You’ll instantly fall in love with this ridiculously dreamy and romantic wedding at Cielo Farms! Since the bride’s family vacations in France every year, it only made sense that the French blue color would serve as the main inspiration for their wedding. The flowers from Heavenly Blooms alone make this affair an absolute must-see. Boy, are they certainly heavenly! From inviting tablescapes to a darling escort card display, details were clearly top-of-mind in the planning of So Happi Together. Take a peek inside the full gallery, for all the swoon-worthy images shot by Melanie Osorio Photography.
How did you meet?
Akhil and I met at our office in 2012. We both were there for different reasons, but it wasn’t the right career decision for either of us. He always says that the only reason he worked in that office was to meet me, and I completely agree! We dated (in secret because our office was really small and we didn’t want anyone to know) for about a year and a half before the call to California came, and I told Akhil I really wanted to move. His response was “heck yea, let’s do it.” So a month later, we packed up everything and moved to California. What a wild ride.
Did you have a romantic proposal?
Yes! Akhil is truly incredible when it comes to romantic gestures. I literally had no idea and was completely shocked. We went to Ojai for the weekend – our favorite place to unwind, relax and recalibrate. We had just come back from a truly beautiful hike in the mountains and were about to head out for a late dinner when Akhil pulled me to the back door. He opened the curtains, and I saw endless candles laid out on our private patio, along with 5,000 rose petals. I was a little confused and looked to him to tell me what was going on, and at that exact moment Elvis Presley’s rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” came on the speakers. I immediately started crying. You always think you’ll keep it together when the time comes but then in the moment, it’s so much better than you could have ever imagined. He took my hand, brought me to the center of the circle of candles and rose petals, and got down on one knee. I literally couldn’t stop crying at that point and honestly didn’t remember a word he said – all I remember hearing was “I’ve known you for five years and I am still so nervous right now”. That brought me back to the present moment in time for him to actually ask the question. I immediately said yes and jumped in his arms. We popped a bottle of champagne and celebrated by watching the sunset surrounded by our blanket of candles until the sky darkened with twinkling stars and we went to an unbelievably wonderful dinner in town.
What was your inspiration for your wedding theme/colors?
My family vacations in France every year and I knew I wanted to pull a lot of those Provencal colors into our wedding. We both fell hard for the French blue color which served as our main inspiration for the wedding. Then we picked colors that complimented that – I knew we wanted to stay with soft colors so we did lots of light pinks, soft greens, delicate whites. Cielo is such a gorgeous venue on it’s own, and we wanted to play off that organic, soft, elegant feel. Our florist hit the ball way out of the park and overdelivered on the most gorgeous flowers I have literally ever seen. So many people came up to me over the next few days to tell me how stunning the set up was. And the grapes and pears on the table were absolutely the perfect compliment. If I could go back and live inside that day every day, I would.
How was the planning process?
Honestly so fun. I also had the world’s best planners to work with – Nancy and Pae of So Happi Together. Could NOT recommend them highly enough. We loved all of it! The cake tasting, the floral planning by the incredible Jackie Breault, the design planning, the photographers Melanie and Manny of Melanie Osorio Photography, the invitations done by the amazing Claire Carstens. We had the best vendors in every possible way and loved the planning process!
Do you have any special or memorable moments from your wedding day you’d like to share?
Too many. The whole wedding was unbelievably special for us because it was so intimate and personal — both of our families played huge roles in the wedding ceremony. My brother was the officiant, and one of Akhil’s two best men. My Dad, Mom, and Akhil’s Mom all read a prayer – my Dad read one in Hebrew, my Mom read an Irish prayer, and Akhil’s Mom sang a beautiful Hindu prayer. It was unbelievably meaningful and is truly something we will cherish forever.
Our first dance was also enchanting and everything you want it to be and so much more. And the Father daughter dance was truly spectacular. I look up to my Dad so incredibly much and that is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. Laughing, dancing, goofing around together. Akhil and his Mom did the most incredible and inspiring Hindi dance which was incredible to see, and then Akhil’s Mom (an incredible dancer) did another dance with her husband, as well as one by herself. It was so gorgeous to see the blend of the cultures play out in our wedding.
They say that your wedding day is the best day of your life and there was a part of me that really didn’t want to believe that. During the planning process, I thought it was because of all the beautiful elements of the wedding – and they are so so important. But the reason the wedding day is the BEST day of your life is because all of your loved ones, and all of your persons’ loved ones are right there with you, for the whole weekend. And they are all there FOR you. It’s the best gift anyone could ever give you- ever. The amount of pure joy and happiness that fills you on that day — it is unreal. I can’t tell you how many times I go back and revisit my wedding day and just smile and cry tears of joy. It was without a doubt the best weekend of my life. From our amazing rehearsal dinner on the beach to the welcome drinks we hosted at the Four Seasons on Friday night, every inch of it was absolutely coated in love.
There is no way to accurately sum up all the incredibleness that happens during your wedding weekend. And especially the wedding day. It is unbelievable truly, and it does go by in a flash. But it is worth every single second.
Edited by Lauren Megerdichian and Carly Zumar
Photography: Melanie Osorio Photography | Cinematography: Memo Collective | Videography: Memo Collective | Event Planning: So Happi Together | Floral Design: Heavenly Blooms | Cake: M Cakes Sweets | Stationery: Sugared Fig Paperie | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Jenny Yoo | Catering: Tres L.A. Catering | Hair and Make Up: Kohnur | DJ: RedShoe | Groom's Attire: The Black Tux | Wedding Venue: Cielo Farms | Acrylic Signage: Letters To You | Bar: Liquid Catering | Linen: BBJ La Tavola | Rentals: Premiere Party Rents | Rentals: Premiere Rentals | Shuttles: Swoop | Wedding: Mira Zwillinger
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