I'm Going to Miami

After about a year of planning. I am sitting at JFK waiting to board my flight to Miami for Deepka Chattaram and Suraj Sani's wedding. It will be one of the most exciting we have done to date. The venues are going to be gorgeous and I cannot wait for all the festivities to begin. We have a team of 7 going down there and by far, it is one of the most complicated yet fun events we are doing. I am also very excited about working with THE David Tutera who is a hugh mentor for me.

Divya and Dan ... The Phoenician Resort

I just got home from Divya and Dan's wedding weekend in Phoenix. It was so wonderful to be in Valley of the Sun and out of the snow that come down in NYC. The weekend was perfect... full of great food, wonderful guests and a staff at the Phoenician that made us feel like family! Divya and Dan tied the knot this weekend in grand style. The couple lives in Boston, the parents of the groom live in Phoenix, the parents of the bride live in California.. and of course, us from NYC... what a combo! After about 8 months of planning over countless emails, phone calls and two trips to Phoenix.. the weekend was over too soon. Enjoy the photos of our staff, Camelback Mountain, the landscape at the Phoenician and the beautiful wedding! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day, Divya and Dan!





 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Our staff at rehearsal

 
 

 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Loved Seeing Santa!

 

Congrats to Lilly and John

I recently helped a very dear friend (and vendor of ours), Lilly Rivera, from BridalGal plan her wedding. I was so happy to also attend this event. Lilly and I have worked togeher on about 30 or so brides over the past 5 years. She is such a dear friend and I was so elated to see her get married. My staff and I were also thrilled to plan a 60 person, American Wedding, vs. our normal 300 person Indian Wedding. It was fun and best of all, a total joy to be able to attend this event!

Lilly and John have waited such a long time to find each other that it goes to show you, love can happen at any age.
The are perfect together and it was such an emotional night when they exchanged vows.

Their location was the quint, The Wedding Cafe on 38th Street between Madison and Fifth Ave.
The caterer was San Dominico Events who helped us tremendously to plan. The food was amazing and so many vegetarian options!
Bridalgal Staff, did Lilly's hair and makeup.
Photographer friend of ours Irina Skaya, from Urbane Designs was the photographer.
Our good friends at Lifestream Video, Johnny, did the video.
And best of all, I want to thank our friends at Dj Raj Entertainment for the awesome music that kept the dance floor packed!

It was a great time and here are some photos from rehearsal (Thank you, Judy, for filling in as a bridesmaids):

 
 

And then the wedding:

Touching Article

I read some inserts into the LPS Newsletter. It was really touching. The article was about... What is a Daughter to a Father? What is a Daughter to a Mother?

I think something like this is so personal and nice to put in an invitation where the parents are doing the inviting to the wedding..

Read On:

"A Daughter is the happy memoirs of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future"

"Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a Father to a Daughter. In love to our Wives, there is desire; to our Dons, ambition; but to our Daughters there is something which there are no words to express".

"A Daughter is the sparkle in her father's eyes..."

"A Daughter is a gift of love"

"For a Father, a Daughter is a gift that keeps giving back even when she is gone"

"To a mother, a daughter is truly a part of herself reborn living a new life, a daughter represents the values a mother has embedded her with, she is a mother's best friend always sharing her sorrows and happiness, to a father she is 'the apple of his eye' she is 'that girl' the father loves unconditionally..."

"To a Mother, a Daughter is an Angel, The most precious Gift from God... You got a best friend for life; someone who understands you more than anyone. They brighten up your world in a way, no one ever would. They are the sunshine of your life."

I included this photo of one of our brides, Seema, and her mom. I love this photo as it was so sweet.

Houston Wedding- Hilton of the Americas

We just finished an incredible Indian Wedding in Houston for Rachana and Vijay. We worked with the couple and their families for almost 8 months to plan this extravaganza weekend. It was so much work but at the same time so much fun. They partied until 4am! We could not be happier for this amazing couple and we are so honored to now be planning their 2nd reception in Miami in January!

Our friends at Hakim Sons put together this incredible highlight instant edit that was shows at the reception. Thank you to all our fabulous vendors: Arden, Debra, Ajoy, Vik, Erica, Delene (who did the best decor ever), and of course, our very own, Dj Amrit! I have to thank my wonderful staff: Anna, Judy, Neeti, Jay for always making me look so good and doing such a tremendous job!

http://www.hakimsonsfilms.com/blog/rachana-vijay-instant-edit/

Tips to Improve Your Wedding Video – South Asian Style

Our good friends at Celeste Studios wanted us to share these tips for our brides on how to improve the video:

10 Tips to Improve Your Wedding Video – South Asian Style
©Celeste Studios

Celeste Studios shoots approximately 50 South Asian wedding films each year, which now constitutes the majority of their wedding cinematography business. Here are a few tips they’ve found to help make your wedding video (and photographs) look fabulous!

1. Make sure the Mandap/staging area is free of plastic bags, paper towels and any plastic or paper goods. Put all ceremonial items in decorative containers, such as a brass cup or tray. Paper goods and plastic items can make the Mandap/staging area look cluttered.
2. Please request that your guests stand behind the official videographer and photographer when taking photos of key moments and/or to remain seated during the ceremony. Over zealous guests and even young children can easily block important shots.
3. Remove all shrink-wrap plastic from ceremonial items. Many families like to keep these items wrapped in plastic to reuse them again in the future, but camera lights and flashes can create a glare or reflection from the plastic. These things look better unwrapped.
4. Chair placement on the Mandap/staging area should always be arranged in a way that the person/people who are the center of attention are the main focus in the camera. For instance, if the bride and groom are sitting center stage, then all chairs on the sides should sit at least 18-inches away from the bride and groom and spread out so that everyone can be seen. The side chairs should be placed in a step-pattern with the chairs closet to the camera being furthest away from the bride and groom. See diagram.
5. Inform family members and officiant not to turn their backside to the camera, especially when bending over and not to stand in front of or block the camera. When bending over, make sure the camera has your side profile.
6. When using uplighting on the Mandap/staging area, be sure to sit at least three feet away from the colored lights. If you sit too close to the lights, your skin-tone will take-on the color of the lights.
7. You can help the videographer/photographer by asking the manager/decorator not to turn the house lights off or down too low, other than that let the videographer/photographer control their own lighting. For example, against our advice, we once had a bride ask the DJ for a high intensity spotlight to follow her during the procession. This type of light has a blue temperature to it that will make the skin-tone look unhealthy and make the image too bright. Most videographers use a low wattage camera light and can control how much light they need through the camera’s controls.
8. An outdoor wedding will look much better if it can be set up so that the bride and groom, as well as the guests are not in full direct sunlight. Shady areas or canopies work best.
9. If you are planning a performance, a unique dance or anything special let the videographer/photographer know about it in advance.
10. Try not to react to the presence of the camera, especially turning away, as this renders the footage unusable. When in doubt whether to look at the photographer or videographer, always look at your photographer unless he/she tells you otherwise.

Cake Cutting Songs

Helpful suggestions from our staff:

Cake Cutting Songs:
1234 Plain White T's
A Little More Skillet
A Wink and A Smile Harry Connick Jr.
Ain't That a Kick in the Head Dean Martin
All My Life Kenny Rogers
All My Life Linda Ronstadt
Be Ever Wonderful Earth, Wind and Fire
Be Our Guest Beauty and the Beast
Because You Loved Me Celine Dion
Build Me Up Buttercup The Foundations
Can't Help Falling In Love Elvis Presley
Candyman Christina Aguilera
Cups and Cakes Spinal Tap
Cut the Cake Average White Band
Cuts Like a Knife Bryan Adams
For the Longest Time Billy Joel
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) Four Tops
Happy Together Turtles
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) Marvin Gaye
The Sweetest Thing U2
Sugar, Sugar Archies

Top 20 Hip Hop Songs

We had a groom ask us to put a list together of top songs to play at the reception when the dancing starts... make sure to ask your dj to play the clean versions of all songs..I know it seems like a given but best to confirm and mention this.

Top Hip Hop/Dance Songs
Song Artist
Halo Beyonce
I Gotta Feeling Black Eyed Peas
Use Somebody Kings of Leon
Whatcha Say Jason Derulo
Hotel Room Service Pitbull
Paparazzi Lady GaGa
Mad Ne-Yo
21 Guns Green Day
Already Gone Kelly Clarkson
Boom Boom Pow Black Eyed Peas
Fire Burning Sean Kingston
Big Green Tractor Jason Aldean
Poker Face Lady GaGa
Sex on Fire Kings of Leon
Just Dance Lady GaGa
Down Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne
Party in the USA Miley Cyrus
Run This Town Jay Z, Rihanna and Kanye West
Obsessed Mariah Carey
She Wolf Shakira
Everybody Shake It Ralphi Rosario ft. Shawn Christopher
Keep It Going Louder Major Lazer ft. Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze
Right Here Carmen Reece
Don't Upset the Rhythm Noisettes
S.O.S. (Let the Music Play) Jordin Sparks
Losing My Mind Ali King
Empire State of Mind Jay Z

iPhone is the new mobile wedding planner??

Jay sent me this very interesting article he read in The NY Daily News and
by Meredith Blake ... I still don't know if this takes the place of an experienced wedding planner....



Article:


If the phrase "wedding apps" makes you think of shrimp cocktail, you have some catching up to do. As the iPhone slowly takes over the country, savvy software developers have created applications - "apps" - that run the gamut from fun to functional. Their latest target: brides-to-be.

This makes perfect sense, says Michelle Panzer of Brides magazine, because brides have their work cut out for them, especially when they're on the go. "I can't think of a better app consumer than a woman who's about to get married. Brides have a deadline and they have a purpose. It's the perfect match of a technology and a consumer who has a sense of immediacy."

That urgency has taken its toll on the bridal magazine industry. Just this past week, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride shut down, leaving editors and future brides to reconsider how - and how - quickly they will get their wedding information.

One solution is already on deck.

On Monday, Brides magazine launches its first application for the iPhone, called Brides Dressing Room.

"We wanted to introduce a fashion app into the market," says Brett Gardner, the app's designer. "This app closes the loop between the boutiques and the brides."

Dressing Room is an archive of hundreds of wedding and bridesmaid dresses, searchable through criteria such as length, silhouette, neckline and plus-size availability. Users can send images of the dress to friends (even those without iPhones) for feedback, and they also can use the app to find and make appointments with local boutiques carrying the dress, all at the proverbial touch of a button.

Brides' Dressing Room is just one of a slew of new apps cranked out for prenewlyweds. While you can't get hitched on your iPhone yet, you can practically plan everything else.

For the Type-A Bride

The mother of all bridal apps, iWedding is a digital planner that helps brides keep track of everything on their to-do list, from seating arrangements and vendor payments to ceremony timing. $7.99

For the Voyeuristic Bride

Whether you're a bride-to-be looking for inspiration, or just enjoy looking at pictures of other people's weddings, Wedding Envi is the app for you. Users can scroll through hundreds of Web-based wedding pictures, including flowers, dresses and honeymoons. The images also include original links, so if you find a dress you like, you'll know where to find it. $1.99

For the Groom

Okay, Wedding Day is not technically just for the groom, but this simple application will ensure that as long as your hubby's phone is charged, he has no excuse for forgetting your anniversary. This application counts down the exact number of days, hours and minutes until and since your big day. For globetrotters concerned about precision, it even switches time zones. 99 cents

For the Panicked Bride

Bridal Web site TheKnot.com has developed an app called Wedding911, that works as a sounding board for brides in crisis. The app includes an archive of the site's most popular "Ask Carley" advice columns, and it also lets brides post their own urgent questions and get answers from other brides. FREE

For the Bride with a Ticking Biological Clock

A fun but not all that useful app is the Babyface. After users enter a list of 21 facial traits from each parent (who knew there were so many?), this app predicts what your baby will look like, based on scientific theories of dominant and recessive traits, even providing a handy full-color images of your hypothetical offspring. A recent update allows the baby to make raspberry noises, too. It's never too early to freak out your groom! $1.99



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/weddings/2009/10/11/2009-10-11_new_downloads_are_turning_the_iphone_into_a_mobile_wedding_planner_.html#ixzz0TmVagYNn

South Asian Bridal Show

This past weekend, we did a lovely bridal show at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA. The decor was great and the brides loved the show. Regetis Photographry was kind enough to take photos...

There are some great ideas which were presented about decor, dj services, photography and I did a small presentation on hiring a wedding planner.

Go to:
www.regetisphotography.com/gallery.php?skookslocation=RitzCarlotonBridalShowOct09

Congrats to Faiza and Kamran

Since last Spring, we have been working on Faiza and Kamran's wedding weekend in New York City. It was really nice to see everything and all the planning come together. The Mehendi Event took place at beautiful Vermillion Restaurant in NYC. We paired bold, bright orange and green colors with an Indian theme inside the very white, modern restaurant. It was stunning! The next day the Wedding and Reception took place at the iconic Central Park Boathouse. The couple took my breath away when I saw them for the first time all dressed up. Faiza matched the decor with a white, lace sari. We decided to do soft creams, pinks and greens for the ceremony and reception. The large arrangements of hydrangea, roses, white Casablanca lilies and orchids sat on top of a beautiful crystal chandelier base.

The showstopper was definitely the elephant on the placecard table! The amount of photos taken of the elephant was amazing.

Faiza and Kamran make a wonderful couple and we wish them the best. Thank you for making us feel like part of your families! Wishing you both nothing but the best.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fashion Week

Loved running into supermodel Helena Christianson.
Amazing who you meet in NYC!