Real Wedding Story - Parm & Prince

from Rochester Area Wedding Magazine 2023

The Farm-To-Wedding Food Scene

WEDDING DATE: AUGUST 6, 2022 WITH EVENTS AUGUST 4-6, 2022

How did you meet and what was your proposal story?

When I came across a good-looking “double doctor” (DMD and MD) named Prince on a dating app in 2015, I had to see if this guy was the Prince of my dreams And he was not…he was even better!

Our first dates in New York were filled with laughs and deep conversations (I would later find out that a New York Times article on how to fall in love was key to this). For the proposal, we went back to the place of our first date, and after reminiscing, a photographer popped out and we had the back room reserved to celebrate with our friends.

What was the inspiration for the look and feel of your wedding?

Our vision was a fusion Indian-American royal fairytale wedding. We wanted to take the colors, grandness, and dance moves that come with an Indian wedding fused with the simplistic elegance of a traditional American wedding.

What was the significance of your wedding location?

I (Parm) grew up in Rochester, Minnesota! This city has molded who I am as a person and the community has become my extended family, so we knew we had to celebrate here with our whole family.

What was your favorite moment in your ceremony and reception?

We had several days of events full of so many beautiful and touching moments. The first full day of events was the Mehdni, my 30th birthday, and the Haldi. During the Mehndi, henna is applied to adorn the bride. My favorite part of the mehndi was the custom details of brain and tooth (I am a pediatric neurologist epileptologist and Prince is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon) and the New York City skyline (where we met and live). At the Haldi, the family covers the couple in turmeric to cleanse and prepare them for their new start; our friends and family did not hold back!

The next day was the Sangeet, where the town gets together to announce and celebrate the upcoming wedding and the maternal uncles placed the traditional red bangles on the bride (choora).

The Sikh wedding ceremony (Anand Karaj) involves the reading of four hymns (laavan) from the holy book (Guru Granth Sahib Ji). After each reading, priests sing the hymn and the couple walks around the book. My mom did the reading that married us, which was such a unique and memorable moment.

Our reception was beautiful and grand; our favorite moment from the reception was our prepared bollywood/punjabi dance full of twirls, dips, and epic Indian dance moves. Wearing a ballgown from Manish Malhotra with a train, marrying Prince, and being surrounded by an amazing group of people, I truly felt like a princess!

What advice do you have for other couples planning their weddings?

So many details are thought of while planning a wedding - for us, the most important detail was planning how we wanted ourselves and the people around you to feel. Planning to feel calm, happy, lucky, and loved made the whole week feel like a fairytale.