Yatrik & Shivani’s Love-Themed Intimate Wedding In Chicago

Shivani and Yatrik met each other via the dating app DilMil in Chicago. They are a fun-loving couple who balance each other out. While dating, Shivani came to know that Yatrik grew up with a few of her extended family, and that kind of made them believe that they were ‘meant-to-be’. 

Proposal Story

Being from Chicago, Yatrik made this place more special for both of them by proposing Shivani at London House Chicago in front of their immediate families. On the day of the proposal, Yatrik informed Shivani that he will be busy with his work and will be at no service place, while Shivani's sister asks her to join her for an event at London House Chicago. Both the sisters met at the venue and after a point of time, Shivani realized that her sister is not around anymore. As she started searching, she found Yatrik standing there dressed up with a pink tie; her favorite color, and it was matching her dress. She received three surprises and all of it was captured by one of their best friends. After the proposal, their friends surprised them again at Lou Malnatis, where their first date took place. 

Yatrik did thorough research for Shivani’s ring and he gifted her the one that he felt right in his gut. 

Wedding Details

The couple wanted an intimate wedding with their close family and friends around, they wanted to invite more people, but because of the pandemic, they ended up inviting around 280 guests, all of which they made sure were vaccinated before attending the ceremonies. For wedding shopping, Shivani purchased all of her clothes online or from New Jersey.

For jewelry, Shivani borrowed a few from family and purchased the remaining ones from Paisley Pop and Goenka Jewels. 

Mehndi

As Mehndi was their first event, the bride wanted to have fun, so she went for a simple look compared to the other events.

She wore a lehenga incorporated with different colors from the Label Anushree and completed her look with a natural makeup with brown smokey eyes and kept her curls in loose waves.

On the other hand, Yatrik ended up wearing a maroon kurta pajama from Manyavar with a subtle pattern.

Shivani's got her mehndi done by Faryal, who she knew already. With all the drawings provided by the bride and some part incorporated by Faryal, the final mehndi design turned out to be really gorgeous. 

Grah Shanti/Pithi Ceremony

Both the Grah Shanti puja and Pithi ceremonies took place on the same day. For the decor, Shivani and Yatrik wanted something to go with their outfift and reflect a summer vibe. They went with light drapings in a combination of teal, magenta, and hints of gold for both stages.

For the Grah Shanti puja, Shivani and Yatrik decided to match their outfits and were truly complementing each other. 

Shivani wore a green and gold lehenga with red detailing from Lashkaraa and paired it with an off-shoulder blouse and a subtle sweetheart neckline. 

For her jewelry, she chose the Aadhya Hathphool Kundan set from Paisley Pop Shop that went perfectly with her Mehndi-adorned hands.

Yatrik wore a green floral printed vest with a navy-blue kurta pajama from Manyavar, and looked every bit of dapper. 

After the Pithi ceremony, the bride Shivani changed into a white and yellow midi skirt with a yellow strapped blouse adorned with mirror work, whereas on the other hand, Yatrik’s outfit had Lucknowi work and was a subtle shade of yellow that almost looked like cream shaded.  

They both were wearing outfits complementing the Haldi theme, and used makeup brushes to place the pithi on each other. 

Wedding Ceremony

The couple’s vision for their wedding details came together in all aspects on their big day. They chose a simple mandap design that gave a romantic vibe. The draping was champagne and light pink in color with gold pillars, crystal beading, and florals to accent. The aisle carried crystal towers with tea light candles and white orchids.

Shivani’s bridal outfit was custom-made with a darker maroon color incorporated rose gold or matte gold work with peaches and pinks. She went with a loose updo with floral accents and the dupatta sat perfectly on her crown. The jewelry complemented her outfit and she went with the perfect amount of bangles so that the Mehndi is visible.

The theme of the wedding was “Can’t help falling in love” based on the aisle song Shivani had chosen.

Yatrik’s sherwani was full of embroidery work with accents of matte gold, pink, and peach from Manyavar. His pagdi and the stole were blush pink in shade and the juttis he wore were custom-made in India to match both of their outfits. 

For their guests, they came up with the idea of giving them mango iced tea with mango boba in personalized cups from Bobar. Water bottles were provided labeled in pink with a picture of the bride and groom and there were two bags labeled his and her favorite with Ghirardelli chocolates and honey roasted cashews.

Reception Night

For the finale event, the couple went for an all-white, monochromatic theme with some hints of blush pink. They had a white dance floor that was perfect for their first dance. 

As the bride wanted a chic reception look, she chose an Elsa blue-colored outfit without any dupatta. She completed her look with a beautiful Mangalsutra, earrings from Paisley Pop Shop, and the bracelet her husband gifted on their wedding day. For makeup, Marie gave her Hollywood waves and a subtle smokey eye with soft pink lips.

Yatrik was complementing Shivani in his navy blue tux with opaque, silver buttons on the shirt, and instead of a tie, he preferred a bow tie.  

They picked a very pretty cake with chocolate mousse and macerated raspberries. The desserts were provided by Once Upon a Tier and Sweet Reserve Bakery.

The lighting, cake, and flowers in the centerpieces for the main tables incorporated blush pink tones. Larger, plastic diamond pieces were scattered around the guest table where there were several pictures of the bride and groom along with acrylic, a personalized card box, guest books, and Jenga blocks to sign. Dinner was provided by India House Catering and was exactly what the families chose after countless tastings. They made sure to have enough options for all the guests that attended ranging from Indian food to Indo-chinese varying it up from the prior events. For dessert, they went with a dessert table outside which included mango mousse, Nutella cheesecake, Rasmalai, assorted fruit, and their wedding cake.

Wedding Songs

1. Bridal Entrance: Can’t Help Falling in Love from Crazy Rich Asians.

2. First Dance: Tere Naal

The bride says, “Both songs truly represent aspects of our relationship. For the aisle song, I really wanted something that could be an overall theme for the wedding but also sung by a female. Yatrik and I literally couldn’t help but fall in love shortly after we met in person for the first time. I also wanted something more unique than the typical Bollywood songs that get played. On both occasions, the lyrics speak volumes and put feelings into words that sometimes just can’t be described.”

Tips From the Bride:

1. Make sure to enjoy the process and day of the wedding as stressful as it can be! It’s so easy to get caught up in all the details, balancing both families, and other aspects of life that the few good moments get missed.

2. Always remember the reasons why you and your fiancé decided to get married in the first place. The engagement period needs to mean something that you can also look back on as time goes on. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the details, balancing both families, and other aspects of life that the good moments get missed.

3. Have a meeting with your photographer to discuss not only the basics but also the type of images you want, the style, and who to incorporate the most. A lot of times poses, group shots, and details get missed the way the couple wants if not clear from the start. It’s also hard to know who’s the most important people you want to be shot at the wedding so it can always be made easier by providing table numbers or pictures of the people you want more pictures of.

4. My advice when picking your wedding outfit especially is to keep an open mind. I went in with a vision and ended up picking something completely different! Seeing how the different colors look on you is very different than seeing it online or on the rack. It’s also important to see the outfit in the lighting you will be wearing it. At the end of the day make sure you love it and do not put too much emphasis on other people’s opinions if you can envision yourself in it!

Vendor Credits

Bridal Outfit: Lashkaraa ; Label Anushree

Jewelry: Paisley Pop ; Goenka Jewels

Groom Outfit: Manyavar ; Men’s Warehouse

Hair and Makeup: SYG Artistry ; Candice Marie Artistry

Mehndi: Faryal Raza

Decor: Dream Occassions

Photographer: LeCape Weddings

Catering: India House Restaurants Chicago

Wedding Cake & Desserts: Once Upon A Tier : Sweet Reserve Bakery