"Warm Weather for 'Together Forever'" - Bhavneet and Aftab's Wedding in Mayakoba
From strangers in Vegas to fiancés in Thailand
We met in Vegas at the Marquee nightclub! We dated for about 5 years and then got engaged in the summer of 2019 in Koh Samui, Thailand after attending a friend's wedding in Krabi, Thailand. I totally knew Aftab was proposing because we talked about it before, obviously, and he was acting so nervous about his carry on bag. We got engaged at the Banyan Tree Samui overlooking a bay in the Gulf of Thailand. We started wedding planning 3 months after our engagement.
Author - Bhavneet Mahngar, Bride
Jungle, lush greens and wildlife make for the perfect wedding setting
We considered a destination wedding because neither of us are actually born and raised in Chicago, Aftab from Bombay and Bhav from Canada. So we thought a nice warm destination would be amazing for all of our close friends and family to meet especially with how cold Chicago can get. Mexico just seemed like a reliable destination based on how many Indian destination weddings had already taken place there. We had actually attended a wedding together when we first met in Cancun and just loved the experience.
We really were all over the place with resorts and did our fair share of looking all around Mexico from Playa, Cancun, Punta Mita, to Puerto Vallarta. Aftab had a very specific luxe location in mind. Rosewood caught our eye after having dinner there by chance. It was just so special the way it was surrounded by a lagoon and had so much lush jungle and wildlife. And, you really couldn't beat the service either!
High expectations hit the bar, every time
Our expectations coming into the wedding weekend were high. And Rosewood did deliver on those expectations. Every small and big thing we asked for was accommodated from having a crib placed in my sister's room for my niece to small things like having bowls delivered for the chooda ceremony. The venue spaces were just beautiful on their own. But with our amazing decor team everything just really wrapped up together perfectly.
Complicated wedding planning made simple
Starting off wedding planning can be so confusing especially a destination Sikh wedding. I was doing a lot of google searching and came across Shaadi Destinations. The reviews speak for themselves! I sent an email over and got in touch with Milan and it was just smooth sailing from there on. He was so easy to get in contact with, gave us so much information and was honest about past experiences other couples had at resorts we were considering. Sending that email and getting in touch with Shaadi Destinations was one of the best wedding decisions we made.
Keeping track of all the wedding pieces simplified thanks to Shaadi Destinations
Working with Shaadi Destinations changed everything! From organizing airport transfers, to narrowing down our resort, negotiating room rates, suggesting vendors that were reliable and amazing and getting us extra perks. The Shaadi Destinations team really went above and beyond; we cannot say how valuable they were to our entire wedding process. We got hit with that covid limbo and without them, I'm not sure how we would have pushed to the finish line.
If I could make any recommendations I’d say:
Use Shaadi Destinations! You will not regret it.
Don't get caught up in the small details, your guests won't notice
Enjoy the moment because it goes by so fast
Baby you’re a firework
Nihal Singh - WOW he was amazing. Compliment after compliment was received about him. He just brought so much life to the party. He was unbelievably talented, professional and just took direction well. I would hire him again and again! And, of course, he came as a recommendation from Shaadi Destinations!
Aside from Nihal bringing the life to the event with his dhol/tabla, the next thing that we really loved was the firework show with 'Calvin Harris - feel so close' to you playing. It was just so special to be surrounded by all our friends and family watching the fireworks as one of our favorite songs played. It was just amazing and a moment well never forget!
Take a shot with me
Our wedding planner Luis & Mariana from Bash House were absolutely on point with all the decor/floral. The 'take the shot wall' was just one of the unique ideas they incorporated into our wedding. They made each event fun and unique and just stunning. And they were another recommendation from Shaadi Destinations!
When the hotel has to throw a competing cocktail hour at the beach for hotel guests to appease non-event goers… You know the party’s good.
Our pool party was definitely the most hyped part of the wedding weekend. All of our guests were super excited about this. And it was special to us because it was post the Sikh wedding ceremony where we could all come together and just celebrate and have fun! Our thought around the pool party was to have something fun and chill after the ceremony instead of being rushed off to get ready for the reception. Breaking the days up really allowed our guests and us to have a relaxing evening and start to the reception day. We highly recommend breaking the ceremony and reception in two days for a destination wedding. I mean, people are already there, let them enjoy it!
The team that made the dream a reality
We can honestly say each of our vendors were truly talented and special!
Bash House - Luis & Mariana -wow these two were so creative and so professional. They were there for everything we needed at any given time. I mean, the décor of the events speak for themselves. They made us laugh and took our input. Having a destination wedding can be nerve racking because you just don’t know what you’re going to get but Bash house executed everything perfectly.
Sweet Caribbean - nailed the photos, they were so fun, brought so much hype and made everyone laugh. At one point they were helping move furniture for the haldi. This team is one of a kind
Nihal Singh - we could go on and on. After the "power" went out during the pool party, Nihal busted out the dhol and just helped the party going. Amazing performance all weekend long.
Sara Tamargo - these ladies showed up every day on time with a great attitude and just did an amazing job for us. I asked Sara for dramatic looks and she nailed the looks for each event!
Loto Mehndi - Gaby was amazing for sitting with me for 4 hours! The girls who did the mehndi at the Le Ceiba were amazing too! Finding out Gaby and Dani were sisters made it so special too. Keeping everything in the family
DJ Ravi Jackson - was a great MC and was more than willing to take all our requests!
Freedom Singh - did an amazing job for the ceremony by providing English translations for our non-Indian guests which we had a lot of.
And just to add - majority of these vendors were recommended by Shaadi Destinations again!
Our list of vendors:
Destination Wedding Agency - Shaadi Destinations (Website - Instagram - Email)
Planner - Bash House by Luis Bandha (Website - Instagram - Email)
Photographer / Videographer - Sweet Caribbean Photo (Website - Instagram - Email)
Hair and Makeup - Sara Tamargo (Website - Instagram - Email)
Pundit / Officiant - Freedom Singh (Website - Instagram - Email)
Our honeymoon to come
We are definitely planning on having a honeymoon either Paris in the spring or Bora Bora! Stay tuned.
Special thanks to Take It Photo for these fabulous pictures! Contact Take It Photo for your destination photography needs.
Shaadi Destinations is the premier, award winning, modern-day destination wedding travel agency for South Asian couples seeking a streamlined process, incredible experiences, and a party friends and family will never forget! We save our couples thousands of dollars while throwing them the wedding festivities dreams are made of.
We live and breathe destination weddings - with just one consultation, you will be light years ahead in your destination wedding planning process. In less than one week, Shaadi Destinations will find you the most perfect resort that meets your needs, your budget, and your desires. With our vendor relationships and pre-negotiated exclusive perks at resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean, we are confident we can find exactly what you are looking for. You'll find we have the best rates, best incentives, and best booking experience.
