What a week…we brought you new color palette ideas, and a chic, modern wedding. We are rounding out the week with our January contest announcement.  I am sure that all you ladies will agree with me when I say that whenever I don’t feel like exercising (which seems like every morning), if I have a friend or two come along, suddenly it seems less like working out and more like fun.   So, in honor of all those New Years resolutions, our contest is all about you, your besties, and your workouts. 

Here are the rules of the game.  We want to see your favorite picture of you and your crew of ladies from any wedding related event.  The image can be from your shower, bachelorette, engagement, wedding, reception or any other wedding party you choose. I highly want to encourage candid (or action!) shots for this contest.  Whether its that picture of you guys laughing so hard you are crying at your mehndi, or all jumping into the pool together at your bachelorette – those are the shots that we want to see!

Oh, and did I forget to mention what the winner receives?  A FREE pair of Sketchers Shape Ups.  Shape Ups are the perfect shoe to get fit in without stepping foot in the gym.  The awesome thing about these shoes is that while you are gabbing on your walks with your girlies, these shoes actually help you burn more calories, tighten, and tone. They are amazing! 

Okay, so the nitty gritty:

Email the picture to contests@maharaniweddings.com, by midnight PST on January 31st (One entry per person, please)

I am going to post the top 5 pics on Friday, February the 5th, and we are going to let our readers vote to decide the winner!

Voting will close on Monday the 8th at 5pm PST, and we will announce the winner on the 9th!

I can’t wait to see your pictures, so hurry up and enter now to have a chance to win your free pair of Shape Ups!

This wedding makes me feel like eating chips & guac and sipping on a margarita.  It is carefree and airy…the perfect celebration of the union of two people without being overly fussy.  Still, as with any enthusiastic bride, Amita put a lot of thought into all the aspects of her special day.

Amita on décor : The cruise line had a limited selection of flowers, so we decided to make a bouquet using silk flowers.  My favorite flower is a calla lily.  So that was the main flower theme for the wedding.  The grooms’ side had calla lily boutonnieres.  My main bouquet, along with Abhee’s bouquet, and the “bridesmaids” were all created by my best friend Dina (She definitely does it all!).  They had a mix of white and purple calla lilies along with peacock feathers! The main color theme for the ceremony was gold and turquoise blue.  The mandap, by Mandap World, matched perfectly with our setting. Vasu Govan (Mandap World) was gracious enough to accommodate us on board the ship and join in on our celebration!

 
   
A very, very hot topic in the wedding community these days is photography.  I am not sure if it is because of the global recession, or because more people are following their passion, but the wedding photography market has become flooded.  It is always a personal choice for the bride who she chooses to capture her big day.  However, after the party ends, the center pieces are removed, and you wash away your make up, the only thing that will be left of your big day are the photographs that were captured.  And, to be perfectly frank, your wedding day goes by in such a blur, that it is even difficult to have concrete memories, so you will rely heavily on your photographer.  Make sure that your photographer is credible, ethical, and experienced like the ones we feature on our blog or personally recommend on The Platinum Guide.

Amita on Photography : Ever since I saw my cousins wedding album, I knew I wanted mine to be just as amazing!  As my best friend and wingman in life, Dina, went straight to work helping me find the perfect photographer!  I got many websites of people but fell in love with Shandro Photography immediately!  Abhee thought I was crazy, and that I was being, being that they were out of Canada, but it was one of my only requests!  Abhee and I looked over their portfolio along with other albums they had and saw the amazing experience they had with Indian weddings.  It was definitely a plus for us!  We talked over the phone with Haley and Michael and they made it possible in no time!  We continued to talk with them over the year and they even went to check out Cozumel while down in Cancun!  They had the perfect plan and setting for us. 

 
 
How adorable are these day after photographs captured by Shandro Photo?  Makes me really need a tropical vacay! Congratulations Amita and Abhee!  I hope that you are enjoying cruising around as Mr. & Mrs. 

Amita is guest blogging for us today over on the R A N I S blog, so head over there and get the scoop on her bridal lengha, planning, and of course the wedding!

*If you haven’t entered out contest yet, put it on your weekend to do list.  The lucky winner will win a pair of Sketchers Shape Ups!

All my east coast friends are laughing at me these days.  Leave it to wimpy California people to make it breaking news that there is some rain, thunder, lightening, and maybe even a tornado warning.  As silly as it might be, I know that one little earthquake would send all my east coast friends running for their lives.

Anyhow, to take my mind far, far, far away from the storm outside, I have holed up in my house with my puppy comfortably sleeping by the fire.  All I can seem to think about these days is summer and warm weather, so when I happened upon this unique Indian wedding, I knew it was going to make the perfect feature.

Amita and Abheeshek grabbed their closets friends and family and got married on a cruise from Tampa to Cozumel.  Their wedding was inspired and based on the sea, so their color palette was naturally turquoise with hints of white and gold.

From the bride : Abhee and I had both discussed a cruise/ destination wedding because it was something that my parents wanted.  Abhee and his family agreed and the process began!  We searched many options from resorts to cruises to even Disney!  After searching and figuring prices, our best choice was a cruise.  We immediately got with a travel agent and started to get prices.

After we chose the cruise option, we had to pick a destination of port and from there we chose the cruise line.  The best option for us was Royal Caribbean – Grandeur of the Seas.  It set sail on December 17, 2009 and went to Cozumel, Mexico and returned back to Tampa on December 21, 2009.  We got the chance to actually go to Baltimore and check out the actual cruise boat and see the locations of where each event would take place on board.  It was amazing!  We got to speak with the chefs and other coordinators on board who helped out with the planning process.

Shandro Photo was on hand to take some fantastic shots that truly captured the essence of their wedding. I mean, this looks like SO MUCH FUN!

 
 
Much more heading your way tomorrow….staaaaaaaay tuned!

Hang on, buckle up, and sit tight. Today we have the conclusion of an extra special Sonoma wedding with stunning décor. I don’t know what else to say, but I am in luuuurve with today’s reception.  I don’t know if it’s the stormy California weather, but the bright citrus color have a punch that I just can’t seem to get enough of.

These large white platter plates just seem to be the perfect thing for Indian food, and the fruit detail in the flowers makes quite a splash.  Thoughtful touches that really make a good wedding even better.

 
  
A great big thank you to Zelo Photography and Sindu & Hadrain for sharing their wedding story with us.

Vendors that made their dream wedding come true:

Photography: Zelo Photography ~ Event Designer/Coordinator: Celeste Popadiuk, Celeste Nicholas Events Ceremony/Reception: Cornerstone Gardens, Sonoma CA ~ Bridal Lengha Designer: Ritu Kumar ~  Hair/Makeup: Elegant Loox ~ Catering: Sage Catering ~ Florist : Kathy Hoffman ~ Rentals: Classic Party Rentals ~ Lighting: Twilight Design

I trust that everyone who had the day off yesterday enjoyed themselves, and everyone who had to work was productive.  I had a day filled with a little work, a little travel, and a little relaxation.  We attended a GORGEOUS engagement/reception on Sunday night, and aside from the beautiful couple, amazing décor, and killer food – I got to see some of our Platinum Guide members in action, and boy was I impressed.  April Robles from Robles Video wouldn’t even let being hit on the dance floor stop her from getting the right shot, and Ajay from Special Occassions kept the everyone rockin' and rollin' all night.  It was super duper fun.

It is really coming down today in SF, so I am delighted to bring you the summer-y celebration of Sindu and Hadrian. The couple became the new Mr. & Mrs. at the Cornerstones Garden in Sonoma, California and the fabulous coordinator/designer Celeste, from Celeste Nicholas Events was on hand to make the bride’s vision come to life.

 
Stunning, isn’t it?  We will be back tomorrow with their beautiful reception and a color palette that might be my all time favorite!  Stay tuned!