The Platinum Guide Blog

Welcome back, Maharanis! Can you imagine joining your life to the person you've always dreamed of at the most epic beach location? Well, that is exactly what our lovely Maharani Bhrugini and Raja Vishal did! And we can't get enough of their beautiful day! The images of Novia Mia Photography show us every detail of this phenomenal ceremony. Raja Vishal observed with admiration the arrival of his dazzling maharani, who also left everyone in awe for her splendid natural beauty that was certainly enhanced thanks to the talent of Styling Trio. She was a dream come true! Everything was exactly as our lovebirds planned and envisioned thanks to the splendid job of the one and only, Preeti Vasudeva. Thumbs up for her! The venue looked amazing, the aqua and white colors for the mandap matched perfectly with the magical waters of one of the most spectacular beaches in Mexico. There is no doubt that the skills of Alquimia Events made this place look phenomenal. Once the ceremony was over DJ USA turned the night on with fantastic music that made everyone had a blast. Choreographies, great food, family time, and of course, the memories of a unique love were the perfect combination of elements to create a grand celebration. To relive this story, make sure to visit our gallery. You'll get tons of inspiration from this tropical wedding spree!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Vishal and I met through a dating app. On a very cold Wednesday night in March 2016, just like everyone else, I was watching the usual lifeless soaps when my phone beeped. The on-screen notification displayed “Congrats! Vishal is madly in love with you” (or something along those lines ;)). I clicked on Vishal's profile to find he was hollering at me all the way from MX. I was a bit skeptical but decided to msg him anyway and this is how it went...
Bhrugini: “hey how's it going? do you really live in MX?”
Vishal: “Hi there, it’s going well. Wait, is it on my profile because I don't recall adding my location? or Are you a stalker? Because that would be interesting in its own way."

Since day 1 our conversations had a natural flow, followed by an amazing 3-day date in NYC to our first trip to Cabo (which pretty much started off with us missing our flight and Vishal being extremely sick the entire trip); from this very eventful week in Mexico we knew we could get through anything together and I also found out that he is my kind of crazy :)

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
After dating for about a year, Vishal and I planned for our families to meet for the first time in New York. Since Vishal lived in Mexico at the time I had no idea a proposal would even be on the surface because when would he have time to go ring shopping ;). To add to my surprise, Vishal had already custom designed my beautiful engagement ring, asked my dad for permission to marry me and had our families in on the proposal. I’m still amazed at how everyone was able to keep it a secret.  On the proposal day our families met during the day and in the evening Vishal had planned a dinner with both of our siblings at his cousin’s brand new restaurant, Queens Bully.  Vishal being so detailed he even planned where I would sit at the dinner table so that I couldn’t see anyone else coming in. At dinner, Vishal thanked everyone for coming and then moved on to saying some of the sweetest things about me/us (and I was still so clueless about what was to come) until he got down on one knee and popped the question....I was completely shocked and couldn’t stop smiling and after a few seconds Vishal asked “so is it a yes?” And I said of course YES! I then turn around to find our families standing there and slowly an army of his friends joined in on the celebrations. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect proposal.

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.
Vishal mentioned the idea of a destination wedding to make the celebrations even more fun for us and our family and friends. I hadn’t really considered it until then because I wanted all the traditional events and my entire family/friends to be part of my big day. We talked to our parents and after doing some research learned that we could have both, so we decided to move forward with it. We had gone to scope out a venue in Cancun but weren't too happy with it.  Luckily, during the same trip I called the Paradisus wedding department to request an appointment and they were able to accommodate us the same day.  We went to see the venue and instantly fell in love.  Planning a wedding in another country is a challenge in itself, fortunately there have been many Indian weddings in Cancun, MX so it was a matter of finding the right Vendors and getting into the details with each to bring our vision to life.  Our siblings/cousins stepped in and saw everything through each event during the wedding week which was a great help. As far as the decor, Vishal and I are both of the opinion “less is more”. All of our events were held outdoors/in open areas so we could enjoy the deep blue ocean and the resorts Zen garden backdrops. 

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I had a simple red outfit in mind and was pretty sure of the style, etc. However when I actually went shopping in India, after about 3 hours there was no sight of a simple red outfit. I branched out to other colors and as soon as I tried on the wedding outfit, both my parents and I said this is it! Cream with neon green and pink, never would’ve thought of this combination but loved it!

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Vishal and I making decisions together, even if we didn't agree on everything we learned to compromise.   I also appreciated the unconditional support from our families through the process. Lastly, the dessert tasting because we both have a sweet tooth!

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The fact that it was a destination wedding and it was a first Indian destination wedding in both of our families. Everyone loved the resort, the music at the wedding reception (we had lot of wedding crashers from the resort), DJ Juicy from DJUSA is the best DJ ever, a full Gujarati meal after the wedding ceremony (my sister-in-law taught the non-Guju caterers how to make most of the dishes over the phone/txt msgs) and most importantly relaxing which is unheard of at Indian weddings since there are so many events and a lot of sleepless nights and running around.  Finally, the way the days were planned out; with the events all ending on Friday night, most people stuck around for the weekend and we all got to hang out post wedding; instead of flying out the day after the wedding.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
It’s hard to choose one because there were so many moments that actually constantly replay as if it was yesterday... our first look on the day of the wedding (filled with so many emotions), our first dance, the heartfelt speeches, the amazing dance performances, super packed dance floor, the look on Vishal's face when he saw the surprise fireworks, my crazy husband, some of his groomsmen and my brothers jumping in the pool at the reception, and seeing everyone smiling and showering us with love there and from afar. Still feels so surreal...

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Relish every moment of the wedding planning including the stressful ones and when things go awry. The wedding WILL be beautiful! :)

I hope you love this wedding as much as I do! Let me know in the comments below.

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Ladies, buckle up because you are about to be blown away by the grand Indian wedding of Chhavi and Sumeet at the elegant The Westin Chicago Northwest! Le Cape Weddings had the privilege of photographing the newlyweds during their seemingly endless significant moments. Starting with a sweet first look that preceded a spirited procession where Raja Sumeet rode a lovely decorated horse from Maharaja Farms and concluding the first part of the day with the glorious ceremony. Maharani Chhavi showed off proudly an intricate mehndi pattern designed by Henna Moments which matched the lovely motifs of her bright red lehenga and transformed her into a real Indian princess! Behind every beautiful wedding is a talented wedding planner and the brilliant Abricoe Designs was the genius behind the elaborate events and ensures that their events come off exactly as desired! Contemplate the large image collection of this precious affair in our full gallery!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Sumeet and I worked together on the same team and became really good friends. A few months later, after he switched teams, we carpooled out of town for a work trip and to my surprise, sang along to Bollywood music for the entire 2.5 hour drive. At the event, we got snowed in and ended up having a snowball fight! I knew right then that he was the one. He perfectly complements my type A, impatient, only-child self with his fun, patient, and kind demeanor.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Our mutual friend had planned a rooftop party on a Friday after work. When I got to the rooftop, I was surprised to see Sumeet standing there in front of the most beautiful Chicago skyline and sunset. Behind him were balloons (I will forever be a child at heart), pictures of us and champagne. He told me about how that day was the first day he walked into our office and joined my team. That meeting turned into a friendship which turned into an amazing relationship that got us to where we were that day. The rest is honestly a blur. I was shaking and overwhelmed by everything. Sumeet got on his knee and proposed with the most BEAUTIFUL ring I have ever seen. Of course I said yes! Minutes later my cousin came out, followed by my parents, then my best girl friends, my high school friends, my college friends, my grad school friends, and my work friends. Everyone from my side I could've ever wanted was there to celebrate with us. Sumeet had arranged an entire party in his apartment afterwards. Somewhere along the way, I questioned why his parents and sister, who live in Maryland, weren't there. As we FaceTimed them, his sister told me that we were flying from Chicago to Maryland the next day! We flew out the next morning and I was surprised all over again! As we got to another celebration Sumeet had arranged, I was welcomed and surprised with a confetti gun entrance, open bar, the most delicious food, dancing, cheesy pictures, guestbook, speeches and so much more. Our engagement party was the most perfect event with all our friends and family that weren't able to celebrate with us in Chicago! Sumeet had even flown out my parents and cousin to Maryland to meet everyone. Our amazing weekend ended with a quick trip to the Mandir. After a quick blessing we went to a small lunch with close family and ended the day with a lot of fun future wedding talk. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect weekend!

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 am a planner at heart! I love every element of it! We finished planning details and signing vendors in just a couple months after our proposal. We used vendors our friends had used or ones that my aunt in the industry referred. 

Venue: For our ceremony and reception, we chose The Westin Chicago Northwest as it was close to my parents house, had a hotel attached for guests, and had a beautiful outdoor area with a willow tree in front of a lake for our ceremony. Even though we ended up getting rained out and moving our ceremony indoors, it was still magical in their beautiful white tent. The reception ballroom is also massive and opens up to their atrium where we held cocktail hour! 

Hair & Makeup: Carrie from Appease, Inc. was probably one of my favorite vendors to work with. She was so sweet, down to earth and so easy to work with.. plus she did a phenomenal job on ALL my looks. I felt like a princess the entire weekend because of her. My makeup always looked perfectly natural and my hair withheld all the crazy dancing I did in it. She even made my mom shine more than she ever has! 

Decor: For decor we both wanted the ceremony and reception to be elegant and classy with hints of dusty rose, white, and green. Dream Occasions helped us bring our theme and visions to life. People raved about the beautiful, real flower arrangements everywhere for the reception. Dream also helped us get creative with little details like making a little bar lounge area, made private with flowing curtains. 

Catering: My aunt is the owner of Mantra and Indian Garden in Chicago so I am of course biased. She went above and beyond for all the events with the most original food and presentation. Nothing was ever a simple buffet - it was all art waiting to be eaten. Our friends still rave about all the food. We both wish we could go back and be guests at our own wedding!

Mehndi: I found Sheetal from Henna Moments through Facebook and she was wonderful. She makes her mehndi herself and was so knowledgable about all the latest mehndi trends. She took inspo I showed her and paired that with her own creativity to give me some of the best mehndi designs i've ever seen! 

DJ: Our DJs were one of the first vendors we decided on. After seeing them at other weddings, we knew we needed DesiBels to hype up all our events. They not only DJ and hype the crowd, but they add on a drummer, a saxophone player and a dhol player to really get everyone going. They even came to my parents house to set up equipment for our smaller events!

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 for the wedding and a more western gown for the reception. We went bridal shopping in Delhi and I found both my outfits right away! The red lengha was my dads favorite and even though I was hesitant about the price tag, he went ahead and ordered it when I wasn't paying attention. The reception gown I custom designed by putting together elements from a few different ones I found at Frontier Raas in Delhi (best part about shopping in India!). I had gone in with ivory in mind, but was sold on champagne color after trying it out. The main lady there helped draw out the design and made it a reality in just a few months!

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
My favorite part of the planning process was how much it brought everyone together as the big day got closer. It was overwhelming to see how much time and effort our closest friends and family put in to make our weekend special. It wasn't just about all the planning we did, but all the work that went on behind the scenes without us knowing. Planning our wedding wouldn't have been even half as fun if it wasn't for everyone that helped out and made the process more enjoyable for us.


What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
It was really important to both me and Sumeet to make sure our friends and family were having fun and felt involved at all the events. We took extra time to make sure people important to us wouldn't feel stressed, rushed, or bored at any event. 

We wanted our ceremony to mean more than Sanskrit words, so we got a woman priest (Anu Malhotra) that did most of our wedding in English so all our guests could understand! She also worked with us to only keep elements that were important to us, shortening our ceremony to about 45 minutes. Our ceremony might have been the first Indian wedding where everyone was quiet and focused the entire time!

For our reception, we had year table numbers with embarrassing pictures of us from 1990-2018 that people had so much fun taking selfies with! We also had a bar lounge area where people could take a breather. Lastly, we had a secret dance in the middle of open dancing. After people had been dancing for 20-30 minutes, we had a group of our close family-friends break out in a performance! It was so unexpected and people circled around to get great views.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
My favorite moment was from the Sangeet. My 4 guy cousins from India sang a song flawlessly, bouncing back and forth between english and hindi. I had no idea they could sing like that! I was already ready for tears by the end of it, but before I knew it, Sumeet hopped in and sang our first dance song with them. My cousin played the guitar while Sumeet sang. Safe to say the waterworks didn't stop after that.

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.
For our smaller events, we wanted a more intimate setting and decided to throw our Haldi, Mehndi, and Sangeet at my parents house. They have a beautiful walkout basement and backyard so we were able to put up large tents. My moms coworker (Blissful Event Creations) decorated our house, basement, and backyard with amazing handmade decor. We also decided to combine all our smaller events to turn it into a ongoing party, and spread things out so everyone had time to really enjoy everything to its fullest. We planned unique activities to make each event fun for our guests.

For our Mehndi party, we decided to kick it off with catered Chipotle instead of traditional Indian food! This was such a hit.. who doesn't love Chipotle? With the help of close family, we turned this into a giant dance and group karaoke party!

We took an ordinary Haldi and turned it into a holi party after the haldi ceremony was done. We had water balloons and water guns ready for everyone to partake in. Kids and adults both had the best time!

Our Sangeet actually ended up getting rained out so we decided to move it to my uncle's hotel that day. We had choora ceremony, couples games, singing and dancing performances by all our closest friends/family, and open dancing with dhol to really get everyone going! The best part was all the street food from around India - from "Nepal" maggi station to "UP" chaat station to "Punjabi" grill station, it was such a hit!  

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Google Drive is your best friend! I can't imagine planning this wedding without alllll our Google Docs. It really helped keep us organized and on track. Start with a budget and timeline and try to stick to it. Don't be too hard on yourself if things start to get off track, just use the timeline to get yourself organized again! Staying organized helped me set small achievable goals and not get too overwhelmed by all the moving pieces. Also, use the timeline to delegate tasks! Use your friends and family where you can. They'll feel included and you'll feel slightly less stressed.

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
I ended up DIY-ing the bridal bouquets. It saved us probably about a thousand dollars on flowers, and was super easy to do! I ordered ready-made bouquets from Costco and all we had to do was cut the bottoms, tape it tightly with floral tape, and pin ribbon around the tape. It honestly took help of just a couple of my bridesmaids and 30 mins to make 7 bridesmaids and 1 bridal bouquet! And it only cost $100 total to make them all!

We also decided to skip cake because it always ends up being dry and after all the other dessert, guests don't end up eating it. It saved us hundreds that we used for other desserts and midnight snacks instead!

A toast to their love! See you in the next post!

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Welcome back, loves! Now that Madhura and Corbett paid respect to the bride’s background it was time to honor the other side of the family with a charming Christian ceremony! The stunning Madhura walked down the aisle, escorted by her father, in a ravishing white lace gown and found her dapper groom under the marvelous draped mandap creation of All Event Decorators! The second garden ceremony was followed by a vibrant reception beneath a magnificent tent that kept the feel of an outdoor celebration in the intimate environment. The glam bash couldn’t be complete with an awesome first dance from the newlyweds who showed off their best moves with a fascinating choreography that included colorful umbrellas and was livened up by the energetic music of Amplifire Entertainment! To twirled on the dance floor, Madhura flaunted a divine blue embroidered outfit that completed her unique henna motifs outlined by beauty artist StyleBySmita! Take a look at our full gallery by Zorz Studios to gather inspiration!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I first met my groom at summer camp (fondly known as "nerd camp") in Saratoga Springs, NY at the tender age of 13. Who knew that three weeks would change our lives forever?! It was on the grassy quads of Skidmore College that Corby first educated me on the intricacies of a forehand frisbee throw.

Six years passed, and I ran into Corby on the streets of London while studying abroad in our junior year of college. We visited museums together, held our pinkies up while sipping high tea at a swanky spot in Hyde Park, and a night at Picadilly Institute sent the romantic sparks flying when Corby spent over an hour helping me find my lost leather jacket.

A few weeks later, we both returned to New York separately and ran into each other randomly again at a Barbecue Festival in Madison Square Park. We continued our fling long distance from DC to New York for 2 years, and then finally decided to move across the country together to Santa Barbara, CA to work at a start up together. We've loved our California adventures of hiking, camping, and sailing the Pacific seas. Since then, we have sailed to the Channel Islands, climbed Half Dome in Yosemite, and hiked the tallest mountain in the contiguous US, Mount Whitney!

Fifteen years after we first met, and seven years after we started dating, we came back to our beloved East Coast to tie the knot!

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Corby's original proposal idea on the top of dramatic Half Dome in Yosemite had a bit of a hiccup when I pieced the plan together from an unfortunate texting mishap. Instead, Corby surprised me in the middle of a private horseback ride through an estate in the scenic Santa Ynez wine country. Never one to be deterred from a good proposal though, Corby followed through with a second one the next month on Half Dome as originally planned.

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 planned the whole multi cultural and interfaith wedding event myself, with the help of my groom.  Planning essentially two weddings across the country was no easy task- I had elaborate excel spreadsheets to keep me organized along with documents organizing all of the costs for all vendors, etc.  I started with a budget calculator, and figured out what I could afford for each category of my wedding and also got aligned about what we would be willing to stretch our budgets for with my husband; live music was my priority, and my husband wanted a venue on the water as he is a sailor and we love living by the ocean. We then used a combination of online resources (Maharani Weddings, The Knot), to e-mail vendors and keep tabs of who would fit our needs and our pricing.  The decor theme was sailing and nautical as my husband and I both love to sail (we had anchor bottle openers and anchor table numbers and driftwood to add the nautical touch), with an Indian twist (Red and gold as colors for the ceremony and royal blue and ivory for the reception to go with nautical theme). 

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Selected the bridal lehenga in Calcutta with the help of my parents and my aunt; we had limited time, and I chose to go traditional for the ceremony with crimson and gold, and change for the reception into a royal blue and gold which seemed regal. I also chose a white wedding dress for the Christian Ceremony in a boutique shop in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. 

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of wedding planning was practicing our first dance together, which was a blast! It was to Zoobi Doobi from the Hindi Movie 3 Idiots. All of the aunties loved that Corby fully embraced Indian culture and bollywood dance- all of our friends even joined in at the end with yellow umbrellas to add a dramatic touch to it! 
This was the first dance (professional video is not out yet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ST16BxnSNI
This was our excitable wedding entrance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arFmHHDXkHY


What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our first dance! It was entertaining, well choreographed and so much fun! Got the dance floor HYPED UP! 
They also loved seeing both the Hindu and Christian cultures side by side in ceremonies that were back to back. There were a lot of similarities between the ceremonies and we had translations for the Hindu ceremony so everyone could understand what was going on.  The juxtaposition of both religions and cultures was striking. 

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Our first dance! We practiced for months and it all came together, full Bollywood style. My brothers carried me in on a palki to meet my husband and as I covered my eyes with the Betal leaves (bengali style), it was fun to play coy with him. He is much taller than me and I had to jump to place the garland on him the first time!

I loved how these two seamlessly integrated their respective cultures into a gorgeous celebration!  Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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Nina and Alex were married and decided to complete their wedding celebrations with a dreamy glam bash. The happy couple was praised by the guests as they made their big entrance to the reception hall of the magnificent Union Station Dallas to celebrate their new beginning. DJ Riz Entertainment guaranteed a great start to the reception with the best music for the introduction of the newlyweds and their heart-melting first dance. Nina’s second wedding outfit was a cream and golden lehenga she paired with a stunning gold jewelry set that was pure sophistication, while Alex created an extremely elegant outfit with a classic black tuxedo that made him shine through the night. The adorable aesthetic cake design from Sugar Bee Sweets matched the mind-blowing floral centerpieces designed by Decor One, creating a truly stand out soiree. The talented Edmonson Photography took the best images of the couple celebrating surrounded by their dearest family and friends. Check out the lavish reception in our complete gallery now!

More whimsical images and sophisticated wedding celebrations tomorrow! Don’t forget to stop by!

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Nashia and Alishan’s union exhibited all the beauty and vibrancy of an Ismaili wedding and Studio Lumen chronicled the big events in a series of splendid images. For their multi-event wedding, the couple recruited Planned by Pari to plan every celebration and what a great job they did! All the laughter and fun started with a vivid Mehndi night where Nashia’s arms and legs were adorned with an elaborate mehndi design. Kismet Event Design produced a kaleidoscopic night under a fabulous transparent tent that gave an extraordinary view of the Sangeet and allowed the guests to party under the stars. Finally, Nashia was officially sendoff on her Nikkah ceremony day and looked incredibly beautiful wearing a delicate cream saree with light gold jewelry that made her glow for Avec Lumiere Productions’ camera. The film crew worked along with the photography team to help preserve all the special happenings of this big day. Unveiled our full gallery and take a closer look to the treasured moments.

Jubilant performances and music preceded the wedding ceremony but a bigger celebration awaited for the newlyweds! See our next post to witness all the grandeur of the reception.

Kismet Event Design, Ambiance AV and Avec Lumiere Productions are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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