New York Wedding With A Gorgeous View Of The City & A Yacht Party!

This one was such a warm and inviting wedding! We absolutely adored Puja and Saad's wedding- it was elegant and classy without going over the top, and we loved the idea of a Sangeet on the yacht! Their wedding ceremony was super special too, with a venue that allowed expansive views of the city, with the bride and groom beautifully decked up in complementing outfits. See for yourself!

Meet Puja and Saad

My husband, Saad, and I met when we were students at Cornell Law School. As a first-year student, I attended the school’s South Asian Law Students Association’s orientation meeting. That was the first time I met Saad, a second-year student and co-President of the organization. But, we left the meeting as acquaintances after barely saying a word to one another. Our second meeting was similar—months later, we encountered each other by chance in our apartment complex and learned that we were neighbors. Even though the signs were there, we still did not connect until we attended a South Asian Law Students conference in New York City months later. Somewhere over bonding about our shared cultural identity and penchant for the law, we became friends. Over the next four years, we grew from friends to best friends. 

Sangeet

Wedding

Reception

From the Couple

Wedding & Reception Day 

We had a specific vision for our wedding: we wanted to showcase our shared South Asian culture, but in the heart of New York City, where our relationship began. So, we selected the Mandarin Oriental due to its floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of Central Park and the New York City skyline, and we got permits to shut down Columbus Circle for a short period of time so that our guests could enjoy partying on the streets of Manhattan. My husband says it was surreal riding a white horse through the middle of the city on his way to get married!

To keep in line with our vision, we selected outfits and decor that would provide a modern twist but also pay homage to the old-world glamour reminiscent of the richness of our shared motherland, pre-colonial South Asia, during a time when maharanis and rajas held court and festive soirées. Accordingly, I selected a classic red Sabyasachi Mukherjee wedding lehenga, wedding jewelry with uncut diamonds and emeralds from Tanishq, and wedding shoes with traditional handwoven Indian motifs from the Sabyasachi collaboration with Christian Louboutin. Moreover, we worked with Vanshik to custom make Saad's cream and silver sherwani, saffo, and shoes. For the Hindu wedding ceremony, we opted for an elegant mandap made up of hundreds of real blush and magenta pink roses and hanging crystals, and I was carried to the mandap in a traditional doli by my uncles and groomsmen. One of my favorite parts of the ceremony occurred at the end of our wedding pheras. Though my husband, Saad, and I come from different religious backgrounds, during our initial meeting with the Hindu priest, Saad listened so intently that he remembered that at the end of our final phera, Hindu superstition says whoever sits down first after completing the phera rules the household. On our wedding day, I completely forgot about the game! So, at the end of the phera, Saad waited for me to sit down first and "win." I realized only after my parents began to laugh, and his gesture just made my heart melt .

For the reception, we changed into modern Bollywood-style outfits. I opted for a crystal and tulle Manish Malhotra outfit that the team custom made for me into a ball gown, and Saad selected a classic black tuxedo. For the decor, we opted for a glamorous touch. We revealed no details to our guests at all about the color palette, let alone the hundreds of real hanging roses that were suspended from the ceiling, custom bars with floating candles, a white dance floor with our initials in gold, jewel-toned flower arrangements and linens, and a custom-made stage with a backdrop of hanging flowers and candles. When the doors opened to the reception, our guests were just in awe.

Sangeet & Garba

For our sangeet and garba, we opted to charter the Atlantica Yacht and circle the Statue of Liberty as we danced the night away, with plenty of performances and garba raas. Our three deck yacht provided floor-to-ceiling windows for views of New York City from the Hudson river, and an open top deck for fresh air. 

Vendor Reviews

Photography: Salwa Photography
Incredible images and extremely friendly to work with. Anna and Simon are incredible. My husband and I had a terrific experience with them! They photographed our pre-wedding Garba/Sangeet and our wedding and reception. TAnna and Simon definitely know exactly what to do and suggest unique and complementary poses! They also grab terrific unstaged shots and are very personable. The pictures turned out absolutely stunning and were worth the wait for receiving them.We are so glad to have had them as a part of our wedding celebration! 

Makeup Artist: Flawless Beauty by Pauline
Pauline did my hair and makeup for three of my events (sangeet/garba; wedding ceremony; reception) and she knocked it out of the park! First and foremost, Pauline is kind, has a wonderfully pleasant attitude (which is so essential for a bride's wedding day stress!), and specializes in South Asian skin tones. She understands how to match makeup to the appropriate skin tone so that you still look like yourself. This way, even in my nonprofessional photos (such as photos taken by friends), I looked amazing. She gave on point suggestions on lipstick colors to compliment my outfits, and ultimately, every look she gave me was unique, glowing, and glamorous. I would highly recommend her for brides who want to look like an absolute vision on their big day!

Wedding Planning: Sonal J. Shah (SJS) Event Consultants
The SJS team helped me put together and execute my dream wedding! I found Sonal's advice to be spot on when it came to selecting the appropriate vendors and putting together finishing touches to make our multi-day celebration a unique and luxury celebration. Sonal worked in the background and interfaced with all of our vendors, put together extensive timelines to ensure everything ran on time, and double-checked every detail to make sure my vision came true. Of course, there are a few things that I wanted or disagreed with, despite her recommendation. But even that she made happen according to my wishes! During the wedding celebration, the SJS team was readily available onsite to help me (and my family) with anything and everything and all my husband and I had to do was show up! Everything ran so smoothly, it was truly one of the best days of our lives. I have received numerous compliments from guests who were in awe about how everything was done.

Vendors: Photography: Salwa Photography; Wedding Venue: Mandarin Oriental New York; Wedding Planner: Sonal J. Shah; Jewellery: Tanishq★ 5 ; Bridal Makeup: Pauline Nobles; Bridal Outfit: Sabyasachi Mukherjee★ 4.9 ; Groomwear: Aza★ 3.5 ; Decor: Atlas Floral Decorators; Catering: Bukhara Grill NYC; Wedding Cards: Ashu Cards; Wedding Cake: City Sweets; Videography: Studio KSD; Mehendi Artist: mehndikalogie; DJ: DJ Suhel ; Wedding Pandit: Prabhakar Sharma