"Love in Destination" - Priya and Neeraj's Wedding in Riviera Maya
This love story is truly a destination one with an engagement in Jamaica, a wedding in Mexico, and a honeymoon in Hawaii!
With a love story launched with a surprise proposal in Jamaica, these two are no stranger to doing it different! So when it came time to wedding planning, they knew they had to buck the trend and do something different! They knew they didn’t want a ‘generic Jersey wedding’, so they reached out to SD to head to paradise!
Author - Priya, Bride
Coffee Meets Bagel… or Taco Meets Tequila?
Raj and I met in NYC in 2014 via Coffee Meets Bagel. Raj was living in NY at the time and I was working there. We went out a few times, but then Raj moved to Chicago soon after. We kept in touch and stayed friends. We didn't start dating until 2016 when he came to NY for a wedding and we reconnected.
The proposal
We got engaged in Jamaica on July 3rd, 2018. We planned the Jamaica trip totally last minute, so I wasn’t expecting anything. Raj proposed during a private dinner on the beach. He originally planned to propose on the first night of the trip, however, our luggage got lost! We didn't have anything for the first 2 days, however, it all worked out perfectly at the end since thankfully he had the ring in his backpack! It was a total surprise because we had a trip planned to Disney later in the year so I thought he was going to propose there!
Let the planning begin
We started to research maybe a month after the engagement. We initially researched a few places locally in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virgina, then began researching destination options as well. There were a few reasons we didn't end up choosing a local wedding in the US.
We didn't want 500 people at our wedding and we also did not want to spend too much money. In addition, we didn't want the generic Jersey wedding that all of our friends and family had. We wanted to do something different!
Deciding on destination
Raj and I always dreamed of getting married on a beach. It was our ideal spot, however, we needed to convince our parents to be on board. We convinced them by showing them the price difference between a US and a Mexico wedding. Neither of our parents have been to a resort before, so explaining the idea that it's "all you can eat, all day" was a little challenging. They also felt more comfortable after we told them that the resort we found with Shaadi Destinations had Indian food and an Indian restaurant on-site. My mom was able to speak to a family friend that had been to a destination wedding as well. She definitely felt more comfortable after speaking to them about their experience!
We initially thought Jamaica would be nice since that is the same place we got engaged, however, we ended up choosing Mexico because we felt like they had more options for Indian weddings. We wanted a resort that had great service, that was affordable for our guests, and that had nice venues for our wedding events.
All about the team!
We came across the Shaadi Destinations website during our research of destination weddings. During our initial call with SD, they seemed very knowledgeable about the wedding industry in the Caribbean. They made us feel more confident in our decision to go that route. How did choosing Shaadi Destinations change your destination wedding experience? Having SD do our wedding definitely made the whole process easier. They were available pretty much any time of the day when we had questions. They are also very quick with email responses which I really appreciated. In addition, we had several calls and video chats with SD during our wedding planning process and they truly helped make all of our decisions easier. They are very honest with you and also give you ideas on how to stick to your budget.
The hashtag game
PriToBeTiwari was our wedding hashtag and allowed us to combine my first name and Raj’s last name in a fun way! One of my bridesmaids created it for me.
Our tips and advice to future couples!
1. Hire a day-of coordinator! I cannot stress enough the importance of a coordinator you feel comfortable with. Yes, the resort will provide you with one, however, it was very helpful having someone we hired to be on our team. Having a third party coordinate the wedding gave us confidence our events will go smoother. They will instruct the resort staff what to do and what you need. In addition, you really don't want your family/friends running around to get stuff for you. This was an expense we do not regret!
2. Make at least one trip to see the resort during the planning process. Raj and I were initially considering having our wedding ceremony on the pier, however, once we saw the venue during our visit we realized it wasn’t the right fit for us and our decor vision so we decided having it take place on the beach.
3. Discuss your goals and vision with the photography and videography team you end up hiring to make sure you are aligned on the final products. We had hoped to receive a full film of everything including performances but the team we chose delivers a highlight video and a 45 minute video. If you do want a full video of each event, be sure that is specified in your contract.
Favorite memories and splurges from our days in paradise!
Our favorite memory besides the events were definitely the moments when we were able to hang out in the pool with our friends and family - it definitely was one of the most memorable experiences from paradise.
The first splurge we don’t regret was our AV! Our LED screen during the reception. It was amazing. We also splurged on our entertainment! We flew out Nihal Singh for our destination wedding. He is a very talented dhol and tabla player! We had Nihal play tabla during the Sangeet while people were entering and the Reception Cocktail Hour. He played the dhol during the baraat, and bought it out again during the open dance floor. He did an amazing job bringing it out at the right time. We also had him play dhol at our antakshari night for a bit as well!
You made our dream wedding come true!!!
We both wanted to get married in paradise, but the logistics seemed too hard to bear. That was up until we came across Milan and the rest of the Shaadi Destination team. We had an initial introductory call and were immediately equipped with options catered to our budget. The Shaadi Destination team provided us with extensive research on various location and resort options. We felt comfortable enough to book a wedding venue within three weeks of our initial call. The team didn’t disappear after we put down our deposit. They went all out to provide suggestions along the way. Shaadi Destinations has key vendor partnerships on site that make the wedding experience simply unique. This is definitely the team to work with if you’re interested in pulling off an epic destination wedding.
Juan Carlos is AMAZING! I have recommended him to several of the brides that have asked me about selecting a wedding planner. He went above and beyond to make our wedding weekend perfect. He is always prepared for the worst and made me feel so calm and comfortable for all the unforeseeable events. Federico did a great job on photography but wish we aligned with Agave Studio on video as I was disappointed with the delivery style.
Our list of vendors:
Destination Wedding Agency - Shaadi Destinations (Website - Instagram - Email)
Wedding Planner - JC Castillo Weddings (Website - Instagram - Email)
Photographer - Federico Salmeron Photography (Website - Instagram - Email)
Dhol and Tabla - Nihal Singh (Instagram)
Hair and Makeup - Alex Corbanezi Beauty & Co. (Website - Instagram - Email)
Honeymooning in Paradise
Yes, we went to Maui and O'ahu in Hawaii! In Maui, we rented a car and made the Road to Hana drive. We rented a cabin in Maui and it was beautiful!
Special thanks to Federico Salmeron Photography for these fabulous pictures! Contact Federico 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.
