Good morning, ladies! It is time to dive into a new love story! So buckle up and get ready to enjoy this rollercoaster of emotions and traditional flair brought to you thanks to the talented team from Photographick Studios! For this first installment, we'll be taking a look at a romantic photoshoot leading to Rinkey & Atur's wedding celebration! Both our lovebirds looked flawless for their big day; however, it was our gorgeous Rinkey who stole the show! She looked like a princess after being pampered by SKS Salon, who gave her that dreamy look all Maharanis aspire for their big day! To add an extra touch of flair to an already breathtaking look, Rinkey got a fantastic Mehndi design from Mehndi With Heena. And oh, boy, it was gorgeous! After the photoshoot, it was time to go inside the halls of the Hyatt Regency Reston, where a big wedding celebration was awaiting for the leading characters! This life-changing event exceeded all expectations thanks to Yaadein Weddings who crafted a magical decor that resulted in a perfect backdrop for these two to tie the knot. For more amazing shots of this event, make sure to visit today's gallery! It will make your heart melt with joy!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met online on Shaadi.com. I had sent Atur a message through the app saying that I liked his profile and thought we had a lot in common about what we were looking for in a relationship. I sent him my email address for further communication. Atur messaged me back the next day with his phone number and told me to text him instead, and we texted for about a month before finally having a chance to talk to each other on the phone for the first time. That first phone call lasted 2 hours and was very comfortable, fun, and honest, which is what made the match so promising in my eyes. We would talk and text daily after that until finally FaceTiming the end of December, which went well too. We decided to finally meet in person and coordinated a date I could fly to DC: January 12, 2018. Things took off from there!
There were two significant moments I knew Atur was the right guy for me. One was a typical Bollywood movie scene where at my old apartment in Woodbridge, VA, I was sitting down to do my morning prayer and Atur sat down with me and said he wanted to become more spiritual with me. He continues to make a better person by doing the right thing and doing good for others. The second moment was when he came to visit me in April 2017 to help me move out of my apartment and he met my parents for the first time. The connection I felt with him and my family, I knew that this was the guy for me. I felt the same connection with his family in May 2017 when I met them for the first time and it confirmed that I wanted to be part of their family in the future.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Atur's Words:
I was planning on spending Thanksgiving weekend with Rinkey’s family and told her I would fly on Wednesday. But as only her family and mine knew, I secretly arrived Sunday to set-up everything for the proposal. I stayed in a hotel 20 min from her place until Wednesday, while building a functioning mini-replica of the Trevi fountain, setting up partition boards to create a fake wall in her apartment, and arranging all the photos/candles/rose petals/props that I would use to decorate her apartment. After she left for work on Wednesday, I decorated her apartment like an Italian café, put up a fake wall that looked like an Italian storefront, and set out candles and rose petals to set a romantic mood. I hired a photographer to photo/video the entire proposal. Rinkey created a little stress by getting out of work early, which led to some white lies I had to tell her to buy some time, but it worked out in the end! When she arrived, I had her close her eyes, make a wish, and toss a coin in the “Trevi fountain”. When she opened her eyes, I was on one knee with the ring and proposed. She said yes! We then had a mini-photo shoot with the photographer, and then went out to dinner – where she was surprised by our parents and her brother, who we had dinner with and then spent the weekend with to celebrate!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
We went to India to shop for wedding outfits for me as well as my family. We only had 8 days to do all the shopping and I had no luck finding my wedding dress for the first three days. We went to all the big-name stores as well as designer stores in Ahmedabad and I could not find a dress that fit the image I wanted which was frustrating. I had brought designer ideas to each of the stores and none were able to match what I was visioning. It was on the fourth day after going to countless stores and spending 8 to 10 hours a day shopping and searching where I randomly told my mom that we should go inside of Asopalav on Ashram Road. We had already visited the other Asopalav in India, where I had no luck but I had a gut instinct to visit the one on Ashram Road even though it was not on the list of stores I wanted to check out. We ended up meeting the team that handles Bridal Dresses at which point we met Akash Bhai. Akash Bhai and his crew knew exactly what my vision was and gathered dresses that were not on their initial display. After trying on 3 to 4 dresses, he brought out the final piece which he knew was the dress I would pick and in fact, I did pick that dress. It matched exactly to the pictures I had brought as well as what I visioned. I could not thank Asopalav on Ashram Road enough for helping me through the process.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
I think the most enjoyable part of the planning process was food tasting, cake tasting, and decor meetings. These meetings did not require work and it was a portion of wedding planning where we could relax and take a breather.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Organized and Punctual
Creativity- Wedding program custom made by us with the title "Shaadi Times". Atur hand created all the sections and made it unique to our story and us. Travel theme guestbook table and postcards for wishes/advice
Magician at Reception Cocktail Hour
Father-daughter dance/mother-son dance and incorporating both sets of parents
Variety of food choices
Lassi at wedding
Bangle Bar at Garba
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Being on the Mandap with Atur and taking a moment to reflect on all the work we put towards the wedding and to see how it all came together. Looking out to see all the support and blessings of our family and friends. The first dance that we choreographed. Atur's surprise video presentation at the reception
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Make sure you enjoy the wedding planning process and to take a deep breath at moments that get stressful. Remember that it is one weekend and at the end of the day it's about you and your significant. It's easy to want everything for your wedding but remember to create a budget and focus on what is important for you and your partner. Think about how you want people to remember your wedding and be realistic. During the wedding weekend, make sure you take a step back, look around, and reflect on your own about each of the events. Look to see how all the hard work paid off. Look at the decor details as well as who you are surrounded by. Take a few minutes during the weekend to notice all the small details and see how they look in the bigger picture. A lot of people gave me this advice and it truly helped me during my wedding weekend to not worry about the small things that don't go as planned but to look at the big picture of all the hard work that came to reality. Just remember to enjoy the weekend and not worry about any small details. Everything will work out and you only get that one weekend to enjoy the time of your life. Good luck :)!
This fantastic love story has just begun, so get ready for all the beauty that is coming your way!
This fantastic love story has just begun, so get ready for all the beauty that is coming your way!
Photography: Photographick Studios |
Mehndi Artists: Mehndi With Heena |
Baraat: Harmons Carriages and Training |
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Hyatt Regency Reston |
Floral & Decor: Yaadein Weddings |
Hair & Makeup: SKS Salon |
Catering: Rangoli |
Cake & Treats: Amphora Bakery
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Mehndi With Heena and
Harmons Carriages and Training
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