Nisha and Emil
The stunning decor at Nisha and Emil’s dreamy wedding was one of the highlights with magnificent blooms, lustrous crystal strands and picture-perfect stage setups.
Few email exchanges and many ‘first dates’ later, lovebirds Nisha and Emil decided to celebrate their wedding with fun festivities and a synchronized ‘baraat’ bhangra performance that certainly took the guests by surprise! Here, bride Nisha shares the details of her special day.
How we met
“Emil is a practicing urologic oncologist and I am a lawyer. We met each other through a common friend. He found me extremely beautiful and approached me to ask for my number, but I was a little stern, and gave him my email address instead! We started exchanging emails which slowly graduated into unending phone calls and later into dates which eventually got us closer.”
Wedding Proposal
“Emil wanted to surprise me with a very unusual proposal and planned a fictitious party with imaginary friends and insisted that I join in the celebrations too. As I entered the place, I saw no one but him with a ring in his hand. He asked me to marry him and I readily agreed!”
Wedding Venue
“We figured that a destination wedding would get tiresome and therefore zeroed on the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley hotel for our wedding venue which was still under renovation. We were certain of hosting our wedding in their ballroom, which to our utter surprise, was functional just a day before our big day!”
Wedding Functions
Mehndi & Sangeet
“We had an outdoor mehndi and sangeet function with the entire décor illuminated with fairy lights. Since it was a prelude to our upcoming wedding, we wanted our guests to enjoy and soak in the festivities with some sumptuous food, unlimited cocktails and dance performances. All my wedding costumes were sourced from India. For the mehndi, I chose to wear a beautiful bright red and pink gown as I wanted to enjoy the mehndi application and remain comfortable throughout the ritual. I later changed to a gorgeous orange and yellow Anita Dongre outfit with contrasting silver ‘bindi’ work that was perfect for the jovial spirit of the evening.”
Wedding
“I was in for yet another surprise when Emil executed a synchronized dance performance with his family members during our ‘baraat‘ ceremony, which made the evening even more special. Since I had already envisioned my wedding trousseau to be like a magical fairytale attire, I went ahead and customized it myself with the help of a designer. I wanted to wear a light-colored ensemble so went with a stunning dusty rose lehenga with gentle gold flower appliques and embroidery. I paired it with minimal jewellery and natural makeup to unleash my inner bridal glow.”
The indoor mandap was set up on a stage against a blush pink draped backdrop. Its pillars were festooned with large floral arrangements, specifically white and pink roses. Garlands of white blooms and red foliage hung down from the ceiling. Emil wore a royal blue sherwani, a lustrous peach ‘safa’ (turban) and a matching stole for the pheras.
Reception
“My reception party was designed like a modern day fairy tale with the most stunning gold and pink décor done by the ace décor artist from Design House. For the reception attire, I wore an all-white lehenga gown by designer Gaurav Gupta that not only looked elegant but was extremely comfortable to dance the night away in!” Emil complemented her well in his black three-piece suit.
The beautiful black cocktail menu board listed signature drinks, live cooking stations and appetizer details. The decor was all about crystals strands and blooms on towering table centerpieces, from the ceiling and behind the stunning stage structure.
Wedding planning tips/ advice for couples getting married
“Indian weddings can be stressful so it is important to never lose perspective about the ongoing celebrations and the joy that comes along with it. It is easy to get caught up in the decor, food, glamor of the wedding, but it is meaningless if it affects the bond and love that a couple shares.”
The Wedding Makers
Location: Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley, North Carolina, US
Bridal Trousseau: Anita Dongre (Sangeet), Gaurav Gupta (Reception)
Decor: Design House
Event Coordinator: Ani Sandhu
Entertainment: DJ Sandman
Photographer: Matei Horvath
Videographer: Hope Media
