Engaged in April, Married in August… How This Couple Planned Their Wedding in 5 Months

Melissa Baran
July 22, 2019
Categories: Modern, Real Weddings, Romantic, The Blog

Planning a wedding in five months might seem daunting to most, but for Somia and Jared, a short engagement was their wish from the start. With the help of their amazing planner, Ang Weddings and Events, that wish was made possible in the most beautiful way. It was a day full of tradition, smiles and the prettiest reception dripping with sparkling details. See it all captured by Heather Waraksa and Kiss The Bride Films below.

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From the Bride… As soon as Jared proposed in early April while we enjoying the cherry blossoms in Washington DC, we knew we had to get to work since we wanted to get married within the year. The first – and most important decision was finding a wedding planner who would be able to help us pull this off. I hired Tzo Ai Ang of Ang Weddings and Events who was spectacular throughout the whole planning process. She made it all so easy and fun despite our crazy work schedules and neither one of us actually living in New York City.

Jared and I visited the Rainbow Room and after seeing a few other venues the same day, we knew as soon as we stepped off the elevators on the 65th floor that it was the perfect location for a city wedding. It is timeless venue with various spaces, each with it’s own unique setting. We chose a romantic color palette that worked well with the natural lighting and tied the three different spaces together. The florals for both the ceremony and reception were beautiful white and pink tones with a lot of greenery. To make sure we had uninterrupted views of the city, I asked Sierra of Poppies and Posies to build a floral structure from the ground up to be the statement piece of the ceremony room. She extended this theme throughout the venue at the escort card and sweetheart tables.

After deciding these key details, I went to Pakistan with my family to find my dress. As a Pakistani American, I had dreamed of wearing a traditional Pakistani wedding dress ever since I was a little girl. I went to designer, Zara Shahjahan’s bridal studio in Lahore because her style is timeless; her designs are classic with a modern twist. After visiting the studio, I decided to wear two outfits. For the ceremony, I fell in love with a sharara – pearly white raw silk wide leg pants and a long sleeve knee-length top with beautiful blue, pink, and gold embroidery. I paired this look with traditional polki (uncut diamonds) jewelry. Zara’s style is timeless; her designs are classic with a modern twist. For the reception, I selected a lengha choli – a full skirt with heavy silver embroidery worn with a short sleeve top. Both looks made me feel so confident, beautiful, and comfortable – something that was very important to me from day one of wedding planning.

Our Nikkah (ceremony) was full of love, laughter, and happy tears. It was performed by a family friend who has known me since I was a child, Imam Zaid Shakir. He spoke about how love is a universal language across all races, ethnicities, cultures, and ways of life. This is beyond true for an interracial couple like Jared and me.

After the ceremony, our guests enjoyed amazing food, crowded in line to use the MirMir photo booth, and took in the beautiful views of the city. Jared and I started the night dancing to Dream a Little Dream of Me while the original Rainbow Room dance floor rotated beneath us. We toasted our guests while we cut into the elegant cake designed by Ron Ben-Israel. The night ended with us dancing with our families and friends to the Bollywood hit Desi Girl. Our wedding day was far more beautiful than we could have imagined and it was amazing to be able to bring our families and cultures together in such an iconic setting.