BFIW Blogger Week: A Dreamy Engagement – The Big Fat Indian Wedding

There are dreams and then there’s reality. Today, we ask you delve into an engagement that defies that logic with a majestic reception for our next blogger of the BLOGGER WEEK SPECTACULAR, Sharn of Desi Bride Dreams. While Annie and Zahra did Desi brides proud in the states, Sharn shines as a bride-to-be blogger over in the UK.

Who is the bride behind “Desi Bride Dreams?”

1. If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Fun, creative and ambitious!

*Have you seen this bride-to-be’s beautiful blog? Planning a wedding and running a blog on the process simultaneously is no easy task!

2. What was the inspiration for your blog?

After finding the man of my dreams, I found it really hard to find good reputable suppliers in the UK. I felt pretty overwhelmed because as you know planning and executing an Asian wedding is not easy. The numbers involved alone made me feel stupidly nervous. I was struggling for inspiration and advice. There wasn’t anywhere on the internet that provided 100% planning, advice and confidence to help plan my wedding. There were tons of wedding blogs with pretty pictures of others people’s dreamy day but how did they get there? How did they plan their wedding? What suppliers did they use?

*Valid questions indeed.

I thought to myself what if suppliers tried to rip me off (which isn’t unheard of) or what if I can’t get the high quality suppliers because I simply haven’t heard of them or I don’t know where to look? After all these crazy thoughts, the idea of Desi Bride Dreams was born. I knew I had to create something special and unique for all those beautiful brides to be so they did not feel as helpless as I initially felt. Desi Bride Dreams is a one stop blog, which showcases the best suppliers from around the country and also provides advice, guidance and planning. I provide you with oodles of inspiration, the crème de la crème of suppliers, and tons of advice and planning and anything else readers want.

Engagement Deets:

The newly engaged Darvinder and Sharn held a lavish reception for their friends and family in September of 2014. The Sikh-style engagement took place at the beautiful Blunsdon House Hotel in Wiltshire (British names sounds so elegant and regal). The reception itself had a modern vibe with accents of purple, glitz, and glamour. Sharn isn’t afraid of bringing on the bling!

3. As a wedding blogger with amazing, daily, high quality pictures, how did you choose your Engagement photographer and/or videographer?

We were very impressed with the work of the Kular Brothers. They are renowned photographers in the Midlands with over 20 years of experience. With their background in Indian weddings, we thought they would be perfect for an intimate event like ours.

4. What did shopping for your wedding entail? Did you have any absolute musts in your quest for outfits, décor, and jewelry?

I did my engagement shopping in the UK and I did have a dress in my mind before we started trying to hunt it down. I went to endless shops but I could not find anything that matched the vision in my head. I ended up going to Silon’s and finding the perfect dress as soon as I saw it. I knew instantly that it was “the one.” I’m a very unique and creative individual, so I knew my dress had to match my personality. The traditional pinks and reds weren’t going to cut it. As soon as I tried on my dress, the looks on my sister-in-law and mother-in-law confirmed that this was “the one.”

The dress suited me down to a T AND it was purple! The next thing on the list was to find the matching jewelry. Because the dress was so heavy, I opted for simple yet statement pieces of jewelry. I didn’t want a necklace so I chose earrings and a tikka. I sent a picture to my cousin in India and she got the jewelry custom made in Punjab. She brought it just in time for my engagement. It all worked out together perfectly!

5. What was your inspiration for the colors or themes in your events?

I chose purple after selecting a beautiful jewel embellished dress that had hues of purple at the base of the dress. We had stunning beautiful crystal tree centerpieces with purple roses that were placed on a mirror plate surrounded by purple rose petals. For each table we had personalized chocolates and cards thanking everyone that had joined our special celebration. We also had tasty, purple personalized cupcakes and dazzling purple bead cookies. It all came together perfectly and looked oh so beautiful!

We also used pink up lighting in the room to give the room some ambiance and the right atmosphere and it worked a treat and completely transformed the room. I cannot stress how important lighting is so make sure you think of lighting options for your big day.

*We agree! Those cookies look scrumptious!

6. Were there any distinctly cultural elements in your engagement traditions? How did you fuse these traditions with your ideas for style/decor of the engagement?

Our engagement was a mix of the Sikh chunni ceremony and kurmai– as we didn’t want these to be done on the wedding day. We knew we wanted a big engagement reception to celebrate the occasion. The decor was a big thing for me and I wanted the event to have a glam feel to it.

As you can see in the pictures, we had a gorgeous silver glitter backdrop and modern chaise to set the stage. We wanted this to be the focal point, where all of our ceremonies took place, and it really gave the venue the extra wow factor. As is tradition for the kurmai, we needed to gift the groom’s side with baskets and this is traditionally mithai and fruit. I wanted to maintain the theme within the gifts and opted for personalized purple cupcakes instead of fruit. They were well received!

7. What was your favorite/most memorable part of the engagement? And what was your least favorite part?

I think my favorite part was definitely the partying to the classic Bhangra songs. The dance floor was packed all night. We also had a groom vs. bride dance-off and the classic rail gaddi! The least favorite part was waiting for my grand entrance. I had planned a dhol entrance with a few bridesmaids and my brothers, but the anticipation was grueling. The end result, however, was well worth the wait!

8. If you could go back and re-do one part of your special day, what would it be and why? (or did you love everything as is)

One thing I really regret is not hiring a coordinator for the event. I’m a control freak and I found it hard to let go of all the little things. It would have been great to have someone take the stress off me on the day of the event. Many of the suppliers were asking me questions, which could’ve been diverted to a coordinator. I advise brides-to-be to invest in a coordinator for your big day and/or engagement. It’s the only real way to remain stress free on your big day. Aside from the stress, everything ran on time and went smoothly. I wish I could do it all again!

9. How did you manage to plan your engagement reception without going insane?

I was extremely organized and held several meetings with my suppliers. I also took some time out before the engagement and tried to confirm everything with all suppliers and that everyone knew what they were doing on the day. My cousin helped me a lot on the day and my lovely friend made my engagement cards which were beautiful! Organization and research is essential. At the end, I wanted more personal touches to the décor, so I used many local suppliers who provided high quality products at a very reasonable rate. What I would say is make sure you have a person on the day that can really take charge, whether that is a coordinator or a family member – it really helps!

10. What piece of advice would you like to offer newly engaged couples based on your experience?

Enjoy the process and build up to the engagement and wedding. Time really does fly when you are a bride and groom and it’s important to just soak it all in and enjoy every little moment. You are bound to have disagreements with family and even your partner, but it is all part and parcel of planning an Indian wedding. Try not to get stressed and relax. Just try and compromise with family and your partner, but remember it is your day, so do it your way! Also, it’s important to negotiate with suppliers for everything. There is a wealth of choices out there- make sure
you get the best deal with the best quality. Never compromise on quality for the essentials, as it is your big day!

11. What is your advice for other brides-to-be for their wedding day?

Be organized, double, triple check everything in your contracts and hire a coordinator! Start planning everything months in advance and ensure you have proper contracts and everything in writing so there are no surprises on the day. Leave plenty of time for everything on the day of the event. Do try and hire a coordinator if you can, they are a god send and will completely take the stress off you. Most of all enjoy it baby! This is a special time in your life, so cherish every moment.

Keep in touch with Sharn on Social Media: