Welcome back, beauties! As promised, we are back, with the beautiful conclusion of Pooja & Vinay's wedding festivities. On this installment, we are taking you back to the exclusive Hyatt Regency Reston, the ideal venue chosen by our lovebirds to host their phenomenal wedding reception. First of all, we want to take a moment to admire the perfect decoration that our friends from Partyland Sajawat created for this event. They captured our lovebird's vision and created a magical environment that everyone enjoyed. To add perfection to the night, Pooja & Vinay showed up to the hall with such an elegant and glamorous look, however, who stole the whole show was our gorgeous Maharani. She burst into the scene wearing a unique lehenga from Frontier Raas and rocking a marvelous makeup and hairstyle designed by Styles By Swati - Salon SBS, which endowed her with a royalty look reminiscent to the beauty of a princess from a fairytale. What a beauty! This was a fabulous celebration, and every guest enjoyed every single part of it while dancing to the upbeat melodies played by DynastyAV, who put everyone on their feet. Today you can be part of this closing gala by visiting today's gallery, thanks to the enormous talent of Ron Soliman Photojournalism, who made sure to capture every detail and intimate moment. We are sure it will take your breath away!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Vinay and I met on Dil Mil. At the time, I had just finished nursing school in Delaware and he lived in northern Virginia. We both knew early on this was it. We texted and FaceTimed almost everyday for 3 weeks before we met in person for the first time. He came to see me in Delaware and then we took turns doing weekend trips back and forth. Every time we spent time together was even better than the last. After over a year of long distance we decided to take the next step and I moved down to Virginia. Though he told me early on he knew I was the one for him, it was solidified for me when I moved.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
It was on our 2 year meet-aversary...Vinay's 5 year old niece loves getting manicures so he set me up to get one with her and his sister. After a wonderful day out to lunch and the nail salon with his sister and niece I came home to our condo beautifully decorated with over 200 roses, the fireplace lit, our song playing, candles, balloons, and rose petals everywhere. He walked me over to our living room and with string lights he wrote out on the wall "will you marry me?" on a wall. I turned around and he got down on one knee. I wish remembered more details about what he said but I definitely felt like I blacked out! Afterwards, we got ready for dinner and when we reached the restaurant he had all of our friends and family surprise us when we walked in. This was another moment that day that felt like a blur but luckily it was caught on video!
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.
Overall my wedding planning experience was pretty smooth. All of my vendors were wonderful to work with and made the process a breeze.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
This was the most memorable and special experience of wedding planning for me. About 7 years ago my mom went through kidney failure and it was a long hard road before she got a transplant. When my brother got married in India, she was unable to attend because she was on dialysis. So I never thought I would be able to go to India to go dress shopping with my mom but she was well enough post transplant to go with me and we had the best time together. I will remember and cherish that experience forever. I knew I wanted to wear red but I didn't have much in mind past that. Luckily my mom had more of a vision than I did and having her with me was so helpful. We both ended up loving a lehenga in the first shop we went to, Kaaisha by Shalini in Delhi. I was afraid to commit without looking around other places but eventually ended up back there because I realized I was comparing everything to that initial lehenga I loved. Shalini was so lovely to work with and so talented. She sent me pictures of my lehenga being hand stitched throughout the process which was so exciting while I was waiting for it.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Probably the same as above. Going to India to go shopping with my mom was always something I wasn't sure I would get to do. So it was definitely the most memorable and enjoyable part of wedding planning for me.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Everyone had a great time on the dance floor. So many guests told us they loved the music and it was the most fun they've had at a wedding. Vinay and I love dancing so it was important to both of us to have a DJ that would keep the party going!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
We didn't do a first look, so the first time we saw each other was when I walked down the aisle. Seeing him for the first time when I got to the mandap was the most special moment for me. He looked so handsome as a groom!
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.
I was never the girl that had a vision or knew every detail about my decor and style. It took a lot of eliminating what I didn't like to find what I liked. It also took a lot of help from my bridesmaids and family, so thankful for their help and support! Sachi from Partyland Sajawat nailed what I wanted even without me knowing what I wanted. The decor for our ceremony brought tears to my eyes when I first saw it.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Though the process can be stressful, remember it will all come together! Enjoy it as much as you can and take in every moment the day of. It goes by SO FAST!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Sangeet and Wedding lehenga- Kaaisha by Shalini
Sangeet Decor- Lucky Events
Wedding/Reception Decor- Partyland Sajawat
Sangeet and haldi photography- DC Photos by Ayesha
Wedding/Reception photography- Ron Soliman Photography
Cinematography- Inzi Wedding Films
DJ and Entertainment- Dynasty Ave
Venue- Hyatt Regency Reston
Please visit us tomorrow for more inspiring moments. We have something special prepared for you!