Palmer, Alaska Indian Wedding by Jake Elko

The filmy day of the week just arrived, bringing back great memories of a unique and incredible celebration such as Atisha & Mike's wedding. We think they are a match made in heaven! Our fabulous couple chose a unique place to host their wedding, Knik Glacier, Palmer, Alaska. This was a wedding like no other! Tiffee did our Maharani's makeup, looking natural yet glamorous, sophisticated yet adorable. She was breathtaking! Wild Hearts Events coordinated every detail of this fantastic wedding! This team let our couple know that the little things made Atisha & Mike's big day unique! Our couple called Honey Bloom Floral Design to create an enchanted and simple decor, and they exceeded their expectations! The best part of the event is a play button away from you as Jake Elko captured a series of exceptional moments worth watching over and over again, so don't wait any longer and get ready to enjoy this beautiful film. Sweeties, I'm sure it will make your heart smile!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Mike went to college with my brother and years later, was living with a close friend we had in common. We reconnected and the rest is history! I knew he was the one when the little things started to add up- things like teaching him to love Taco Bell as much as I do, doing new things together that one another enjoyed, and seeing how much of a caring and sincere person he is when it comes to others.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Our proposal story is one for the books! We have 3 of them, and you read that right, three! There were a few failed attempts, but it ended with a beautiful sunset on the beach of Honeymoon Island, Florida.
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 eloped on a glacier in Alaska, so a lot of these details are irrelevant. We knew we wanted to elope somewhere that was not tropical (looking at you, DR brides). Our planning began during COVID, so Europe and Canada were out of the question. We decided on doing something in the mountains and found an “adventure planner” in Alaska. Alaska is always a bucket list place to visit, and we thought “why not?” We saw the idea for a glacier wedding and completely fell in love. We had so much fun planning this because we knew it was just for us, me and him, with no one else to please or worry about. We could spend extra time and money on little details by eloping. Our wedding planner with wild hearts events helped put together details like hair and makeup, florals, etc., and she did a fantastic job!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
This is a fun story. I told my parents 4 months before our wedding date that we decided on eloping in Alaska. They were shocked for sure, but the panic of finding a dress really set in. I planned to go to New Jersey to find my dress, but my frugal desi mother refused to let that happen, knowing how expensive lehengas can get here in the states. Luckily, my aunt was going to India the following month. I knew I wanted shades of blue to go with the colors of the glacier and surrounding landscape. After several 4 am FaceTime calls with her and searching Pinterest for inspiration, we finally landed on a shop that could do a custom design in my color choices. They hand-stitched the lehenga and shipped it to the states- I tried it on for the first time just 11 days before we left for Alaska. It was nerve-wracking, but I ended up absolutely loving my dress.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
All of it! Doing a private ceremony or elopement takes out all of the stress. My husband and I had so much fun planning out details and colors and imagining what it would be like out on the glacier. Our favorite part was designing the wedding suites- we had a full set of stationary and a wedding crest designed for us to frame and keep. We framed a set for all of our family members and gifted it to them.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
We didn’t have any guests, of course, but we sent out announcements after the fact with seeds for Alaska’s state flower (forget me not) and a box of our favorite Indian sweets. I think we would be guests who really enjoyed getting a piece of our celebration and still felt appreciated in our love story.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
We had a few moments alone as we got off of the helicopter and onto the glacier while our photographer was setting up. We stood there, shivering, holding hands, and looking out into the vastness of the glacier. It was breathtaking. We felt like we were on the moon, just the two of us. I think about this memory a lot.
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.
We had a mehndi/send-off party the day before we left for Alaska. We wanted to keep it low-key, so we hosted it at our home surrounded by friends and family. We also had a very low-key Pitti and Ganesh puja at my parent's home in South Carolina. We kept it very small and made all of the decorations on our own. It was very special to do all of this in our homes with just close friends and family around.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Do what YOU want! Don’t be scared to go the non-traditional route. If you have doubts that you’ll regret forgoing the “big Indian wedding,” I promise you will get over that very quickly and will be so glad you did what you wanted to do at the end of the day.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
@Wildheartevents (planner)
@KristianIrey (photographer)
@JakeElko (video)
@honeybloomfloraldesign (florals)
@midnightsuncakery (cake)
@Alaskahelicoptertours (helicopter ride)
@vibe.artistry (hair and make-up)
@naseerafazilhennaart (henna)
@perryssouthpark (ring)
@watercolordesignstudio (stationary)
@dream_girl_alkapuri (lehenga/sherwani)
Maharanis, that is all for today. Come back so you can fall in love with our new love stories!