Shaista and Kshitij, New Delhi

Shaista and Kshitij met through common friends in New York and stayed in touch after that. They fell in love and faithfully kept their ‘date nights’ in the city – till one such night led them to tying the knot! Bride Shaista shares memories of their love story and how they pulled off a wedding in India while sitting in the us US.

How We Met
“Kshitij and I met through common friends in New York, US. Life in New York gets very busy and we were traveling for work. Thank god for cell phones because we texted non-stop for 10 days before our first date. It was my birthday week and coincidentally his as well. Incidentally, his mom and sisters are born on the same day as me! We took that as a sign.”

Proposal
“Kshitij and I have a designated date night on Thursdays, and we take turns picking the place so we can explore all that New York has to offer. On September 21st, he messaged me in the afternoon and sent me the address for our date night. I got to the restaurant and asked for our table, but the staff there gave me blank looks (that was great acting!). A man then came up to me and asked me to follow him and took me to the rooftop. Kshitij had decorated the entire rooftop with flowers and candles and created an alter with a picture from one of our most memorable moments together. The rest is a blur!”

Wedding Planning
“We decided to get married in New Delhi since that is where Kshitij is from. We had three months to plan the wedding from New York. Given that my family lives in the US, thank god for WeddingSutra, because it provided us with all the inspiration and information we needed to plan this life event in three short months in a city that we weren’t really familiar with, and with guests attending from multiple cities. Believe it or not, all my outfits were chosen over FaceTime. It was always my dream to wear a Pakistani designer, and for my wedding, I wanted to go with a designer who blended traditional contemporary. I can’t believe how amazing these people were because they were able to execute without ever meeting me in person. I got my outfits one week before my events – and I had zero complaints.”

Wedding Functions

Welcome Night
“We kicked off our wedding festivities with a welcome party for our friends and cousins at Ministry of Beer’s Steam Punk-themed Micro Brewery. The theme was opposites attract. We asked our guests to dress in White (for girls) and Black (for guys). For this evening I wore a gorgeous creation by Badgley Mischka.”

Sagan and Sangeet
“Our sagan (ring ceremony) and sangeet was at Pushpanjali farms and had a fairytale garden pastel theme. The guests were greeted by a venue laden with white, orange and pink florals decorated all over. The function took place under a ceiling of white flowers that were interspersed with green vines.” While Shaista looked resplendent at her sagan in a beautiful creation by Tena Durrani, she chose a gorgeous lehenga by Falguni and Shane Peacock for the sangeet.”

Wedding
“Our wedding, held at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi, was an ode to my Mangalorean roots with the decor focused on ‘mogra’ (jasmine) flowers. With a mandap covered with florals arrangements, the venue looked like something out of a dream.” Shaista wore a beautiful lehenga by Shyamal and Bhumika, and Kshitij looked every bit a suave groom in his beige outfit with a royal blue dupatta.

Advice for Couples
“Enjoy the entire wedding planning process. Remember that hospitality, warmth, and love come above everything else. Decor, outfits and makeup are only like the icing on the cake.”

The Wedding Makers
Venues: Ministry of Beer (Welcome Party), Pushpanjali Farms (Sagan and Sangeet), Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi (Wedding)
Wedding planner: Riveting Events
Decor: Clique Events
Wedding Invites: Disha Sikka
Makeup Artist: Savleen Manchanda (Welcome Night, Sagan and Sangeet), Jasmeet Kapany (Wedding)
Choreographer: Jenica Suchde
Bride’s Outfits: Badgley Mischka (Welcome Party), Tena Durrani, Pakistan (Sagan), Kachan Bhagat (Mehndi), Falguni and Shane Peacock (Sangeet), Shyamal and Bhumika (Wedding)
Photographers: Slice of Life (Wedding and Sangeet) and Pixel Maniacs (Welcome Party)

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