An Indian Wedding In Houston Filled With Love & Laughter: Bijal & Saral

Bijal and Saral's meet-cute was adorable. From their fateful meeting where they were randomly assigned the same table for dinner at a dance banquet to a surprise proposal at the beach in San Diego, which also happens to be Saral's favorite place. Everything was love!   

The Proposal

Saral and Bijal went to San Diego with their friends to celebrate New Year's Eve and a friend's birthday.   

They planned to go on a fancy dinner followed by New Year's celebrations at the rooftop. Everybody got dressed and per the plan, the boys left a little early and the girls decided to make a pit stop along the beach and click photos. Bijal loves beaches and clicking pictures sounded amazing to her. She had no clue that Saral had already picked up a picture-perfect spot for the surprise proposal. After walking a few steps, her girlfriends left and asked her to move ahead which made her confused but then Bijal saw Saral waiting for her. Somewhere she anticipated what was coming and Saral proved her right but it went beyond her expectations.

Saral not only picked San Diego for the proposal as it's special for both of them because they had their first trip here, but he also made a scrapbook for Bijal and even wrote letters that he added to the scrapbook with other memories of them (just like in the movie - “To all the Boys” where Lara Jean write letters and make scrapbooks for Peter Kavinsky).

After reading the first letter to her, Saral went down on his knees to ask the question, to which Bijal said an obvious, yes. 

The Engagement Ring

Bijal had always had a classic, yet elegant taste when it comes to jewelry. And for the occasion, Saral got her a classic oval rose gold ring which was perfect for her taste and liking.

Wedding Shopping

Bijal initially wanted to visit India for her wedding shopping and experience the true essence of an Indian wedding and create memories with her extended family with waves of laughter, food, and spending quality time with them. But thanks to Pandemic, she could not visit India and ended up planning everything online and for outfits, she went the custom route. 

Invitation Card

Their invitation card was created by Bespoke Wedding Invitation company Customizing Creativity which specializes in creating luxury wedding stationery. Bijal and Saral shared their vision and the team helped them create an invitation card complementing their wedding theme - Pastels, as the wedding took place in spring/summer 2021. The floral summer appeal of the card will make you look at it twice. 

Pithi/Haldi Ceremony

Bijal's Pithi rasam also known as Haldi ceremony was held in the backyard of her house. For the occasion, Bijal chose a traditional silk saree that she bought from a video calling store in Surat, India named Paris. She styled the saree with a deep V-neck blouse, minimal pearl jewelry, a gold belt around her waist, and completed the look with a neat bun adorned with jasmine hair garlands.

Mehndi Ceremony

Bijal made a modern quintessential bride in her Mehendi outfit designed by Papa Dont Preach By Shubhika and purchased from Shop Kynah. This was the last outfit she bought and it was exactly how she envisioned it to be. The outfit reflected Bijal’s playful yet vibrant vibe.  

The detailing on the blouse was the highlight of her outfit and the complementing jewelry multiplied her look by 100.    

We also loved Bijal's mehndi design done by Shehzlan Sheraz.

Sangeet Night

Sangeet was one of the memorable nights for both Bijal and Saral as all their families and friends came under one roof to celebrate the union. Everyone was singing, dancing, drinking, and having fun which made this event more happening and cherishable. For the night, Bijal wore a yellow lehenga with a light blue net dupatta, custom made by Sharmeen, whereas Saral wore a custom-made open concept sherwani in pistachio green designed by Poshak.

Wedding Day

Bijal and Saral selected Royal Sonesta Houston as their wedding venue, which is known to have casual sophistication and modern appeal. Their wedding was just the way they visioned it. Every detail, from their outfit to the decor, to them matching their vibes and grooving to the music and with the guests, reflects love & enthusiasm to start the adventure.  

When the couple began planning their wedding, they looked at a whole bunch of inspirations and selected three things - halo, mirrored columns, and pampas. Their wedding planner, Nirali Shah of Nirali Events, and decor design by Prashe beautifully incorporated the couple's ideas and brought their vision of a dream wedding to reality. The mandap looked absolutely whimsical and minimalistic with blush flowers, lots of greenery, and pampas grass, just as the couple liked. The decor was complementing their outfits and everything looked so appealing in the photos taken by their photographer, Mir Anwar, and videographer Epique Cinema.

Bridal Look

Bijal chose a green-colored outfit, custom-made by Sharmeen, who helped her pick up outfits during the pandemic. The process of designing the outfit was very detailed and transparent. Bijal was fully involved, from picking the right shade of lehenga to the kind of embroidery she likes, everything was fun! She completed her bridal look with customized jewelry from 9rock Studio, owned by her family in Ahmedabad, India.   

She kept her look classy with a maathapatti, a traditional bun adorned with flowers, and minimal makeup done by Dhanvi Sandesara.

Groom Look

Saral complemented his bride, Bijal, and wore an Ivory outfit designed by Poshak. He styled his look with an emerald beaded necklace, kalgi, and a pagdi on his head from Manyawar. 

Reception Party

Bijal and Saral have a minimalistic approach, but with their own uniqueness; their wedding reflects exactly the same vibe. For the last leg of the celebrations, Bijal wore a shimmery red lehenga with open hair and a pair of earrings.    

On the other hand, Saral looked dapper in a velvet tux designed by Kamran Bespoke. His outfit had photos of both of them stitched inside the tux. This is not it, the tux jacket was also reversible, and on the dance floor, Saral reversed the jacket and surprised Bijal.  

Playlist for the wedding events

Sangeet Night Music The highlight of the Sangeet night was definitely Bijal’s dance performance with her bridesmaid and ending the sequence with the couple dance on ‘Ladki badi anjani hai’. The bride’s squad made an energetic entry with ‘Jalebi by Tesher’ playing in the Background and the groom squad entered with ‘Sicko Mode by Travis Scott’ playing. Saral gave a surprise Dandiya performance with both the mothers and all the aunts on the song ‘Chogada’.  Bridal Entry Song Bijal’s walked down the aisle towards the love of her life on ‘Tujhe kitna chahne lage hum’ by Jonita Gandhi”. 

Couple Dance at Reception

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A post shared by Bijal Patel | Blogger (@bijpatel)

Bijal and Saral’s first dance at their reception party was on the song ‘Just you and I by Tom Walker’ as it resonates with them. Their entrance song was on ‘Grove Street Party’. The fun fact is, they selected the song 24 hours before their reception and they must have heard around 50 songs while selecting. They wanted their entry to be spontaneous and full of energy and not choreographed. In Bijal’s words, "We had the most hype wedding party and the guests made this moment absolutely perfect. The love for us was unreal in that room.” 

Essential tips from the Bride:

“I would highly suggest getting some time alone after the wedding ceremony, whether it’s after your vidaai or before the reception! Take some time, pop a bottle of champagne and just talk. Talk about how you are feeling in that moment, talk about the décor, talk about all the love you are feeling. Make most of that moment as much as you can because time flies.”

Photographer: Mir Anwar Studios

Videographer: Epique Cinema

Bridal Outfit: Paris World; Papa Don't Preach by Shubhika; Panache by Sharmeen (Sangeet, Wedding, Reception)

Groom Outfit: Poshak (Sangeet, Wedding); Kamran Bespoke (Reception)

Jewelry: 9rock Studio

Hair & Makeup: Dhanvi Sandesara

Henna: Shehzlan Sheraz

Wedding Planner: Nirali Shah Events

Decor: Prashe Decor

Stationary: Customizing Creativity