Maharanis, don't miss Isha & Kishan's dreamy wedding in today's Platinum Guide Blog. You'll love it!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
My cousin was friends with my husband for years in college before I met him. I used to always hang out with my cousin and his friends all the time but never met Kishan because he was in Boston for work. One day, my cousin says we are going out to dinner with his friends (very common). We get to the restaurant and there he is, I thought he was so cute when I first saw him but he wouldn't speak to me even though we were sitting right next to each other! Of course, later, I learned this is because he is very shy. From dinner, we decided to go out to a bar. I wanted a tequila shot at the bar and out of nowhere, Kishan says "I'll take the shot with you". Kishan did NOT like tequila at all. It was at this moment, his friends knew that he liked me. We went to the bar together to take the shot, we hit it off and the rest is history!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Kishan had moved to Dallas, TX a couple months before and we were long-distance at that time. I had come to visit him 4th of July weekend, my birthday is July 6th and he proposed on July 5th. He proposed to me the day before my birthday because he knew I wouldn't be expecting it. Summers in Dallas are HOT, it was 96 degrees the day he proposed. Kishan took me to a beautiful garden in Dallas called the Arboretum. He said he wanted to make a pit stop before our brunch plans. He was walking me to a specific part of the garden and the whole time I kept complaining about how hot it was and if we could skip this part and just go straight to brunch. When we finally got to where he wanted to propose, it was in front of a beautiful small fountain and he had set up a picnic blanket and pillows. I knew at that time but on the blanket was a puzzle he wanted me to complete (we love to puzzle). The puzzle said will you marry me? And when I turned around he was on one knee. After I said yes, our siblings popped out of nowhere and we celebrated with champagne, of course!
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.
We always knew we wanted to do a destination wedding. We both have older siblings that already had the big local weddings so we wanted something with a more intimate guest list. When it came to wedding planning, Kishan only had one request - he always wanted to get married overlooking the water. Our next step was to book a wedding planner, we wanted someone who had a lot of experience in destination weddings and went with Sonal Shah of SJS Events. We wanted to book a venue on an island that many people hadn't been, somewhere guests would feel like they're getting a vacation as well. The wedding events were planned at night to ensure guests got the day to sleep in, relax, enjoy the beach, and explore the island. This is how we ended up with Marriott Curaçao Beach Resort, located on the island of Curaçao which is part of the Dutch-Netherlands ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao). Once the venue was booked, we booked the rest of our vendors: Style by Susmita for hair and makeup, Alain Martinez for photography and videography, DJ Raj Gandhi for DJ and MC, a local company Confetti Company for decor, and a local company Massive Productions for audio and visual. Because the wedding was going to be intimate, we wanted to incorporate a lot of small details and experiences for guests. We made welcome bags that included everything from personalized hangover kits with liquid IV, hand sanitizer, and Emergen-C to personalized do not disturb door hangers, Indian snacks, local snacks, and small blue Curaçao bottles. We had a sunset wedding on the beach and once it got dark, we incorporated fireworks which was a nice surprise factor for our guests. There were his and hers personalized scents as a final party favor at the reception. And finally, one of my favorite moments of the weekend is when we decided to forego a traditional cheer at the reception and did tequila shot cheers with everyone instead to commemorate the first time we met. Throughout the planning process, the hardest part was not being able to go to India and working around the pandemic fluctuations, especially with a destination wedding. We had to work around the clock and back and forth via WhatsApp with many vendors in India for our outfits, favors, invitations, jewelry, and other small details. Despite the struggle, we were both extremely happy with how everything turned out.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I wanted to definitely go the traditional route and wanted an all-red outfit. I found a Kolkata-based designer named Pallavi Poddar on Instagram and absolutely fell in love with her Padma lehenga. I immediately reached out to her via WhatsApp and through video/messaging, I finalized my outfit. When I received my outfit, I could not be happier. The work was so intricate and beautiful, and the outfit fit me like a glove.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the planning process was the decor. I am very creative and love to think of outside-the-box ideas. My decorator and I had a very collaborative experience. I was hands-on with many aspects of the decor including the floor plans, lighting, seating chart display, signage, etc. It was especially gratifying seeing it all come together.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
They loved the relaxing atmosphere of the wedding. All of the events were in the evening so our guests got the chance to explore the island, relax on the beach/by the pool, and enjoy their vacation during the day. We provided breakfast, lunch, and of course dinner every day during the wedding weekend, so they didn't need to go too far to find food.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Our first look. Kishan's sister tested positive for COVID the day of the wedding and could no longer be apart of any wedding festivities. It was a very emotional time for all of us as we were getting ready and an especially tough time for Kishan as his one and only sibling would not be able to attend his wedding. There were so many times I wanted to just go and see him but I knew I couldn't. When we finally saw each other for our first look, it was a mixture of so many emotions and we both had tears of happiness and sadness. But it was also that moment that we knew we only needed each other to get through life's happiest and saddest moments.
For events other than your ceremony, please tell us as much as you would like about the decor, style, dances, and all the special details.
The sangeet was a poolside event, and I immediately knew I wanted the stage to be built on top of the pool. Guests would have the unique experience of being on a dance floor in the pool. We centered the rest of the decor around that. The decor was rust pink and yellow, very boho chic with string lights. The reception was conversely very romantic and glam. The color theme was red black and gold, with lots of red roses and candles lighting up the room. The cocktail hour was in an outdoor courtyard with the seating chart engraved in round wooden boards hanging from the trees, there were also twinkle lights hanging from the trees. For our first dance, we decided to do a mix of songs but we started off with a salsa number to Señorita by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello which was SO fun to learn!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
So much stress and pressure are put on ensuring everything is perfect but things may not go exactly according to plan. At that moment, remember that things have a way of working out, what's meant to be will happen and in the end, you're going to look back at your wedding as a really special moment in your life. And don't forget to be in the moment and have fun!
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