Satnam Bhail and Sunny Deol say they first met through their “very nosy moms,” who were friends at the local Sikh temple. For years, the mothers schemed to get the couple together before it actually happened. Satnam was averse to the idea of dating or marrying someone introduced by her mom. Sunny, on the other hand, was totally cool with it – that is, after seeing Satnam. Eventually, after multiple forced get-togethers between the Bhail and Deol families, Satnam gave Sunny a chance and they’ve been inseparable since.
For the proposal, the location was Satnam's favorite spot – a Malibu beach, which provided the same backdrop for their first date and wedding ceremony. Sunny brought Satnam's favorite treats – cookies along with their dogs, Fozzie and Sheeba.
“The wedding weekend was a miracle celebration.”
While Satnam was distracted by the beach scenes, Sunny revealed her cookie. Satnam was surprised and ecstatic and devoured her treat, but still left Sunny with barely enough time to grab the real surprise of the evening: A diamond ring, along with a “yes or no” question.
The couple’s philosophy and approach to the wedding planning process was to let the vendors do their job, as they are the professionals. So the focus was more on finding the best vendors. However, at one point, their over-involved parents crossed the line to the annoyance of the caterer.
One parent demanded one thing while another parent demanded a completely different, conflicting thing. Satnam and Sunny then decided that all planning solely goes through them, and any parental comments would simply be taken under consideration. It was then that Satnam became CEO and Sunny became President of the wedding planning department.
The wedding weekend was a miracle celebration. Originally, the events were to take place in Bali. However, Covid was still raging everywhere, and Bali was shut down. While Bali was scheduled to reopen “soon,” that timeframe kept becoming delayed. All family members decided that the wedding location should be moved, except for one final hold out – the bride.
Despite constantly being told the location needs to change ASAP in time for a December wedding, Satnam stubbornly held on, until finally she gave in, in July. So while everyone was ecstatic that Satnam finally relented, there were only five months left to plan a weeklong Indian wedding from scratch.
It was as if Satnam and Sunny’s Indian wedding in Malibu was always meant to be, as every hurdle changed in their favor. The couple’s top venues for their sangeet, wedding, and reception were all available and easily secured for their wedding week. Even when their Malibu venue canceled due to Covid concerns, the couple eventually convinced the property to move forward with the wedding.
With guests flying in from around the world, Satnam was told that getting visas for her family from Indonesia would be “impossible” due to the pandemic. This was also confirmed by a government representative. At the last minute, however, all visas ended up being approved.
It even rained during the wedding week, which was a concern since two events were to take place outdoors. Of course, the rain miraculously stopped the day before the first event, and resumed the day after the couple’s reception, leaving the bride and groom to enjoy their weeklong Indian wedding in Malibu with bright, cloudless skies.
WEDDING TALENT
Locations: Taglyan Complex, Los Angeles, CA; Malibu Sea View Estate, Los Angles, CA; Hummingbird Nest Events, Los Angles, CA; Planner: A Panache Affair, Los Angeles, CA; Floral & Event Design: Three Petals Design, Los Angeles, CA Photography: Balerina Films, Los Angeles, CA