A Royal Indian Wedding
Tell us about your love story
We met at a small party hosted by our mutual friends in 2016. After the party, I was back at home, scrolling through Facebook, and Loi was listed on my recommended friends list so I sent him a friend request. Loi sent me a message that same night, and we stayed up late chatting. Soon after, we went on our first date to see a movie and get lunch afterward. A couple of weeks later, Loi asked me to be his girlfriend by spelling it out on a dozen of Boston Kreme donuts from Dunkin.
At the beginning of our relationship, we went through some difficulties because Loi was not Indian, but after my family met him, they loved him right away. My mom talked to Loi at the end of their first meeting and said, “As long as you love and respect each other, I’m happy.”
Chanda: I first realized that Loi is the one for me very early in our relationship. We spent a lot of time together and shared a lot with each other. His respect for me and my opinions and how much we clicked so fast in the first few weeks of dating made me quickly realize that he is the one.
Loi: I first realized that Chanda is the one for me after our first event together; a Diwali celebration at Chanda’s college. She was and still is so caring and supportive of me. She is independent and has a very kind heart, which made the relationship a lot more blissful.
We have been through the highs and lows that can come with any relationship, but we also complement and challenge each other in the best way to help us both grow stronger as individuals and as partners.
What was your and your partner’s vision for your big day?
Being the youngest in my family and among my family friends’ kids, I attended many big Indian weddings growing up. I always wanted that big Indian fairytale wedding with a beautiful red lehenga, flowers everywhere, and a reception where we all danced the night away.
While our Indian wedding didn’t have a specific theme, I thought about every detail. It took a little over a year to plan, and as a graphic designer, I wanted to make it a truly memorable and beautiful experience for all of our friends and family. We chose our wedding colors and flowers early on, which influenced how I designed our wedding invitations and the rest of our decorations. There were white and pink roses with blue and white hydrangeas in almost everything, including our print pieces, the décor, and even our wedding website. Even my wedding lehenga from Khajana had pink, embroidered flowers all over it.
Our Vietnamese wedding was more intimate and held at our homes, starting with Loi’s family coming to my home and performing a small ceremony. Then we all went to Loi’s home, and we completed the ceremony by praying to his ancestors for blessings. The Vietnamese ceremonies were followed by a family lunch in the backyard.
How did you decide on your venue?
We both wanted a venue that was close to home, and we envisioned having our wedding close to the water. Living in Baltimore, MD, the Baltimore Harbor felt like the best location. We toured several hotels in the area, and we fell in love with the views from the Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor. The hotel was also walking distance from the harbor itself, so we knew our photographer would take beautiful pictures on the boardwalk.
Tell us about the vision you had for your wedding - theme, overall feel, food, décor etc.
Our main goal for our weddings was to make them memorable and to highlight both of our cultures equally. This was why we decided to have both an Indian wedding and a Vietnamese wedding. Our families and many of our friends had not seen either an Indian or Vietnamese wedding before, so we wanted to make the most of every detail, while still adding touches of our personalities to every event.
When it came to catering, we wanted to ensure that every guest would enjoy the cuisine, especially since food is what everyone at a wedding remembers. We selected our caterers based on if they could create a South- and East-Asian fusion menu. Our wedding caterer, IndAroma, went above and beyond to make this happen. From Punjabi style Chole to Chicken Manchurian, they provided food that our guests loved, and we know this because our guests came to us saying that it was some of the best wedding catering they've ever had.
As I mentioned, Loi and I also wanted to add a touch of our personalities to the big day. Since we love bubble tea, we joked about having bubble tea for our guests. Then we looked into it and realized we could make it a possibility. Our friends and cousins loved this detail, and it helped us make our wedding even more unique and special.
In terms of decor, our decorator, New Era Events, listened to all of our ideas and requests and translated them into the beautiful wedding we envisioned. The colors were important to us because darker colors are considered bad luck or a bad omen in our cultures. Our decorator made sure to keep details like this a priority. Once we landed on our color palette of baby pink, baby blue, and white with gold accents, our decorator brought them through all of our florals and decorations.
What was your bridal look vision? And how did it all turn out the day of?
I knew I wanted to wear a traditional red lehenga with intricate embroidery for my bridal look. I also wanted to make sure that while the embroidery and details were beautiful, that I didn't look lost in a sea of fabric, sequins, and thread. I was not sure exactly what that would look like, but I knew I would know once I tried on the right one. After virtual consultations with some shops, I made appointments with a few because I wanted to see the different designs available. I went to Khajana first and tried on some of their bridal lehengas, and then I went to other shops to explore their collections. Nothing compared to how I felt with the lehenga I ended up selecting from Khajana. I tried on a few lehengas before and after, but as I tried on each one, I kept saying, "This doesn't feel like the one. That one from Khajana checks every box for me."
I already knew what style of jewelry and accessories I wanted beforehand, but the lehenga would influence the specific colors. The heaviness of the jewelry would have to complement the lehenga's work. Several years ago, before getting engaged, I screenshotted this bridal jewelry set from a seller on Instagram, Festive Essentials, who was not local. Of course, at the time, I didn't know that I would buy my wedding jewelry from them. However, that screenshot helped me decide which pieces I wanted: a set with a matha patti, a choker and a longer style necklace, a nath, payal, and matching earrings. I selected my lehenga and shopped around for jewelry, but I couldn't find something that felt right. I decided to reach out to Festive Essentials, and they created a set that complemented my lehenga beautifully. They even hand-customized the beading on my jewelry to perfectly match the colors I wanted. After also looking around for chooda and kaleere and not finding what I wanted, I worked with The Hand Krities (based out of India) via Instagram. Not only did they find those accessories, but they also provided so many decorative and accessorizing elements for our big day.
It may sound like a cliche, but on the day of the wedding, I truly felt like a princess. After our first look by the harbor, a young girl and her mom even came up to me saying the same. Every sequin, every thread, every stitch, every stone, every bead, every color; it all turned out even better than what I could have dreamed or imagined.
Tell us about the experience of finding your dream dress at Khajana Boutique?
Working with Shaina and her team was a great experience. When figuring out how to do my bridal wear shopping, I didn't know where to start, especially during a pandemic. On top of not knowing what style I was looking for, I was concerned about how to get my shopping done while maintaining safety precautions. Shaina made the entire process feel safe and gave me the one-on-one attention I wanted every step of the way.
After having a virtual consultation and getting a glimpse of Khajana's selection, I set up an in-person appointment. I appreciated that we were the only customers in the shop, not only for the attention to my needs, but it put my mind at ease not being in a crowded shop.
Rabbia at the shop helped me try on several dresses and Shaina saw to making all of my desired customizations come to life in the dress I chose. Their on-site personal tailor gave me a perfectly fitting dress. He also customized the blouse to change its shape to the way I wanted.
One of the main customizations I wanted was a heavier second dupatta to wear across my torso. Shaina ensured that it would match the theme of the dress without it overshadowing its beauty. Since the dupatta was being made in India, I was concerned that it would not arrive on time due to shipping delays because of the pandemic. Including the dupatta, the entire dress was complete well before I needed it. Shaina and I kept in touch over the weeks in between my appointments and she made every effort to make sure I would get everything I needed in time.
When I came to pick up my dress, the blouse was slightly tight at first. Since I was coming to the shop from out of state, I was worried that I wouldn't take it home that day. It would be difficult for me to come to the shop again before my wedding, but I was reassured when their on-site tailor fixed it on the same day.
Overall, I had an amazing experience with Khajana. They made my vision of my wedding lehenga come to life. I couldn't be more grateful to them!
Vendor Credits:
Chanda's Lehenga: @khajanaboutique
Loi's Sherwani, Turban, & Stole: @nazranaanj
Jewelry: @festiveessentials
Chooda, Kaleere & Custom Latkans: @the_hand_krities
Custom Hanger: brideandbow on Etsy
HMUA: @resalonspa @sunuwarresu
Mehndi: @blushingandbeautiful
Décor & Jai Mala: @neweraevents_
Photo/Video: @mornistudio
Planner: @events_by_c
Catering: @indaroma
DJ: @dynasty_ave @dj_vicious
Baraat Horse: @carriagesofthecapital
Venue: @hyattbaltimore
