The baraat began in the morning, followed by a delicious lunch at The Rockleigh. Our ceremony was held in the Bristol Room, where guests were served the “Atomic Bomb,” a fusion Indian lava cake dessert made of real rose petals ice cream. I walked down a specially designed catwalk of transparent glass filled with rose petals for a “walk on water” appearance. One of the leaders from our temple surprised us at the ceremony and blessed me, Milan, and our parents.
We incorporated a variety of cuisines into our cocktail hour menu. We offered classic Indian foods such as Paneer Tikka, a Chaat station including four types of chaat, jalapeño cheese samosa, fresh sugar cane juice, and many more. We also had a Mexican station, Mediterranean station, pasta station, mashed potato bar, and live sushi bar.
Our ballroom décor highlighted the spring season with our pink, gold, and white color scheme. The tables had alternating large centerpieces of either a glass vase filled with cherry blossoms or a gold birdcage topped with overflowing flowers. Our sweetheart stage was decorated with two large cherry blossom trees and a large couch for us to sit as husband and wife.
Our DJ played a mix of all kinds of music, creating an Indian-American fusion mix. Throughout the night, he also displayed a slideshow on a 20-foot LED screen, featuring photos of our engagement party and engagement shoot as well as a live-feed from the day. As a special surprise for our guests, our family did a 25-minute Bollywood style dance, incorporating both our families. Thanks to Amar, Jay Desai (brother), and Hirsh Shah (cousin) for helping us choreograph the whole thing!
