I love a big wedding that has an intimate touch. Ragini and Moki had their Big Fat Indian wedding with dancing dads, games, and Michael Jackson (you’ll have to read below for more on that).
Rani by Mahajan was Ragini’s stylist and matched her outfits immaculately. For a touch of pop, she chose a magenta and navy blue wedding lengha with beaded embroidery. For the reception, she wore a soft green and peach blush lengha with silver detailing.
My favorite part of their wedding is Moki entering the reception hall on a rickshaw bicycle! How cute is this?!
Ragini shares more about her Hindu wedding in New Jersey.
Tell us about the wedding!
Neither of us likes the spotlight, so initially we wanted a small wedding. But I am the only girl, and Moki is the youngest, so our families wanted to really celebrate.
We decided to have a Big Fat Indian Wedding, but really made sure to add personal touches so it felt intimate and special to us. We wanted our friends to feel special, which can be hard to accomplish at a large wedding. We made welcome boxes for them with our favorite Sunday Brunch items and recipes, and Moki and I wrote letters to each one. They still talk about it!
What was the inspiration for your wedding?
I pulled looks from tons of magazines before my initial meeting with Elegant Affairs. I thought I wanted an all white color scheme but when I saw the arrangements put together, it felt more stark versus soft and romantic. I decided to add blush as an accent color and everything came together. I wanted a romantic, elegant, and glamorous feeling.
I found that pulling pictures that only matched the feeling I wanted helped a lot. There were a lot of pictures I liked, but when I asked myself if it felt romantic, elegant, or glamorous, I could very easily narrow things down.
What was the hardest part about wedding planning?
As a kid, Moki loved Michael Jackson, and made all of these music videos to his songs. He had shown me a video of him at 10 years old dancing to “Beat It” and I just thought it was the cutest thing in the world.
I wanted everyone to get an idea of what a creative and fun-loving person he is, so I decided to show the video at the wedding. Keeping it a secret for months was the hardest part! But I pulled it off without a hitch, and everyone loved it. There’s a picture of him during the reception when he sees the video, and you can just tell he’s shocked.
Did you do any DIY (do it yourself) or special projects at the wedding?
We created our own website and save the date. It was really nice to have elements that reflected our personal style and creativity. We worked together on the projects, and it was really fun to tell people we did it ourselves! All the credit really goes to my unbelievably creative and tech savvy husband, but it was fun to play “creative director.”
What was your favorite part of the wedding?
My dad had been saving a special bottle of wine for my wedding. After dinner, we somehow got both families together, and made a toast. It was a beautiful moment in the middle of the wedding that we all got to share, and it seemed like everything just stopped. We all got to talk about how amazing the night was and enjoy a moment together. People always say the day flies by, but having moments like that really let us stop and take it all in.
I wore a piece of jewelry from each of my grandmother’s. My tikka was my Dadima’s and my armband is my Nanima’s and even has her name on it. It made the ceremony so special, thinking of them wearing the same jewelry when they were brides.
What 3 words of advice do you have for future brides/grooms-to-be?
Reflect: As yourselves what makes your relationship special and what is most important to you as a couple. There are tons of decisions to make during planning, and it really helps to know your priorities and non-negotiables ahead of time.
Prioritize: There are a lot of people involved in a Big Fat Indian Wedding! Its natural to want to make everyone happy, but its important not to lose what is important to you in the process. Moki and I made a list of things we were not willing to compromise.
Creating an intimate atmosphere was really important to us, and even though we had a big wedding, we found ways to accomplish it from the first look, letters to friends, and splurging on extra hours for photography and videography.
Relax: You can’t control everything. It was really hard to let go and delegate. But I found vendors I trusted and spent the time to explain what was important to us. By the end, they were able to make judgement calls without me getting involved.
Thank you so much Ragini for sharing your wedding with us!
{Indian Wedding Vendors}
Shopping: Neha Mahajan, Rani by Neha Mahajan // Photography: Salwa Photography // Decor: Elegant Affairs // Event Coordinator: Rashi Shyam, Event Nirvana // Make up: Karuna Chani, KC Makeup
