The Platinum Guide Blog

It is always a treat when an traditional Indian wedding out of the home country lands in our laps. East meets West with Soudeepya and Neel’s multi-country celebration that spanned through Virginia all the way to Visakhapatnam. The pre, pre festivities began with a traditional engagement ceremony in the couple’s home state. Soudeepya remained close to her ancestor’s roots by donning a traditional gold and red lengha complete with the South Asian flair of flower embellishments. The ceremony took place in the lush gardens of the outdoors with the bright blue sky and Mother Nature serving as the decor. The plains served as a great backdrop for the couple as they shared an intimate, private moment to themselves with their photographer capturing all the memories. Vesic Photography has captured all the stunning images of both the naturesque engagement ceremony all the way to the mind blowing images stemming from India. The gallery holds all the magic, so head into there now for your destination wedding fix.

Don't move a muscle and watch this space for a gorgeous journey to India coming right up! 

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New Jersey weddings always feature such amazing venues and decor, and Trisha & Sanju's NJ reception was no exception! In our last post, we discussed the couple's stunning SoCal wedding ceremony and reception that resembled a colorful floral paradise thanks to Synx Events. Their reception was also breathtaking, and took place at the majestic Royal Albert's Palace which features such amazing architecture and ornate details. It was the perfect backdrop for the couple to celebrate their newlywed status with their loved ones on the East Coast! It was also fitting that in the palatial atmosphere, Trisha & Sanju truly resembled a Maharani and Maharaja. Check out the striking photos by A.S. Nagpal Photography in the gallery to see what we mean! We can't wait to see the reception film created by Ambrosial Films! Sanju wore an impeccably tailored tux, while Trisha wore a stunning pink and black lehenga. Her look was further elevated by her perfectly polished hair and makeup and a beautiful crystal headpiece. The hall was decked out with purple and green uplighting and lush florals, with a grand pink and white cake by Chocol8 Kiss serving as a beautiful centerpiece. We are in awe of all the beauty that was present at Trisha & Sanju's wedding celebrations! We wish the couple all the happiness in the world! Please check out the full gallery below for more wedding inspiration! And for all the behind the scenes deets, scroll down for our interview with Maharani Trisha!

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.

My wedding planning began with the coordinator who also did my sisters wedding a few years earlier. Synx events took care of all of the decorations and planning for all of my events. I knew from the start that I wanted an outdoor Sikh wedding so that was where my search began. We looked at dozens of venues and finally chose Almansor Court as it was the most accommodating for our amount of guests, had a gorgeous lake next to the gazebo, and was also not too far away.

Planning hair and makeup wasn't a tough choice as my bridal and sangeet makeup artist happened to be my cousin who is very well known and popular in the Northern California area. I didn't think twice about hiring her for my special day as I have seen her work numerous times and know how great she is. I chose to have Dolled up by LuLu do my hair and makeup for my reception based off of recommendations from many people.

The theme for my venue was simple for me because I knew what I had wanted for a long time. In my mind I wanted my wedding to be extremely colorful and outdoor, and for the reception I wanted a starry night-midnight blue theme. My sangeet theme was more moroccan and colorful as well which I let Synx events create without my telling. I was very very pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Our photography in PA was done by Amandeep Nagpal and videography with Ambrosial Films. We did our music video in Philadelphia and they did such an amazing job. We loved our teaser video and we debuted our actual music video on the day of our reception. Our family loved it!

Our Punjabi style engagement shoot was shot in New Jersey. We were blown away with his skill. We actually knew immediately we wanted him to do this for us as well as pictures for our second reception because he has an amazing sense of direction with his photos.

We hired Chatha Productions for our Videography/Photography in Los Angeles because we are family friends with Sonu Chatha and have seen a lot of his work. He also did our second engagement shoot which was done in LA. We loved the way that shoot turned out as well.

One of the best decisions we made was hiring SoundNation for our DJ services. Vik Dhillon was the easiest person to coordinate with. He did everything exactly as asked and was a crowd pleaser. We had one meeting prior to the wedding week and he did exactly what we wanted without hesitation. He was awesome to work with.

Overall, like any wedding, planning was long and drawn out but I had the greatest people to work with. I was very pleased with our decor at all of our events. It was such a special day!

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?

For my outfits, I had a pretty solid idea of what I wanted well before the wedding. I knew that I did not want a red or pink outfit, and chose to go with a vibrant royal blue with multi colored areas. I felt this would stand out really well in an outdoor wedding and I loved the outcome! I also was set on having an anarkali style wedding outfit versus a lengha or salwar kameez.

For my starry night reception, I chose to wear a backless baby pink gown with a lot of gold glitter and shimmer as I knew it would go well with the theme. I decided to put my hair to the side to show off the back part of the outfit. For the final reception in New Jersey, I wanted to wear a lengha and had my heart set on a blue and pink color scheme with velvet. Luckily I found the perfect lengha on my last day in India in Patiala!

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?

The best part of the planning process was the last few meetings with my coordinator and seeing that things were coming together. Seeing the layouts of what the venues would look like and especially seeing the set-up of the house on the day of the Sangeet blew my mind! I had a vision about everything and it was just a beautiful thing to see it come together. Planning a wedding is tough, especially with the groom across the country, but once all of the pieces were slowing fitting it was the best feeling ever.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

Our guests really loved the outdoor aspect of the wedding and the attention to detail at all of our events. We had coaches come and transport our guests to each event, we had every detail well thought out as far as decor and we had everything start in a timely fashion. In addition, we had a lot of great feedback on the food we chose for all of our events-- even our Taco Truck on Mendhi night!

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?

I have a few special moments but some of the best ones was watching everyone watch our music video laughing and smiling, my speech on the reception, when our family spoke for us on our reception, and when I was walking down the aisle seeing everyone smiling back. I still think about it 6 months later.

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 Sangeet was a colorful Moroccan theme with hanging lights, a colorful stage and a Rickshaw photo area. We had colorful tents set up with the food and our Gazebo was filled with marigolds hanging everywhere. Sanju and his family arrived and were greeted at the front and then the party began. My brother in law and I performed a few memorable songs that Sanju and I really like as a surprise, which really surprised everybody. Sanju surprised me with a beautiful poem about how we met and our future together. My best friend said a speech that brought the room to tears. It was filled with a lot of drinking, dancing, Jago and mingling with Sanju’s side of the family that much of my family hadn't met yet.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?

My words of wisdom would be to definitely hire a planner to take a load off of you, if you can. DELEGATE to family members, friends, whoever is willing to do things because when you try to take too many things on it becomes tough. Also! As for wedding outfits go, when you like something BUY IT! Don't always assume you may find something better. I bought my wedding and one reception outfit on the day I landed in Delhi and it was the best decision ever.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)

We chose to do cupcakes instead of a tiered cake and it was a hit! Everybody was eating them and loved the idea--especially since we had a few different flavors.

So lovely! We'll see you tomorrow with another incredible wedding!

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Today's darling couple was living on opposite coasts - Trisha was based in Los Angeles and Sanju resided in Pennsylvania - when fate brought them together. After a few Facetime conversations filled with laughter and familiarity, these two knew they had found something precious. The rest is history! Scroll below to read more relationship details from our interview with Trisha! Since the couple had family and friends on both coasts, they had a ceremony and reception in California, as well as a reception in New Jersey. For such elaborate, bicoastal celebrations, Trisha and Sanju brought in an all star team to make their wedding visions of a breezy and beautiful SoCal garden oasis wedding come to life. They looked no further than the fabulous Synx Events for their planning, design, florals, and rentals, and CVP Studios for the photography and cinematography of their West Coast event. Plus, Synx Events had done the decor for Trisha's sister's wedding, so Trisha & Sanju were absolutely certain they were in superb hands! The twosome chose the Almansor Court for their wedding venue due to their beautiful gazebo overlooking a serene lake. Trisha chose a unique royal blue lehenga to stand out against the outdoor colors, and had her glamorous ceremony hair and makeup done by her cousin, and well-known California makeup artist, Rani Chatha. The incredible Dolled up by Lulu then created a queen like reception look for Trisha. She was a complete bombshell in her pale pink lehenga, smoky eyes, and side swept waves! Later today we'll take you to New Jersey for Trisha & Sanju's magnificent reception photographed by A.S. Nagpal Photography at the Royal Albert's Palace, with video by Ambrosial Films. In the meantime, check out the full gallery here!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?

Sanju and I met on Dil Mil, an indian dating app, back in March 2015. He was from Easton, PA and I lived in Los Angeles. Initially, I didn't take it very seriously because he was so far away and I didn't think it would even work out. It only took a few days for my interest to be completely struck. We got along so well, we laughed a lot, started Facetiming after a few days and I felt as if I had known him forever. We met in person in June but by then I had already told my parents about him. The day after we met we both decided we wanted to meet each other’s parents and move forward. I always told people I knew he was the one when we met in person, but the truth is: I knew he was my special guy probably within the first 2 months of talking.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

Because we lived so far apart, Sanju and I always knew at least a month in advance when we would be seeing each other next. I was under the impression I would see him on our Rokha date on Oct 31, 2016, but he surprised me on my birthday weekend. I came home from work on Sept 25th to find him in my living room in a full suit. I was completely floored. He then led me outside to my back yard where he had pictures on wooden sticks creating a pathway to my gazebo. Each picture had a handwritten message next to it and each picture was in chronological order from when we met. The last picture was of our last meeting a month prior and led me to the gazebo filled with roses. He then proposed and I of course said yes. The best part was that he had his Go-Pro filming us the whole time and he also coordinated having my sister come for the occasion from New York. My parents were also in on it and filming. It was the most special day ever! We ended the night popping a bottle of Dom Perignon.

Maharanis, next up we travel to New Jersey for Trisha and Sanju's royal reception event! 

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We’re back with all of Max and Maya’s inspiring reception deets! The newlyweds met in college at Case Western Reserve University, where they sang "A Whole New World" together! Their spark, as well as Max’s bleached orange hair at the time, lit up the night! This fun loving couple threw a reception to remember, incorporating elements they both loved. Maharani Maya positively took Max’s breath away in a red lehenga with rich layers of gold embroidery. The skirt twirled oh-so-beautifully in the playful wedding portraits of the newlyweds dancing outdoors before the reception began! Meanwhile, the planners from Purple Clover Events, and the floral and decor crew from Hemsu Decorations & Rentals, Mager Designs, Meredith Party Rental, Chiavari Chair Toledo, and Hafner Florist were busy transforming The Pinnacle with chic, crisp designs. The table settings were pristine, with white linens and gold accoutrements, such as vases, china, and candles. Chandeliers and fairy lights were strung throughout the draped tent, creating an ethereal effect! The most incredible food by Krishna Catering and Pinnacle Catering was served, followed by a magnificent cake by Eston's Gourmet Creations. Max and Maya had an emotional first dance, followed by live music by Pop Rocks Cleveland and Millenius Strings, and jams by DJ Nelish Barot. Guests celebrated Maya and Max well into the night, surrounded by twinkling lights and incredible melodies. Maharanis, please peruse the full gallery for all the lovely moments captured beautifully by Grand Lubell Photography!

See you all bright and early tomorrow!

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Garden weddings are every bride’s dream come true, and Maya and Max’s soiree at The Toledo Botanical Gardens was like a beautiful storybook come to life. It is fitting that the couple were married outdoors since Max and Maya love nature. In fact, Max proposed to Maya on one of their frequent hikes. Their tradition is to collect a rock on every hike that they go on together in order to remember their time on that trail. On a gorgeous hike in Asheville, NC the rock they collected was a bit fancier, when Max presented Maya with a diamond ring! So adorable! We love Maya’s silk, rust colored sari, layered gold jewelry, and flawless hair and makeup by Makeup By Natalie and Danielle Wheeler. She looked like the queen of the forest surrounded by lush woods in her rich garb. Max also looked regal in his gold sherwani with a stole that perfectly matched Maya’s sari. In fact, the whole bridal party coordinated effortlessly with the couple in shades of angelic white, red, and gold. Though the outdoor ceremony boasted the most breathtaking scenery, Max and Maya brought in Purple Clover Events to helm planning duties and a talented design team to further elevate the beauty of the garden space. Their crew consisted of Hemsu Decorations & Rentals, Mager Designs, Meredith Party Rental, Chiavari Chair Toledo, and Hafner Florist. As you can imagine, the ceremony was pure romance, and we can’t wait to see the footage of the picturesque vows by Fairytale Productions! Take a gander at the full gallery for all the lovely photos by Grand Lubell Photography!

Maharanis, the magic continues with Maya and Max’s stunning reception at The Pinnacle with delicious food by Krishna Catering. We’ll be back in a jiffy with all those details!

Krishna Catering and Restaurant is a member of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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