"Winning Love at A Winery" - Haritha and Rahul's Wedding in Riviera Nayarit
Meeting the “old-fashioned” way over pizza and wine
In an era of online dating, we somehow met the old-fashioned way! We had a mutual friend that introduced us at a big Fourth of July celebration that our friends throw every year. We met at Warwick Winery and started talking over a slice of pizza and a glass of pinot noir! We then dated for 5 years before Rahul proposed.
Author - Haritha, Bride
The question of forever at the very place they met
COVID definitely had a bit of an impact on our proposal, but it ended up being absolutely perfect. Rahul had initially planned to surprise me in CA as I was there visiting family, but with the travel restrictions in place at the time, it didn’t end up working out. When I came back to NY, my friends had a “girl’s trip” planned to Warwick Winery. I didn’t think much of it as we go there quite often, but Rahul planned a beautiful gathering with our friends and family to surprise me with a proposal at the very place we met.
We had a fairly slow start to wedding planning as we knew we wanted to do it towards the end of 2021. Rahul proposed in July, and we started looking at options beginning in December. That’s when we (very) happily found Shaadi Destinations!
A destination wedding was always the goal
Every time we spoke about getting married, Rahul and I were always in agreement that we wanted it to be a destination wedding. The idea of having all of our family and friends on vacation with us at a beautiful resort sounded wonderful, and we always wanted to do something a little different than the weddings we attended in the US.
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit was perfect for an intimate setting despite a large group
We didn’t initially have a specific place in mind before speaking with the SD team, but when presented with the options, Mexico quickly became our favorite based on the resorts we were shown. Grand Velas in particular had exactly what we were looking for, and of the two options (Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit), Riviera Nayarit had a unique charm to it. Having attended extremely large weddings in the past, something that was important to us was having a smaller resort that would allow us to see all of our guests consistently during their stay and provide more opportunity for them to interact with one another preceding the events.
It also didn’t hurt that the SD team gave us rave recommendations about the food and drink at the resort which was one of the most important things to Rahul and I.
Set up a site visit prior to your big weekend, if you can
Although we signed the contract for the venue sight unseen, we chose it based on the SD team’s recommendations. Rahul and I were fortunate enough to be able to do a site visit a few months prior to the wedding. We would recommend this to anyone that is able to go before their events, it really provided us with the opportunity to learn more about the resort and give our guests helpful recommendations. Grand Velas surpassed our expectations on so many levels - the architecture was beautiful, the amenities were pristine, and as promised the food was spectacular. As a side note - their COVID protocols and access to testing was a huge plus point.
Let them eat (and let it be amazing)
Food is everything to us! It’s always the one thing that people will continue to talk about after the wedding is over (often years later in my experience), so it was extremely important to us that our guests loved it. Those that were able to come prior to our events were able to try the restaurants on the property and gave us rave reviews. The decor, service and food/drink itself were beautifully done and we truly couldn’t have asked for more.
A pithi to remember
Doing the site visit and walking the grounds definitely helped bring my decor vision alive! As soon as I saw the arches against the ocean backdrop, I immediately thought about how beautiful it would look to have garlands hanging from each one. Luckily our decor team was able to make that happen, and it actually became a focal point of the wedding that everyone wanted to take pictures with. Since that was really the only decor we had for that specific event, I wanted to make sure it was something that people would remember.
The cost may be jarring at first, but breaking it down for your guests helps them to understand where their money is going
There was definitely initial hesitancy on our end to surface this type of per person/per day cost to our family and friends, but I think what helped was giving them as much information as possible up front, so they understood what their money was going towards. The site visit was great for this as well, as we were able to take a lot of pictures and truly provide everyone with information about our authentic experience, and not just what we read or saw online.
Once everyone arrived, the compliments just kept pouring in. They were all amazed by everything that the resort had to offer, and I’ve already heard from multiple people that they would be returning for another vacation soon!
Experience and an Instagram portfolio sealed the deal
It initially began with a Google search for “Indian destination weddings” and once we came across Shaadi Destinations, we were impressed with the organization and content of the website and decided to do the introductory call. After speaking with the team, we immediately felt comfortable with their experience, knowledge and credibility. Their IG page was also a great indicator of the work that they’ve done, and it aligned well with what Rahul and I were looking to do for our own wedding.
We also had a friend whose cousin used SD for her wedding and had a wonderful experience, so that pretty much sealed the deal for us. We spoke with multiple team members along the way, and immediately clicked with each one of them, which made the process a lot easier.
Keeping the sanity amidst a stressful process
Using Shaadi Destinations made our experience a million times easier than what it could have been if we had attempted to do this on our own. They streamlined the entire process, found us the venue of our dreams, and were able to address any issues we had along the way. Having the team to lean on throughout the entire year preceding our wedding definitely helped us keep our sanity!
Top tips for couples just starting the wedding planning process:
Find a team of vendors you can trust! This seems obvious, but you would be surprised by the number of times we were ghosted or didn’t receive a response back for extended periods of time. Set expectations around response times and ensure everyone is on the same page about what needs to be completed when. The SD team was able to provide us with some great recommendations so that definitely helped. Planning an event abroad comes with its own logistical issues, so make sure your team is well prepared for anything that might come your way.
Establish a good relationship with the resort/hotel wedding coordinator. Oftentimes they will be the key to whether you are able to move forward with certain events at the resort or are the ones negotiating costs for said events, services or other necessary items on your behalf.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate service fees or the cost of items! We found that a lot of service charges or items were marked up quite a bit until we asked if the price could be re-evaluated by the vendors or the resort.
Friends and family at every turn
Apart from our events, our favorite memory from the week of our wedding was walking around the resort and running into various friends and family at each turn. It was so wonderful to see our worlds colliding in such a beautiful way, and to have everyone we loved in one place getting to know each other in such an intimate setting.
Splurge?
One big thing we splurged on was decor. I had a very particular vision in mind for each event that we had and our team executed it perfectly.
Our list of vendors:
Destination Wedding Agency - Shaadi Destinations (Website - Instagram - Email)
Photographer - PTaufiq Photography (Website - Instagram - Email)
Hair and Makeup - Nicole Samara Iyer (Website - Instagram - Email)
Our honeymoon to come
Rahul and I did a short minimoon in the Catskills after our wedding, which was exactly what we needed! After a whirlwind week of events, it was nice to have a few days to relax, do absolutely nothing and get a LOT of rest. We are still planning out our honeymoon for next year and haven’t decided on a place quite yet!
Special thanks to P Taufiq Photography for these fabulous pictures! Contact Pervez 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.