Real Wedding

On a steamy summer night in New York City in 2016, consultant Riya Jain from New Jersey and business strategist Rohit Bhandari from Florida struck up a friendship. Riya sublet a place in the city for a few months to avoid the commute, while Rohit, who had just graduated, had relocated to New York City to start a job. By chance, Riya’s roommate was close with Rohit, and on a crucial evening, she introduced the two of them. Before Rohit proposed to them in August 2020, they dated for four years.

They traveled to Iceland, and while there, Rohit thought a visit to Glacier National Park would be the ideal place to pop the question to Riya. Riya was completely taken aback when Rohit got down on one knee and proposed to her on the third day of their trip, and she said yes with tears in her eyes.

BANQUET HALLS Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch 480-948-7011 | BEAUTICIANS Ieshia Make Up Artist | DECORATOR Inner Space Design and Events 480-310-3075 | DISC JOCKEY DJ Isaac Entertainment 602-321-1036 | EVENT PLANNER Apropos Creations 480-216-4630 | HORSE CARRIAGE KC’s Classic Carriage Company 602-540-1234 | MEHNDI Henna by Purvi 602-628-4066 | PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHY Santiago Almada Photography 480-845-2098  ,  Serendipity Cinema 602-699-5509  

The couple hired a wedding planner because they wanted to get married in Arizona, where neither of them had any connections or relatives. They visited Scottsdale and fell in love with its natural beauty, ultimately deciding to have their wedding there.

They chose the expansive, naturally lit grounds of McCormick Ranch for the Haldi/Mehndi ceremony and the Sangeet. To foster a sense of community and add a splash of color, they chose benches with cushions and pillows. The bride and groom were highlighted by suspended lights that connected everything and led up to the swing above.

The sangeet was an outdoor affair and was held in a red clay courtyard with stairways covered in Moroccan tiles and red clay pillars. With only a few Moroccan lamps used as centerpieces and candles, the decor was reduced to a minimum. The Moroccan lamps’ blue glass light fixtures and Riya’s deep blue lehenga were both complemented by the blues and greens of the backdrop.

The grass served as the venue for the wedding, making it ideal for Rohit’s entry following the baarat. The lawn was covered in flowers, and there was a tiny archway that was the ideal place for the bride to enter. The bride and groom and the flowers were highlighted by the mandap’s all-white color.

The reception’s color scheme included light pink, cream, beige, and various neutral tones. The blossoms were also a wonderful, clean, neutral white because the lighting was also a romantic pink or beige. On stage, there was a white love bench for couples, glass centerpieces, candles, and additional flowers.

All through the night, a mixture of Bollywood and American songs played. At the sangeet the previous evening, all of the scheduled performances took place. But the crowd was enthralled by an unplanned dancing contest between the bride’s and the groom’s sides that lasted for three rounds.

College students Sai Shanmukhi and Sai Susheel collaborated on a project for class. When they decided to pursue a master’s in the USA 1.5 years later, it was pure happenstance that brought the two of them together. They were searching for one another by the time we arrived in the USA, and they both grew closer as a result of texting one other while still juggling their busy academic schedules in a foreign nation. The bride eventually came to the conclusion that he was the ideal spouse.

They began browsing for wedding locations three months before their wedding and began planning it. Their ideal wedding location, The Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, Florida, was also the best thing that occurred at their nuptials. For the sangeet and haldi, which took place in and near Sanford, a banquet hall called “The Lair Venue” was booked. The majority of the bride and groom’s attire was created by boutiques, and they had to pick the appropriate style and palette.

BANQUET HALLS Hindu Society Of Central Florida 567-298-1819  , The Lair Venue 407-701-6996  , The Plaza Resort & Spa 386-267-1637 | BEAUTICIANS Style by Mounika | CAKE Bake A Wish 407-967-8915 | CATERING 5th Element Indian Restaurant 972-352-9607 | DECORATOR Forever Flowers Events LLC 813-679-3305 | DISC JOCKEY DJ Philip Blessen 813-451-1574 | FLORIST Jewel Blooms 614-441-7256 , Vivek flower 732-321-0403 | INVITATIONS Weddings by Graphe 9836610337  | MEHNDI Gokuls Henna Art 407-264-1932 | PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHY Stories By Suraj Randheer 214-300-5084

The majority of the white and pink flowers and umbrellas used for mehendi décor were made at home.

Haldi completed her work in an Airbnb with a breathtaking view of the golf course.

Sangeeth was present at Lair Venue, a Sanford, Florida, banquet hall. Simple and charming, the decoration was given by the venue. At their party, DJ Philip (Tampa) provided the music.

The bride and groom decided to decorate the wedding venue with “Forever Flowers Events” decor. Due to weather conditions and recommendations from the decor and venue staff, the final wedding was held inside the ballroom rather than on the beach.

Bollywood and Telugu dance songs predominated during the ceremony and baarat. Between activities, DJ music was played while unexpected performances took the stage. Additionally, the bride and groom performed a surprise dance, and the groom then shocked the bride by performing a song from the Surya S/O Krishna movie, Naalone pongenu Narmada.

Dentist Sheena met sports medicine fellow Aalok at lunch with a buddy they both had. Aalok texted Sheena, and for five years they commuted between Fort Lauderdale, Boston, and New York City while dating long-distance.

Aalok leased out a rooftop in New York City and invited both families for the proposal. He made his marriage proposal as Ed Sheeran’s song “Perfect” was playing. They chose to engage a wedding planner to cover all the bases so that their families could relax and enjoy the wedding ceremony. They chose the Marriott Water Street in Tampa for their wedding despite considering more than 15 potential locations.

BANQUET HALLS Tampa Marriott Water Street 813-221-4900 | BEAUTICIANS Michele Renee The Studio and Salon 813-531-7770 | CATERING Saffron Indian Cuisine-Orlando 407-674-8899 | DECORATOR Suhaag Garden 772-528-0394 | DISC JOCKEY Awaaz Entertainment 407-902-9639 | EVENT PLANNER Apsara Events 727-687-8185 | HORSE CARRIAGE Wind Chase Farm 772-285-3480 | MEHNDI Henna Allure 321-444-5911 | |PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHY Otto & Priscilla Haring 786-444-9743 | PRIEST Pandit Manikya Sharma 813-484-9568

Before their sangeet, the couple decided on a private combined haldi and mehndi. They enjoyed spending time with their closest friends and family at each pre-wedding event, which had a different flavor. In order to symbolize the beginning of a new life together, the decor and attire for the haldi ceremony were clearly yellow. The mehndi was done in green and yellow, and the decorations were based on marigolds.

While their wedding was held inside in the main ballroom, the baraat was held on the riverwalk. Since they met in brilliant, colorful Miami, the colors were intense and strongly centered on florals. The visitors were welcomed with a silk shawl and a golden bell to ring when Sheena entered the mandap, which was embellished with red, purple, pink, and white flowers along a green canopy laced with hanging lights.

An amalgam of Indian and American music, but the dhol musician set the mood by giving each song a distinctive traditional pace. Their napkins and gift bags, which were personalized with their initials, added a special touch to their wedding. Sheena’s family presented each visitor with a silk shawl as well as personalized candles as gifts for their mehndi. They also left the location aboard a yacht after their wedding, which was another unusual feature.

Misha initially noticed Shyam, a Texas native from Lubbock, during a business conference when they took turns working first. But at that moment, Shyam had paid Misha absolutely no attention. He asked her if she worked on the same floor as him when they first encountered each other in the elevator at the workplace. They did, in fact, share a floor at the time, and she was smitten by his effortless charm and astute humor. But as her father got sick and they lost touch, Misha was forced to return to Columbia, Tennessee. She was still thinking about him, despite the distance. They planned to go out for sushi close to Misha’s apartment, so he traveled there to meet her.

BANQUET HALLS Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Cancun +52 1 998-580-9880 | BEAUTICIANS Red Lotus Artistry 281-254-9941 | DECORATOR Grupo Gama +52 998-882-2724 | DISC JOCKEY  M4U Events 732-771-9648 | HORSE CARRIAGES Drums in Paradise +52 998-240-2834 | EVENT PLANNER Palino Events 469-759-3494  | FLORIST Floreria Tulipania 998-361-8136 | MEHNDI Loto Mehndi by CB&Co. +52 998-165-3277 | PHOTOGRAPHER / VIDEOGRAPHY Gareth Davies Photography +52 553-501-4322 , Ruiz Wedding Films +52 999 900 2371 | PRIEST Adhvaryu Dhruvkumar K 423-355-9465

They recruited Ana Almazan to decorate the interior and Palino Events (Dallas, Texas) to handle the outside preparations. At the Planet Hollywood Beach Resort in Cancun, Mexico, the wedding was planned.

The bride’s orange and fuschia lehenga was complemented by the open-drape theme of the mehndi. Tulipania Floral, in Cancun, created the open-drape concept for the sangeet and the floral arrangement. Mexico’s Cancun-based Loto Mehndi applied for the bride’s mehndi.
The wedding’s decor, which included a fort palace in the background and traditional Rajasthani music, complemented the concept of a royal Rajasthani wedding.

During the reception, the bride’s cousins gave the bride and groom a surprise wedding dance. ‘Laal Ishq’ was playing when the bride arrived at the reception.

Ten years ago, Karim and Yasir met at Twilio, where they are still employed today. They were both teammates on the same squad and were attracted to one another right away. After returning from a business trip, Yasir relocated back to the area, and Karim made the first move. After she arrived at her Dublin home, they had nonstop FaceTime conversations during which they could tell they clicked. A few months later, he traveled to London to visit her, and after ten days together, they decided to start dating.

Finally, Yasir got down on one knee and asked Karim to marry him on the rooftop of the bar Radio, where she was waiting with rose petals, numerous pictures of the two of them, and a view of the London cityscape. Their pals surprised them on the balcony two hours after a wonderful meal in the cabana on the rooftop. Their closest friends from San Francisco, LA, NY, and Dallas were able to travel to London because of Yasir’s organization.

BANQUET HALLS The Venue at Waterstone 224-444-0008 | BEAUTICIANS Ishnae & Co. 214-986-6424 | BOUTIQUES Pronovias 737-241-0959 | CAKE Wow! Donuts 469-514-2647 | CATERING Terra Mediterranean 469-277-2775 | EVENT PLANNER Meredith Commender 214-783-7310 | FLORIST Platinum Petals 605-310-4887 | MEHNDI Meena’s Mehndi 469-360-9954 | MUSICIAN LeForce Entertainment 214-302-8564 |PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHY William Bichara Photography 469-556-5462 | Memories Films 214-239-0184 | RENTAL SERVICES BBJ La Tavola 866-376-4755 , Premier Transportation 214-351-7000 | WEDDING SERVICES Zola 408-657-9652

Meredith Commender, the company’s founder and the couple’s wedding planner, was incredibly on time, well-prepared, and helpful with recommendations. The Waterstone Venue in Celina, a stunning barn on the river in a secluded area of north Texas, served as the wedding location. In order to protect the venue’s natural beauty, the decor was kept to a minimum and included only a few string lights and drapes. The furnishings gave off a rustic barn vibe and a lot of natural beauty.

The first gown the bride tried on at Pronovias, a bridal boutique, was a western-inspired gown. She wore a customized version of her mother’s old sari as a lehnga for the mehndi.

The bride and groom opted for a custom-made doughnut wall from Wow! instead of the traditional wedding cake. The guests were pleasantly surprised by the pyrotechnics at the wedding’s conclusion, and the bride and groom enjoyed seeing everyone’s expressions as they exited via the wedding tunnel.

The bride’s intimate last dance and the opportunity to take in the beauty surrounding them before their departure were both meaningful moments.