Anshika Bakshi and Fabio Raman met five years ago during a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. Fabio had first heard about Anshika through one of his friends. When he saw her walking past the cafeteria, he quickly cornered her outside the elevator. During this short encounter, Fabio invited Anshika to a party he was hosting that evening. Although his new acquaintance couldn’t attend the party, he hoped they would meet again soon.
A month later, Anshika and Fabio saw each other once more at their local Thursday night hangout. The two hit it off over $1 dollar shots, realizing they had many core values in common about life, family, and friendship. Over the following months, they became good friends who enjoyed concerts, movies, happy hours, and Sunday brunches together. Once Fabio realized how special Anshika was to him, he took her out on their first official date at an elegant Italian restaurant in DC.
"WE FELT LIKE A PRINCE AND PRINCESS IN A BEAUTIFUL FAIRYTALE THE ENTIRE WEEKEND."
Despite starting medical schools in different parts of the country, the couple never hesitated to follow through with a long distance relationship. On their four-year anniversary, Fabio proposed to Anshika back where it all started in DC. Anshika was blown away to see the Georgetown waterfront glowing with hundreds of candles and sprinkled with rose petals, while live musicians played her favorite songs.
During the wedding planning process, the bride and groom-to-be decided to honor both their cultures with a Hindu-Catholic, Indian-Italian, three-day wedding. Even though they were busy medical students at the time, Anshika’s parents ensured every wedding detail was executed to perfection. “Our planner Vaishali from Rose Events and our incredible team of vendors were instrumental in making our dream wedding a reality,” says Anshika.
The wedding celebration began with a traditional mehendi party attended by family and friends, who gathered for a fun night of music, dance, and henna in the intimacy of Anshika's family home. The next day, Fabio entered the wedding on a white stallion along the Jersey City boardwalk, and the couple were joined in a traditional Hindu wedding overlooking the New York City skyline at Hyatt Jersey City.
A gorgeous sangeet followed, consisting of a colorful evening of dinner, dancing, and Bollywood-inspired dance performances. On the final day, the bride and groom were joined a second time in a Catholic wedding ceremony in honor of Fabio's Italian heritage.
The climatic end to the wedding festivities was a reception at Cipriani Wall Street. A saxophone soloist set the tone during cocktail hour as guests socialized under the towering 70-foot ceilings in a stunning candlelit room. Magnificent cherry blossom trees, characteristic of springtime in DC, adorned the tables under romantic amber lighting. The DJ played Indian and American tunes while an electric guitarist energized the mood. “We felt like a prince and princess in a beautiful fairytale the entire weekend,” the bride reflects.
For their honeymoon, the newlyweds enjoyed a two-week holiday in Greece and Switzerland in search of adventure, nightlife, and good food. The highlight of their trip was relaxing in Santorini in their private honeymoon suite overlooking the sea and picturesque caldera.
WEDDING TALENT
Floral and Event Design, Rentals, Linen: Elegant Affairs, Fairfield, NJ
