Hi sweeties! Today we'll celebrate your inner Maharani and help you plan for your dreamtastic nuptials. Let's zoom in on Hemali and Deval's enticing wedding video created by KSD Weddings and get inspired! The couple's grand day was held at the beautiful The Imperia in New Jersey. Our attractive groom arrived like a true Maharaja with horse and carriage met by a high-flying, cheering crowd. The glorious bride was stylishly glammed up by hair and makeup experts from MC Beauty Bar, wearing super chic Jimmy Choo's and an eye-catching red, gold, and pink lehenga. The unforgettable ceremony and festive reception were celebrated indoors with succulent food served by Chowpatty Catering. Experts from Abhishek Decorators created a heavenly, purply platform fueled with flowers and decor to be praised by all. As many of you, wedding enthusiasts, may already know, the color purple symbolizes majesty and magic, and magic there was when Hemali and Deval first locked eyes on the dancefloor! We loved the dynamic tunes from the incredible Amplifire Entertainment and numerous impressive, coordinated dance routines were cherished by the guests. We utterly adored a few brave children showing off their dance moves, not to mention two kids carrying the cutest statements during the ceremony, "Last chance to run" and "for here she comes." Join me and watch how the groom chose to stay with his Mrs. and everyone had a lovesome day!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met on online in May of 2015. I lived in Maryland and he lives in Massachusetts. When I started my search online, I was looking for someone closer to Maryland and didn't really give much thought to meeting anyone from Massachusetts or any other northern States. One day I get a very cute and simple message from Deval, giving a little background of himself and at the end, he writes, "p.s. I think you are very pretty and you have a very sweet smile," which I found very cute. I thought maybe I'll take a chance and see where things go. When we first exchanged numbers and started chatting, our conversation quickly changed from minutes to hours. We met in person for the first time in New Jersey at a boardwalk, about a month after we started talking and that's when I got the feeling that even with the distance, this might go somewhere. A couple of months later on my birthday, he gave me a cute birthday gift along with a laminated parking ticket, and the back of the ticket read "the day I met the most beautiful woman." It was the parking ticket from our very first date in New Jersey. I knew from that moment on, that a guy who thought of keeping something so small as a memory of our first date, would be the guy to give me the most happiness in life.
We met on online in May of 2015. I lived in Maryland and he lives in Massachusetts. When I started my search online, I was looking for someone closer to Maryland and didn't really give much thought to meeting anyone from Massachusetts or any other northern States. One day I get a very cute and simple message from Deval, giving a little background of himself and at the end, he writes, "p.s. I think you are very pretty and you have a very sweet smile," which I found very cute. I thought maybe I'll take a chance and see where things go. When we first exchanged numbers and started chatting, our conversation quickly changed from minutes to hours. We met in person for the first time in New Jersey at a boardwalk, about a month after we started talking and that's when I got the feeling that even with the distance, this might go somewhere. A couple of months later on my birthday, he gave me a cute birthday gift along with a laminated parking ticket, and the back of the ticket read "the day I met the most beautiful woman." It was the parking ticket from our very first date in New Jersey. I knew from that moment on, that a guy who thought of keeping something so small as a memory of our first date, would be the guy to give me the most happiness in life.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Deval planned a trip to California in April 2016 with my friends as a nice getaway. Little did I know it was not just a getaway. He had planned out a nice little surprise with my friends for the proposal. As we were driving to go pick our friends, he asked me to reach into his backpack to pull out his phone charger. As I am searching for the phone charger, I see the ring box and I pause for a few seconds. He quickly takes the backpack and pretends he doesn't need the charger anymore. I didn't say anything and pretended I didn't see the box. At that moment I knew where this trip was headed but didn't know what he had planned out and how. The next day we had plans to meet up with our friends again and go to Laguna Beach. When we got to the beach, he took me down a long steep of stairs that eventually out-looked the ocean. As we reach the end I see my friends and they told us to go onto the cliff for a nice view of the sunset. Once we got onto the cliff, a few moments later I see Deval get on his knee to propose and I could not help but tear up. It was the most wonderful moment of my life. I am very thankful for my friends who were there to help him plan and being there to celebrate the wonderful moment with me and Deval.
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 decided to get married in New Jersey since it was a good mid-way point for both families and that's also where we met for the first time. We really wanted the natural outdoor look good and after looking at so many places, we finally found the perfect venue to accommodate our huge families and get the perfect outdoor location that we were looking for at The Imperia in Somerset, New Jersey. Their outdoor patio area had the perfect touch of greenery on the back wall with the waterfall running. From the moment I saw the patio area, I knew that is where I would want the mandap set up with the waterfall in the background. We decided to go with Abhishek Decorators because they knew exactly what I wanted and the wedding decor turned out to be better than I had expected! We went with intricately carved wooden mandap with white drapery with gold embroidery and a chandelier in the middle with a touch of hanging little bells to give it an element and traditional look. The isle had wooden Ganpati on the pedestals with the same white fabric with the gold embroidery running between each pedestal. For makeup, I decided to go with M.Crescimbeni Hair & Makeup Artistry. Merecedes was amazing to work with. She knew exactly the type of look I was looking for with my traditional red and double shade of pink wedding lengha. KSD Weddings for my videography and Salwa Photography were also a great team to work with. Deval and I had a wonderful experience working with all of our vendors. Especially with not having a wedding planner for our wedding, they really made our day less stressful and memorable.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I got my wedding lengha from a local shop in Mumbai. I didn't have a specific color in mind but as soon as I saw the red lengha with a double shade of pink and the detailed heavy embroidery work, I knew that was the look I would want for my special day.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of my planning process was making frequent trips to New Jersey to meet up with Deval and plan for our special day together. Considering we lived pretty far from each other, we couldn't meet up as often. Planning for our wedding gave us an opportunity to meet up more and enjoy the planning process together. The planning process also gave me the opportunity to spend more time with my family and friends. My sister and one of my cousin's wife did my mehndi which added a sentimental touch to my event.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I would say our guests loved the decor, the venue, and particularly the food. Chowpatty did a wonderful job with our food. Gujarati weddings cannot be complete without a full course of Gujarati food, along with a few continental live stations, and Chowpatty really impressed us with their menu. We also had a live paan station that was set up by Mr. Paanwala. Our guests absolutely loved the different varieties of paan that Mr. Paanwala had to offer.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
A really special moment from the wedding is when I saw Deval for the first time in the groom's outfit during our first look. He looked so uncomfortable, yet so handsome ;)
Another special moment is when my mom and dad walked me down the aisle. In a traditional Gujarati wedding, the bride's maternal uncle(s) walks the bride down the aisle. However, I had always imagined my parents walking me down the aisle to my favorite song by Kailash Kher. That specific moment is a moment that will always be close to my heart.
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.
For my Grah Shaanti, Pithi, and Mehndi, there was no better place than my parents' house to host these events. I have many childhood memories from growing up in that house and being able to have the pre-wedding events there felt very special. To accommodate all of our guests, we put up a tent in our backyard and decorated the house with colorful lights and tikki torches to give it an intimate feeling. It also rained later in the evening which made the event even more special. Everyone gathered underneath the tent and danced the night away to Bollywood music.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
No matter how much you plan ahead and no matter how much you hope everything to turn out perfect, there will always be things that do not go according to plans. Don't let those little moments bring you down. What matters the most is that planning a wedding is an excuse to become even closer to your family and your loved ones. Enjoy the planning process, instead of stressing. The day only comes once! ;)
Have a great day, Maharanis!
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