{About Priyanka and Anuj}
Priyanka and Anuj replaced a garba/sangeet with a fun cocktail party at a lovely Italian restaurant that they rented out. It was all Western attire and a nice way to add a Western flare to the wedding. Priyanka left all of the wedding shopping up to her mom, sister, and her cousin. We caught up with Priyanka – see more details inside!
{Selecting the Venue}
We knew we wanted to get married in Orange County. We looked closely at two different venues and ultimately decided on the Hilton as we really liked the entrance and that they had two different large ballrooms. We were able to use the Catalina Ballroom for the ceremony and the Pacific Ballroom for the reception. Both have huge capacities and are great for South Asian weddings. It was nice not having to use the same room for both events. We could have done the ceremony outdoors but we knew it was going to be a really hot day and didn’t want everyone to be uncomfortable. We also liked that having a fire indoors for the ceremony was not a problem and they didn’t charge us extra for it.
Learn more about Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa and other venues on ShaadiShop.
{Unique Wedding Events}
We started off the major celebrations with a cocktail party on Thursday night for about 100 people at Luna Rossa Italian Restaurant at the District in Tustin. It was all Western attire and had a live string band.
The next day, Friday we organized a welcome dinner for both of our families at Acapulco Mexican Restaurant.
The wedding and reception were at the Hilton. Since our wedding started at 1pm, we served lunch before the baraat. So our guests arrived, enjoyed lunch and were ready to kick off the baraat.
{The Baraat}
{Our Clothes}
I didn’t do my own wedding shopping. My mom, sister and cousin went to India and did all of my shopping for me. My sister has great taste so I wasn’t worried. However we started getting a bit nervous as they went to Ahmedabad, Bombay, Calcutta, and Delhi within a two week period…and didn’t like anything. They ended up getting both of my outfits made in Delhi instead of buying something ready-made. Luckily the lehengas arrived with just the right amount of time to get the necessary alterations made. That same designer made Anuj’s sherwani and it came out fine. While it was all an ordeal, it was pretty cool to wear bespoke lehengas designed by my sister.
{Wedding Party Clothes}
All of the wedding party clothes were made by the same company that made our outfits. My sister literally drew sketches of what we wanted and that’s how we got everything made.
{Mehndi+Hair+Makeup}
I got my hair, makeup done by Lulu from Dolled Up By Lulu. My mehndi and draping were by Nisha Amin.
Mehndi – Rajasthani style, not too dense, up to my forearms and a little passed shins.
Ceremony and Reception Hair – updo for both
Makeup – I wanted a bridal look that wasn’t cakey. I had about 3 hours in between the wedding and reception, so I had a totally different look for the reception.
{Ceremony Traditions}
{Reception Decor}
{More Photos}
{Our Wedding Professionals Team}
Keith Tucker from Ocho Rios Catering
Jay Bharat and Manohar’s Delhi Palace
Raj, Sound Nation LA
Dolled up by Lulu
Hair/Makeup
Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa
Wedding Planner: Bridal and Event Lounge
Nisha Amin from Stylish Brows N’ Beauty by Nisha (mehndi + draping)
Congratulations Priyanka and Anuj!
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