Bhumi & Achal
The story starts something like this-Achal and I were and continue to be too extremely busy healthcare professionals with no guarantee in schedule or hours, working in two separate states, with the need to have a wedding in a third state-neither of which we were currently living in. We were recently engaged, and neither one of our families would let us get away without having Big Fat Indian Wedding. This would also be the first and last really big event for both of our immediate families, so there was a lot of pressure and expectations. If I was going to go through with this, I knew I was not willing to let go of my vision of wanting something very unique yet at the same time be able to honor all the traditions that were important to my family. I also wanted to fulfill my vision very close to home, such that everyone that mattered to me can make it.
With so many needs and wants of my own and a groom who was going to be MIA for all of the wedding planning process, I had no idea where to begin. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was going to need help, Lot’s of Help!
Hence, Full Wedding Planning services was the way to go for me, but I needed somebody that I could entrust my vision with-which I was being repeatedly told was close to impossible in the NJ/NYC area. I had interviewed over 15 wedding planners in the NYC tri-state area…but after getting off the phone with Srishti, I immediately knew she was somebody who can both match and surpass my creativity, understand my vision , and bring the impossible to life. As someone who highly values creativity, I knew that as a bride, I was going to be very “EXTRA” and no ordinary ceremony, decor, henna design, or live-artist was going to suffice…a lot of things had to be uniquely tailored for me. The more I explored Srishti’s design and work, the more I knew in my heart that she was going to deliver! Trust me when I say she fully understood my “extra-ness” and fully endorsed it like a best friend!
She helped design my entire wedding from scratch, and there were so many personal touches and never before seen elements-exactly how I wanted! I cannot tell you the number of guests that reached out to us after our wedding weekend telling us that they had never seen a ceremony like that, or enjoyed a party like that before, or never seen such impeccable creativity, organization or coordination before. They didn’t think something like that was possible in NJ either.
My wants: I wanted New Jersey for my family’s convenience but also want to incorporate New York City because of how much the City means to both my family and I. We also wanted to incorporate elements of San Antonio since it reflects him and us as a couple. I also always envisioned getting married outdoors next to water with lots of elements of nature, but I also wanted NYC. My groom did not want a horse but wanted boats, drones, and maybe a helicopter. And I wanted a combination of both local and international vendors and artists. Some outfits I was going to buy locally, but I also wanted some designer lenghas and needed lots of help making sure each piece including my veil was distinctly designed and a never seen before statement piece of its own …. Oh and I didn’t want to skip a single core Indian wedding event but I want it done under 1.5-2 days because the bride and groom need to go back to work…you get the point.
Essentially, I handed over Srishti an impossible vision, however she listened to every small or big idea I had during each and every meeting and also added so many great suggestions of her own to further enhance my vision and ALWAYS found a way to make it work no matter how many curveballs of my own I through at her.
Wedding planner, designer, stylist, sister, therapist…she guided me through everything over the last 1.5 years and I would not have gotten a local wedding with all my dream elements without her.
My venue was beautiful but extremely complex and I could not have done it without Srishti and her design team handling every engineering detail and need for permits that came our way.
Please, please go with her vendor suggestions. She gets a really good feel of you as a person and your tastes and knows exactly who will be perfect for you. Epic Stories covered our Story and Wedding in two different states over two different months and this would not have been possible without Srishti’s advocacy or coordination. I had 4 core events fit into 1.5 days with 6 outfit changes, and Srishti found me a hair-and makeup artist who could handle that with perfection and her coordination team made sure it happened. I wanted the best of the best, and she got me best of the best. She’s honest, creative, and you can absolutely trust her with your family and big day!
Srishti, thank you! Our guests are still in awe.