Telegu Hindu-North Indian Hindu
Pacific Palms Resort, City of Industry, CA
Learn more about the Pacific Palms Resort
Photography: Greycard Photography
Cinematography: Impressive Creations
Can you describe what wedding planning was like?
It was like having a second full time job. With all the calls, personal visits, and emails back and forth – it was a lot of work and very time consuming with a lot of details to manage. However, we were willing to do it to have the vision we wanted. In the end, we had our dream wedding!
What do you recommend so brides can stay on top of everything?
Have timelines for each day of your wedding – lists of what materials are needed for each event, stay organized and don’t do anything last minute. Inevitably something unexpected will happen the day-of, so minimize the snowball effect by being as organized as possible.
Why did select Pacific Palms for your wedding and reception?
My husband and I had attended other events there and always liked the venue. They had the capacity to accommodate us indoors for the ceremony. We had over 500 people and since we got married during summer, we did the ceremony indoors so our guests wouldn’t be uncomfortable in the heat. Additionally, compared to other venues, the Pacific Palms staff was very flexible, accommodating and service oriented – we loved our experience there.
What are your recommendations for organizing the wedding ceremony for families from different cultural backgrounds?
- I definitely recommend both sets of parents, the bride, and the groom, have a meeting to educate each other about each other’s traditions.
- Incorporating traditions from both cultures will help keep both families happy and it will look great aesthetically. You might even consider having two pandits to ensure all the traditions are being performed properly. We had two pandits for our wedding and both families were very happy with how the ceremony turned out.Our ceremony was about 2.5 hours including a 15 minute ‘intermission’ where I changed outfits. I first walked into the mandap in the dress that my family gave me, then during the ceremony I changed into the dress my in-laws gave me and wore that dress for the remainder of the ceremony.
South Indian style wedding dress. I wore this for the first part of the ceremony. 
I changed into this dress mid-ceremony as is customary in Telegu culture. What should a couple do before they start calling venues?
Have a few dates in mind before you go to talk to venues. It’s really hard to talk to venues without dates in mind because their pricing, policies and availability changes. They may not take you seriously, unless you have some dates you are looking into. Or now, just use ShaadiShop!Makeup advice
Definitely do a trial! If you’re having different looks – do trials for everything – you don’t want to be on a totally different wavelength from the artist. Visit bridal shows and talk to artists directly – some even do trials at bridal shows. Also seek out referrals from your family and friends.
I walked down the aisle twice – the first time with the dress my family gave me and the second time with the dress my in-laws gave me. We turned our aisle into a runway to incorporate how Sudhir and I met – through modeling.
The first time I walked down the aisle, I couldn’t see my husband because the antarpat was blocking our view of each other, so it kind of felt like I was modeling my outfit beneath my veil. Seeing my parents at the end of the runway made me really happy and giddy.
The second time I walked down the aisle, I could see my husband and that’s when I was like, ‘I can’t believe this day is finally here, I’m getting married to the man of my dreams!”
Our wedding colors were all the traditional warm colors – red, orange, yellow and green. We had a gold mandap with several floral arrangements that were mixed with warm colors and several rose petals with candles along the side of the aisle way and few arches for the entrance of the venue and the mandap.
Did you arrange matching outfits for your bridal party?
Yes, we wanted to do a South Indian flare so we bought silk sarees for all my bridesmaids. It was kind of hard to find so many similar outfits, but after browsing several store in India, I was able to find the perfect fit. They weren’t identical, but the colors were the same. I had all of my bridesmaids give me one of their blouses so that I could have my tailor stitch their blouses accordingly. Sid bought all the groomsmen Indian kurtas and matching scarves to accent their outfits. The bridal party looked amazing and colorful!
We first met at a garba! At the time, he and I were involved in culture shows within our community and we needed more guy participation for our dance. He and some of his friends joined our dance and since we were both tall, we ended up paired with each other. We were together for over ten years before we got married.
Our Wedding Professionals Team
Make up and hair by: Khyati Tanna /Shear Artistry
Makeup and hair for friends and family: Elyse Iwashika/EMI Artistry
Henna: Nadia Ali/Henna Dil Se
Photography: Greycard Photography
Cinematography: Impressive Creations
Event Coordinator: Shilpa Patel Events
Decor: Deepti Chandani/Deeptis Floral and Mandaps
Cake by: The Cake Korner
DJ/lighting: Dhamaka Entertainment (Sangeet) and 3D Sounds
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