{Hinna + Shakeel}
Last year we brought you Hinna and Shakeel’s engagement ceremony. Now they’re happily married and we caught up with the beautiful bride to hear all about their wedding week!
{Venue Selection & Decor}
We worked with ShaadiShop
We worked with Samta at ShaadiShop to find our venues. With a 4 day long wedding, we had a lot of research to do and they made the entire process SO much easier. She explained the various types of venues, fees, policies and got quotes for us.
My mayoun was held at home so that was easy. Shak’s pithi was held at Amaya Restaurant in Buena Park which has a big banquet and was close to the majority of their friends and family.
The mehndi was held at the Long Beach Marriott. Their catering manager, Daisy, was great! She and the rest of the staff were VERY familiar with South Asian weddings, Muslim weddings and events and that made things very easy!
Our nikkah and reception were at the Westin LAX. They were very accommodating with our needs and requests. The baraat was our biggest concern but ended not being an issue at all. We had a horse and about 130 people in the baraat so that was definitely important that they would allow that.
We love that the ShaadiShop website already has all that info!
Our walima was held at the Brea Art Garden. We definitely wanted one of our events to be outdoors and I love that we found this venue for it! They were able to accommodate everyone outside in the garden for the ceremony and the banquet room for dining and dessert.
{Venue Decor}
Mehndi: Street Food Stalls!
Colors: Turquoise and orange. We had an array of street food that looked like you were in a desi market. We had a few round tables and chairs but the majority of our seating consisted of benches and cushions. We wanted to have an open, lounge type environment.
Ceremony and Reception Photo Booth!
Colors: Blush and Gold. Photo booths are a great way to get your guests involved and they’re always so fun!
Walima: Ice Cream Sundae Station!
Colors: Light Pink/Gray. Fortunately for us, Shak’s family owns a Baskin-Robbins so it was very easy to arrange!
{Clothes + Jewelry + Mehndi}
Mehndi – orange and turquoise; braided hair, simple makeup
Ceremony/Reception – maroon and gold, dark red lipstick and a cut crease eye. Hair in an updo.
Walima – since it was during the day and outdoors, I wanted a light, “princess-y” type of look. My outfit was mint green so my eyes matched and I went with a pink lip color and my hair half up, half down.
ProTip: Use your engagement as a trial with a makeup artist. I worked with Amana for my engagement and instantly felt a connection with her. I trusted her completely to give me looks that I felt comfortable with for my wedding week.
{Memorable Moments}
Favorite Event: the mehndi! I loved the way everything turned out-décor, outfits, food, and dance performances.
The first look was definitely nerve-wrecking. Just the walk to Shak gave me so many butterflies and the photo/video team told me that he was nervous beforehand as well!
Speeches from our siblings and friends at the reception that definitely made Shak and I emotional.
The actual ceremony! I mean that was the reason we were all there, right?
{I’m a Bride!}
When I saw myself in the mirror after I was done getting ready for the wedding, I felt like a princess. I don’t normally wear a lot of makeup so I definitely thought I looked different. I loved every minute of it though. I couldn’t believe I was a bride!
{Hello Beautiful!}
I spent the whole day getting ready and was completely calm the whole time, but my heart raced as I walked up to Shak for our 1st look. I instantly was so nervous! He turned around and said “hello beautiful!”
{Rukhsati}
My in-laws and the entire family were waiting outside by the car and we walked out with my family. I didn’t get emotional until about it till I hugged my mom…then the tears started rolling.
{Laughter is a Must!}
During the nikkah, when the Imam asked Shak if he allowed him to perform the nikkah, instead of just saying “yes”, Shak said “kabul hai, kabul hai” so that made everyone laugh.
ProTip: Always smile. As the bride or groom, cameras are constantly going to be on you. No matter what, even if you are frustrated with someone, keep smiling. I’ve been telling that to all my bride friends ever since!
{Mehndi Video}
{Vendors}
{Testimonials}
Cake: Porto’s Bakery. The cake tasted amazing!
Catering: Royal Kabob. Royal Kabob has catered so many of our family events. Their customer service and quality of food is always beyond expectations.
Fashion: Mehndi-Lubna’s Collection. Walima-Aanchal Designer Gallery. Lubna was able to customize my outfit with the exact colors and style I wanted. It turned out even better than I had imagine. Aanchal went above and beyond for me. There was an issue with my original walima outfit, so I had to get a last minute backup days before the wedding. They were able to alter my outfit within just a couple of days.
DJ: Precision Sound and Lighting. Deepak was great! His song selection was great and there was never a dull moment. We also had lighting from him as well and he didn’t disappoint. I would definitely recommend using Precision.
Hair, makeup: Amana B Artistry. Easily my favorite part of the planning process. Amana did my makeup for my engagement in 2015 and there was no question in my mind about going with her again for the wedding events. I felt extremely comfortable with her from the very first time I spoke with her so I trusted her completely with all my looks.
Cinematography + Photography: Aaroneye Photography. Aaron and his team were exceptional. They answered every question we had during the planning process. A few of our events ran longer than expected and they had no problem staying as long as we needed them. And the end product of pictures and videos were beyond amazing!
Congratulations Hinna and Shakeel!
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