Weddingbee

Previously in this series:
A Jasmine Wedding Story: We Do
A Jasmine Wedding Story: Beauty and the Bride
A Jasmine Wedding Story: The Mehndi
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**

For what felt like the first time in years, I exhaled deeply. The ceremony was a blur of nerves and anxiety; I couldn’t help feeling relieved that it was over. I was finally Mrs. Jasmine and as I looked gleefully into Mr. J’s eyes, I knew that the best was yet to come.

Our DJ, Parag Shah of Kumba Entertainment, spun lively Bollywood hits as our guests milled around the InterContinental garden. My mom and Angel used saris to create bright pink textured overlays for the cocktail tables. We also adorned each table with white moroccan lanterns I purchased for a steal from Ebay.

**

Waiters passed curry chicken and grilled apple kabobs, chicken dim sum with thai chili sauce, lobster dim sum with mint yogurt sauce, samosas, lamb kabobs, and mini ahi tuna won ton cones with avocado and wasabi cream. Everything looked delicious and I was delighted to see family and friends rejoicing after our event.

Mr. Jasmine and I, on the other hand, had no time to sample the gourmet spread. We had to immediately begin posing for family portraits. With our huge families, the task seemed truly insurmountable. Luckily for us, our photographer Marisa Holmes, was a true professional. She and her second shooter, Keats Elliott, handled the chaotic scene with grace and ease. They deftly lined up family members, snapped the shots they needed, and herded the next group in. Despite the overwhelming amount of people, we were able to finish family portraits relatively quickly. And then it was time for my favorite part of the day: couple shots!

First, we utilized the stunning ceremony canopy as a backdrop. Why let the dreamy white chiffon and lush burgundy florals go to waste?

So smitten with him!

Then we stole away to the incredible fountain in front of the InterContinental for some of the most poignant shots of the day.

there is something so timeless about this one

Before we knew it, our cocktail hour was almost done and I still needed to change my hairstyle. As we made our way back to the hotel, we passed a lounge chair just outside the lobby. Marisa got us to get comfy on the chair for a few quick pics– who knew those shots would be some of my absolute favorite of the entire day?

my favorite shot from our wedding day

At that point, we were running late and I still needed to have Jeannie pull my hair down for the reception. I rushed upstairs to the bridal suite and Jeannie quickly got to work, her dextrous fingers removing bobby pins at the speed of light. After she brought down my updo, she deftly shaped the curls into a sexy Old Hollywood style, keeping the left side pinned back and the right side curling seductively over my brow. I adored the second look and thought it was perfect for the fun feel of the reception.

After taking one last approving glance in the mirror, Mr. J and I headed downstairs to the Grand Ballroom. It was time to make our big entrance…

Up next: a lively reception

all photos courtesy of the lovely marisa holmes. with the exception of starred photos which were taken by family and friends

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