"Beautiful Stranger" - Seema and Sagar's Wedding in Riviera Cancun
When you just don’t know who will answer the door
Can you imagine opening the door to a stranger and not realizing that you opened the door to the love of your life. It sounds like the perfect love story doesn't it? Seema and Sagar’s story is the true meaning of fate.
Author - Seema, Bride
Crazy in Love
Sagar and I met through mutual friends! I was already at our friends' place for a pregame, when I heard a knock at the door. I opened the door to a very confused Sagar who assumed he was at the wrong apartment since he didn't recognize me. Shortly after realizing he was, in fact, at the right place, we instantly clicked and bonded over my favorite artist, Beyonce. We've been in each others' lives ever since, and after 4 years of dating, we got married!
The proposal
My proposal was a perfect blend of us. Sagar proposed to me on November 1st, 2018. Anyone who knows Sagar even remotely well knows he's a huge Houston sports fan, so this was an auspicious day for him as it was the 1 year anniversary of winning the World Series! And for me, I had always wanted something very simple, that only had us two and our dog.
I had had a particularly rough day at work and spent most of the day g-chatting him with pity texts about how frustrated I was. It was common for Sagar to come to my apartment before I got home from work, so when he spent most of the day sending me pictures of our dog, Penny, to cheer me up, it wasn't a clue at all that something was brewing. On a normal day, I would switch from g-chats to texts to let him know I was leaving work, but because I was still frustrated from work, I left without texting him and instead kept using the hangouts app to vent.
When I got back to the apartment, I tried unlocking it but it was dead bolted. I didn't think much of it, just assuming it was a common reflex. Little did I know, on the other side, Sagar was leaping off the couch, totally thrown off since I had never texted him that I was leaving work! I heard him yell something to assure me he was coming to unlock the door, and a few moments later, when I opened it, he was down on one knee, with Penny jumping up on me with the most excitement I've seen out of her. I'm pretty sure on some level she knew we were officially becoming a family. Around the kitchen were dozens of red roses and lit candles.
He said that he got the inspiration from Monica & Chandler's proposal in Friends, one of our favorite shows to watch together. I can't exactly remember his words, but I know my first words were "Is that ESPN?" Turns out with the chaos of me arriving earlier than he expected, he forgot to turn off the TV! I said yes shortly after, but we still laugh about the fact that SportsCenter was on in the background. Sagar was also thoughtful enough to plan a dinner that evening with my best friend (and matron of honor), her husband, and another close friend to celebrate the night with champagne and pizza! It was truly the proposal of my dreams, ESPN and all!
The Countdown
Sagar and I promised each other a week of pure engagement bliss before the craziness of wedding planning started, so the research started by mid November! Sagar & I knew it would be a destination wedding before we even got engaged. We had spent a lot of time discussing what was important to us in our wedding - smaller guest counts that included just the people who we really care about and love, something unique, and most importantly a ton of fun for our guests.
We had been to an amazing Shaadi Destinations wedding before, and so many of the qualities we wanted were incorporated in that wedding, so it was an easy choice. We chose Cancun given the proximity to Houston and the fact that it was a beach destination, two really important qualifiers for us! The resort choice was all thanks to Shaadi Destinations. Shortly after we reached out to the team, they provided us a list of resorts that aligned to our budget, guest count, etc. Sagar and I planned a trip to Cancun with the hope of looking at multiple venues, but fell in love with the Royalton our first day! We ended up cancelling all other plans, and enjoyed the Royalton for the remainder of our trip.
A trusted Partner in Paradise
We knew we could not plan a destination wedding on our own. It was important to have a trusted partner when it came to the resort and our guest experience. What made us choose Shaadi Destinations was the fact that they showed up at our first meeting, eager to help, organized, and with an abundance of good reviews to back up their expertise. And that didn't just stop after the first meeting, it extended through our wedding weekend! We would 100% recommend them to anyone looking at a destination wedding!
Hashtag game strong
Our official wedding hashtag was #SagarSeemsInLove. I actually created it on my own!
Here are our 3 tips for future Shaadi Destinations couples
Make the trip! I don't think we would have picked the Royalton if we had just looked at pictures. It was one thing to actually be there, walk each space, and really visualize our wedding.
Ask everything! If you have an idea, ask the resort planner. There are so many more possibilities than what they can write out in a wedding brochure or decor book and it doesn't hurt to ask.
Food, Music, Alcohol! These are the things people really remember after the wedding weekend, so do not sweat the small stuff. No one remembers what color the Sangeet's table covers were.
A moment we won’t forget
In between the wedding and the reception, Sagar and I visited our friends at the pool. They were having SO much fun, and it honestly made us so happy to see our friends having a blast. We were still riding the high of just getting married, so we jumped in!
We splurged on our DJ, DJ Shilpa, and we have absolutely zero regrets. People are still talking about our music 5 months later, and our close friends just booked her for their wedding too!
You made our dream wedding come true!!!
We would absolutely hire Andre Gouin (photography), DJ Shilpa, and Alex Corbanezi/Susy Benavides (H&MU) again! They killed it!
Shaadi Destinations is BY FAR the best decision we made for our wedding. From helping us decide on a venue that would make sense for our budget & guests to ensuring that each of our guests had a flawless experience at both the airport & resort, they really are there for you. They are responsive, have great relationships with so many resorts, and a joy to work with. I would 100% recommend their services. You can trust that they'll do what is right for you. Thank you for everything!
Our list of vendors:
Honeymoon
We actually planned to go to Japan in March for our honeymoon, but unfortunately, we had to cancel for now. We will hopefully take an extra special 1 year anniversary trip in December!!
Special thanks to Andre Gouin Photography for these fabulous pictures! Contact Andre 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.