Whenever Kevin Shahinian and his team from Pacific Pictures grant us access to one of the Indian weddings they've covered, we know we're in for a breathtaking treat. Today, they're ready to wow us once more with a look at a destination dream at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Southern California, where Indian bride and groom, Komal and Shalin, tied the knot in a captivating outdoor ceremony and celebrated their union with a luxurious reception! Details Details planned this Desi delight, which featured stunning floral and decor work by Bloom Box! We love the scenes of the happy couple frolicking about on the beach, throwing Holi powder at one another, and were smitten as can be with their first look at the 6:07 mark! You'll be delighted by Maharani Komal's amazing bridal fashions and her exquisitely styled hair and makeup by Style By Susmita too! Don't wait a second longer to fill up on this colorful wedding wonder!
Their love story:
Komal and Shalin met at a Swedish House Mafia concert in NYC through mutual friends. They didn't want the night to end, and continued chatting and getting to know each other long after the last song of the night played. Shalin was headed for a trip to Japan following the show, but they didn't let this get in the way of forming the strongest of bonds. They sent emails back and forth until they could be reunited again. Music holds a special place in their heart and in their story of coming together.
As part of their one-year anniversary celebration, Shalin had “let the cat out of the bag” and told Komal they would be going for a “special” rum tasting in the early evening. Little did she know, Shalin had another surprise waiting for her. Being the romantic planner he is, Shalin had insisted on taking pictures with Komal on the beach before they left the resort for their rum-tasting. Komal, being the amazing sport she is, let Shalin take the lead and accompanied him through the sand in her high heels. The scene couldn’t have been more perfect, with a rainbow arching over the ocean in the distance. After asking a resort guest to take a picture of them, Komal and Shalin headed back towards the resort, but before they could reach it, a “random” man with a painting kit stopped her to show off his artwork. He insisted on painting her, and with Shalin’s encouragement, they sat down in front of him, with the ocean and rainbow in the background. Little did she know, the street artist was about capture one of the most memorable moments in their lives.
What was supposed to be a 10 minute sketch, stretched to a 45 minute portrait. Komal had no idea what was going on until the artist put his final touch – a diamond ring! As they both stood up to take a look at their portrait, Komal gave Shalin a confused glance. As she turned around to ask Shalin why there was a ring on her left hand, he had already answered.
Down on one knee in the sand, Shalin asked Komal to marry him.
Maharani Shalin, on her wedding style:
"Our first engagement photo shoot and video shoot took place in the South of France, where we fell in love with the beauty of the French Riviera. It was such a magical and memorable time - something we wanted to share with our closest friends and family. It was with the lavender fields, rustic chateaus, and boat towns in mind that we chose the St. Regis Monarch Beach and Montage Laguna Beach for our events. The inherent elegance, proximity to the water, along with castle-like architecture allowed us to bring what we loved about France to our guests. France was a breath of fresh air, our Riviera Getaway - and California (Laguna Niguel/Dana Point/Laguna Beach) was a getaway for our nearest and dearest. The Mehndi night was meant to bring in the southern French market feel, along with influences of Morocco from the coastline. Our wedding was picture perfect and meant to showcase the regal structures of The St. Regis Monarch Beach. The dual staircases upon which Komal walked down to meet Shalin at the Mandap took her back to that summer day in Cassis at a local chateau. The Reception was the grand finale with golds and whites, ornate and elegant, similar to the Palace of Versailles."
On what they enjoyed most about planning their dream wedding:
"We absolutely loved working with our vendors - the amount of creativity and passion that they brought to this wedding was unbelievable. They helped us make our dream wedding come to life. Jeannie (Details Details) was incredible to work with, not only is she a great planner, but she is really invested in our well being and happiness - she put the wedding together so beautifully."
On her shopping for her dream wedding lengha(s):
"I began with following the designers on instagram about a month before my trip to India. I spent my time in Mumbai and went to all of the designers. When it came to my main wedding dresses, Manish Malhotra had everything I was looking for....I remember so vividly walking into his shop and pointing at my wedding lengha and saying "that's the one". I ended up browsing all of the other shops but I ended up back at Manish and purchased my sangeet, wedding, and reception outfits from him - luck had it, I even got his blessings on the outfits as he was sitting in the showroom and was happy to give his advice. I purchased my mehndi outfit from Sonaakshi Raaj - I knew I wanted a sari drape look, something fun and unique for my outdoor, ocean side event. We had about 5 events or so leading up to the main weekend, I ended up choosing Sabyasachi for my garba outfit - my mom would not leave his showroom without purchasing it! and purchased the rest from Sonaakshi Raaj and Aza Boutique."
On their music selection:
"We love Zac Brown Band - we go to his concert every time he is in the tri-state area - and wewanted to dance to something a little more upbeat. We danced to: "Loving You Easy" which speaks to our relationship so well. We ended up having it choreographed by a dance studio in NYC which was a lot of fun for us- it got Shalin dancing, which he never does!"
The bride, on her hair and makeup:
"I worked with Style by Susmita. Honestly, I did not have any styles in mind - I said to her, I want to look like a princess...and she did just that! I showed her my outfits and jewelry from my shopping trip and she put everything together. Even at the day of the event, I just sat down in my chair and let her work her magic."
On help from family and friends:
"We can not thank our friends and family enough for all that they did for us throughout the course of our wedding events - from hosting parties in our honor, all the way to helping my family greet all of our guests at the St. Regis and running around ensuring that everyone was having a good time, they were the best. My bridesmaids went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable - I couldn't have asked for better friends."
More from the bride:
"Our wedding events actually started in 2014 from the engagement party - I don't speak to it too much about it here, but it is important to bring up as it kicks off a whole year of celebrations. One of the most memorable moments in mine and Shalin's lives, aside from the wedding, will definitely be the Ravens Stadium Surprise...I blindfolded Shalin and walked him down to the Ravens Stadium and onto the field where the Ravens play, the day before our engagement party. I had Pacific Pictures video tape the entire surprise - you can see the video on our website www.komalandshalin.com. We were able to have our parents and brothers join us on the field as well. Shalin and his family are avid Raven's fan, having lived in Baltimore since Shalin was young - so this was quite the surprise!"
Outstanding, right? We knew you'd love it!
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