Join us while we unveil Shruthi & Joffie's Indian fusion wedding in today's Platinum Guide Blog!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I met JJ when I was visiting one of my friends in Philadelphia. I knew he was the one very early on in our relationship. I remember falling in love with how genuine, kindhearted, and God fearing he was. I think the moment I knew I would marry him was when I was having a bad day and lashed out at him and he responded to me by asking if he could pray with me. I still remember all the anger/sadness melted away in that moment, and was replaced with peace. I knew that God brought this man into my life in that moment and that he had a plan for us. JJ does that to this day, he grounds me, is the person I lean on, and can count on the most. I truly feel blessed to have married my best friend!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Anybody who knows me, knows that I am a hard person to surprise, however leave it to JJ to pull off the best surprise. I was attending my friends wedding in South Jersey and was staying at the hotel there after the wedding Saturday night. The next morning some of us had breakfast at the hotel and my siblings/one of my friends tricked me into going to this friend's hotel room to get something. Little did I know that I was headed to the start of my proposal. I walked to the door and saw an envelope with my name written on it taped to the door and responded hey look its my name. I just thought it was a coincidence and it took me a minute or two to register what was going on. I turned and saw my sister with her phone out and finally realized what was going on. She told me to open the door. I was completely surprised and still in shock but begin to open the door. Once I opened the door, I saw a room filled with rose gold balloons with pictures and messages attached to the bottom, and one of my best friends hiding in the room. There was a card with an envelope waiting for me on the bed. In it was a sweet note from JJ telling me to get ready and meet him where it all began. My sister had sneakily packed a dress, heels, and my jewelry for me. I got ready and was driven to the Philadelphia Art Museum which is where JJ had asked me to be his girlfriend five years ago. I was brought to the back where the gazebo was and saw him waiting for me. He met me and walked me towards the beautifully decorated gazebo where he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! Afterwards, we met our closest family and friends at a restaurant to celebrate.
Tell us how you went about planning your wedding, and your overall experience with the Venues, Hair & Makeup, Outfits, Decor Theme, and all of the other important details.
Planning the wedding was difficult due to Covid-19. We had a majority of our wedding planned out prior to Covid hitting however a lot of things came to a stand still. The most difficult thing about planning or having a wedding during Covid was the uncertainty. I remember we couldn't send out invitations until 1-2 months prior to our wedding because there was changing guidelines on the amount of guests we were allowed. We had to send evites rather than physical invites due to the time constraint. We had to adjust our guest list to half the number, and a lot of our family from other states were not able to attend. We hired a live stream vendor (sumodjacobphotography) in order to share our special day with those who could not attend. Sumod did an amazing job! We were truly so lucky to have amazing vendors that worked with us during Covid. Arfana Jasar, my hair and makeup artist, made me feel so comfortable while doing my make up. She wore a mask, gloves and got tested prior to my wedding. She executed my natural hair and makeup look that I wanted so beautifully! My florist and decorator, Sarah (Loza events) adjusted all my decor from outdoors to indoor the week before my wedding (Governor Murphy of NJ had just announced that we could have indoor events with limited capacity starting the weekend of my wedding) and she captured my vision perfectly. I still remember being in awe of all the decor walking out after being announced as husband and wife for the first time at our reception. WestxEast, the company that created my custom bridesmaids outfits ensured that my bridesmaids outfits were made during lockdown and reached me from India prior to my wedding. I absolutely loved how my bridesmaids outfits turned out, they were so classy and stunning! Our event coordinators from Eventify (Aji and Neethu) sat on many long calls with us hammering out details and last minute changes and were on top of making sure everything/everyone complied with Covid protocols and that things ran smoothly. Our photographer (Priyanca Rao), videographer (Urmil Dalal) and DJ/MC (MVP DJS) made us feel so comfortable our whole wedding day and made it feel like a normal event during a time when things didnt. They helped us to forget about Covid for a day and helped add to our special day so much. Although the planning process due to Covid was pretty stressful, JJ and I were able to have the best wedding due to our family and our amazing vendors.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
All our guests came up to us to thank us for helping them safe at our wedding. We complied with all the Covid protocols with tables being 6ft or more apart, having guests wear masks, and having hand sanitizer at each table. Our wedding was one of the first events that many of our guests came out of lockdown for and many people were nervous at being at a large event. However after attending the wedding, all our guests made it a point to come tell us that they felt safe and thanked us for ensuring that. We were extremely thankful that nobody contracted Covid at our wedding.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The most special moment in my wedding that constantly replays in my mind is the first look we did prior to our wedding. We met at our venue at the gazebo in the back prior to our wedding ceremony. I still remember feeling so overwhelmed with emotion walking towards him waiting for me in the gazebo and the small on his face when he turned around and saw me. He started to tear up and hugged me so tight. We then proceeded to pray together and thank God for bringing us together This moment was just for us and it was so special. Our photographer Priyanca Rao did an amazing job capturing this moment.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
After planning my wedding, the biggest piece of advice I would give to other brides is to choose vendors who you connect really well with and who are genuine. I have to say my vendors went above and beyond during a very difficult time and that ensured that we were able to enjoy our special day.
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