OUR STORY
Money messaged me on my birthday and then disappeared for almost a month until late July when he replied to my Instagram story. Our parents had known each other for over 15 years, but we had never actually met until July 2022. After a few dates, it was apparent that this was unlike anything we had ever felt before. We were very specific about what we wanted in a partner/family so all cards were on the table very early on. After the first phone conversation (which happened the very first night of US messaging) we instantly clicked and were pretty much inseparable since. After about six months of dating, we formally introduced our parents who got along extremely well which only strengthened our bond further. I never really believed in the invisible string theory until I met him and now it feels like everything does happen for a reason. The love that we share is so calm, nurturing, and patient. We feel so seen and understood by one another, a lifetime just doesn’t seem long enough.
WHAT WE LOVE MOST ABOUT EACH OTHER
Jiwan:
I love Money’s compassionate nature, he’s so down to Earth and makes me laugh so easily. He is generous with his time and energy, he makes every effort to make sure I feel seen, heard, understood, and safe. I couldn’t have chosen a better life partner and future father for our children. Another big plus is that his family is so loving and supportive, they truly are a second set of parents and have always treated me with love and respect.
Money:
I love that I can be my true self around Jiwan. We hold the same morals and values and want the same things from life, love, and family. I can truly say she is my better half. Whenever something happens, we can just look at each other and know we’re thinking the same thing. I’m so fortunate to have met Jiwan when I did, she has been my rock and my comfort.
THE PROPOSAL
Money planned the cutest proposal/photo shoot for us in Laguna Beach. I kind of knew what was happening but it was nice to not have to plan anything for the entire trip. He took care of everything on his own and did so well choosing my perfect dream ring! The photoshoot afterward was so fun and chill, he rented a vintage Mercedes convertible for all the vibes!
WEDDING PLANNING
HOW LONG DID WE PLAN OUR WEDDING?
We took 1 year exactly to plan the wedding and started the week Money and I had our parents officially meet. We decided to have the roka, chunni, kurmai, and shagun ceremonies all in one event at the halfway point in September 2023, and the wedding was scheduled for 6 months after that in March 2024. Separating it out like this helped get a lot of the pre-events off our plate so all we had to focus on for wedding week was only wedding-related events.
The weather was a huge factor in choosing specifically fall and spring months for the events as well. I wanted everyone to be comfortable and not deal with a scorching sun for outdoor events or fog/rain while driving late at night.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE DURING PLANNING
Money and I didn’t face any “challenges” during wedding planning. If something didn’t go as planned, we just went with the flow and figured it out together. We were more focused on our relationship and the marriage more than the wedding itself so if anything went wrong it wasn’t that big of a deal. I think if you look at it that way, it becomes way more fun and stress-free for everyone involved.
FAVORITE PART OF PLANNING
Both of us loved the trips to India. We took one trip for about a month in May 2023, about 4 months before the roka, and another month-long trip in October 2023, about 5 months before the wedding. We enjoyed working with all the different designers and shops and ended up loving every single one of our looks!
Money enjoyed curating the alcohol selection for all the events. Both of our families have C-store/liquor shop backgrounds so he’s really into collecting the best bottles for his bar at home and at all the stores. Although he’s not much of a drinker himself, he wanted to make sure the selection during the wedding was top-notch. He had the idea to have two bars at the Jaggo and Reception, one more traditional hard liquor bar, and one cocktail/mocktail specialty bar. All I have ever seen at other events is either soda or water as non-alcoholic options so we wanted to make sure everyone could enjoy something other than the usual. We had La Casita Mobil Bar make the most refreshing mocktails along with some amazing cocktails.
VENDORS
The first person I contacted was my friend and best MUAH in the game, Aman Varaich of Varaich Vanity. I simply asked her which week in the Spring of 2024 she was free for 6 days straight and chose my wedding dates based on her availability. The next couple of emails were to KSway Films, Umbhi Creations, and Minal Beauty. These four were my must-have vendors, everything else was based on distance, availability, and convenience.
I feel like during my entire wedding week, I spent the most amount of time with Aman (aka Varaich Vanity). She was at my house getting me ready for 6 days in a row, 3-4 hours each day. She’s such a great hype woman and easy to talk to. We FaceTime’ed her mom a few times for inspo and questions about a couple of looks!
KSway Films is another vendor that I was so excited to work with. I had saved so many of their posts for inspo in the past and knew I only wanted them for my roka and wedding. The team is so professional, efficient, and prompt but also know how to have a good time! Money and I actually bumped into them and Aman Varaich in Cancun while on a wedding planning break/vacation in January and had the best time with the whole crew! I was glad to have that experience because I feel like it made us way more comfortable with them prior to our photo shoot with the team 3 weeks later.
DECOR
Simi and Carol of Umbhi Creations were amazing! They listened to my word vomit for the vibe of each event and delivered beyond! They were so easy to get into contact with if I needed anything or had random questions throughout the planning process. I placed a big emphasis on continuity and flow so each day’s decor/vibe was absolutely seamless and everything I dreamed of!
Fun fact: The only things I was particular about for my wedding morning at the Gurdwara were the chairs and the welcome sign! That’s all I chose and left the rest for Simi to decide. The team put together the most beautiful fresh flower centerpieces and the welcome sign was GORGEOUS!
THE EVENTS AND YOUR FAV MOMENTS
Money:
My favorite moment was seeing Jiwan for the first time at the Anand Karaj. Celebrating our Jaggo together is a close second. I enjoyed having both sides of the family party together and Jiwan did so well with the Rangla Punjab theme!
Jiwan:
I feel like most brides are slightly sad during their wedding week because of the move, wedding week stress, and starting a whole new life in just a few days. I actually felt really calm and content during the whole week. My husband and his family live only a 15-minute drive from my parents and both of our families are so similar, I didn’t really feel like I had to “adapt” to anything new.
I had family from all over the world join my family in this celebration and I loved that at the end of each event everyone danced and had a blast past midnight. Each day was a party and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
THE LOOKS
Jiwan:
The only look I was sure of was a traditional red Sabyasachi and my mom’s set from ~20 years ago for my Anand. I had grown up always telling my mom I was gonna wear this set for my wedding and she always laughed it off until I tried it on with my lengha and it was the elegant look I was going for. We got a tikka made to match it perfectly from Babu Ram Jewelers in Apra, Punjab and it completed the look!
For my other looks, I wanted to step a little outside of my comfort zone, but I also wanted the outfit to clearly reflect what it was for.I had requested catalogs from many different designers and really enjoyed the experience of shopping in Delhi. I highly recommend every bride to at least browse there for fun and inspo before going to Punjab for other options. I was set on real jewelry for all other events except Jaggo for which I wanted a very loud and colorful look.
I sent Aman Varaich tonsssss of pictures of outfits/jewlery/hair/accessories to help decide on the perfect look for the vibe I was going for. She was super helpful and also had some great tips.
Money:
My shopping was so much faster than Jiwan’s, but we definitely put a lot of effort into making sure I looked good on my own, and played off Jiwan’s looks for the Jaggo, wedding and reception. Being 6’5”, everything had to be customized but I’m glad I did it that way because everything fit perfectly. My favorite look was my maiyan outfit from Hardik Jain in Chandigarh.
ADVICE
-Focus on the marriage, not the wedding
-Don’t get hung up on making everything perfect, try to be present and enjoy the moment.
