POOJA + SAAJAN | FLORIDA

from The Annual Issue 2024

KRISHNA + PRASHAY | TEXAS

rals, provided an elegant setting for the rituals. The priest conducted the ceremony with reverence, explaining each step to the guests. The exchange of garlands, seven steps around the holy fire, and tying of the mangalsutra brought tears of joy to many. Pooja and Saajan’s heartfelt vows were a testament to their journey and commitment. The ceremony concluded with the couple being showered with rose petals as they took their first steps as husband and wife. The reception was a “Wonderland” theme brought to life with impeccable detail. Guests were transported to a whimsical world of oversized flowers, floating teacups, and vibrant floral tablescapes. The mossy green backdrop behind the blush-colored sweetheart couch on the stage, surrounded by trees and oversized roses, set a magical scene. The evening began with the couple’s grand entrance and first dance. The dance floor quickly filled with family and friends enjoying a mix of Bollywood hits and international chart-toppers. Heartfelt speeches from loved ones, sharing cherished memories and blessings, added to the emotional atmosphere. Pooja and Saajan surprised their guests with a choreographed dance performance, showcasing their love for dance and each other. The culinary experience featured a fusion of traditional Indian and contemporary dishes, catering to diverse palates. As the night progressed, the celebration continued with a live DJ, photo booths. Pooja and Saajan’s wedding was a beautiful blend of tradition, love, and whimsy, leaving an indelible mark on everyone who attended. It was a celebration of their love story and a testament to the grandeur of Indian weddings, where every moment is crafted with love, care, and a touch of magic.

Vendors

Planner: Eventrics Indian Weddings (@eventricsw)

Venue: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress (@hyattgrandcypressweddings)

Photographer: Lin and Jirsa (@linandjirsa)

Videographer: Paraagon Films (@paraagonfilms)

Design & Decor: Utopian Events (@utopian_events)

DJ: Dudha Productions (@djfirozdudha)

H&M: C’Minerva (@cminervaslooks)

Sangeet Henna Artist: Henna by Priya (@hennabypriya)

Live Painter (Ceremony): Katie Collings Paintings (@katiecollinspaintings)

Baraat Horse: Wind Chase Farm (@windchasefarm)

Vidaai Car: VIP Wedding Transportation (@vipweddingtransportation)

Priyal and Anup initially matched on the app Dil Mil but quickly found out that they were in the same medical school and had mutual friends. Their first date, which was supposed to be a quick meetup for coffee, lasted several hours. Priyal was charmed by Anup’s sweeping romantic gestures and goofiness, while Anup was enamored by Priyal’s quiet but quick wit and fun banter. Although they endured stretches of long distance during their relationship, their love for each other never wavered.

Under the guise of a party for a friend, Anup led Priyal to the Hamptoms for a long weekend. On a secluded beach at sunset with only the sound of waves crashing on the rocks, he proposed to a completely surprised Priyal. It was romantic, intimate, and beautiful. They celebrated with a romantic dinner at a nearby restaurant with a beach front view.

The three day wedding took place in New Jersey, where their love first began. The Mehndi event was the first of the festivities. Priyal picked a patchwork lehenga with deep, vibrant colors that complemented the bright decor.

Vibrant yellow was the theme for the Haldi and was seen in all the details from the outfit to the flower petals. There was a palpable sense of joy and playfulness to this event; the bride’s brother and young cousins surprised her with a water gun attack in addition to the traditional turmeric paste.

One of Priyal’s favorite outfits was the one

PRIYAL + ANUP | NEW JERSEY

she wore for the Sangeet. Her sharara suit with jardozi work was accented with a traditional gold necklace and earrings gifted by her grandmother. “I loved paying homage to my grandmother and the juxtaposition of a trendy, modern outfit with a more traditional piece,” recalls Priyal. Priyal and Anup’s outfits were custom-made by California-based designer Jayshree Piple.

The highlight of the wedding festivities was the wedding day itself, which was held at the Tides Estate. The lush, enchanting outdoor garden formed the backdrop of the ceremony. The theme was an elegant Indowestern affair that would tell the story of their love and their time together, a day that featured all the elements that make up Priyal and Anup. One such detail was the mid ceremony snack - Salted Caramel ice cream from Jeni’s, a cherished date spot when they lived in Washington D.C.

The reception was a black tie affair with a plated dinner from Chef Gaurav Anand, featuring elevated takes on traditional Indian cuisine. Priyal and Anup’s favorite moment was their choreographed first dance, which was a bhangra-ballroom fusion to Zayn and Sia’s “Dusk till Dawn” that incorporated a tabla remix by Nihal Singh specially made for the occasion. “We wanted to dance to a song that fused both American and Indian cultures in a way that would remain special to us,” Anup fondly remembers. Dancing lasted until the late hours of the night and was the perfect end to a perfect week.

Vendors

Photography: Sollis Studio (@sollisstudio)

Videography: Odyssey Films (@odysseyfilms.co)

Planner: Xquisit Events (@xquisiteventplanners)

Catering: Chef Anand (@cga.events)

Choreographer: Riddhi P. (@riddhip.dance)

DJ and MC: DJ Raj Minocha (@djrajminocha) and MC Pervez (@itsboyboy)

Tabla/Dhol: MS Beats (@msbdifferent)

First dance mix: Nihal Singh (@nihalsinghlive)

MUA: Cinderella Bridez (@cinderellabridez)

Decor: Wedding Design and Decor (@weddingdesignanddecor)

Baraat: Monaco Experiences (@monacoexperiences)

Venue: The Tides Estate (@thetidesestate)

Mehndi: Henna by Shweta (@henna_by_shweta)

360 Spin Booth: The Booth Bros (@theboothbros)

Bowls: Restaurant Depot (@restaurant_depot)

Cake: The Hudson Cakery (@hudsoncakery)

Guests settled into their seats in front of the Bronx Zoo Center, a palace-like edifice built in 1908, adorned with statues of elephants and home to rhinos and monitor lizards. As the quartet began to play a string rendition of “We’re in Heaven,” by Bryan Adams, a resident peacock flew over the guests to the back of the ceremony, unofficially announcing that the ceremony had begun.

Bushra Mollick and Erik Goyenechea met in 2016 at NYC Emergency Management, a government agency with a mission to help New Yorkers before, during, and after emergencies. The native New Yorkers sat together as communications specialists, sending integral emergency messaging to New Yorkers daily. From creating Ready New York content to sharing romantic texts, the two were quickly smitten with each other after sharing their first kiss in the rain by the Rockefeller Center Tree.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to marry you one day,” Erik said to Bushra, after she shared her reservations about dating a colleague. The two not-so-secretly dated for six years before Erik proposed in front of his Bronx apartment building.

Erik grew up in Riverdale, and Bushra was raised in Queens. Though they lived a borough apart for much of their lives, Erik went to Riverdale Country School, and Bushra went to the Bronx High School of Science. Who’s to say the two never crossed paths on the BX10 bus?

As the two planned their wedding, they were mindful to keeping it local out of respect to older families who may have trouble traveling.

After researching multiple venues, they decided to wed at The Bronx Zoo. The zoo was special to both as Erik went to Bronx Zoo camp as a child, and Bushra took an animal science course there in the 11th grade.

Additionally, part of the celebrations costs would be donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Of Basque ancestry, Erik’s parents are Puerto-Rican and Cuban. Bushra is entirely Bengali and was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Bengali-Latino couple

BUSHRA + ERIK | NEW YORK

worked to ensure that all aspects of the wedding were inclusive to both cultures. South Asian clothing was encouraged, but on the dance floor, Bhangra and Bad Bunny radiated through the hall.

After exchanging vows and sharing excerpts from the Bible and the Quran, guests were escorted through the Madagascar House, an exhibit with lemurs, tortoises, and the shy fossa. The beautifully dressed friends and family were handed glasses of champagne and wine as they exited to the Sea Lion Pool, where the official cocktail hour took place.

The one of many residential peacocks that resided over the ceremony returned to greet guests and pose for photos. Bushra joked that is was the spirit of her late father checking in on the party.

After rounds of champagne, vegan tacos, and tomato soup shooters, the guests walked to their final destination of the night, Schiff Hall, a building reserved for parties, conferences, and more. What was once a lion exhibit now hosts a large bar with a large lion statue overlooking the dance floor. The tables were adorned with bright fuschia and purple flowers, and multi-colored peacock feathers. Each table number was framed and designed by the couple and included on of their favorite animals, whether it be a red-panda, snow leopard, or majestic orca.

Following a series of entrances by the bridal parties and immediate friends and family, Erik and his friends put on a show-stopping performance to the Oscar-award winning “Naatu Naatu” song. Bushra and her friends followed up with soirée of Bollywood singles, including a solo dance to “Nache le” by her sister. After the couple danced to “Head Over Heels,” by Tears for Fears, the dance floor was flooded with guests moving to a diverse mix of Bollywood hits, reggaeton classics, and millennial tunes. Guests were greeted with a do-it-yourself instant noodle bar after hours of dancing.

Who would have thought this Bangladeshi-American, Queens girl with an obsession for birds, fuchka, and public messaging would be soulmates with a Puerto-Rican-Cuban, lasagna-lover, Riverdale Country boy from the Boogie Down Bronx?

Vendors

Venue: The Bronx Zoo

Event Planner: Inayat Events

Photography: Craven Co Photo

Videography: Olmsted Films

Florist: Anthony Brownie Flowers

DJ: DJ Rahul, @iamdjrahul

MC: Nisarg Gurjar, M4U Events

String Quartet: Highline String Quartet

MUA: Tamanna Nur, @beautybytamanna

Jewelry: Anayah Jewelry, Royal Designs Jewelry

Henna: Shamina Akter, @nychennaqueen

Growing up, I think most little girls dream of their wedding day, but I believe that only the luckiest women get to witness the entirety of their vision come to life Our journey began with my then-fiancé and now-husband planning the most incredible surprise proposal, which included both of our immediate family members. That trip made one thing clear: for me, it was important to plan festivities that honored our Gujarati-Indian traditions and reflected the deep bonds we shared as a family.

To give authenticity to our cause, we took a trip to India as a family for what is arguably one of the most important parts of a wedding: the shopping! I believe that outfits symbolizing cultural heritage and personal style truly set the tone for the celebration. Rather than subjecting everyone to neutral tones, we found it helpful to have a color palette for our close family members and friends to choose from. Our palette featured deep, rich autumn hues that paid homage to the fall season in which our wedding was to take place. For myself, my husband, and our close family members, we chose outfits with regal bearings and imagery of nature which were intricately woven into the fabrics.

After completing our shopping, we immediately began to work on the next steps. Executing an Indian wedding is no joke, especially one with five days of nonstop events. We needed to enlist the help of some creative minds, and we were truly fortunate to find incredibly talented vendors who guided us through this process. There are certain vendors that play an integral role in Indian weddings, and we knew right from the start that one of the most important decisions we would make would be choosing the cinematography and photography team. Having seen the work of Darkroom Doctors Studios at a friend’s wedding reception, I knew exactly that it was their team I wanted to work with. Their creativity, hard work and attention to detail resulted in the most stunning pictures and videos. From our Engagement Photoshoot in New York to our Wedding festivities in Toronto, we had an absolute blast working with their entire team. From the candid moments of laughter to the emotional exchanges under our floral Mandap, they managed to immortalize every fleeting expression of not

HEMANI + VIRAJ | TORONTO

only myself and my husband but also our families and friends. Their keen eye for composition and lighting, coupled with a deep understanding of our cultural nuances, ensured that each shot was not just a photograph but a work of art. The Next Day Edit Highlight Film they put together for us at the Reception made us laugh, cry and relive our Wedding events all over again surrounded by loved ones - an absolute icing on the cake and a lovely culmination of all the hard work we had put into planning our whirlwind fairytale Wedding week!

Another important decision I had to make in the planning stages was who I would choose to help me look and feel my best throughout the most important days of my life. For a woman, her hair and makeup artist is basically her right hand throughout her wedding. I am blessed to have found Harleen by pure luck on Instagram, and she turned out to be an absolute magician. With her meticulous touch and an expert eye for color, she was able to accentuate my features while respecting my preferences for a more modern, “cleaner” look. From the expertly applied eyeliner to the perfect shade of lipstick, she made sure every detail was thoughtfully considered to enhance my natural beauty. Her calm demeanor and professional expertise eased my pre-wedding jitters, allowing me to fully embrace the joy of the moment.

I still remember walking into the days of our wedding thinking how fast the time had passed and how hard our families and we had worked with our vendors to bring everything to life. Our Mandap had been transformed into a serene oasis with lush greenery, vibrant flowers, and delicate vines that were an extension of our greenhouse venue. All that was left was for me to walk towards the love of my life and seal the deal. Today, when I look back on that day, I now know that what made our wedding special was not the glitz and the glam (although it was nice), but rather how effortlessly our two families became one. Somewhere deep inside, I knew that the little girl who dreamt of her wedding day was mad with happiness because she was able to see her vision come to life in the most beautiful way. My heart will forever be filled with gratitude for every moment, every blessing, and every person who made it so special.