The Platinum Guide Blog

All posts with Style "South Indian"

Chantilly, VA Indian Wedding by Rahul Rana Photography

April 13, 2020 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Good morning, Maharanis! I hope you had a great and safe weekend. Are you ready to start this week with a fresh shoot of inspiration? I bet you do. Today you will be delighted by all details and beauty surrounding Kamal & Amanpreet's wedding celebration. To begin this journey, let me take you to the exclusive Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles, an ideal venue chosen by our lovely duo to host their festivities. Events by C was in charge of planning this spectacular event. They took our lovebird's vision and transformed it into a dream come true. Outstanding job! You will love every single detail from this memorable event, like the marvelous decoration crafted by Sarah Khan Event Styling, the phenomenal beats from Elite Entertainment, the delicious food served by IndAroma, and the marvelous cake baked by Buttercream DC. But what we should remark is the natural beauty showcased by Kamal, our gorgeous Maharani, during the whole event. Let me tell you that she trusted all of her beauty needs to Makeup by Dina, who made sure to accomplish every desire from her. We are lucky to have the talent of Rahul Rana Photography, who captured every detail and every moment of this wedding and created a fantastic gallery. Go ahead and relive it. You'll love it so much!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met on a dating app called Coffee Meets Bagel and our first date was, you guessed it, coffee on a chilly Sunday morning. It wasn't until after we hung out a bunch that my initial impression change, which was that he totally was not "The One". Spending more time with him, especially as friends, allowed me to take the pressure off of me (and any potential outcome) to just be and see what kind of human he really was, and really, if he was fit to be the human I want to share my future and life with. Oddly enough, it was when we hung out in a Taco Bell parking lot, pigging out to crunchwrap supremes while listening to our favorite songs in the car that it hit me. Shortly thereafter, we both decided we wanted to be more than friends. There was not ever one moment that was more telling than others, but just how each moment built upon the prior to deepen our understanding of one another only to realize that this is my favorite human I’ve ever met in my life and we simply cannot do this thing life without each other.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
It was a total surprise and I was in a t-shirt and sweats. I arrived home after 4 hour drive from seeing my parents in NY to my condo being decorated with pictures of the two of us, candles everywhere with roses and him bending down on one knee ready with the ring and all. I literally couldn't fathom this was happening and that it was all real, so all I did was giggle the entire time. He had proof checked the entire idea and proposal with my best friends beforehand, even doing a dry run while I was away to visit my parents!

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.
I was a lost case until I met Chandani with Events By C, who is the darling of all darlings and a woman who knows her stuff and will get you a wedding, correction, beautiful wedding in less than five months. Yeap you read that correctly, we started to plan our wedding sometime in March and got married in June, and it really would not have been possible to fine tune it the way we did, let alone on a short time frame without her and all her connections. Having said that, I hated the entire experience. I do not like planning and especially not an Indian wedding, but having a sidekick through the entire process to help both of us put it together made it all bearable and doable, with a smile even!

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I went to India for shopping and custom designed both my wedding and reception outfits with a store in New Delhi, @FrontierRaas. I had an idea of what I wanted and they helped bring it to reality, albiet with lots of frustrating calls, whatsapp messages and delays, they came through for the win in the end.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Working with Chandani and Sarah Khan Events to make the environment we wanted to create for our wedding something real. We wanted an outdoor wedding and reception garden party where it felt like we were at home, and not in a ballroom. These amazingly intelligent and hardworking women put their efforts together and made it possible.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The decor! Sarah Khan Event Styling is what really made this wedding look different than any other wedding, in our humble opinion. I know every Bride thinks their wedding is the best one, and rightfully so, but I truly think our wedding was the most beautiful wedding I had ever been too.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
R. The First Look. Chandani and Elite Entertainment made it possible for me to surprise my groom at the mandap as a walked up to him dancing and being my silly self, just before we exchanged our wedding presents. It was so meaningful to have this moment before the chaos ensued and have a quiet moment to be present with one another and actualize "us" that day.

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Be kind to yourselves during this process and don't let what other people want of you tarnish what you want of you and out of your relationship in this process.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Cake was also another beaut from Buttercream in DC (www.buttercreamdc.com), that was made to match my outfit and all the decor. If you were inspired today, visit us tomorrow! We have something special prepared just for you!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Traditional
Romantic
Mehndi
season
Summer
color

Whippany, NJ Indian Wedding by Studio KSD

January 28, 2020 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Welcome back, Maharanis! When the love of your life impresses your heart, and you can speak only the language of his love is when you can realize that happiness surrounds each aspect of your life. And that this is what we honor our lovebirds from today. Prathusha & Abhi decided to sworn their love in front of their loved ones, nothing else but in the splendid Hanover Marriott. A fantastic well-decorated hall by All Event Decorators gave an In a Hira Mothi traditional aspect but, at the same time, a luxury look that left everyone speechless. Our dazzling Maharani entered the hall looking stunning, and this was thanks to the fantastic style from Cinderella Bridez, who took care of Prathusha's needs in a perfect way. The ceremony was way beautiful, and everyone was involved in the romantic cloud from that day. To turn this gala into a real party, our talented friends from M4U Events jumped to the stage, turning the reception in a memorable event. Not to mention the fantastic food from Chand Palace with exquisite dishes that everyone enjoyed during the whole night. Just Delicious! The time of the cake arrived, and thanks to Palermo Bakery, who took care of the delicious and well-decorated cake, everyone could taste a piece of heaven on earth. We are sure that everyone had an epic night that will remain on their memories forever. You can be part of this fantastic celebration too, thanks to Studio KSD. So make sure to visit today's gallery.

Until tomorrow my beautiful Maharanis!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Traditional
Fusion
Romantic
season
Autumn
color

Chand Palace, M4U Events, Studio KSD and DJ Sunny P are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Chand Palace VIEW PORTFOLIO

M4U Events VIEW PORTFOLIO

Studio KSD VIEW PORTFOLIO

DJ Sunny P VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Whippany, NJ Indian Wedding by Studio KSD

January 28, 2020 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Happy Tuesday, Maharanis! We were dying to get back to you with a new love story. Today, we are taking a look at all the beauty that surrounded Prathusha & Abhi's Wedding. You will love it! For this first installment, we'll be taking a look at an outdoor photoshoot that will fill you with tons of emotions and inspiration. So sit back and enjoy the fantastic work of Studio KSD, who captured every single detail from that sunny day. There is no doubt that our beautiful Maharani stole all the looks as she had a magnificent royal look as she trusted her fashion needs to Prakash Silks and her look to Color Me Rouge. Something to remark is the fascinating Mehndi art that Henna by Shweta created on our dazzling bride. It was just amazing! The well-combined colored clothes from the groomsmen and bridesmaid created fantastic shoots that showed how happy they were to see this lovely duo unifying their lives in eternal love. The best moment of the photoshoot was captured in a family shoot where their parents joined them in a warm hug. If you want to relive this moment, make sure to visit today's gallery. I bet you will be inspired as much as we were.

Stay tune for more of this amazing wedding.

STYLE
GUIDE style
Traditional
Romantic
South Indian
season
Autumn
color

Chand Palace, M4U Events, Studio KSD and DJ Sunny P are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Chand Palace VIEW PORTFOLIO

M4U Events VIEW PORTFOLIO

Studio KSD VIEW PORTFOLIO

DJ Sunny P VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Parsippany, NJ Indian Fusion Wedding by StudioKSD

January 24, 2020 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Welcome back, Ladies! The dream of every woman since a child is that special day when she finally walks down the aisle, being admired by loved ones and see the love of her life waiting for her to say Yes I do! This is precisely how it happened to our Jennifer, our beautiful Maharani. With a heavenly bridal party in front of her announcing her grand entry and a church filled with loved ones ready to witness this eternal promise of love. Every single detail was flawless thanks to the organization of Aji Varughese, who made sure that everything was according to Jenny and Subin's desire. It was perfect! Walking down the aisle in a white dress, Jennifer left everyone admired, looking just lovely. This was possible thanks to Miss To Mrs.Gorgeous that along with Bindu Inspired gave her a dreamed look, just about as she imagined. The full Christian ceremony was splendid, fused traditions. Once the ceremony ended, all guests attended the majestic Sheraton Parsippany for a magical night and to cheer for the union of this lovely duo! Florista Decor decorated the hall with roses, lights, and well-mixed ornaments that gave a luxury vibe to the reception. When nothing else could be more perfect, DJ TM jumped on stage and put everyone on their feet, making this night an unforgettable one. You will be able to relive this love story thanks to the outstanding work of Studio KSD. So make sure to visit our gallery and check more details!

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

Both of our cousins went to college together and decided they should set us up. I waited for a while for him to at least add me on Facebook, which he did not. After a couple of weeks, I ended up just taking the plunge and adding him because lets face it, he was taking too long. We messaged each other for a about a week and that turned into phone calls. Not a day has gone by in the past 6 years that we haven't spoken.

I used to imagine my wedding day and the person standing next to me always had a blank face. Until one day, all I could imagine was him standing by my side. I guess there wasn't really one moment that I knew he was the one. Over time I couldn't imagine my life without him. Also, I always said that whoever I married had to love Bollywood movies as much as I did. Subin actually loves it MORE than I do, of course he's the one!

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!

Subin tried so hard to make the proposal a secret but he started "leaking" as we called it here and there. My family was not that subtle either. He told me to make sure I was dressed to impress every weekend for a month (because that's realisitc). My cousins brought be into NYC to Paley Park. There he was standing in front of the beautiful waterfall with flowers, candles and our initials. I honestly don't remember what he said to me because I was so shocked (even though I knew it was going to happen). He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I don't even know if I said yes, I just stuck my hand out, I guess that's a yes! After the proposal, he had arranged dinner with our families at a penthouse and then we went out to a lounge where we were surrounded by our closest friends and families. It was a great night!

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.

Subin and I from the start said that if we had a good feeling about a vendor, we should run with it. Thats exactly how we chose each one of our vendors and it honestly worked out perfectly.

The first thing we knew we had to book was the church and venue. We looked at a few places and luckily found a church and venue that were close to each other. I loved the castle look of the Sheraton Parsippany and the venue coordinators were so helpful and accommodating for the large crowd we were bringing in.

I have a family friend who I knew since I was young who became a makeup artist. I've always known that I would ask her to do my makeup for my wedding not only because she's amazing but also because I trusted her. She also recommended me to my hair stylist who was able to do my whole wedding party. They were just so easy to work with.

Choosing a photographer was really important to my husband because he's really big on photography. We looked at a few companies, however, the talent and quality of Tina Doshi and the KSD team were unbeatable. Tina made us feel so comfortable and listed to what we wanted while also giving us great recommendations. Again, just so easy to work with, which is what you want.

Wedding planning was not easy, however I felt like somehow everything fell into place at the right moments. We tried not to stress over things; if something didn't work out, then it just wasn't meant to be. We knew something better would come along.

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

I knew I wanted to go to Kleinfeld to get my wedding dress. I had done a lot of research on the different styles that I liked. I ended up looking on their website before going in for my appointment and fell in love with this one fit and flare lace dress that had the most unique train I had ever seen. I had it printed and ready for my appointment. When I got there, they told me that they didn't have that dress in stock anymore. I was so bummed but there had to be something I would love just as much. They brought in exactly 5 dresses into my dressing room. I tried on 3 of them and couldn't commit. The last dress I tried on looked very familiar. The front like the one I had chosen online, but the train was the exact one that I had loved. They ended up showing me the exact same dress in a different brand, but didn't realized that it was the same one. I knew right away there was no other dress! My appointment lasted exactly an hour. When you know, you know!

A couple months later, I went to India to find my wedding saree (mandragodi) and reception lengha. The saree was easy to find in Kerala, because when I saw it I knew. However, my family wasn't easily convinced. Again, this was the 4th saree I had seen. (was 4 my lucky number?) My theme was pink and gold and I ended up getting a hot pink saree. After they put the saree on me, that's when my family realized this was it. I traveled to Delhi for my lengha and this time 4 was not my lucky number. I tried on so many lenghas on that day. I didn't think this would be harder then choosing my wedding dress. It came down to 2 lenghas and of course I ended up picking up the PINK one! Im so glad I chose that one. It was so beautiful, I still think about it!

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

I think the most enjoyable part was just being able to spend time with my now husband. Although there were times we some tense times, we learned a lot about each other, which is important in a relationship. I think we had the same mind set in that we not only wanted to make this day memorable for us, but for our guests too. I feel like a lot of times people are just trying to one up each other. We made it a point to focus on what was important to us and do things that would make us happy. Also, going to dress fittings, food and cake tastings, and hair and makeup trials were also really fun and such stress relievers.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?

The best comment we received after our wedding was, "I felt like I walked out of a live Bollywood movie". This wasn't our exact intention, however, I'm really glad that people felt like this. We both love Bollywood so to hear that was great. I felt like everyone loved every part of the wedding. from the food, to our first dance. We also have big families so both sides did their own family dance. People were amazed with the how both sides pulled off such a massive performance. It was really great to hear feedback from friends from school and work who are not used to seeing our culture.

Sheraton did a great job with making sure people were not waiting for food or drinks and that there was enough space for such a large party. Guests felt like they were able to move around freely in a sea of 500 people. They also really loved that the venue was a hotel. After a long night of drinking, you could just go back to your room and everyone was safe.

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

I have two special moments that I always replay. One was my parents speech. My dad had wrote the speech weeks before and I helped fix his grammar. Even when I was fixing it, I found myself getting choked up because he talked about things I didn't even think he remembered. I figured if I get it out of my system now, then I won't cry at the wedding. WRONG, I couldn't control it at all. I had read and fixed this speech so many times and knew exactly what he was going to say, yet still I cried because he delivered it so perfect and genuinely.

Another moment was the family dance. I knew it was happening and I knew it took a lot for my cousin to pull it off, however seeing people who don't dance get out of their comfort zone just for me was amazing. They did such an amazing job. I can't tell you how many times I have watched the video. Im probably going to go watch it again after this.

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.

Subin's cousin actually also used the same decorators a year before us. They had such a good experience with them that we decided to also use them. They were so helpful in creating our vision. I wanted a pink and gold theme and that's exactly what they delivered. They were so easy to work with even with adding things later on.

People were also impressed with the little things which I didn't even think would was a big deal. For example, we had gift bags waiting for everyone at the hotel and it was such a big hit for something so small.

I ended up making all of my bridesmaid bouquet and people are still texting me about how it was made and what I used.

At the end of the ceremony there are some traditional things that need to happen. However, before that we were taking family pictures in the church. Our brothers set up an ice cream truck outside the church for those waiting which was a big hit.

At the end of the reception, we had a doughnut and coffee station right outside the reception hall where guests could satisfy their sweet tooth at the end of the night.

We also had an after party right in the hotel for those guests who weren't done partying. It was all just a great time.

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

Get a day coordinator!!!! I think this was one of the best decisions we made. Wedding planning is stressful, but the one day you don't want to be stressed is the day of. Our day coordinators worked with us to make the perfect timeline. I really had to force myself to just let go of the reigns and be in the moment, and I'm so glad I did. We had a 4 person team from Eventify LLC and they were so efficient and helpful. It never felt like they were just doing a job. They made sure that we were on time to the second but also that we were having a blast. They were also just genuinely nice people to work with.

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

I bought most of my jewelry from India. Im so happy I was able to go there to get all the bridal essentials. I also found great deals on Amazon for Indian jewelry, which was pretty surprising. Amazon is amazing! I bought all the materials for my bridesmaids bouquets, all of my flower girls dresses and baskets, and everything for our welcome bags.

When I went to India we had Subin's shirvani and shoes specially made. They were so good at making exactly what we wanted.

Our cake topper was super funny. Subin is a big gym guy and always wants me to go with him. The topper really portrayed our relationship with the gym!

The dance floor was also a big hit with the guests. We had an LED light up dance floor. Im so glad we actually went through with it because it turned out so beautiful and fun. It pulled everything together.

A big shout out to our DJTM who kept the reception and music running smoothly. The MC was an old friend from college who knew my family well so we didn't have to worry about him at all. And of course the DJ's were my cousins, so I had absolutely nothing to worry about. They knew exactly what we liked so it was perfect!

STYLE
GUIDE style
Bollywood
Fusion
Romantic
season
Autumn
color

Studio KSD and Florista Decor are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

Studio KSD VIEW PORTFOLIO

Florista Decor VIEW PORTFOLIO

For more information on how Platinum Guide members are chosen, click here.

Parsippany, NJ Indian Fusion Wedding by StudioKSD

January 24, 2020 Posted by: Shawna Comments

Hello, my beautiful Maharanis! In today's love story, we are going to show you a charming tale that was filled with lovely pictures that created a dream Bollywood style wedding. You will witness this fantastic pre-wedding event thanks to StudioKSD, who always amazes us with their incredible skills, capturing every special moment at the right time! Such talent. This celebration was hosted at the beautiful Sheraton Parsippany, who, according to our lovebirds, did an excellent job coordinating the accommodation of their large list of attendees. The remarkable work of Florista Decor, stood out and made this venue looked exceptional with each detail for this traditional event. Jennifer, our beautiful Maharani, always knew that her family friend, Miss To Mrs.Gorgeous would make her look perfect, and she was totally right! This team, along with Bindu Inspired, made her look like a real Indian fairy tale princess. Everyone had a blast night thanks to DJ TM, who knew Jenny and Subin, our lovebirds very well, and played the perfect music for this ideal celebration. It was just amazing! If you want to relive this pre-wedding celebration, make sure to visit the gallery that we prepare just for you!