Sonali Singh and Neil Jivrajka met on a crowded Las Vegas dance floor at the Wynn Hotel’s Intrigue Nightclub. Coincidentally, Sonali was living in Boston but in the process of moving to Los Angeles – Neil’s hometown – a month later. Shortly after Sonali settled into LA, the two had their first date at Fig & Olive; and it didn’t take long for them to fall in love.
“The proposal was at our residence at the Ritz-Carlton in Downtown LA,” Sonali shares. “Neil documented every date we had ever been on during our two-year courtship.
SEEING NEIL EVER SO NERVOUS, CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, ON BENDED KNEE, WILL BE A MEMORY ETCHED INTO MY MIND, FOREVER.
I walked into our living room completely transformed with stunning florals that led me to an archway where every photo we had ever taken was hung to create a ‘story’ of our time together. Seeing Neil ever so nervous, cautiously optimistic, on bended knee, will be a memory etched into my mind, forever.”
With Neil being the baby of his family and Sonali being the first-born of hers, their pending wedding day was a milestone celebration for both families, and one that would take place with a lavish four-day Indian wedding. To ensure a successful wedding planning process, the couple hired International Event Co. to assist with the coordination and details, and photographer Milli Ghosh was brought onboard to expertly capture the big day.
“Between all the wedding meetings, I flew to India twice to meet with master couturier Tarun Tahiliani, who designed my Sangeet, wedding, and reception outfits,” says Sonali. “Through many cups of coffee in his historic Mehrauli showroom with Tarun himself, we created a trousseau to match my aesthetic vision of the wedding week.
A contemporary ensemble that carried a sense of tradition – prioritizing comfort without compromising on glamour and elegance. Our dream mandap and reception concept came alive after countless design meetings with the talented Square Root Designs, Hire Elegance, and MJ Lighting. Pop-icon Sukhbir Singh flew in from Dubai to entertain our 550+ guests for our Sangeet, and Encore of West Coast Beverly Hills brought magic to our reception with their soulful, upbeat music.”
The wedding day was met with perfectly breezy summer weather. As the bride made her way down the aisle, she recalls her groom’s expression as a memory she will cherish and “relive with joy” for the rest of her life.
“After more than a year of meticulous planning, our wedding celebrations came together exquisitely, like the finest symphony orchestra performance,” Sonali describes. “Our family and friends were the music to our love story, and it was the concert of a lifetime with ten back-to-back days filled with events, sprawling from Calabasas to Newport Coast, culminating in a final four-day wedding weekend in Del Mar, California.”
>Written By: Lauren Malamala
