“We chose The Rockleigh as our wedding venue because of its classy understated elegance. The big wow factors for us were the fountains outside, the grand staircase entrance, the breathtaking chandeliers throughout the venue, and the phenomenal staff.”
Their Vendors
Ceremony & Reception: The Rockleigh, 201.768.7171, therockleigh.net
Gown: Faabiiana
Photographer & Cinematographer: Memories Studio
Makeup: Makeup by Marissa Christine
Hair: Dawn Gomez
Florist: Wedding Design
Catering: Benares
Cake: A Little Cake
DJ: DJ Sunny Entertainment
Wedding Planner: KM Events Management
When we were just campers at summer camp, Milan and I became friends. I was living in Virginia and he was in New Jersey. Our families knew each other from both attending the camp and a few years after we left camp as counselors, we started dating. Now, I work in public health and Milan is a dentist.
About four years later, I was visiting Milan and his family in NJ for one of his friend’s weddings. Little did I know, when Milan came to visit my family in Virginia the month before, he asked my dad for permission to marry me and had been planning this the whole time. The night I arrived in NJ, Milan took me out to dinner, and when we got back to the house, there were candles and rose petals on the front deck. My now brother-in-law Amar Patel, who flew in from Boston, recorded the whole proposal on video. Two months later, we had a special religious ceremony with our families.
We chose The Rockleigh as our wedding venue because of its classy understated elegance. The big wow factors for us were the fountains outside, the grand staircase entrance, and the breathtaking chandeliers throughout the venue. The staff also is phenomenal. We worked with Bari Stevens Puli, an event manager, during planning and she was so helpful and attentive.
The baraat began in the morning, followed by a delicious lunch at The Rockleigh. Our ceremony was held in the Bristol Room, where guests were served the “Atomic Bomb,” a fusion Indian lava cake dessert made of real rose petals ice cream. I walked down a specially designed catwalk of transparent glass filled with rose petals for a “walk on water” appearance. One of the leaders from our temple surprised us at the ceremony and blessed me, Milan, and our parents.
We incorporated a variety of cuisines into our cocktail hour menu. We offered classic Indian foods such as Paneer Tikka, a Chaat station including four types of chaat, jalapeño cheese samosa, fresh sugar cane juice, and many more. We also had a Mexican station, Mediterranean station, pasta station, mashed potato bar, and live sushi bar.
Our ballroom décor highlighted the spring season with our pink, gold, and white color scheme. The tables had alternating large centerpieces of either a glass vase filled with cherry blossoms or a gold birdcage topped with overflowing flowers. Our sweetheart stage was decorated with two large cherry blossom trees and a large couch for us to sit as husband and wife.
Our DJ played a mix of all kinds of music, creating an Indian-American fusion mix. Throughout the night, he also displayed a slideshow on a 20-foot LED screen, featuring photos of our engagement party and engagement shoot as well as a live-feed from the day. As a special surprise for our guests, our family did a 25-minute Bollywood style dance, incorporating both our families. Thanks to Amar, Jay Desai (brother), and Hirsh Shah (cousin) for helping us choreograph the whole thing!
We had a buffet-style dinner, serving traditional Indian dishes such as cheema thenga spinach kofta, gatta sabzi, fresh kulchas, and more. Guests went crazy over the Viennese dessert hour, serving everything from donuts and fried Oreos to Nutella crepes and Belgian waffles.
Thank you to our parents for making our dream wedding a reality. Thank you to our siblings, friends, and family for sharing the day with us. Thank you to Bari and the team at The Rockleigh for helping us create a seamless perfect wedding day.
The Rockleigh, 201.768.7171, therockleigh.net
