It is a tale a decade in the making and the details surrounding Maharani Chelsey’s surprise proposal will have you swooning! Hint - it was at the happiest place on earth and you can read the details in its entirety down below! Chelsey knew that in order to make her dream wedding come to fruition, it would have to be self planned with family and friends. The couple wanted to integrate both their Hindu and Christian backgrounds into their big day and the ceremony began with a colorful baraat led by DJ Raj Entertainment & Event Lighting to The Grove. The bride walked down the aisle in a hand plucked, sparkling lengha all the way from Mumbai. Our bride was a quintessential stunner with hair and makeup by Bharti Khandelwal with Bridal Studio LLC in these photos snapped by Brian Delia Photography. The mandap, designed by Abhishek Decorators, was glowing with luminous charm, matching the bright personalities of the lovely couple! Head into the gallery for more pics of the Indian wedding ceremony!
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
We decided to take a vacation during Christmas time in 2014 to the happiest place on earth, Disney World! I have always been a huge Disney fan and always wanted to go during the holiday season. We booked a reservation for dinner in Cinderella's castle one night, and after I sat down from taking selfies with all the Disney princesses, the waitress brought out my dessert that was in the shape of a glass slipper. As I was reading the inscription, Nirav got down on one knee and asked me to be his bride! The whole restaurant was cheering for us! It was absolutely memorable!
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 celebrate both of our family's religion and culture by having both a Hindu and a Christian ceremony on the same day. We started with the baraat in the morning followed by the Hindu ceremony. The mandap was decorated with bright colors and lots of light. We then had a break to change and allow for ceremony setting to be redone for the Christian wedding, with the decor becoming a bit more simplistic with white curtains and hits of gold sparkle. The second ceremony was then followed by a lovely cocktail hour. The night ended with a grand reception, the ballroom was filled with beautiful accents of blue and gold. The day may have been long but it was worth every second!
We also wanted to make sure our wedding was very personalized. We created a guestbook canvas which depicted our engagement night, bride and groom drinks to match our personality, (the Chelly Belly and the Niravam), one-of-a-kind candy jars for our party favors, and personalized bridal party gifts and parents gifts. Our food was also a great blend of both Gujarati and South Indian favorites along with amazing American appetizers, pastas, and a Mexican station (with a tequila luge!)
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
For the bridal lengha for the Hindu ceremony, Nirav and I, along with our families, traveled to Mumbai to pick it out. With our wedding happening in July, I was looking for something unique but also with fresh colors that was not necessarily the traditional red lengha. I fell in love with a vibrant pink and orange lengha that was dripping with sparkle, and Nirav was able to find a perfect sherwani to match.
For the Christian ceremony, my mom and I found a gown at a boutique where we currently live in Raleigh, NC. I was again looking for something sparkly and unique. I found a beautiful Jason Alexander beaded mermaid style sleeveless gown, which I off course added a bit more bling to. Both dresses and the jewelry and makeup to match were absolutely perfect!
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Although it may have seemed stressful at times, it was so much fun planning every detail with the help of our families and friends. From picking out save the dates, invitations, shopping for our outfits, planning our food and signature drinks, all the way to deciding on our honeymoon destination, we built a lot great memories just in the planning stages.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Everyone will tell you that the day will go by too fast (which it does!), but really take the time to soak it all in. Enjoy the special moments with your future husband. And make sure to eat!
The Grove will be transformed for the Christian ceremony and a rocking reception with DJ Raj Entertainment & Event Lighting on the turntables! See you then!
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