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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With names such as Abhishek and Rekha, the theme for their reception was a no-brainer:  Bollywood!

Rekha:
“As we started brainstorming ideas for our Bollywood night, we decided to create movie posters with us playing the leading roles. Then came the other accessories such as the red carpet, the step and repeat and the photo booth with our personalized photo book.” Read more

With the pre-wedding cruise and official engagement ceremony at Hari Om Mandir in Chicago done, it was time for Rekha and Abhishek to party Desi-style at their Sangeet!

When Abhishek and his family first visited Esplanade Lakes, they knew from the first impression that it would have to one of the venues. Esplande Lakes is nestled in a pond and the banquet hall is unique with its circular room, floor to ceiling windows, and breathtaking view. And to dress up this beautiful space, they brought in Drish Couture to work their magic!

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Who are you?
Salman Bhatti, a  professional wedding photographer who takes extra pride in photographing South Asian weddings.
salmanphotography.com
salman@salmanphotography.com
(954) 667-7770

What do you do?
I am first and foremost, a photojournalist.  My style exemplifies this.  I work to tell a tale – the story of love between two people.

Where are you based?
I am based in the sunny and culturally rich city of Fort Lauderdale, in South Florida.

When and How did you get started in the South Asian wedding industry?
I was inspired by the story-telling prowess of a young photojournalist whom I met on a trip abroad.  I took the talents of the news industry and applied those principles to telling the story of a wedding–ordinary people living extraordinary lives.

Why do you do what you do?
I want to be able to capture the emotion, the experience, and tell the story of a couple.  For them to share their story with their families, and remember their moments, forever.

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