Real Wedding

When physician recruiter Jesika Jonalagada, and Human Resource Information System Manager John Roach met each other for the first time in Dallas, Texas, they felt an instant recognizable chemistry and it gradually became apparent that they were destined to be together.

When Jesika and John met at Jesika’s first day at work, even their colleagues could see the sparks flying. Soon, running into each other developed into a relationship and marriage came as a natural next step. Jesika always dreamed of a romantic proposal so John formally popped the question after a visit to his parents house and a lovely bird sanctuary. John got down on one knee and Jesika immediately said yes. The happy couple celebrated at the Republic of Texas Steakhouse.

Jesika and John chose to have their traditional church wedding at the Dallas Texas Royal Lane Baptist Church and their reception at the Omni Las Colinas Hotel. The couple even designed their own wedding website and made sure that their wedding was completely stress-free.

Jesika and John wanted to stick to their traditional spiritual values and follow local guidelines for hosting a wedding during the pandemic. The couple decided to host the festivities in Dallas as that was where John grew up and the two dated. John’s parents also live nearby making the locale convenient.

The couple chose a traditional church wedding complete with white accents right from the church’s white steeple to the pews strewn with white tulle and beautiful floral wreaths. A church organist played “Here Comes the Bride” and the “Wedding March.” COVID restrictions meant that there was a restriction on the number of guests, but this did not deter the couple from celebrating every moment. The immediate family arrived at the wedding avenue in a gorgeous white Rolls Royce.

The reception was held in a gorgeous ballroom decorated with a three-paneled backdrop adorned with floral accents and beautiful drapery. The white wedding theme continued and the stage and dance floor were sparkling white. Gorgeous floating candles and romantic centerpieces added to the ethereal aura. There was an abundance of white hydrangeas, and the couple’s initials were monogrammed with gold on menu cards and place mats. There was a gorgeous sweetheart table and matching King and Queen chairs for the happy couple. While the couple was dancing, the DJ choreographed some stunning “dancing on the cloud” moments complete with confetti and lights! As Jessika and John danced to “A Whole New World” and “Hum Tum,” they embraced the most beautiful bond of marriage forever.

Think hard about what you really want for your wedding, prioritize and then set a budget before shopping! Avoid overspending and always do a lot of research.

BANQUET HALLS Omni Mandalay Hotel 972-869-5527 | BEAUTICIANS All Things Glam By Jee 469-386-8736 | For Beauty Sake 214-282-4500 | CAKE Fancy Cakes by Lauren 214-828-9030 | DECORATOR Blissful Celebrations 469-442 0155 | DISC JOCKEY Dhol Beat International 281-808-3328 | EVENT PLANNER Deana Pueblo Weddings & Events 817-300-8578 | Royal Lane Baptist Church 214-577-8058 | MEHNDI Bridal Henna Mehendi & Makeup by Zohra 469-226-9800 | MUSICIAN Dr. David Weigel 214-452-3122 | PHOTOGRAPHER Magdiel Photography & Films 214-282-1378 | PRIEST Thomas C Crook 214-394-0351 | RENTAL SERVICES Hamilton Transportation 972-877-8953 | CATERING India 101 972-623-4101 | VIDEOGRAPHY Moondance Wedding Videos LLP 469-580-7560

Clinical Recruiter

Human Resource Recruiter

Dallas, Texas

Romantic Proposal

Lovely Bird Sanctuary

Republic Of Texas Steakhouse

Traditional Church Wedding

Dallas Texas Royal Lane Baptist Church

Omni Las Colinas Hotel

Wedding Website

Traditional Spiritual Values

Covid Restrictions

Rolls Royce

Wedding Theme

Dancing On The Cloud

Song Hum Tum

Song A Whole New World

Indian Wedding Banquet Halls

Omni Mandalay Hotel

Indian Wedding Beauticians

All Things Glam By Jee

For Beauty Sake

Indian Wedding Cake

Fancy Cakes By Lauren

Indian Wedding Decorator

Blissful Celebrations

Indian Wedding Disc Jockey

Dhol Beat International

Indian wedding Event Planner

Deana Pueblo Weddings & Events

Royal Lane Baptist Church

Indian Bridal Mehndi

Bridal Henna Mehendi & Makeup By Zohra

Indian wedding Musician

Dr. David Weigel

Indian wedding Photographer

Magdiel Photography & Films

Indian Wedding Priest

Thomas C Crook

Rental Services

Hamilton Transportation

Indian Wedding Catering

India 101

Indian wedding Videographer

Moondance Wedding Videos LLP

When social enterprise consultant Nafessa Kassim and business coach Michael Williams met each other for the first time in Los Angeles, little did they know that they were on the path to a long courtship and wedding straight out of a fairytale.

When Nafessa and Michael met for the second time at a Washington conference, sparks flew and a beautiful friendship developed organically. After a month of long phone calls and a 4.5 year old courtship period, Michael finally popped the question on the rooftop bar of W hotel with a special ring. Nafessa delightfully accepted and the couple went off to gorge on Chinese food and chocolate chip cookies with two of their friends recording all the action.

Nafessa and Michael chose to host their wedding at the Zama Beach Club at Isla Mujeres Mexico with Jewell Event Design helping them plan the event. The couple even designed their own wedding website and made sure their different ethnicities were reflected in a perfect combination at their customized ceremonies. 

Given the wedding would be a mixture of South Asian and western traditions, the couple wanted to encompass the diverse religions and ethnicities of their guests. Nafessa and Michael showcased the beauty of accepting a diverse array of cultures and so chose an eclectic mixture of events – pithi, mehndi, welcome party, holi and beach games. Their choice of venue was one that was a beautiful vacation spot apart from being a boutique establishment small enough to offer them the privacy they needed.

The welcome party was a simple and sweet party with rooftop drinks. Both the bride and groom participated in the pithi and enjoyed the gorgeous spread of food, while for the mehndi, Rajasthani umbrellas and ethnic sarees were used as décor accents. The beach games party was a fun event as the couple used memorabilia from their long pre-wedding trip as props and guests all wore t-shirts saying “love is a journey.” The sangeet was very festive with a light adorned background with Indian accents. The table centerpieces were a variety of different artifacts with candles inside while a soft semi transparent gold runner decorated the table. The couple showcased their faces on frames of old and classic Bollywood posters along the table. The bangle and bindi counter lent some pizzazz to the entire event.

The couple chose a beach wedding as both feel a deep connection to water. The ceremony setting was a sandy beach with a beach background and pretty flower petals on the ground.

Instead of a typical religious function, the couple planned a beautiful spiritual blend – the bridal party read quotes from various religions along with a meditation session. The wedding was right before sunset with the beautiful rays of the sun shining behind the couple.

The beautiful beach reception featured tables dressed with a white diaphanous material and glittering chandeliers and bistro lights bathing everything with incandescent light.  The centerpieces included gold votives with candles inside and cards bearing the country name, a picture of the couple in that country, and a poem or quote from the country, in the native language. The beautiful star-studded night sky with stars and the sound of waves created a romantic atmosphere as the couple danced to Dave Matthews Band’s “You and Me,” Sir Mix A Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” and even “Aati Kya Khandala” from the movie Ghulam. Later, There was a fun dance party with glow sticks and a mix of Indian and western music and even a Chuuro midnight party. Nafessa and Michael made sure that everyone (including themselves) had a blast at their wedding!

The couple advises that you think hard about what you love about weddings and then try incorporating that in your own wedding. Don’t forget to take into account the preferences of guests and family while also prioritizing and creating a special experience that will work for you!

BANQUET HALLS Zama Beach Club +52 998 888 07 50 | CATERING Izla Mujeres Hotel +52 998 689 12 63 |  DISC JOCKEY Disco Movil Cancun +52 1 998 189 83 06 | DHOL PLAYER Drums in Paradise +52 998 251 49 77 |EVENT PLANNER Jewell Event Design 720-515-1793 | HAIR AND MAKEUP Tania Tagle Makeup & Hair +52 998 820 15 98    | HORSE SunHorse Wedding Services 507-216-5700 |  MEHNDI Carolina Bellavista & Co +52 998 165 32 77 | MUSICIAN Eder Alejandro Campos +52 1 998 895 04 51 | PHOTOGRAPHER Cossu Photography +52 1 984 106 00 92  |   VIDEOGRAPHY Becker Wedding Films +52 998 860 49 56

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Dazzling indian wedding

South Asian club

Indian wedding at the Zama Beach Club

Jewell Event Design

South Asian Wedding

Wedding website

Wedding table centerpieces

Mehndi

Indian wedding Banquet Halls

Zama Beach Club

Indian wedding Catering

Izla Mujeres Hotel

Indian wedding Disc Jockey

Disco Movil Cancun

Indian wedding Dhol Player

Drums In Paradise

Indian wedding Event Planner

Jewell Event Design

Indian Bride Hair And Makeup

Tania Tagle Makeup & Hair

Indian wedding Horse

Sunhorse Wedding Services

Indian Bridal Mehndi Carolina Bellavista

Indian wedding Musician

Eder Alejandro Campos

Indian wedding Photographer Cossu Photography

Indian wedding Videographer Becker Wedding Films

Navya Talluri was super impressed when she walked into Nikhil Patel’ Wayne University dorm room. The couple were dorm neighbors and met in an elevator 10 years before they decided to get married. Navya describes Nikhil’s room as “impressively neat and clean.” Her heart melted a little when Nikhil graciously offered her his biology log book.

This was an effortless college romance that blossomed over shared meals, long walks and even longer talks. Soon the two students became best friends and ventured into a love struck relationship. Nikhil gave Navya the best graduation day gift ever – a trip to Thailand where she could meet her favorite animal, elephants. Little did Navya know that these lovable mammals would be spectators to a splendid wedding proposal. Nikhil chose to propose to Navya when she was already having the time of her life by interacting with elephants at an elephant sanctuary. Navya recalls that she was delirious with happiness and doesn’t even remember what she said afterwards apart from yes.

For the wedding, the couple wanted to keep things simple, creative and customized so they did most of the wedding planning themselves. Navya and Nikhil decided to hold their wedding events in Detroit since all their memories of dating and love were based there. They chose The Henry Autograph Collection for their wedding venue. The hotel is named in honor of United States veteran Henry Dearborn and known for its magnificent lobby adorned with vibrant contemporary art.

The mehendi function had a unique décor theme – DIY origami paper cranes reminiscent of the cute ones Nikhil used to make for Navya back in college. The sangeet featured a feast of Indian street food arranged by cute little carnival themed food stations. And of course, the event included lots of dancing! DJ Naveen Sharma played an eclectic mix of garba music for the couple’s garba night as both the bride and groom were fans of party songs.

Since Navya and Nikhil chose to have only the wedding and not a reception, they channeled all their energy into making sure that the function was special and intimate. First, Nikhil arrived in a white horse drawn carriage to funky live music arranged by DJ Ice and Fresh Productions. The couple also created a customized monogram that they put on takeaway bags and table runners. Their unique wedding program even included crossword puzzles based on Navya and Nikhil’s life.

Although they planned to do a first look, it wasn’t possible, so the first time the two saw each other was at the mandap. Navya will never forget the look on Nikhil’s face when he first saw her. It was at this unforgettable moment that the couple realized that they would finally be married – a moment for which they waited for more than ten years.

BANQUET HALLS The Henry Autograph Collection 313-441-2000 |DECORATOR Marigold Wedding Planners 248-250-4066 | DISC JOCKEY DJ Ice and Fresh 734-320-5491 | Naveen Productions 248-797-9707 | HAIR AND MAKEUP Hair by Aysha 734-635-3687 |  MEHNDI Henna Beauty by Krupa 248-457-5318 |  PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHY Strokes Photography 647-999-6838 | Capturing Arts 586-477-8161| RESTAURANT/CATERING Ashoka Indian Cuisine 248-689-7070 | Taste of India Suvai 734-327-6500| HORSE CARRIAGE Ann Arbor Carriage Company 734-663-9033 | PRIEST Prasad Bhat 734-383-1872

Navya Talluri

Nikhil Patel

Wayne University of Michigan

Trip to Thailand

Wedding Proposal Ideas

Indian wedding planning

Indian Wedding sangeet night

Garba music Provided by DJ ICE & FRESH

Indian Wedding Ceremonies

Wedding Banquet halls The Henry Autograph Collection

Wedding planners in Florida Marigold Wedding Planners

Indian Wedding Hair and make-up Specialist Hair by Aysha

Horse Carriage by Ann Arbor Carriage Company

Indian Wedding Henna Beauty by Krupa

DJ Ice and Fresh Indian wedding Disc Jockey

Indian Music DJ by Naveen Productions

 Indian Wedding Photography by Strokes Photography

Indian Wedding Videography by Capturing Arts

Indian wedding Priest Prasad Bhat

Indian Restaurant Ashoka Indian Cuisine

Indian Wedding Catering Taste of India Suvai