We're always huge fans of Indian fusion weddings, so we were delighted when we saw the spectacular shaadi Union3 Events Productions planned for Shafali and Collin! Photographick Studios captured every magnificent moment, starting with a gorgeous outdoor ceremony at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles! With stunning decor from L'Ambiance and fabulous florals by Succulents and Saffron, the mandap left everyone in awe! Indian bride Shafali was also dazzling, with flawless makeup by Makeup by Cham and a perfectly polished hairdo by The Beautique by Sapna! See the highlights below and visit the full gallery for more!
Maharani Shafali on meeting her Raja and how she knew he was "the one":
"Collin and I met in the summer of 2008 while taking microbiology at UMBC. This class was a night class (6-10pm) and after the first day of class realized we both parked in the same on campus parking lot.
The day Collin and I met, he was already full of compliments. He told me I was beautiful and commented on my sense of style. It was not an easy journey for us as you can imagine - he is Christian and I am Hindu. Looking back at it now, I think it only made us a stronger couple - we had gone through a lot of obstacles together. I had never met someone as genuine, humble, and as selfless as he was. He had this strong desire to impress my family and friends. A part of me always knew he was the one, the day I met him there was something different about him."
On the romantic proposal:
"Collin proposed on October 18, 2014. He had planned a whole day for us (which was definitely rare). He took me to one of our favorite vineyard and surprised me with an early morning yoga class. We grabbed lunch and made our way to Great Falls, VA and enjoyed lunch by the water after a hike. As we talked he told me we had dinner reservations that night - my first words were, 'Are they near my house because I am wearing workout clothes?' He replied, 'No, they are in DC.' I was upset at him for not telling me to bring a change of clothes. Then all he said was, 'Don't worry, you have an outfit waiting for you in Georgetown.' As we made our walk down M street in Georgetown, we kept walking past all of my favorite stores and I was very curious at what he had chosen. We ended up in front of Kate Spade where he had told me to go in. Turns out, he had called the store days prior and had gotten me a dress over the phone. It was a dress I had seen months ago and my only words when I saw it were, 'This would be such a cute dress for an engagement picture!' Well, he remembered. The sales associated handed me my dress and it fit. I looked at Collin and said, 'I don't have shoes for this or make up to touch up with.' He replied, 'While you were at work yesterday, I went to your house and grabbed a few of your make up essentials and two pairs of heels.' I asked him to bring them in so I could just use the mirrors in the store to get ready. He quickly replied, 'Put your workout clothes back on, I have booked you a hotel room in Dupont Circle to get ready in.' So we got ready and headed to a beautiful restaurant in DC. As we walked in, I was shaking because I knew what was happening, but little did I know my family and his would be there. The one thing my parents asked of him was that when he proposed they wanted to be there. Collin made a speech thanking my parents for their support and love during our journey. He then popped the question and I said, 'Absolutely!'"
On her wedding style:
"We wanted our wedding to be traditional, yet elegant. I wanted light colors with pops of fuschia. With Indian weddings being so colorful and bold, my goal was to take it a different direction."
On her favorite part of planning:
"It was all enjoyable! It was exciting to have a mental image and see it come to life. It's hard to imagine what things would look like in real life and it looked exactly as I had imagined. Out of everything, decor was my favorite."
Come back for the reception, featuring delicious food from IndAroma!
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