Welcome back, ladies! After an emotional and glittering glammy ceremony, the lovebirds headed down to the exclusive reception hall of The Boca Raton Resort to celebrate the long-awaited nuptials with their excited guests. We were completely stoked with Kimberly's long white reception gown. The lacing details and the design are without a doubt, one of the most beautiful ones we have featured. So modern and chic. Get a paper and pen, ladies! Raja Gaurav was mesmerized big time with such beauty, that is a fact! Few things can be said when our gallery pictures, thanks to Adam Opris Photography, are so eloquent with all the elegance and grandeur that went on for Kimberly & Gaurav's gala. Check part two of our jubilee of today and witness it for yourself!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Gaurav and I met online. During our 2nd date, we went to an arcade and I got very competitive. While I lost at basketball, he won my heart that night! We went to dinner and completely lost track of time. By the end of the night, I was hooked. After 6 months of dating, he took me on a trip to LA. As we began to ring in the new year, he whispered in my ear that he loved me. At that moment, I knew he was the man I was going to marry and I could not wait to take our relationship to the next level.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Gaurav picked me up after work and we drove from San Francisco down to San Luis Obispo for his cousin’s graduation weekend. I could tell that something was different because he is perpetually late for everything. That Friday, he was in quite a rush and was speeding down the highway. He kept telling me that we needed to get to this restaurant on time and for the sunset etc. When we arrived at the restaurant, we sat down to our table which had a beautiful arrangement of flowers and he had written out his proposal in it. After I cried and said YES! we walked down to the beach and got to cheers with the sun setting in the background. I was thrilled.
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.
I am an extremely organized person (I make detailed color-coded travel itineraries). We live in San Francisco, so, as soon as we decided we wanted to get married somewhere warm, I set out and visited 15+ different venues in California and Florida. My parents had just retired to Boca Raton, FL from New York. I knew I wanted an Indian wedding with bright colors (red, pink, orange and coral). As soon as I saw The Boca Raton Resort, I fell in love with it. Gaurav and I flew to Florida to pick out all of our vendors in one trip and then I went down by myself to finish my hair and makeup trials. The Boca Raton Resort was absolutely breathtaking. It was built in the 1920’s so every detail in the architecture from the entrance where you drive up to the ceremony garden to the ballroom, everything was truly picture perfect. I found most of my vendors using WeddingWire, it was actually quite a challenge to find a henna artist, a pandit and Indian catering for our Sangeet. However, keeping a wedding binder was essential.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
While red is the traditional dress color, I knew I wanted my Indian gown to be a peach color because that tone looked nice against my skin. I loved peacocks and all the intricate stitching that goes into the dresses from India. I actually found one online from Bangalore and Gaurav’s cousin was kind enough to drive to the store and video chat with me. She actually found a different (more stunning) version than the original one I had in mind and I immediately knew that it was the one. For my traditional white wedding dress, I went shopping in San Francisco and probably tried on 5 dresses and as soon as I tried mine on, I knew that it was also going to be perfect for me. I wanted something simple and with lace but not poofy and easy to dance in.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I am very creative and enjoy art and planning so the best part for me was visually thinking of how I wanted everything to look and play out. Pinterest was a huge help because I was able to organize my thoughts and inspiration and then relay that to our decorator Carlos. He did an amazing job bringing everything to life.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think our wedding was beautiful because it truly was the marriage of our families. Gaurav’s family is Punjabi and my family is from Hong Kong on my father’s side and originally from Naples, Italy on my mother’s side. All the guests on my side were really blown away by the traditional Indian parts of the wedding, the fact that we had multiple events (Mehndi, sangeet, and wedding) in 3 days was also quite different. On the wedding day, the Baraat, in particular, was something new and exciting and even hotel guests could not help but stop and stare at the dholi and the Rolls Royce. We were very lucky and had a wonderful pandit and fun priest which kept the traditional ceremony and Catholic blessing entertaining!
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
For me, the first look was really special because it was a brief moment where just the two of us could enjoy being a couple before all the events began. Looking into your husband’s eyes and being able to share that loving moment is magical. However, I also could not stop crying during our vows too!
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.
Our wedding was truly a cultural fusion party. We had family members fly in from India, Hong Kong, the U.K. and even my childhood au pair made the trip from Austria! We had friends fly in from Saint-Barthélemy and of course New York (where I grew up) and the San Francisco Bay area (where Gaurav is from). During our Sangeet, we had some of the traditional Indian dances performed by my husband’s family and friends and then we had a salsa dance performed by one of my friends and my four bridesmaids also participated. While the Sangeet had mostly Indian food and Indian music, I was able to make sure we had dumplings and meatballs as a tribute to my cultural mix of being ½ Chinese and ½ Italian (a little wonton and parmesan fusion). We also had a cigar roller and henna artist for our guests.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Just remember that there really isn’t any other time in your life when all of the people you love will all be in the same room together than your wedding day so enjoy each part of it and live in the moment!
Stay with us for more, ladies!
Sangeet Venue: Boca Hyatt Place |
Reception and Ceremony Venue: The Boca Raton Resort |
Floral & Decor: Boca by Design |
Hair: Ultimate Bridal Beauty |
Sangeet Catering: Tanjore |
Sangeet DJ: Echobell Events |
Baraat: Echobell |
Bridal Fashions: Samyakk |
Bridal Jewelry: Evotique |
Bridal Draping/Sari Tying & Styling: Naza Henna |
Mehndi Artist: Naza Henna |
Photo Booth: Vision DJ |
Registry: Wedding Wire |
Rolls Royce for Baraat: MPH Club |
Sangeet Gown: Evotique |
Makeup: Makeup by Talia K |
Photography: Adam Opris Photography
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