Shanti + Naveen’s Four Day Wedding Celebration at The Westin
Tell us about you and Naveen.
Naveen and I were both born and raised in Ohio. I am from Toledo and Naveen is from Cincinnati. Naveen is a very honest and moral person — one time we were eating at a restaurant and he noticed they didn’t charge us for the pop we ordered and he quickly brought it to the waitress' attention. It was a pop!!!. He is very funny — I don’t know how he does it but he manages to always make me laugh even in times when I am so angry with him or I am just sad. I love that quality about him. He is a very caring and warm hearted person. Loves his nieces and nephew and I know he is looking forward to being a father himself. I would say I am a type A personality, very organized and like to plan ahead and like to be at certain events like 30 minutes before. Naveen helps to balance me out and helps me to enjoy the moments and be in the present.
How did you approach wedding planning? What resources did you use to create your vision?
The wedding planning in the beginning seemed so large and scary. I had no idea what to do. I knew I needed to get a wedding planner immediately. I did use Pinterest a lot for ideas and styles I liked. I had to design the Mandap so Pinterest was very helpful. I also used instagram to look at various Indian designers to get a sense of the type of reception dress I wanted.
What song did you choose for your first dance?
We chose Ed Sheeran— Thinking Out Loud. It was a song from the time we started dating that made me think of Naveen. Every time I heard that song it just felt like it was us. Plus I love that song.
Tell us about the proposal.
We had talked about getting married so it was not a shock that we would get engaged but I had no clue the day of the proposal. We started the day in Dayton visiting family but had to get back to Columbus because Naveen had said one of his friends was playing in a band. We were getting ready to go out and I could tell Naveen was acting weird. He was walking around our room a lot and needing the fan on high (mind you it is in February). When I got out of the bathroom he laid out a birthday gift for me (my birthday was the following weekend) and stated that it was the beginning of my birthday week. I opened the present and it was a Tory Burch purse. I opened the purse and inside was a box and I looked up and Naveen was down on one knee.
I remember feeling that oh my god this is that moment, that moment that changes your life forever. He asked me and I said yes and we were both crying. Then he told me he has asked my dad and then I cried more. He said that this was just the beginning and he had the whole night planned. First, we were meeting friends for drinks down the street so I got myself together and we went to our favorite wine bar. When we got there our best friends from Toledo, New York, Dayton and Cincinnati were there. He even had my brothers there, one of which lives in Arkansas. It was such a sweet and emotional surprise. It was absolutely perfect, a private proposal for just us followed by a celebration with my closest friends and family.
What was your favorite detail?
My favorite detail was definitely the wedding program. I saw an idea of the program on Pinterest when I first started the wedding planning. I knew it would be something difficult/tricky to do but if done it would be amazing. I met with Kristen and told her my vision and she made it happen. All of our guests loved the program because they could follow along during our Hindu ceremony.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Our honeymoon was in Hawaii. I had never been there and because our wedding was in the winter we wanted to go somewhere warm. We enjoyed our week trip with daily activities ending each day by watching the sunsets.
CREATIVE PARTNERS
Shanti's Dresses: Manish Malhotra - reception dress, Wedding Sari from India, other dresses from Pinky Chopra from a Boutique in NYC | Flowers: Beth Lauter with Glendale Florists |Event Planner: Donna Murphy with Westin of Cincinnati | Wedding Planner: Nidhi Bedi with Brides Mafia |Cake: A Spoon Fulla Sugar | Sweets: Assortment of sweets sent from India | Venue: Westin of Cincinnati | Hair: Heidi Rogers with I do UpDo | Makeup: Summer Mazion with A Touch of Summer Makeup Artistry | Photography: Michael Bambino
After months of planning and anticipation, the sentiment we hear over and over from our couples is they wish their wedding festivities had lasted longer. The time spent with the people you love most in the world gathered to celebrate one of the most important days of your life seems to be over before anyone has time to really relish the experience. Shanti + Naveen’s traditional Indian wedding celebration spanned four days atThe Westin in downtown Cincinnati.After four days of parties and rituals the hotel filled with their most dear family and friends felt a little like home.
Another benefit of four days of celebrating? Four days to dress to the nines! During the Mehndi ceremony Shanti received beautiful, complex henna designs on her hands and feet symbolizing blessings, protection, spiritual awakening and offering. Under the Mandap, the four canopy structure under which Shanti + Naveen sealed their union and received blessings, Shanti looked incredible in her elaborately embroidered red, orange and gold sari - red symbolizing success and prosperity. Shanti's reception dress (her favorite!) was custom designed - note the designer’s sketch below - embroidered ball gown in white, gold and silver.
At the heart of it all, and of course what makes every wedding more than the sum of its many gorgeous parts is the blissful atmosphere created when loved ones gather to share joy, love and to wish all the happiness in the world to two people who have vowed to love each other eternally. The love and devotion Shanti + Naveen have for each other comes through every photo and word written. We are so honored to have played a small part in their celebration.
The celebrations were captured by Michael Bambino Photography.
What's your style?
Casual vs. Formal: Casual
Vintage vs. Modern: Modern
Chocolate vs. Vanilla: Chocolate
Roses vs. Peonies: Peonies
Beach House vs. Cabin in the Woods: Beach house
Diamonds vs. Pearls: Diamonds
Pie vs. Cake: Pie
Feather vs. Fern: Feather
Fall vs. Summer: Fall
Lipstick vs. Lip Gloss: Lip gloss
How did you and Naveen meet? What was your first impression of him? What was his first impression of you?
Ahhh we met on Match: I saw Naveen's profile and winked at him and then he emailed me. We exchanged a few emails and then exchanged numbers. We texted constantly for two weeks, finally we met at the Pearl Restaurant in Columbus: When he first saw me he told me “wow you're cute”. We sat for dinner for three hours and I remember thinking “wow he is really nervous even after three hours of dining”. And then one year later we were engaged and at that time I felt like I knew him my whole life!
Describe your wedding day. Is there a particular moment that remains in your memory most vividly?
Our wedding was four days! We had a Mehndi on Thursday, making of a bride function Friday morning followed by a dress rehearsal on Friday evening. The wedding and reception was on Saturday followed by brunch on Sunday. At the beginning it felt like a marathon and I was trying to pace my energy level through it. What l loved most about our wedding was that we did it all in The Westin. Once we all got there on Thursday it was like our home until Sunday. My whole family was all on one floor so it was fun to have everyone so close and it made the wedding more exciting. It was also the first time that my family and Naveen's got to spend time together. I loved how both sides interacted so well and made lasting bonds that went beyond our wedding.
Tell us about finding your dress.
We had a traditional Indian wedding that involved multiple events requiring multiple dresses. Luckily my aunts went to India and were able to help me find my wedding sari. They would FaceTime me around 5 am every day to show me different wedding saris. I ultimately picked my wedding sari via FaceTime with the help of my aunts in India! My favorite dress from the wedding was the reception dress. I knew I wanted something big and different. I went to New York and found a boutique that was selling Indian bridal wear.
I found a Manish Malhotra dress but wanted it in a different color and in ball gown style vs a two piece outfit we call a Lengha. The owner of the shop worked with a tailor in India who made the dress I was envisioning to come to life! This dress required almost monthly trips to New York in the months leading up to the wedding.
