Friday has arrived and the first week of December has gone by! Time flies and to catch up with it, we have a brand new wedding gala that we are so loving. Morgan & Pratish decided to celebrate their Jewish and Hindu background having two ceremonies. As you probably expect, both of them were filled to the brim with everything we love about fusion weddings. Maharani Morgan came out looking absolutely stunning wearing the traditional ruby with golden embroidery bridal saree. Her delicate and beautiful features were definitely highlighted by the amazing dolling up skills of Beauty by Lishma. We know that when she is involved, brides just shine. So stunning! And what about Raja Patrish's fashion choices? Our Hindu prince of the day rocked the traditional beige sherwani with peach details that totally made us understand why our bride just fell head over heels for him! So elegant! So, ladies, looking to get dazzled? You are in the right place! Head down to our gallery of today thanks to Brooke Aliceon Photography and get those ideas going!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We first met the day I moved into the dorms at UCSB, Pratish was my Resident Assistant (RA). He was the cool senior with a charming smile that my freshman self fell in love with. In the beginning, I never thought he could be the one because he had always told me he would ultimately need to marry an Indian girl. When he finally told his parents about me 5 years later I knew we were in it for the long haul.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Pratish told me that he had a work party on April 22nd and that significant others were invited. Pratish had "meetings" earlier in the day so I called an Uber pool (like a good hinjew does) to the JW Mariott in Santa Monica to meet him. Ironically an Indian driver picked me up and blasted Indian music during the car ride there.
Once I arrived, the front desk escorted me upstairs to where the refreshment hour was being held. Pratish had put out fake signs in the lobby pointing to his company's work party. The hotel staff opened the door to a suite where I expected to be greeted by Pratish's coworkers. I peaked in and saw a sign that read “Hinjew Historical Museum.” There was a heartfelt note, flowers, pictures, and candles upon entering but I ran straight to the back patio to find Pratish. He was standing inside a heart made of rose petals. He couldn't get any of the words out that he had practiced but got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I, of course, said yes!
After he popped the question, he had one more surprise up his sleeve. Pratish told me we would see my parents in Kansas the following weekend where we could tell my whole family our big news. I was disappointed that our families weren't there but at that moment both Pratish's family and my family ran outside.
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.
We had 13 months of planning our Hinjew wedding which felt like a very long year of planning. At one point we were so overwhelmed with trying to make both families happy that we tried to cancel our venue and wanted to plan 2 completely separate weddings. Ultimately it was our dream to have one day of celebrations that incorporated both cultures and after a lot of blood, sweat, and tears we had planned the Hinjew wedding of our dreams.
We selected the Hilton at Torrey Pined because we wanted a place our guests could easily relax during downtime since we had a few hours between the Hindu and Jewish ceremonies. We loved their ballroom because it had one wall that was all windows. Lishma was an obvious choice for hair/makeup because the previous year she had done a beautiful job on Pratish's sister's bridal look. For the Indian ceremony, we put my hair up and my makeup focused on a dramatic eye and red lip. For the Jewish ceremony, I wanted to feel more like myself so we redid my entire look in an hour to incorporate a more subtle eye, neutral lip and took my hair down. I prefer neutral colors and Pratish loves bold colors so it worked out perfectly that we had two ceremonies where we both could incorporate our personal taste. The Hindu ceremony incorporated oranges, peach, and fuchsia while the Jewish were all whites and dark greens. The reception incorporated mostly neutrals with pops of gold.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I knew I wanted a traditional red lengha. We weren't going to have time to travel to India so I went with Pratish's sisters and mom to Artesia. We found it on the mannequin in the back of Sari Palace and both Pratish's mom and I knew instantly we loved it. It was the perfect red that went well with my (very) pale skin. I later went back with my parents to pick out their Indian outfits and we selected my bridal jewelry together during this trip. Pratish's mom brought me custom bangles from India.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Pratish and I had fun working as a team and planned the entire wedding together. It was fun learning more about each other's cultures and backgrounds especially when it came to planning the ceremonies. Since we live in LA and our wedding was in SD we spent a lot of time in the car driving to vendor appointments and made multiple trips to the hotel. Although most people hate car rides, it became one of our favorite things to do because it gave us the opportunity to have quality time. We would catch up on our to-do list, talk about any issues that may have come up with families, and laughed a lot together in between the tears.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Many of our guests had never been to an Indian wedding so it was fun for them to dress up in Indian outfits and dance to Indian music. It was also nice for those who hadn't been to a Jewish wedding to learn about my culture. We tried to have a balance of Indian and Jewish influence which ultimately made our day unique and special to our friends and family. The telling sign that everyone had fun, the dance floor was always crowded!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Our bridal party had planned an Indian dance we didn't know about. It turned into all of our guests joining in on a group circle dance which then seamlessly transitioned into the hora. It wasn't planned for all of our guests to join the Indian dance but it was so fun to see everyone join in and participate in both cultural dances.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Try to focus on the details that make your day unique to you as a couple because your guests will notice the little things that speak to your special relationship. Instagram can be a dark dangerous hole to fall into which happened to me many times. Pratish always brought me back to reality reminding me that the most important thing was that we were getting married and that ultimately the table linens didn't matter. Guests come to celebrate the couple and have a good time, not for the Instagram post. (although those are fun too) Parents may need a gentle reminder that it is your day, not theirs. Our hotel coordinator helped be a buffer between the families and was able to speak from experience on how to handle particularly difficult situations. Don't be afraid to pull 3rd parties in for guidance.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
One of the most beautiful parts of our wedding was that it brought the two sides of our families together and they found new respect and love for each other. Pratish and I come from two very different worlds but for one day we were able to join them which was so special to us.
More to come, don't go anywhere.
Hair & Makeup: Beauty by Lishma |
Venues: Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines |
DJ: 3D Sounds |
Lighting: 3D Sounds |
Photography: Brooke Aliceon Photography |
Coordinator: A Touch of Lavender |
Floral & Decor: A Touch of Lavender |
Bridal Fashions - Lengha: Sari Palace |
Bridal Fashion - White Dress: Allison Webb Bridal |
Cinematography: Prince Weddings |
Rentals: Excellent Designs |
Tuxedos: The Black Tux
Beauty by Lishma,
Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines and
3D Sounds
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