This weeks Bridal Diaries entry follows the dream destination wedding of our beautiful bride Manik. We asked Manik to share her experiences of being a bride, and how she found her perfect outfit.
Manik met her now husband through Bumble, an online dating app. It was a "very 21st-century love story!".
"His proposal was very sweet, at home with just the two of us. We were having a little dance party and he started playing a surprise photo montage of us. He surprised me again by getting my parents to fly in, and afterward we had a wonderful dinner with our family.".
This beautiful couple married in Los Cabos, Mexico at the Paradisus Resort, where they celebrated all of their pre-wedding events as well as their wedding ceremony.
"I wore my Laal Ishq lengha set to my wedding ceremony, which was a traditional Sikh ceremony held outside in the garden of the hotel. It was the perfect outfit for the venue."
Manik described her personal style as chic, casual and architectural! The Laal Ishq set was definitely a piece that incorporated all three elements.
" I am generally minimalistic, and usually wear black or shades of grey with occasional pops of color. My ideal outfit is something streamlined with a little bit of interesting architectural detailing and edge. I prefer textures and clean lines over ruffles and sparkle."
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Manik knew she wanted to incorporate both contemporary and traditional details through her wedding outfit, but also have it work with her destination wedding.
" It was important that what I wore was well made and comfortable...Nothing really compared to the Laal Ishq lengha, so when it became available I did the online consultation from Vancouver and purchased it shortly after."
Manik started planning her outfits right after the proposal and it was one of the things she first started planning for her big day.
" it was something I could do on my own time without needing to plan and coordinate with my fiancée and family, but mostly because for me it was the most fun part of the planning process :). "
"My ceremony outfit was actually the first outfit I got. The moment I saw it on Instagram I loved it, and though I did look around a bit after seeing it, I didn’t wait long before I did my virtual consult with the team and bought it. It was a one of a kind piece, and I didn’t want to lose it! I loved the idea that this outfit would be uniquely mine. "
This beautiful bride was definitely a former Mani Jassal client who had visited our popup location in Vancouver and had heard of us through her own friend.
Every bride has a personal standard for what they want in a wedding outfit and has a vision of what they want to look like on their big day. We were glad to be apart of this journey for Manik.
" I wanted something unique that didn’t look like every other bridal lengha....I am much more attracted to clothes with interesting textures and more subdued details. I loved how lightweight and easy this lengha was, that it gave me the ability to run and jump on the beach! I loved that it was traditional in some sense, but so fresh and unique. The color was classic. There were so many beautiful traditional details in the embroidery without being overwhelming, and the blocking of the embroidery had that unique contemporary vibe that I was going for. "
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Manik first began her search for a wedding outfit online and in stores to get a feel for what she wanted. She felt that a lot of the bridal outfits were heavy, and looked the same. The price points were also out of her range.
"The laal ishq lengha completely fit the style I was going for, was immaculately crafted, and still didnt break my budget."
Manik had a virtual consultation with one of our in house style experts that allowed her to see her outfit and ask any questions before she purchased her piece.
"The virtual consult was really easy, and though I wish I was there in person to try it on or try other pieces, I was very pleased with the virtual consultation process. They were very helpful and honest."
We asked what advice she would give to any future brides on their wedding journeys and finding their perfect outfit!
"...when it comes to planning, don't worry too much about the tiny details. Focus on the major things that are important to you and put your energy in that....people wont notice if things aren't exactly the way you envisioned it. The thing that makes your wedding perfect is how you and your partner feel, all the other stuff doesn't really matter in the end... and try to sleep!"
"In terms of outfits, take your time finding the style you like...Try on different styles to see what you feel comfortable in, you may surprise yourself. My biggest piece of advice is to choose something that looks like you. YOU are the bride... the emphasis should be on you and not the 'bride' part. People can see it in your face when you're comfortable and feel beautiful in what you're wearing."
Having a destination wedding can be quite different from planning a wedding close to home. We asked our bride if she had any regrets when planning her wedding.
"things went quite smoothly with planning even though I didn't see my venue, taste the food, or anything until actually going to Cabo for the wedding! The most difficult step was actually finding the venue because there were so many options, but we had to find somewhere with reasonable flights for the most people, that could accomodate our numbers (approximately 180 guests), and that was comfortable with Indian weddings. I don't really have any regrets!"
Finally, we asked our beautiful bride what the best part of her wedding was.
"It was just so much fun! It was the first destination wedding for both of our families, and it gave everyone a chance to spend time together and unwind without having to worry. But the best part was that it was the perfect kick-off to starting my life with my husband :)."
