Natasha and Bhavesh, Monarch Beach Resort, California
The stunning decor at Natasha and Bhavesh’s dreamy beach wedding was one of the highlights with magnificent blooms, lustrous crystal strands and picture-perfect stage setups.
A fairytale told in florals – Natasha and Bhavesh’s wedding was an elegant, opulent, glamorous day of love and laughter. Here, the couple shares how they planned their charming wedding celebrations in California.
How They Met
Bhavesh and Natasha first met in a hospital. Bhavesh was in his final year of internal medicine residency when Natasha joined the residency program. “At the initial orientation I noticed Natasha immediately,” Bhavesh said, “I instantly knew she was the girl I was going to marry.”
With cool-headed determination, Bhavesh decided to make good on his instinct, “Over the next few months, my only goal was to conveniently bump into her in the hospital. Natasha said that she would never have thought twice about me if it hadn’t been for my persistence.” Natasha, focused on her medical training merely thought it was quite odd that Bhavesh seemed to pop up everywhere in the hospital. Bhavesh, of course, didn’t give up, “After months of trying to persuade Natasha to go out on a date, she finally agreed. We instantly bonded and found that our friendship grew into a deep, inseparable love.”
Wedding Venue
“Choosing the venue was the most important part for us. A beach wedding was something we’d both always wanted. We planned a weekend trip to California despite our busy schedules to visit several venues. After an exhausting day, our final stop was at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California – a resort with breathtaking views, amazing staff, and an ambience of paradise. There was no question that this was to be the place where we would start our lives together.”
Wedding Planning
“Given our busy schedules and long distance relationship, wedding planning was especially tricky. However, with the help of Natasha’s sister and mother, the planning went much smoother than anticipated. Vendors were researched extensively on the Internet. We would frequently be on the phone late with vendors and our families organizing wedding details. It was tiring given the differences in time zones. But after months of planning, hours of phone calls and frequent weekend trips to California we organized our dream wedding.”
Wedding Functions
Mehndi
“The first night was the Mehndi celebration, which took place at Natasha’s residence in Los Angeles. We introduced each other to our closest friends and family. The exterior of the house was decorated with unique lighting sequences and inside, there was a colorful marigold theme and candles afloat in the pool. The night was filled with traditional ceremonies and late night dancing and mingling.
We wore matching green Sabyasachi outfits. Natasha’s was a heavily sequined olive green jacket lehenga. I wore a cream kurta pajama with a floral patterned vest in matching shades of green.”
Sangeet
“This was a particularly special day as it was also Natasha’s birthday. The lighting was colorful and romantic. The hall was decorated with upscale centerpieces and lounge sets bordering the dance floor.
Guests were welcomed by the strains of the sitar played live by a musician with a gift for Indo-American fusion music. We entered the sangeet separately. I entered as a male vocalist sang an upbeat number to get the crowd excited. Then Natasha made her entrance to a female vocalist singing a slow, romantic, moving track. We intended for the dramatic entrances to evoke the feeling of a royal entrance on a red carpet.
We color coordinated our clothes again with the royal blue color scheme. Natasha wore an opulent, heavily embroidered Sabyasachi lehenga and I wore a kurta pajama suit in dark royal blue. The night was rich with countless hours of live singing, dancing, and ending with a surprise, birthday cake for Natasha, in royal blue of course.”
Wedding
“The beautiful setup at the wedding included a large, intricate, rose gold dome with crystal and flower accents. Natasha’s favorite part was her grand entrance, in which she walked down a large outdoor staircase with her sister and father to a song that Ronibir Lahiri (a sitar player) had composed especially for her entrance. After the ceremony, everyone transitioned to the outdoor cocktail hour, which had creative Indian-Western fusion dishes and a spectacular fire show. For the wedding day, we ended up choosing shades of pink and turquoise. Natasha wore a very ornate gold Sabyasachi lehenga with accents of pink and turquoise. I complemented this with a cream sherwani accented with gold motifs and a turquoise pagri with gold borders, a perfect counterpart to Natasha.”
Reception
“For the wedding reception, Natasha wore a stunning red Vera Wang gown and I wore a three-piece Armani tuxedo with maroon bowtie and kerchief to complement Natasha’s outfit. After 3 days of traditional Indian ceremonies and clothing, we decided to have a more American-theme for the reception.
We created a contemporary regal fantasy. Inspired by palace architecture and majestic furnishings, the decorations were carefully chosen to create an opulent atmosphere. The room was accented with rose gold and mirrored tables, white leather chairs with rose gold trim, beautiful rose gold accent pieces, and massive crystal centerpieces suspended from the ceilings. It was incredible to look at.
We brought modernity to the classic palatial with a large LED screen with our logo in the center of the backdrop. Keeping true to our love for beaches, the table theme was the California beaches that Natasha and I love.
The reception night had energetic performances starting with our first dance, a medley of three of our favorite songs with a climactic end that included a choreographed flash mob of background dancers. This was followed by talented routines performed by professional Bollywood dancers. We ended on a high with a hilarious twist to the traditional father-daughter dance to a medley of 1990s songs with unique dance moves.”
The Wedding Makers
Venue: Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, California
Wedding Planner: Details Wedding and Event Planning
Decor: Shawna Yamamoto Event Design
Bride’s Outfits: Sabyasachi (Mendi, Sangeet and Wedding), Vera Wang (Reception)
Groom’s Outfits: Sabyasachi (Mehndi), Georgio Armani (Reception)
Hair and Makeup: Dolled up by Lulu
Henna: Neha Assar Henna Artistry
Cake: Cake Studio LA
Caterer: Natraj Cuisine of India
DJ + Lighting: 3D Sounds
Dancers: Karmagraphy
Entertainment: Ronobir Lahiri Music
Photography: Lin & Jirsa Photography
