Maharanis, let's travel to Spain to enjoy Andrea & Pratik's wedding in today's Platinum Guide Blog!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Pratik proposed while on vacation in the Maldives. He knew I wanted an intimate proposal, just the two of us and he knows I am happiest in the sun on a warm beach. He was able to capture the moment with his camera on a tripod with a clicker, and the images are so beautiful. One of the perks of marrying a guy with many talents, one of which includes photography! He then arranged for both of our families to meet in India for an intimate Roka ceremony at his father's childhood home in Pune before returning home to NYC.
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 got married in Valencia, Spain, which is where I grew up. We chose this location for that reason and also because my grandparents are too old to travel and we didn’t want to celebrate this big moment without them. It turned out to be a perfectly central location for family and friends to meet from Europe, India and the USA and the perfect sunny spot for a Mediterranean destination wedding. Everyone was happy with the location choice; it just made planning abroad from NYC a lot harder. We had to make multiple wedding planning trips to visit venues and find vendors. Covid certainly didn’t help the planning either. We actually had to delay our wedding twice. Initially, it was planned for June 2020, then we postponed 1 year to June 2021, and one final time to June 2022 when we were finally able to celebrate with the full original plans and everyone in attendance!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
We had 4 Indian events/ looks (Haldi, Welcome dinner, ceremony, and Sangeet/reception) and a 5th look for our Spanish wedding ceremony and reception. My mother-in-law had all my Indian bridal outfits made for me as a gift to India. I looked at major bridal trends for inspiration and then worked with a designer to customize my looks entirely. I knew that, being blonde and fair-skinned, I wanted my outfits to have vibrantly bright colors. Our wedding venue was also a very stark white futuristic Calatrava structure, and I wanted to wear bright colors that would really pop against the white. Pink is my favorite color, so I went with hot pink and gold for my reception look for the ceremony. I wanted to respect tradition with a modern twist, so I went with the bridal red look but chose a bright blood red and skilled the gold. I was very happy with how both turned out, with just the right amount of sparkle introduced via hand-embroidered details and beading. Each outfit was a miniature work of art. I wore a coral and gold silk saree for the welcome ceremony, also hand embroidered. And it’s not pictured, but for the haldi, I wore a very modern and comfortable bright yellow wide pant set with a matching top and dupatta.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Although planning was logistically very hard, the best part was incorporating our favorite elements and traditions from each of our cultures. Both of our families embraced this mixed celebration and came together as one beautifully. Indian and Spanish families have very similar views on family and are very warm and enjoy celebrating, so the events were very meaningful and fun! We had both an Indian ceremony and a Spanish ceremony, and they were very different from each other but his love and shared values shined through. Everyone was touched and appreciative to be a part of them. It was very special for Pratik and me to see our families mesh so well together, even with language and cultural barriers. The important feelings and values were shared and clearly communicated by all.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think the venues, probably. We had our Indian ceremony at the city of arts and sciences, the most important tourist destination in the city of Valencia, rarely used as a wedding venue. It is composed of a series of modern structures designed by renowned architect Calatrava (Oculus) spread out along the bed of the river Turia (dried up for many years now) in the center of the city. Each structure houses something different: the opera house, the science museum, the aquarium, etc. our ceremony took place on the outer ring and terrace of a building called El Hemisferic, which underground is a functioning Imax theatre and built in the shape of a human eye surrounded by shallow pools of water that reflect the bottom half of the eye completing the illusion. The structure even opens and closes like an eyelid but takes around 30 minutes to open/close. Our ceremony stage was floating over the water of one of the reflecting pools. We also surprised guests with a huge fireworks show over the water when the sun went down. Valencia is the fireworks capital of the world. Our guests (and us!) were blown away by the length, scale, and quality of the show.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Try to enjoy the planning process. If you are not, then consider simplifying. The wedding goes by quickly and you remember a lot of the planning. I especially remember dance practices for our Sangeet dances. We had the best choreographer helping us and made the experience super enjoyable and well-planned so guests from all over could practice their dances remotely as needed.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Planning:@pypsingularevents
Venues:@ciudadartesciencias
Catering: @cocottecatering
Lighting and Sound: @alkilaudio
Flowers and decor: @eltallerdeclo
Furniture rental: @alquilereskava
Fireworks/Pirotécnica: @pirotecnia.vulcano
Photography: @paulagfurio @gonzalomorenofotografia
Videography: @mozovideo
DJ: @djtarry
Hair: @salonbarey @t.a.o.h
MUP: @cristinacrespomakeup @paulaliciart
Nails: @estetica_isabel_benicassim
Lehenga/Sherwani: @malaandkinnaryofficial
Jewels: @naharexports @nahar_jewelry
Transport: @exclusive_viptransfer
Choreography: @choreographedbysoni
Dhol Player: @mr.diamond4dj
What a lovely wedding! If you want to see more content like this one, make sure to join us tomorrow.
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