Isn't it magical when a couple effortlessly displays an aura of love so beautiful that it is virtually impossible not to feel it? Well, things do fall into place every once in a while for those who know where to look! Today, we have a gorgeous couple that truly shines. Our friends from Beaded Elephant (FKA Jobst Media) bring for you, ladies, the image gallery of what was Divya & Shwetabh's grand South Indian wedding, coming straight out of Columbus in Ohio. These two tied the knot in great style thanks to the genius planners of Blissful Weddings and Events, and we have all the highlights here for our sighing and inspiration. The Mehndi and Sangeet parties at the Hyatt Regency Columbus were definitely something out of this world! They saw our bride change from a royal blue outfit to a gorgeous teal lengha that was all things enchanting and chic. For the main ceremony, Maharani Divya chose an extremely elegant baby pink silk saree ensemble, seriously, this bride was beyond stunning. More of part one of this color fueled jubilee? Join us in our full gallery and make those ideas come to life!
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How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Shwe and I met at SkyZone in Columbus, OH when I was home after graduation. Our dear friends, Meera and Chintal asked us to go because Chintal's younger brother was in town. It was not a set up (or so we think) but both of us happened to be invited. We all started playing dodgeball about an hour into the outing. Shwe threw the ball, I got hit in the face, my nose started bleeding and the rest is history. I moved to NYC at the end of that summer and Shwe followed a year later. We were still just friends at the time. My Dad came to visit me in the fall for a conference, and Shwe came to a bar to meet us for a drink. I could barely get a word in the entire time. Shwe and my Dad hit it off instantly. I did not realize it at the time, but that is definitely how I knew he was "the one". It was so effortless and just felt right.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Shwe asked my friend Shriya to take me to brunch at Augustine, a restaurant connected to the Beekman Hotel in NYC. It was Sunday, January 14th and I thought Shriya and I were out for Sunday Funday for brunch and shopping. After we ate, Shriya asked if I need to use the restroom. We proceeded to go into the Beekman Hotel basement where the restrooms are located, and at bottom of the stairs stood Shwe all dressed up in a velvet blazer, bowtie, and slacks. I immediately started crying and was completely shocked. Our friend Preston was there to catch the moment live on video and camera. After the proposal, I wanted to call my parents immediately. Shwe said to hold on a bit because he wanted us to take some pictures and show me the second location he had in mind to propose. When we walked into the second place - the Public Hotel - we proceeded to go up the escalator and there stood both of our parents and our siblings. The tears didn't stop flowing that day!
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.
A great wedding planner and a support system including family and friends are key especially when planning a wedding, even more so when it’s in a city that you do not live in. My mom coordinated the in-person meetings and I did most of the planning remotely, via email, phone calls and weekend trips home. The Knot is a great resource for local vendors, I found my awesome hair and makeup team on there. We also attended a few wedding expos, we found our decorator at one that was specifically for Indian weddings. Our family friend Preethi, who is more like an older sister, with my mom and sisters in law helped me finalize the themes for the decor and really handled all of our walkthroughs and meetings. We chose the colors based on the outfits that Shwe and I would be wearing and our card inserts matched the theme in the invite as well. I used my friends who had gotten married as a resource as well and chose our photographer, planner, and DJ that way. To find a venue for 600 plus people was challenging but what was even more important was to find one that allowed outside catering. Using that criteria I was able to narrow down my search and chose Hyatt Downtown for our Sangeet and the Convention Center for the ceremony and the reception. Without all of the help that Shwe and I had, I don’t even know where I would have started to plan, they made the process easier for me and not as stressful as I had imagined it to be!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I wanted to be a typical South Indian bride and carry on the tradition of my cousins of wearing a light pink color. When we went to India, we saved the saree shopping for Chennai so that my grandmother could come with and approve of the outfit. She turned 90 last year and was unable to make the wedding in person so this was something that I really wanted us to do together. We went to a few saree shops in Chennai and I ended up choosing it from Kanakavalli. They had the lightest colors of pink that I could find and I loved it especially because of the detail on the border that had elephants and peacocks.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the planning process was realizing how many people you can lean on in your life. I know this sounds cheesy as hell, but the amount of help we received without ever even asking for it was mind-blowing. My parents have lived in Columbus, OH for over 40 years and they have such an amazing support network. Our friends have become family and it was so fun that everyone was involved - it felt like we all had a stake in it. My family would get together every Sunday to practice the dances for the Sangeet and then in the evening our friends would come over and have a potluck while they wrapped gifts. It was just feeling all the love that made it even more special.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The most special moment was the entrance to the wedding. My sisters-in-law, cousins, best friend and three nieces started off the procession followed by me entering with my brothers. I held their hands and they walked me down the aisle to where Shwe was waiting with my parents. It was so incredibly personal for us and our families and something I will always cherish.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Tequila is your friend in times of stress. It goes well with Soda and Lime (if you are on the wedding diet). That was my signature cocktail!
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
All of our vendors were amazing - they made our lives easier for being so on top of everything and making our wedding what it was! But I especially want to thank Short North Piece of Cake for bringing my elephant cake dream to life! It was one of the highlights of the reception and was so flawless that I was sad to cut into it. It was even more delicious than it was beautiful.
Can't wait to show you all the splendor of the reception!
