How we Met
This story begins on a warm fall day.  My best friend, Dina, and a mutual family friend thought it would be a great idea to set Abheeshek and myself up together.  Dina consistently bugged me to call him, but me being a bit old-fashioned, I decided to wait on Abhee to call.  He finally called, and we talked everyday for about a month, at which point we decided it was time to meet each other.  Like the gentleman that Abhee is, he offered to come visit me in Jackson Mississippi.  I will never forget that weekend, he came down those escalators and my first words were “Don’t look at me”. I said it with the biggest smile on my face.  It was at that moment, we knew we were going to live the rest of our lives together.

Wedding Planning
Abhee and I had both discussed a cruise/ destination wedding because it was something my parents wanted.  Abhee and his family agreed and the process began!  We searched many options from resorts to cruises to even Disney!  After searching and figuring prices, our best choice was a cruise.

Wedding Invitations I have some very artistic sisters, Jigna and Tina, who both volunteered to do the designs of the invites.  My sisters spent a lot of time individually tying each invite together.

Wedding Outfit
I went to a local boutique store in Atlanta called Raneez Boutique. Rani who runs the boutique won me over with all the amazing designs she had and her enthusiasm towards bridal wear. She showed a passion for what she did and knew exactly how to make my perfect wedding outfit. Blue is one of my favorite colors, and I turned away from the traditional red, green, and white colors. By the end of the day, she had it all figured out and was also shooting out the idea to make Abhee’s outfit to match mine. After some thought, we all agreed that it would flow well and she quickly gave us an idea of what his outfit would be like. Rani took care of all the accessories for me from my necklace and earrings to my bangles and hand bracelets as well as my matching chunari.

The Cruise
After we chose the cruise option, we had to pick a destination of port and from there we chose the cruise line. The best option was Royal Caribbean – Grandeur of the Seas. It set sail on December 17, 2009 and went to Cozumel, Mexico and returned back to Tampa on December 21, 2009. We got the chance to actually go to Baltimore and check out the actual cruise boat and see the locations where each event would take place on board. It was amazing! We got to speak with the chefs and other coordinators on board who helped out with the planning process.

The Flowers
The cruise line had a limited selection of flowers, so we decided to make a bouquet using silk flowers. My favorite flower is a calla lily. So that was the main flower theme for the wedding. The grooms’ side had calla lily boutonnieres. My main bouquet, along with Abhee’s bouquet, and the “bridesmaids” were all created by my best friend Dina.

The Colors
The main color theme was gold and turquoise blue. The mandap, done by Mandap World Atlanta, matched perfectly with our setting. It was definitely a last minute decision but a great one made by Abhee and his mom! His mom and my sister did an amazing job picking out the stage décor for the pre-wedding ceremony, the wedding, and reception. Vasu Govan (Mandap World) was gracious enough to accommodate us on board the ship and join in on our celebration!

The Photographers (saving the best for last)
Ever since I saw my cousins wedding album, I knew I wanted mine to be just as amazing! As my best friend and wingman in life, Dina, went straight to work helping me find the perfect photographer! I visited many photographers websites but fell in love with Shandro Photography immediately! Abhee and I looked over their portfolio along with other albums they had and saw the amazing experience they had with Indian weddings. It was definitely a plus for us! We talked over the phone with Haley and Michael and they made it possible in no time! We continued to talk with them over the year and they even went to check out Cozumel while down in Cancun! They had the perfect plan and setting for us.

The do-it-all-girl
I have to say Thank you much to Dina, who was there to pick up every loose end I had and that she did! She helped from day one with the photographer, actually doing my hair for the wedding, as well as the flowers. The most amazing thing she did was a cake topper custom painted to be a replica of Abhee and me. It somehow got lost in the process of moving many boxes but it definitely was a great addition to the wedding!

The Wedding
It was a great success for us all! Everyone enjoyed the venue of choice and the included vacation that we all had as well!!! We definitely loved the outcome and would definitely recommend this for any couple who wants to get away and simply just have fun with family and friends! We all bonded and got to spend time actually enjoying the wedding and cutting out half the work of a typical Indian wedding (preparing food)!!

Thanks
A lot of thanks go out to our family and friends for organizing most of the arrangements! They did a great job of putting it all together! Special thanks go to our parents, for without them we would be nothing.

Photographs Courtesy:
Shandro Photo, www.shandrophoto.com. To view the latest weddings by Shandro Photo, check their blog at blog.shandrophoto.com.