Reena and Kapil, Anaheim, CA

Ceremony: Embassy Suites Reception: Sheraton Park at the Anaheim Resort
Bride and Groom: both are Gujarati Hindu
Photography: Randery Imagery
Learn more about the Sheraton Park at the Anaheim Resort

What did you like about the Embassy Suites?
I really liked their indoor courtyard, garden and waterfall. The waterfall was a great backdrop for our wedding photos. We had our lunch in the courtyard and our guests really enjoyed the ambiance it provided.

What did you like most about the Sheraton Park at the Anaheim Resort?
We liked the outdoor area at the Sheraton because of its open space, bistro lights and water fountains. We had our cocktail hour out there. My husband is from the East Coast so we wanted all of his family and friends coming from out-of-town to be at a venue that had a California feel. We decided not to do the ceremony outdoors because we got married Labor Day weekend – it is usually hot around that time of the year and we did not want to make everyone sit through a wedding ceremony in the heat.

How did you work the logistics of having two venues on your wedding day?
I got married at the Embassy Suites and spent the night there before my wedding (I highly recommend staying at your wedding venue the night before your wedding so you can get as much rest as possible). The Embassy Suites was our “home base”. All our guests stayed at the Embassy Suites and I got ready for the wedding and reception there. Once I was all ready for the reception, we just drove down to the Sheraton, which was less than one mile from the Embassy Suites. It was so convenient to get ready at one location rather than moving around. I also got some time to rest in-between the wedding and reception, which was very nice.

What advice would you give to couples that are getting started with planning their wedding?

Set goals and deadlines for tasks.
Write down your goals and hold yourself accountable to the deadlines.
Start by making a list of all the tasks that need to be done and build out a schedule to ensure that everything is taken care of within a reasonable time frame.

What are the most important vendors to book first?
Definitely the venue. Once you book the venue, you can send out save the dates/invitations and start booking all your other vendors.

We got married on Labor Day weekend, which is a very popular wedding weekend. Once you book the venue, I suggest focusing on the photographer, videographer and DJ next (in the order of importance to you).

How did you and Kapil meet?
I met Kapil while on a road trip. I had just finished residency in New York and was driving back to California with my sister and a couple of my cousins. We stopped in North Carolina along the way, to visit my sister Rupa’s friend, who happened to be friends with Kapil. Kapil joined us and that’s how we met.

How did Kapil propose?
He took me to New Bern, North Carolina. The story is, the day we met, I asked him where the city of New Bern is (which is where the famous book/movie The Notebook takes place). After explaining where New Bern is, Kapil said that if I ever came back to North Carolina, he would take me there. We had just met and I did not think I would see him again so I took that as more of a comment in passing. However, we ended up staying in touch and our relationship grew over time. A couple of years after we met, I flew to North Carolina to attend what I thought was his friend’s engagement, but that was just a cover story to take me to New Bern for the proposal!

What was your favorite part of wedding planning?

Definitely bonding with Kapil and my family as we went through the entire process. I spent a lot of time with my parents, my sister and my husband when planning the wedding and I really enjoyed that. Wedding planning brought us together in a special way in our otherwise very busy lives.