Maharani Weddings is thrilled to partner with some fantastic Indian wedding vendors that will make your special day even more wonderful! From memorable Indian wedding cakes to luxury yachts. we are excited to introduce them you.

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When it comes to making your Indian wedding dreams come true, it’s Electric Karma International to the rescue. This Houston, Texas based team is one of the world’s premiere Indian wedding planners. With out of the box thinking and an eye towards combining the traditional with the modern, Electric Karma International are the perfect consultants to any Maharani. President Therese Cole-Hubbs and her team have more than 27 years of experience, and have planned more than 600 weddings. Their success comes from  realizing that the most important factor in planning an Indian wedding is hospitality.

And Electric Karma International can even help you plan the perfect mehndi party or sangeet! Here are some exclusive tips from these Indian wedding experts, including how to make the most of your pre-wedding ceremonies:

• Before you plan anything, determine what the emotion of the event is going to be!
• Use your location as inspiration! For example: if you’re planning a event in Texas, why not throw a cowboys and Indians themed event? Embrace funny stereotypes by having everyone get to a barn on horse drawn carriages and hay rides! Why not have a bull riding competition? Use the obvious to create something out of this world!
• Create interactive events such as cooking class parties, after hour boutique parties and make-up parties.
• Remember mehndi nights are typically for women and can become pseudo bridal parties.
• Many times after months of planning for her Indian wedding, an auntie or uncle that believes they know exactly how the event should go tries to alter decisions “because its the way its always done.” It is important for brides to have a wedding planner who can make sure her vision is carried throughout her entire wedding.
• For fusion Indian weddings, remember that a person’s culture and customs are extremely important to them — if not them, then their family. Make sure you make every effort to incorporate as much of both cultures as you can, including through food, decor and clothing!
• In Indian culture, it is important to make sure your guests feel like royalty. The only way you can accomplish this is by creating environments that lend guest to relax and enjoy their time spent with you. Remember you don’t have to go crazy with this: even a small personalized thank you after every event will suffice! 

With a firm understanding of Indian culture and values, these Indian wedding planners can create an Indian wedding experience that is rich with tradition, but also uniquely you. Make sure to ask about the company’s various Indian wedding packages, include their most popular offer “The Designer.” This package pairs Indian brides with a senior designer at an amazing deal! (And don’t all Maharanis love a good deal?)

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Growing up in California, there’s nothing more calming and majestic than drifting in the beautiful ocean.  And Yacht Connections Int’l makes the experience even more luxurious  by providing the most elegant private yachts available for charter.  If you’re  looking to host a memorable Indian wedding, imagine your closest girlfriends  on one of these fabulous yachts, sipping champagne in one hand while your mehndi dries in another! These beautiful boats are also fabulous venues for an Indian engagement party or sangeet.

For an intimate gathering of 12 or less, I love the look of Yacht Connections Int’l‘s “Yacht Lady” — the 80-foot fiberglass vessel offers modern, sleek comfort with a beautiful salon and an outside deck.

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As a wedding guest, there’s nothing I look forward to more than seeing the newlywed’s wedding cake! Just like your choice of decor, venue or florals, your Indian wedding cake says a lot about you and your Raja. Are you a traditionalist, a modern Maharani or a couple with a wicked sense of humor? The Cake Designer of Central New Jersey can help create the perfect custom wedding cake to impress your guests. Aside from looking beautiful, I love that these cake professionals can whip up healthy alternatives. Want something dairy-free, sugar-free and organic? No problem.

With  The Cake Designer, the design is only limited to your creativity! These beauties make the perfect dessert for Indian engagement parties, sangeets, mehndi parties and more. Make sure you ask about their henna cakes, which are inspired by mehndi art!

We are so happy to work with these great Indian wedding vendors, and know that you’ll love working with them too!

You’ve seen our Facebook Maharani of the Month contests, but how would you like to win the most supreme honor of all? Submit your Indian wedding to be featured in the upcoming Maharani Weddings WINTER E-magazine — and win the chance to become our cover model!

Above: Maharani Rekha at her Rhode Island Indian wedding featured in our latest DESTINATION E-zine. Photography by Kumari Photo & Cinema.

Here’s the scoop on how we choose weddings for our e-zines:

Our main goal is to provide inspiring Indian wedding ideas to our readers. If you have professional high-res photos that illustrate the following, we want to share your story with the world:

After soaking in all of the featured weddings from our recently released Maharani Weddings Destination E-magazine, I am sure a few of you are more than interested in planning your own! But working out the logistics of a destination wedding can be pretty darn daunting. That’s why we thank the heavens for wedding planners like Stephanie Deneuve of Maile Weddings and Events. With more than two decades of experience planning weddings on the Hawaiian islands, Ms. Denueve knows all the secrets of the where, the when and the how to turn your dream island wedding into reality! She sits down with Maharani Weddings to share some of her destination wedding expertise…here are our favorite tips.

1) Utilize technology: create your own personal online wedding site where guests can RSVP for your multi-day Indian wedding. Visit www.mywedding.com, which has the tools to help you get started. Your guests and your sanity will thank you in the long run!

2) The perfect meeting place: did you know that O’ahu means “the gathering place”? Hawaii makes the perfect destination wedding because it serves as the mid-point between many continents. If you have wedding guests abroad, you can actually cut down their costs by meeting them halfway in Hawaii – not a bad compromise!

3) Aim for an October or May Indian wedding. The Hawaiian islands are certainly beautiful all year round; however, the best weather is in October and May. Coincidentally, these are also off-peak travel times so you also score great deals on just about everything. Remember: the fuller the planes, the fuller the hotels, the higher all the prices will be.

4) Embrace local florals. Keep in mind that your favorite mainland blooms are probably not available on the Hawaiian islands. To avoid outrageous shipping costs, embrace the local native plants. Want a fragrant bouquet? Check out yummy-smelling white flowers like tuberose. For something colorful, look into birds of paradise or ginger flowers.

For more juicy tips and photos from Maile Weddings and Events, check out the all new Maharani Weddings Destination E-magazine. And make sure you come back tomorrow for our weekly dose of Indian wedding cinematography!

Now that you’ve seen the Atlantis, Paradise Island‘s grand exterior, let’s take a closer look at why it’s the perfect place for a Maharani to live out her destination wedding fantasy! I know the sheer size of the resort can be intimidating, but the Atlantis can help you plan the most intimate or most grand of weddings. Ceremonies can take place on a secluded beach, seaside pavilion or in a lush garden setting. And don’t you worry about feeding your guests: the resort’s catering team includes an Indian banquet chef for the most authentic Indian cuisine in the Caribbean!

For more inspiration, take a peek at this featured Indian wedding (and ceremony!) from 2010 that took place at the Atlantis — gorgeous, right?

If you’re even curious about what the Atlantis, Paradise Island can do for you and your Raja, I highly suggest you check out their Website for more info. There are new special wedding packages and offers all the time!

I hate to leave the Bahamas, but I still have to show you the conclusion of this dreamy Laguna Beach Indian wedding. And let me tell you, you CAN’T miss it!

Happy Tuesday, Maharanis! I hope you’ve had a wonderful long weekend, and are ready to delve into more Indian weddings with us! But before we hop into today’s featured Indian wedding, I want to share with you one of my favorite luxurious resorts…

True Maharanis dream BIG, and there is no bigger dream than a gorgeous destination wedding in the Caribbean. If you’re looking for an island wedding venue that will cover ALL your bases, Atlantis, Paradise Island should be at the top on your list. White sand beaches? Check. World class dining with 40 restaurants and lounges? Bingo! Wedding specialists on hand to fulfill your every whimsy? YES!

Don’t believe me? Just take a look at this Indian wedding that took place at the Atlantis. It features dolphins, a bamboo mandap and the most gorgeous scenery a Maharani can dream of!

The resort stands on more than 100 acres and has all the amenities a Maharani could want for her friends and family. For the ladies, there’s the 30,000-square-foot Mandara Spa where you can beautify and pamper all your pre-wedding jitters away. For the gentlemen, the Atlantis boasts golf courses and the largest casino in the Caribbean!

And let’s not forget the kids: there is plenty of outdoor pools and recreational activity to keep your Mini Maharanis and Rajas entertained.

Look for more pictures of this luxury resort in our second Atlantis post! But up next, I’m excited to introduce to you our first couple of the week and show you where Anand and I got married — yay!