The Platinum Guide Blog

Our Indian bride meets her anxious groom for their chic outdoor wedding ceremony held at Fiestasol wonderously captured by Nani de Perez Photography & Films! As this charming duo becomes husband and wife during their traditional Hindu wedding ceremony I can't help but notice there is something magical about weddings in Spain! Maybe it's the twinkle in Jigna's eye or the smile on Shamir's face, but these two were truly made for each other. Ready for the evening's festivities Jigna into her navy blue and gold reception attire with fashion by Studio East6 while she opted for a sensual waves hairstyle and a dramatic make-up look! Shamir is dashing in an all black tuxedo as the newlyweds share laughs and intimate moments during their reception portraits! Take a further look in the full gallery for more of this show-stopping couple at their wedding ceremony and reception!

The bride on her wedding style:

" I've always wanted a traditional wedding, so the color palate for the wedding came to me fairly easily. I went with very traditional red, white, and gold colors with pink accents for the wedding. Choosing a reception color palate was more tricky. I wanted a feel for the reception that was modern and elegant. To keep some consistency from the wedding (earlier in the day) gold and white theme, but also introduced a royal blue. This gave the reception the elegant vibe it needed."

On planning the wedding:

"Details, details, details!! I loved planning all of the small details that went into our wedding. I was lucky to have a fiance who was very helpful in planning the wedding and we did many things together. One of my favorite wedding projects was the creation of custom cocktail menus for the garba and wedding reception nights. The menus consisted of some of our favorite cocktails that we had enjoyed during our time together. Enjoying these beverages with our friends and family during our wedding events was a special.

I also enjoyed the process of finding the perfect cake topper, creating welcome packages for guests, and making the wedding programs."

On special moments:

"My most favorite memory with my new husband happened to be right after our wedding ceremony. We rented a vintage getaway car for the wedding, which drove us to a park nearby for wedding pictures. My new husband and I (along with the photographers) spent two hours alone in a park taking pictures. We sipped on champagne in between shots and exchanged stories from the morning and the wedding ceremony. The wedding ceremony seemingly went by fast and getting away for a couple of hours gave us much needed time to take it all in and relax before the wedding reception."

On special details:

"Our families were incredibly helpful with several aspects of the wedding. I am lucky to have a mom who took care of all of the puja items. His mom also helped out with various details of the wedding. Our siblings were tasked with several days of events, everything from airport runs to last minute errands."

Thanks for joining me loves, until the next wedding!

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Hello Maharanis, I don't know about you but I am ready for a getaway—a getaway wedding to be more specific! So thrilled to share with you this stunning destination wedding in the villas of Spain effortlessly captured by Nani de Perez Photography & Films! We join our bride and groom during their pre-wedding celebrations and they couldn't be any more in love than they are gazing into others eyes. Our Maharani Jigna is all smiles as she is getting ready to marry the man of her dreams dressed in an all red lengha and heavily embroidered dupatta provided by fashion expert Studio East6. The glamour squad at Bridal Beauty Bloom gave Jigna the star treatment with a neutral smokey look paired with a classic red lip and updo is the perfect match for her intricate floral mehndi design. Our stylish Indian bride and groom look absolutely in love during their first look portraits! Our two lovebirds are ready to become husband and wife—the way they look at each other says it all! Take a gander at the full gallery for more of their breathtaking first look portraits!

The bride on how she met her Raja:

"At the time, my husband lived in Calgary, AB and I lived in Chicago, IL. He was visiting friends in Chicago and we happened to meet during a night out!"

On her engagement:

"The proposal was an absolute dream! We met at the rooftop patio in the Trump Tower in Chicago and one year to the date that we met, he planned the most romantic proposal there. After lunch on a Saturday morning, we headed to the hotel room we rented for the weekend. I thought something was rather fishy, as he had rented a nicer room than usual. But he told me he got a really good deal, so I naively believed him. When he opened the door to the room, it was beautifully decorated with rose petals and flowers. Once I saw that, I knew the gig was up! Like a true gentleman, he sat me down on the bed, got down on one knee and give me the sweetest proposal I never imagined I would have.

It didn't end there though. Little did I know that he had rented out a bar (called The Office) and packed it with my closest friends and family. When we opened the door to the bar, I got the surprise of a lifetime!! I can't believe he planned all of this without me picking up on it!! I couldn't have planned a better evening myself! "

On her bridal lengha:

"Selecting the wedding lengha was tough! I spend hours on Pinterest trying to figure out what style of lengha I wanted. I must have visited the website of just about every well-known designer to see if they had anything that caught my eye. Although I saw several strikingly beautiful pieces, nothing really fit the image I had in my mind. I was running out of time and really needed to pick something soon. It was crunch time, so I reached out to StudioEast6 in Chicago, as they were already creating some pieces for me. At the studio, I tried on 2 wedding lengha's that were in stock. To my dismay, I didn't love either!! However, I was able to work with Studioeast6 to custom make a bridal lengha. The lengha style that I chose was based on the design of one of the lenghas I had previously tried on in the studio.

Even after submitting the order for my lengha I was skeptical. Did I really choose the right dress for me? I was afraid that I settled on something I didn't love due to stress and time constraints. I decided ignore my skepticism and continue to move forward with planning other aspects of the wedding. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was just not right with the design that I moved forward with...... so I had the studio make one minor change that would give the piece a more traditional feel, I added sleeves! There, this was the last and final change. No more changes, no going back.

About a month later, I got a call from StudioEast6, my bridal lengha was here!! I was nervous and excited all at the same time. How would the final piece look with all the changes we made to it? Was it going to fit the image I had in my mind?

When I tried on my lengha for the first time, I was blown away. It was beautiful, perfect, and exactly what I had been looking for. It was different than anything I had seen online, traditional with a modern flare. I was so excited to see that it turned out so well. Working with StudioEast6 to custom make my bridal lengha was one of the best wedding decisions."

On her makeup look:

"As I did with the wedding outfits, I researched my make-up and hair a lot! Constant Pinteresting and Googling to figure out hair and makeup looks. To me, the make-up came easier than the hair. For the day, I wanted a nice neutral look, I wanted something smokey and sexy for the evening. My biggest challenge was wedding hair. How do I style my hair so that a 10lb dupatta would stay put on my head?!? I researched (and researched) looks and finally found one that I liked. The wedding hair was fairly complicated and took some trial and error with my hairstylist."

Meet me back here for the stunning outdoor wedding ceremony and reception in Marbella!

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Today's Pakistani bride and groom, Sana and Adnan, just tied the knot in a sensational destination wedding dream at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya, and it's time for them to celebrate in Maharani style with an outdoor reception under the stars. Ocean Photo Studio was there to document the unforgettable evening, which was planned and designed by the bride's very own business, SK Events! The amazing affair called on elegant table settings and decor in hot pink and gold. Sana dressed in a gorgeous peach and champagne-colored gown with a subtle ombre design, and Raja Adnan looked handsome as can be in his suit and tie. You can see even more of their incredible Pakistani wedding celebration in the complete gallery!

Maharani Sana, on her most memorable wedding moment:

"The most magical moment was when the fireworks went off right when we cut the cake at the reception. It was a surprise from our wedding coordinator and we were so happy! It was truly show stopping!"

Stick with me as we explore another extraordinary South Asian wedding celebration, next!

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Good morning, Maharanis! I'm always in the mood for a delightful destination celebration, and thanks to today's Pakistani bride, Sana, of SK Events, I get to share one with you! Ocean Photo Studio captured some amazing moments from her beachfront wedding ceremony at the stunning Hard Rock Riviera Maya in Mexico, and not only did the blushing bride plan her own event, she managed to look cool as a cucumber through it all! Now that's the mark of a true professional! She makes it seem so easy, right? I'll be back later today with a look at our newlyweds' outdoor reception, but in the meantime, make sure you check out the breathtaking pre-wedding portraits these two posed for in the Big Apple, plus get a glimpse into the mehndi night, all in the complete gallery!

Maharani Sana on how she met the Raja of her dreams, Adnan:

"He is friends with my brother in law and they share the same birthday weekend. They had a joint birthday party which I attended and we got along great! We became great friends and then he asked me to be his girlfriend while we were out in NYC for New Year's Eve at midnight in front of all his friends! We told our parents a few months later and he proposed in May!"

On her Raja's romantic proposal:

"We met up after work as usual and decided to go out for dinner. It seemed like an ordinary date night and he suggested we go to a local NYC rooftop. When we got there the doorman said there was a private event upstairs. My [now husband] gave him a gesture [without my knowledge] and all of a sudden, the doorman said we can go check if we want. I found it a little strange but was curious to see what the rooftop was all about. We got upstairs and they opened the door and it was empty with beautiful lights and candles and rose petals everywhere! That's when I knew he was about to propose and the happy tears started to pour out right away! It was so intimate and romantic and more than I could have ever hoped for. Best night of my life!"

On her wedding style:

"Being a wedding planner myself, I knew I had to do something different and unique. I have planned so many weddings, my husband and I didn't want to have a common wedding at a banquet hall. We decided to take our closest family and friends to Riviera Maya in Cancun to celebrate a whole weekend of love! It was the best decision we ever made because we all made such great memories for a lifetime! Since it was in Mexico, I knew I wanted to have a lot of bright colors. I tried to incorporate as many bright florals and fabrics as I could in my decor!"

On shopping for her bridal fashions:

"For the mehndi, I knew I wanted to dance. A LOT! So I opted for a chooridar flowy colorful dress which was so much fun and so comfortable! We had an American style ceremony at the Oceanfront Gazebo. I asked for all the ladies to wear flowy day dresses and the guys to wear linen suits. Adnan and I kept it simple with white [who doesn't love to wear white to a beach wedding!?] and I kept my lips super bright to match my beautiful colorful bouquet which matched his boutonniere! Coral is my favorite color and it went perfectly with the bright colors we chose for decor for the reception. I tried on a bunch of outfits, but when I went to NZK in Edison, NJ, for my dress shopping, I saw this dress and I just knew it was the one. My dad's approval assured me that it was the one!"

On her and Raja Adnan's pre-wedding photo shoot in NYC:

"It was important for us to have a pre-wedding photo shoot with the NYC skyline. He lived in Manhattan and all of our dates were all around NYC. It is where we fell in love, and where he proposed. The start of our forever love story!"

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Before celebrating with loved ones Priya and Vishal grab some alone time with Kimberly Photography for a photo shoot. Our Maharani is in her sky blue and cream gown. The hair and makeup from The Destiny & Light Hair and Makeup Group by Priscilla Marie style her tresses in loose curls and give her suttle makeup allowing her true natural beauty to shine. Finishing it all off with the lovely mehndi design by Henna Allure. This newlywed bride looks like a princess. Her Princess Charming definitely fits the part in a black suit and royal blue neck tie. They make an adorable pair! You can relive every moment of this wedding paradise in the gallery!

From the bride, on the first dance:

"We had 3 songs that were mixed into 1 song. The first song was "Can't Help Falling in Love," by UB40; it had a flare of tropical island to it which was perfect. After 30 seconds of that, the song quickly switched into Jennifer Lopez's, "On the Floor," where we changed from regular slow dance to ballroom dancing Cha Cha. We then switched into Usher's "DJ Got Us Falling in Love," and [we] did the Swing. Everyone was shocked because no one knew we had been taking ballroom dancing classes for a few months prior. I would say the last song is our song."

Have a wonderful day, ladies!

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