“My name is Neetu and I’m getting married in August (yay!). I live abroad and there’s a very limited selection for clothing. I don’t know when or if I’ll be able to travel to do my wedding shopping so it’s really scaring me that I’m going to get stuck in something…ugly (haha) or at least something I don’t love. So, I’ve been considering online shopping and I was just wondering if you’ve ever heard of Benzer World? The clothes look lovely online but you never know! If you know anything or have any other site suggestions, I’d really appreciate it!”

“Thanks so much and this goes without saying but I LOVE The Sari-Clad Bride—definitely a part of my daily routine…twice on Fridays.”

Hi Neetu,
First of all, congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Online shopping used to be a very scary thing but nowadays a lot of brides are depending on online stores with good reputations for their wedding needs! Here are some quick thoughts on our favorite (including Benzer World!) e-commerce wedding shops that ship world-wide.

BARGELLO
Bargello is one of our favorite sites for desi fashion simply because there is so much to choose from! They have everything from lehengas to salwar kameezes to saris to groom’s sherwanis to jewelry, etc—and the best part is that they have tons of color and style options! Bargello has customer reps all over the world including New York, Australia, U.K, etc. If you’re looking for North Indian, Punjabi, and Pakistani bridalwear, Bargello will definitely meet your needs. The website recommends ordering bridal items 25-50 days before your wedding event.

BENZER WORLD
Ahh, Benzer World—how we swoon over you. One of the oldest brands in India, their quality is pretty much guaranteed. Benzer World’s bridal collections are eagerly anticipated by the South Asian fashion world and they always produce outstanding designs every season. We would definitely recommend shopping here (If the price points meet your budget), since its street-store to online store reputation precedes itself!

ART KARAT
Our absolutely favorite place to oogle at bridal jewelry online. We recently got their catalogue via snail mail and wanted every.single.damn.piece. Kundans, pearls, emeralds, antique gold—you name it. They ship worldwide and offer a 100% money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied within the first 30 days of your purchase. Check out their bridal studio and don’t forget to sign up for their catalog for bridal look inspiration!

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Red and gold are classic South Asian wedding colors, but can be tricky to pull off sometimes. Sonia Sharma Events put the right touches on every single detail and created a sophisticated decor palette made of rich crimsons, light golds, bronzes, and off-white flourishes. Plush velvet pillows adorned a gold sofa for Sonia and Deepak. Centerpieces made from classic blood-red roses and and bronze draping transformed the Langam Hotel in Pasadena into a reception hall fit for Indian royalty!

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Who are you?
Nausheen Khurram
Laaj Studios
914-843-5375

What do you do?
I am passionate about capturing the ‘moments’ and small details of a couple’s once-in-a-lifetime event.

Where are you based?
I’m based in New York but will travel anywhere my camera takes me.

When and How did you get started in the South Asian wedding industry?
As far as I can remember, I was always behind the lens. It was a hobby since my teen years but the idea of becoming a professional photographer didn’t occur to me until 7 years ago. That was when I started searching for a photographer for my own wedding. It was a very frustrating experience as I searched for a South Asian photographer who had the ‘eye’ to capture the emotions, moments, and detail of a wedding. Because as a bride you tend to fuss about every little detail when planning your big day and I wanted those details to be captured. I was shocked to see that there were literally a handful photographers who fit this criteria and either they were booked or only catered to high end weddings. That is when I considered of offering what I thought was desperately needed in the South Asian wedding industry, a female photographer who fusses about capturing the small details of the day as much as the bride!

In 2005, I launched ‘Laaj Studios’ when a friend agreed to let me shoot her wedding. The outcome was greatly appreciated by everyone and with the help and encouragement of my husband, who is also a photographer, I decided to invest time and money to improve the technical side of photography. In these past 6 years of being in the industry, Laaj Studios have also added Wedding Cinematography and DJ services for our clients.

Why do you do what you do?
I am obsessed with creating images that tell a ‘story’.

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Earlier today, we showcased a fantastically adorable couple—Neha and Michael and their beautiful wedding portraits at the Vinoy Renaissance in St. Petersburg. Carrie from Simply Blue Studios also shared with us some wonderful images of their reception hall decor. Neha worked with her decorator, Pinky of Nikun Events, to create a theme that consisted of all shades of pink and purple against a white backdrop. We love how tastefully the decor was done with carefully selected florals and centerpieces with just the right amount of pizazz for the stage.

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Who are you?
Rani by Neha Mahajan
ranibymahajan.com
facebook.com/ranibynehamahajan
twitter.com/ranibyneha
+91 9953684649
BB pin: 22475ED9

What do you do?
Rani is a solution for South Asians based abroad who want the most up-to-date styles straight from the capital of India. Our services allow those people living abroad the ability to buy traditional items and the latest fashions from New Delhi without being overwhelmed by coming to an unfamiliar city or even leaving the comfort of their own home. Rani specializes in all wedding related shopping consultation such as bridal outfits, bridal party outfits, bridal accessories, trousseau & gift packaging, jewelry, invitations, favors, puja supplies and MORE! We offer private consultations in Delhi, web conferences, teleconferences, and shopping escort services. We have a variety of packages to offer our clients that range from consultation services to plan a shopping itinerary, various packages for shopping escort services, and personal shopping services where we do the shopping for you.

Our team will create a personalized customer profile to understand the requirements and will ensure all items are completed on time and hassle free. Our team is known for their innovation and intuitive understanding of their clients

Where are you based?
Our office is in South Delhi, India. However, the unique aspect about our company is that we can do the shopping for you and have it sent to you anywhere in the world if you can’t come to India yourself.

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By Sreesha Vaman, co-founder of Sari Closet

In high school, 16 years ago, I spent a summer as a hockey camp counselor.  One of my campers was a six-year-old Chinese-American whirlwind-on-skates named Sean. One day, one of the Caucasian-American dads came up to me and asked about how Sean was doing. I thought it was very rude that he was asking me about another camper, and told him as much.

Turns out he was Sean’s father.

Waiter, may I please have some pepper with that foot?

Interracial couples are fast becoming commonplace here in America, as the melting pot of cultures integrates even further.  According to the Pew Research Center, 14.6% of all new marriages are of interracial couples – a rate that has doubled since 1980. Further, over 60% of people surveyed by Pew said that they would approve of a family member who wanted to marry someone outside of their race. At Sari Closet, the online sari rental service that I co-founded earlier this year, we are seeing similar trends amongst our customers.  And as more South Asians marry more non-South Asians, the demand for blended cultural experiences has grown exponentially.

But what is the best way to hold an interracial wedding? One way is to cheat, like I did: we held separate events for my (Muslim) wife’s community and my (Hindu) community. But the last event was really not fun, which is the “writing of costly cheques” ceremony.

Interracial weddings — like interracial marriages — are most successful when both cultures are equally represented.  The best man at my wedding, who was from Germany, married a lovely woman from Japan. Not only did both cultures get well represented in the decorations and food, but both fathers downed ceremonial pints of a blend of Loewenbraeu and Kirin Ichiban.

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Who are you?
Sari Closet
saricloset.com
facebook.com/saricloset
twitter.com/saricloset
1.310.987.7219

Our goal is to connect South Asians in America, and their non-South Asian friends, with our culture and heritage through fashion. We provide everyone with the opportunity to wear that fabulous Bollywood look at weddings, festivals, cultural celebrations, and formal social events. At Sari Closet, customers can borrow gorgeous saris, buy all of the right accessories and jewelry, and design the perfect look for themselves. And if they need advice or guidance, our sari experts, who we call “saristas”, are ready to help.

We prefer the term “borrow” because we strive to retain the culture of borrowing a sari from friends and family. Put another way, we want our customers to think of borrowing from Sari Closet as if they are borrowing from a friend–one with an extensive wardrobe.

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