Good Morning Maharanis! It’s Monday again, and I’m back with more! Today’s South Asian wedding is beyond fabulous and it’s from Chicago, which is in the Top 5 on my list of “Places I Need to Visit“ –especially since my dad can never stop telling stories about his days at Northwestern! From what I’ve heard, Chicago is a cosmopolitan place of beauty, intellect, and has a huge desi vibe! So, it’s no wonder that Maharani Samreen’s Mehndi in Orland Park is just that. Her green and gold color palette brings the soiree together in a striking-ly, breath-taking-ly beautiful way! This perfect shade of emerald green has caught my fancy, but after looking at her multi-colored jewelry set, it’s impossible not to want one too. I think she should wear that necklace everyday, after all it matches EVERYTHING!
From the lovely Maharani Samreen:
I knew early on that I wanted a bridal party but I wanted everyone to wear whatever they wanted at our Shaadi – so instead I had beautiful green outfits made for my 12 bridesmaids to wear at our Mehndi. And we did the same for all of the boys in mine and my fiance’s families – having them wear custom-made cream shalwar kurtas with green stoles. It was important to my family to have many personal touches at the Mehndi. My father, having been unimpressed by many of the stage designers we saw, decided to build our backdrop himself. My mom sewed each of the fabric panels for our backdrop and also spent months making every single one of the pillows on our stage, and I was thrilled when we were
able to use my favorite chaise from our living room at home for our stage seating. Each of the tables at the Mehndi was adorned with a runner in our signature colors (sewn by my mother), as well as a custom-made lantern sitting atop a hand designed charger plate (all made by myself and my cousins). I wore my mother’s nikkah jewelry at the mehndi as well, I was elated when it went perfectly with my gharara made by Pakistani designer Karma. My younger sister, brothers, friends and cousins all participated in the dances at our Mehndi – they were not only entertaining, but they used songs that we listened to growing up and also some old-school songs that were my parents favorites.
Vendors Featured
Photography – Amna Siddiqui Photography / Catering, Mehndi – Desi Grill, Chicago / Catering – Sabri Nihari, Chicago / Desserts – Sheraton Chicago Hotel / Florist, Shaadi – Gratitude Heart Garden, Chicago / DJ – DJ PM, Pradeep Madana / Hair (for all events) – Rosalyn Morris / Make-Up (for all events) – Sana Yusuf Ghani Bride’s Shaadi and Mehndi dresses – Karma
