Resmi & Wagish - August 2007

The one thing I am looking forward to most with this new blog is the opportunity to highlight some of my amazing couples and to show just how diverse and unique each event is.

I met Resmi and Wagish back in December 2006 and we immediately hit it off. I feel so fortunate to have met them for not only did I have the opportunity to be part of their very special day, but also came a wonderful friendship. Having only assisted at a couple Hindu weddings in the past, working with the two of them was a valuable learning experience. After eight months of family progress meetings (which I'm convinced were really just an excuse to eat incredible food!), site visits, and vendor meetings, August was finally upon us. The celebrations began on Wednesday with Mendhi, continued on Thursday with the Sangeet and before we knew it it was Saturday and time for the biggest celebration of all.

In these eight months we were successful in creating a very unique event which I have no doubt will stand out in the memories of their 380 guests. Guests were hosted throughout the entire day beginning with the baraat, ceremony, and lunch buffet. After a three hour break (and major room transformation!) guests returned for cocktail hour and dinner and dancing.

With the ceremony, lunch and dinner reception all taking place in the same space at Fox Chase Manor in Manassas, Virginia, set-up was quite extensive and two-fold because we completely re-set the room to create a different atmosphere for the reception. Equipment, Lighting and Mandap set-up began on Friday and continued in the early hours of Saturday morning. Fox Chase is a great space for large events, however, with not much on site, it required us to bring in many vendors -- which equals to a LOT of coordination on my end.... and the possibility of a lot of unforeseen obstacles. We were so fortunate to have the entire day go off without a hitch, thanks to the incredible team of vendors that were selected.

The photos can tell a better story than myself.... Enjoy!


A couple non-professional "before" pics:




And now some professional shots taken by the very talented Regetis:

Huge kudos to ALL of the incredible vendors.... there were a lot of them! :)

Photography - Regetis Photography
Tables, Chairs, Tent, Equipment - Amara Camara, Elegant Decor
Serving Staff and Crew - Pete Medina
Decorator - Prabha Bhambri
Lighting - Joe "Sparky" Hopkins, Atmosphere Lighting
Sangeet and Ceremony Coordinator - Mala Williams
Linen Rentals - Select Rental and Table Manners
Videography - Twin Video Production
DJ - DJ Hasheet
Florist - Barbara von Elm, Growing Wild Floral
Horse for Baraat - Harmon Carriages
Dhol - Dave Gupta, Dholi Mastana
Lunch Buffet - Madras Palace
Dinner Buffet - Bombay Tandoor
Chocolate Fountain - Capitol Chocolate Fountains
Screen & Live Feed Video - BJ Singh, EventEQ
Transportation - Chariots for Hire

Taking the Leap

And so begins my first week working for the best boss I have had in my life!
After 2.5 years of working two full time jobs -- one as a corporate event planner during the day, and the second being for breathe. -- the camel's back finally reached it's limit and something had to give. I decided to take the so-called "Leap of Faith" and try this self-employment thing out for myself. So far it's been incredible!

I figure that will all of this "extra" time I have now (yeah right! haha) I would try out this blogging thing. Having once been a dedicated journal-writer for 20 years, I think this might just work out :)

So, Day 1 and 2 on my new job were such fun and a great way to adjust to being on my own. My "Union Station" bride (her nickname because we seem to always rendezvous on her way in and out of the city at Union Station) came into town for a whirlwind visit. We had two very productive days and were able to check off the final big items for her March '08 wedding! Cake Baker and design - check! Color scheme and linens/place settings - check! Menu - check! and Florist - Just about checked! It was great to spend time with her and a great feeling knowing that now she can head back to med school not concerned about making these decisions. It's going to be an amazing event.