An Opulent and Floral-Filled Indian Wedding at The Plaza Hotel in New York City

Tiya Nandi and Aditya Gulanikar met through mutual friends in the fall of 2014 when Tiya was a first year law student and Aditya an investment banking analyst. Since both were busy with school and a new job at the time, the two reconnected a few years later.  

After a few dates, the couple began talking every day and seeing each other whenever their busy schedules permitted. A month later, Aditya asked Tiya to be his girlfriend with flowers in hand, vanilla ice cream, and Levain cookies – the surest way to Tiya’s heart.

The proposal took place on March 18, 2017. Aditya invited Tiya to join him for a friend’s birthday brunch at the Mandarin Oriental; but when they arrived at the hotel, instead of going to the restaurant, Aditya took her to a room on the top floor of the hotel, which had been beautifully decorated with flowers and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Tiya was born and raised in New York and dreamt of getting married at the Plaza since she was a little girl, so hosting an opulent and floral-filled Indian wedding in NYC was an easy decision. In true Indian fashion, four consecutive events were planned over the span of several days: the Mehendi and Sangeet, which took place in Tiya’s childhood home in Old Westbury, followed by the ceremony and reception at the iconic Plaza Hotel.

Before the festivities, the bride and groom traveled to Mumbai to shop for their wedding wardrobes. “I have always dreamed of wearing one of Sabyasachi's creations for my wedding,” Tiya explains. “It is truly every Indian bride's dream. Sabyasachi defines bridal elegance with his rich colors and absolutely beautiful embroidery.

I came to the Mumbai store and knew which lengha would be perfect for me the minute I saw it! I was so excited that Sabyasachi happened to be at the store the day I was buying my lengha! He got to see me in it and approve the jewelry I was planning to wear with it. We then also matched the perfect Sabyasachi sherwani for my husband, Aditya.”

On their wedding day, the Terrace Room at the Plaza was transformed with a red floral color scheme, hundreds of pillar candles, traditional Indian bells, and enough Indian jasmine to perfume the room with the most magical smell. Tiya chose a romantic, summer garden vibe for the reception, which included tall centerpieces of summer flowers and butterfly details. 

The couple agrees that their favorite part of their wedding day was seeing each other for the first time during their first look and walking around the sacred fire in Hindu tradition seven times. “It was truly an emotional moment that we will never forget,” they recall. “Everything about our wedding exceeded our expectations and we are so happy we got to share these feelings with our friends and family. Right after our wedding, we departed for a minimoon to relax and relive our amazing wedding week! We went to Lake Como and Montalcino.

Four months later, we went on our full two-week honeymoon to Thailand and the Maldives which was the perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. Our favorite place was definitely the Maldives and we cannot wait to be back there again!”