Planning vibes like Shalaka & Pratik? Visit the Platinum Guide Blog and steal smart ideas.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
My husband, Pratik, and I met through the collegiate South Asian (Desi) A Cappella circuit when our respective teams competed at the University of California at Berkeley in 2013. Pratik was a member of the University of Washington's Awaaz, and I was a member of the University of Texas at Austin's Hum A Cappella. Even as alumni, we stayed actively involved in the community over the years, along with many of our close friends. For 9+ years, Pratik has been a board member and leader of the Association of South-Asian A Cappella (ASA), a non-profit organization that supports the growth of the Desi A Cappella genre and organizes the annual intercollegiate national championship for Desi A Cappella called All-American Awaaz (A3). After college, I was a member of the alumni Desi A Cappella group called Alumkaar in its first 2 years. After crossing paths many times over 7 years, Pratik and I connected again during the pandemic, after he boldly slid into my DMs! Overall, the more we talked and shared things that interested us with each other, the more we realized how much we have in common. After we started dating long-distance in 2021, we met in person for the first time in New York City, where I was living at the time. That first weekend together was amazing, and every moment we spent together after that helped me know that he was "the one"! The rest is now history! :)
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
My husband, Pratik, along with his family and my family, all did an amazing job not revealing what he had planned for his proposal to me! I was under the impression that we were all going to a nice brunch together as a part of my now sister-in-law's wedding planning process, which was ongoing at the time. It was a cold, foggy Seattle day in February 2023, so I had no reason to think anything else. It was only once I got there, saw the beautiful way the room had been decorated, and saw that my family had flown there from Houston that I realized and processed what was actually happening. It was a really special moment in our journey, and I'm very glad that we got to celebrate it in such an intimate way with our parents and siblings. I am immensely grateful to Pratik for these precious memories in our love story!
It was really important to me to do something different and propose to Pratik, as we got engagement rings for each other. So, in April 2023, I also surprised him and proposed to him with a special cake saying "Will You Marry Me?" in front of some of our friends in Arlington, Virginia, where we now live. Planning this unique proposal was really memorable for both of us. It was a great way to kick off our wedding planning journey!
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.
Pratik and I loved the Westin Alexandria Old Town right away when we visited it. It was the first place we saw on our long list of potential venues that we visited in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area over several months in the summer of 2023. However, we came back to this venue because we loved the neighborhood and had very positive interactions with the team there, who made us feel immediately welcome and quickly demonstrated their experience and knowledge of everything involved with organizing Indian weddings. We both felt 100% sure that this was the place where we wanted to get married!
Overall, I wanted makeup that would enable me to still look like me. I worked with Lucy and Uzma at MAB Artistry to come up with three different hair and makeup looks for each event. For my wedding ceremony, I wanted to keep the makeup a mix of natural and soft glam in style. My hair for the wedding was elaborate with both jewelry and fresh flowers interwoven into a long pull-through braid. For the other two events, I wanted a slightly brighter look. So for the Sangeet, I went with a braid and bun updo and red lips that matched my red jewelry. This culminated in the Reception night makeup, which was the most flashy with a smoky eye and bright pink lips, paired with classic old Hollywood style curls in my hair.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
For my wedding ceremony outfit, I really wanted to wear a traditional sari style from the state of Maharashtra in India, where my family is from, called the "Paithani". Paithani is a type of sari made from silk and zari, known for its intricate tapestry-woven designs and vibrant colors. I was able to go sari shopping with my parents in Mumbai and find the perfect sari for my wedding in a vibrant dual-toned shade of orange and pink with beautiful peacock motifs in the embroidery.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The best part of wedding planning was working with our planner, Neha Sukumar Elhence at Nirali Shah (NS) Events! Neha has been a close friend of mine since college, because we are both alumni of UT Austin's Hum A Cappella. Neha is a very experienced wedding planner and did a great job supporting us and our families through the entire planning process. She gave us so much of her time and effort and took great care of all of us during the actual wedding weekend, which enabled us to really enjoy each and every moment! HUGE shoutout to Neha, Binali Patel, Sruti Nuthalapati Jain, and the entire NS Events team for helping us execute our vision for our entire wedding and making it a memorable weekend for us, our families, and all our guests!
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our guests were blown away by the food at our wedding! We really wanted to serve traditional Marathi and Konkani food for the post-wedding ceremony dinner and make the food experience truly memorable for everyone. So, we are very grateful to have Sukhadia Caterers be our primary catering vendor. Shaivi Sukhadia and the entire Sukhadia Caterers team worked very closely with us and our parents to craft delicious menus for every event, incorporating various cuisines and accommodating all dietary restrictions. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the amazing food all weekend, making us, our families, and all our guests very happy! :)
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
My favorite moment was our First Look! Pratik and I didn’t see each other at all once we started getting ready on our Wedding Ceremony day. So, when we first saw each other fully dressed up to get married, we were both very happy and emotional. Getting to have that moment with just the two of us was very special, before we got into all the ceremonial rituals and festivities with our families and friends!
From mehndi hearts to floral arches, their day ended where joy and style hold hands. Together.