all day. I met with a custom designer, Nikita Ravi Khimani who my mom had previously worked with. I showed her two outfits that I liked and I wanted a blend of them. I knew I wanted light pink and green in my outfit and stay away from the traditional color red. Nikita was able to design and provide a sketch of the design and a sample within a week. She was able to bring my vision to life.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Ravish and I took professional dance lessons for our first dance and it was great to practice with each other. We danced to Nazm Nazm from Bareilly Ki Barfi.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
My guests loved the venue we chose, it was a golf course with a beautiful landscape and we were blessed with the perfect weather.
Ravish helped me a lot through the planning process - he was in charge of food and music. All our guests loved the food and dance-off we had at the reception.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Our first look, my walk down the aisle, my dance with my dad and our first dance.
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.
Our families were so excited for our wedding. At Garba, we had 8 performances filled with my parents, my siblings, my cousins and nieces and nephews. Ravish's family did a whole family dance and a cousin's dance.
One of the most memorable dances was seeing my Mom's and Dad's siblings do a couple dance to all the old songs such as: Ude Jab Jab Zulfen teri from Naya Daur, Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye from Jurm
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Savor every single moment of your day. You get one day to be celebrity. Take a moment with your partner during the reception to take in all the people that are in the room that love you.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Mehndi - Aarti was very creative. Ravish's favorite soccer team is Manchester United and I had asked Aarti to incorporate this logo on to my Mehndi. Ravish was so happy to see this.
Cake was a hit at our wedding. Aarti from AMR Catering was amazing. We had 2 different layers (one of the layers - Vanilla Cake - with Mango Curd and mango Icing, another layer - Raspberry Cake with thin Raspberry Compote and Raspberry Rosewater Icing.
Stick around for part two!