The Wedding
The world was set ablaze by the grandeur of royal wedding as Prince William and his newly titled bride sealed the ceremony with a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Over a million people moved down to London on this occasion and the invitee list included 1,900 people. Around 650 people were invited to the lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace given by the Queen herself and 300 people to the dinner at Buckingham Palace given by the Prince of Wales, which was followed by singing and dancing.

The occasion was the annual order of the garter ceremony where the duchess o
f Cambridge, decked in a dove grey long coat and matching fascinator arrived in a burgundy Rolls Royce, charming the crowd with all smiles on her face. Camilla stretched a guiding hand to her while doing so. The two women posed as to be photographed by the media. Prince William, smiling himself, marched down the hill from Windsor castle with his father, Prince Charles at his side.The Royal wedding between Prince William, son of heir to the British throne and his long time girlfriend Kate Middleton took place on April 29th at Westminster Abbey at 11 A.M. A wedding, seemingly a made-for television one, was cheered and applauded by the audience present. People could find likeness of the wedding with that of Elizabeth’s in the year 1947, the same year Britain lost a inestimable jewel from its crown, India as their colony.

Bridal Attire
The wedding floated by without a hitch. The bride wore a strapless corset fashioned in Victorian manner, and the dress was virginal white even though she had been living with the groom for some time. William graced the occasion by wearing a red military uniform with gold braid. The couple looked comfortably happy and content while kissing, the moment brought back the picture of Charles kissing his newly wedded br
ide Diana, some 30 years ago. Indian High Commissioner Nalin Surie and several people of Indian origin solicited their gracious presence. The media played a pivotal part in broadcasting the event to the world as their cameras caught every moment of it.

their gracious presence. The media played a pivotal part in broadcasting the event to the world as their cameras caught every moment of it.

Happy Future
The wedding floated by without a hitch. The bride wore a strapless corset fashioned in Victorian manner, and the dress was virginal white even though she had been living with the groom for some time. William graced the occasion by wearing a red military uniform with gold braid. The couple looked comfortably happy and content while kissing, the moment brought back the picture of Charles kissing his newly wedded bride Diana, some 30 years ago. Indian High Commissioner Nalin Surie and several people of Indian origin solicited their gracious presence. The media played a pivotal part in broadcasting the event to the world as their cameras caught every moment of it. The royal wedding inspired creative headwear all around, and people with flamboyant feathered headpieces and traditional top hats were seen. William and Catherine cut a gigantic cake after the wedding. The confectionery masterpiece covered in cream and white icing and decorated with up to 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers was centre-stage at the Buckingham Palace reception. Champagne and snacks were served in plenty. As soon as the ceremony ended, people rejoiced and celebrated to their heart’s content. They took to the streets with smiling faces and placards that read “long live the wedding.”

Luxury was at its highest peak for the Royal family, and though recession looms in Europe, the air of entertainment, luxury and celebration created a short-lived escape from the harsh realities of wages and jobs cutbacks. All is well in the end and without a slight hint of doubt, one can emphatically state the wedding was a huge success.

Jigar and Sonika share a beautiful friendship, one that binds them together forever. A key to a good relationship is laughing together and sharing the joys in life, which is exactly how Jigar and Sonika found their relationshiop unfolding into a tremendous love life. Sonika Khushwala, 26, a physical therapist and Jigar Tataria, 29, an anaesthesiologist, first met over lunch at their friend’s place, who were coincidentally, family friends of Jigar’s and Sonika’s parents neighbors. The couple was also surprised to learn that both of them worked at the same hospital in downtown Atlanta. As time went on, the two would often grab dinner after work, play tennis, or take a stroll in the park to spend time with each other. Little did they know that the need to see each other would progress to an everyday occurrence.

Jigar proposed to Sonika exactly nine months from the day they met. For some, that might be considered too short a period to judge someone’s character, but Sonika had no doubt that Jigar was the person with whom she wanted to spend her life. Jigar enamored his love with red roses as Sonika came out brushing from the bathroom. Sonika could see he was visibly sweating, so without any further delay she agreed to his proposal gleefully. Though he always wanted to propose her in the park where they shared many memorable moments, but Jigar’s demanding work schedule proved challenging. In the end, the two were happily engaged and soon planning a beautiful wedding.

As soon as Sonika said yes, the planning began for a wedding one year away. Jigar and Sonika planned their dream wedding with the support of many friends and relatives, and in the end, the result was fruitful. It was a dream wedding where no consultant would participate, and it was only made so by those with heart.

The wedding events took place in Atlanta where Sonika’s family lived. Sonika’s lifelong wish was to have an outdoor marriage ceremony, and the Sheraton Hotel Atlanta offered just that. The sangeet/garba and reception took place in the hotel’s two ballrooms, and out of town guests were able to find accommodations in the same place.

The theme for the sangeet was traditional ethnic hues. Guests entered the ballroom through a colorful passageway. Tables were adorned with Moroccan corners and lanterns. The stage was enhanced with brightly colored panels and a traditional Indian swing in the center, and the dance floor was decorated with umbrellas, being the central theme of the ceremony, which canvassed the Raas between Krishna and Radha.

The ceremony was held in the Emory conference center garden on a spring Georgia day. The courtyard had a rock waterfall and seasonal flowers in full bloom, which provided a calm ambience for the wedding. Reds, whites and golds, dominant in traditional Indian weddings, prevailed and the mandap was adorned with red rose petals while the aisle was bordered with white rose petals. It was the perfect backdrop for an Indian wedding in spring with the Sun as a chief guest.

Ceremony program booklets were with a Shakespearean quote. DJ Bally played “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles as Sonika entered, who looked as dazzling as the Sun. Sonika always wanted the sound of the Beatles present for here wedding due to her love of the band.

The reception was held in the Capitol ballroom at the Sheraton Atlanta, which provided an atmosphere pleasing to all. Large crystal chandeliers, mahogany wood panels, white blue up lighting tickled everyone’s memories with images of Indian villages from the past. The theme was peacock and the colors were chosen very brilliantly to befit the theme well. Chairs were adorned with peacock feathers, and crystal garlands enhanced the mandap.

People went wild over the music especially when DJ Bally played “Sing sing sing with a swing” and Michael Buble’s “Everything” to which the bride and groom danced. The father/daughter dance was to the popular song “You are my sunshine,” and the mother/son dance song was to “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. The remainder of the reception music was a healthy mix of Hindi, Bhangra and pop hits to which guests eagerly danced all night. With guests enjoying to the last minute, Jigar and Sonika truly made their dream wedding a success.