There are destination weddings… and then there are Gopi & Nick’s kind of destination weddings—the kind that make you wish you could teleport straight into the celebration, grab a mocktail, and join the baraat conga line. Set against the stunning turquoise waters of Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun, this fusion of Indian elegance and Caribbean charm was magical.
Gopi and Nick's love story began at a tennis social at their gym. Gopi, a lifelong tennis player, instantly connected with Nick, a newcomer to the sport. After playing, they went to dinner and quickly became engrossed in conversation, talking nonstop. Gopi chose a Florida birthday celebration in 2024, bringing both families together for a memorable getaway. After a fun-filled day, Nick privately proposed with an engagement ring. They then woke the whole house to celebrate together.
Once they chose a destination wedding, Gopi went deep into blogs, Pinterest boards, and Instagram—where she kept seeing Indian Destination Wedding, Inc. pop up. A call with Ateet was all it took. Venue selection became a breeze, and suddenly, planning felt exciting rather than overwhelming. They also ensured seamless travel logistics. Guests raved about how easy and stress-free the arrangements were—something Gopi deeply valued. Through Indian Destination Wedding, they were introduced to their dream planners, Shahira and Edith of Pyaar Planning, who helped shape the vision Gopi didn’t even know she had. Instead of obsessing over décor, Gopi focused on what mattered most—guest experience and staying on budget.
Zuniga and Tulipania Floral & Decor transformed every corner into a blooming paradise. Soft draping, vivid florals, and intimate candlelight created that perfect balance of island romance and Indian opulence.
The Royalton’s team delivered flawless service and indulgent catering—complete with irresistible samosas that no one had the willpower to refuse. Having an Indian restaurant and chef on-site made the culinary experience seamless and deeply authentic.
Styled by the incomparable Alex Corbanezi, Gopi radiated effortless glam. Her bridal ensemble, from Sahil Exclusive and Paaneri India, sparkled with intricate work that shimmered under the Caribbean sun. Her bridal lehenga was particularly meaningful: a traditional Gujarati panetar chosen lovingly by her parents, revealed to her only the day before in honor of cultural tradition. For the sangeet, she rocked a hot pink lightweight outfit perfect for dancing, selected in under an hour without even trying it on. Her reception look—a stunning custom royal blue ensemble—was bold, regal, and unforgettable.
Nick, complementing her effortlessly, wore a tailored pistachio green look from SuitShop that matched the tropical setting perfectly. If there’s one thing Nick promised, it was that they would have fun—and he delivered. Staying at a resort with a full water park, he made it mandatory that they ride a water slide every day of the wedding. Even Gopi’s meticulous planning couldn’t stand a chance against his spontaneity. One of the most memorable moments? Rain during their rooftop sangeet. Guests were ushered into a smaller covered area, mingling until the skies cleared. As soon as the music resumed, a guest slid across the wet dance floor like a human slip-n-slide—breaking the tension and sparking pure joy on the dance floor.
Between Bollywood choreography by Meher Dance, a sangeet hosted by Gopi’s talented brother, and inclusive dance lessons that had everyone grooving—even Nick’s side, attending their first Indian wedding—it became a beautiful blend of families, traditions, and pure celebration. From the dhol beats that fired up the baraat to DJ Samuel Ortiz’s electrifying mixes, the energy never dipped for a moment. MC Israel Rochakept guests engaged and dancing nonstop. Mills James handled lighting with cinematic artistry, turning each event into a glowing tableau of emotion and color.
Every breathtaking moment was captured by Gareth Davies Photography, whose eye for emotion brought the entire story to life. Asha Films added the perfect cinematic touch. And Loto Mehndi adorned Gopi with delicate, meaningful designs that honored tradition and added one last touch of artistry. From heartfelt laughter to ocean views, from cultural traditions to slides at the waterpark, Gopi & Nick’s wedding was more than a celebration—it was a radiant fusion of two families, two cultures, and two souls choosing joy at every step
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met at a tennis social at our gym. I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3, and Nick started playing a few years ago. After the tennis part, the whole group grabbed dinner togethe,r where we started talking across the table and never stopped. I knew Nick was the one when I saw how much he loves his family. We both are very close to our families and seeing Nick light up when his parents are around is so heartwarming.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
For my birthday in 2024, I wanted to celebrate in Florida with my family. Since it was summer, we decided to make a big family trip out of it, where Nick’s immediate family flew down, as did my brother, Jigar, and his family. We spent my birthday celebrating all day and ended the night with a big family game night (our favorite!). Right before going to bed, Nick pulled out my last gift (my engagement ring) and proposed in private. We then woke everyone up 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.
Once we decided to have a destination wedding, I started reviewing all the blogs and Instagram accounts I could find of couples who had done the same, and kept seeing Indian Destination Wedding listed as a vendor. I reached out to them, and I am so glad I did. From our first conversation with Ateet, we felt more at ease and very excited to plan our event. He made the venue selection project such a breeze by reviewing our wishlist and providing options for which venues could accommodate.
Through Ateet and the Indian Destination Wedding team, we were connected with Shahira and Edith from Pyaar Planning, who were also essential to our wedding planning team. I wasn't one of those girls who had a vision board for her wedding, so they had to help me define what I wanted. For me, budget and guest experience were more important than decor, so we focused on those things. I relied on my planners to help narrow the list of potential vendors so I only had to choose from a few. I highly suggest letting go of some control and letting your planners help. I leaned on Edith and Shato to tell me which vendors they know and work with because having a cohesive vendor team made things so much easier. One thing I learned is that the resort event planners are also involved in this process, and some communication with them is redundant, so my advice to other brides is to loop them in early so you don't have to repeat conversations about planning.
Lastly, I must mention that I delegated some vendor tasks to my family. My brother loves all things music, and since I knew he would have the most opinions, I let him lead the process of selecting the DJ/MC team and preparing this team for the wedding. My sister-in-law has a great eye for detail, so I asked for her help in reviewing makeup artists and photographers. Both my brother and sister-in-law had great ideas and did a fantastic job.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I wore a traditional Gujarati panetar, so I actually didn't pick it. I told my parents I wanted a whiter white (rather than cream) with embroidery/work which would match my mom's wedding jewelry because I knew I wanted to wear that. Our cultural tradition is that the wedding dress is hidden from the bride until the day before the wedding, when I do a ceremony (blindfolded) after which my outfit is revealed. Although I do like to control in all aspects of my life, not having to pick this was a gift. My parents were so joyful in their search and in how hard they worked to hide the outfit from me so I wouldn't accidentally see it.
I did pick my sangeet and reception outfits, which we did in one hour. I loved working with Sahil Chicago - I highly recommend them. I knew I wanted a hot pink outfit I could dance in for the Sangeet, and finalized this outfit without trying it on. It was lightweight, soft, and still beautiful. Nick loves light green, and so we chose a pistachio outfit (which was on display) for him, and it worked beautifully.
For my reception outfit, I saw this outfit in a mint color on the mannequin in the store. I asked if I could customize the color, and I was given a book of threads to pick from. I knew I wanted a royal blue outfit, and that was it. I ordered both outfits in October, and they were delivered by January. The Saahil team recommended coming back in around early June for a final fitting and did a few blouse alterations within 2 weeks, so I had the outfits ready one month before the wedding.
For our bridal party outfits, we had a great experience with Kaajal at Sari Sapne in Chicago. I asked to see outfits within my budget and saw a red anarkali outfit in the store, which I liked. I customized the outfit to look like a mix of the sky and ocean since the wedding was on the beach, and also picked matching kurtas for the groomsmen. The team sent me pictures along the way, and the outfits were perfect.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I loved my meetings with my planners to finalize details. I appreciated the time and effort they put in ahead of time to narrow options/choices so I could just choose. There were some details/signs that I wanted to make, and I liked using my creativity to draw/design them and giving it to my decor team to implement.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The Indian Destination Wedding team made the travel arrangements a breeze, which many guests raved about. Alyssa was so responsive and patient with many questions, and travel/logistics were seamless. I did electronic invitations. which was a big concern initially; however, almost all of the guests were able to manage the invites. I did have to reach out to some folks to check their spam box, but that was much easier than waiting for RSVPs in the mail.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
I am the organized one, and Nick is the fun one. He made it his mission for us to have fun at our wedding. Our resort had a water park, and Nick mandated that we ride a water slide every day of our wedding events. I had so many things I wanted to do, but he put his foot down and forced us to run away for a few minutes to have childish fun.
Another one of my favorite moments was all about reframing. It started raining during our Sangeet, which was on a beautiful rooftop terrace. All of the guests were ushered into a smaller covered area for a few minutes to wait out the rain, and started mingling together. Once the rain stopped, the dance floor was wet, and I wasn't sure how the rest of the night would unfold. The music started, and one of our guests ran over and slid across the dance floor on his belly like a "slip-n-slide". This broke the tension, and all of the guests quickly jumped on the dance floor without any separation of whose "side" they were from.
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 dances at the Sangeet were phenomenal. We had the team from Meher Dance in Chicago for choreography, and they were fantastic to work with. Gopi was kind, patient, and so enthusiastic about the whole process. I loved seeing everyone dance and enjoy themselves - especially Nick's family, who jumped into Bollywood choreography and nailed it.
My brother, Jigar, was the emcee for the Sangeet and did a great job of welcoming guests, energizing the crowd, and incorporating Nick's family into indian wedding traditions. He even led an "intro to indian dancing" to teach some basic moves so everyone felt comfortable with the music and felt invited to join in.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
1. Don't be scared to talk about money. It feels uncomfortable, but it's so easy for the budget to balloon, and you're paying way more than anticipated. A thousand here and a thousand there all add up at the end. Own your budget.
2. I strongly advise electronic invitations. I love the look of traditional invitations, but it just didn't make sense financially or logistically. I created an invite online, which was beautiful, and I printed it to frame for myself and our families, but all other guests received electronic invitations. There were many fewer issues than I expected, and it made RSVPs so easy. This is one discussion I'm very glad I didn't cave on.
3. My brother said this, and as much as I hate giving him accolades, I have to. He told me, "Think about who will be on your dance floor at the end of the night and make sure to invite those people." The guest list was the hardest part of wedding planning and felt like an emotional negotiation for a few weeks. Along with maintaining relationships with your parents, you also have to create and build your own. I'm thankful to have fantastic friends who weren't offended when I asked not to invite their children due to guest list constraints. I had given enough notice that they arranged for childcare to come. This wasn't an option for some, but they were all understanding.
4. HIRE EVERYBODY! There will always be people who say you don't need planners/coordinators/etc, but you do. We both work full-time and did not have the bandwidth to deal with all of the details.
5. Let your vendors do what they do. Communicate extensively about what you want and how much you are willing to pay; they will execute accordingly.
6. Take a deep breath and remember to have fun. As a bride, you have to be the one making a lot of decisions, and you are the default for communication. This was especially the case for us because this was the first indian wedding for most of Nick's side, and he couldn't answer any questions. I am so thankful that Nick was adamant that we have fun and talk about things other than the wedding. He always seemed to make plans for us right after my meetings with the planners so I didn't get caught up in the minutia.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Loto Mehndi was great and easy to work with.
The food at the resort was great. We wanted a resort with an indian restaurant and an indian chef on the property. They took our feedback from our tasting and implemented it perfectly.
My parents were the best through this process. They kept asking if I was happy with the choices I was making and why. It really forced me to reflect on my choices and be thoughtful with my decisions. I couldn’t ask for better support and love from anyone.
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