From LA to San Diego and then back again, this is the story of how Geena and Sunny went from classmates to life partners (and the big fat Punjabi wedding that came with it).
When Geena met Sunny in college, both of them over a hundred miles away from their shared hometown of LA, she didn’t like him very much.
How much, you ask?
Hear it from Geena herself,
“At first, I highly disliked him because he only used to contact me if he needed notes from class and he never came to class!”
The First Impression that Didn’t Last
I guess we don’t have to tell you (-you are reading their wedding feature after all!), but that impression didn’t last very long.
After graduation, fate brought Geena and Sunny together in a chance meeting back in LA.
And Geena will be the first to admit that the encounter had her second guessing her opinion of him,
“I definitely did not think he was the guy which I thought he was back in college. Either a lot had changed or my assumptions were completely off!”
Whether Sunny had turned his charm on, or if magic was in the air- the serendipitous encounter jump-started the romance that crept up to the couple in the most unexpected way.
Planning a Big Fat Punjabi Wedding
It was only natural that the couple chose to host their wedding in the city they were proud to call home, and the city that the rest of us call ‘the city of angels,’ Los Angeles.
Plus, the lavish and luxurious city was the perfect place to find a venue fit for their big, fat Punjabi wedding.
On the search for accommodations of 600+ guests, they finally found their dream location.
The Wedding Venue, The Millennium Biltmore
“We decided to get married at the Millennium Biltmore in Downtown Los Angeles because it was exactly what we were looking for in our wedding venue. A classic baroque interior, high ceilings, and historical.”
And as with every dream wedding venue, Geena and Sunny felt that the location reflected their personalities: old souls that prefer classical music and reading books to going out.
If finding a location with the right guest capacity and an aesthetic that matched their dreams wasn’t enough, they just got luckier.
The couple happened to work right across the venue- and still do!
“We work right across the street from the Millennium Biltmore, so seeing our wedding venue every single day never gets old! What a sentimental feeling we get when we think about the most perfect day of our lives!”
Talk about perfect.
Wedding Details That Made All the Difference
One thing that was obvious from the second we saw this wedding was that Sunny and Geena sure did impress their guests! With 9 months of planning, their parents’ wishes and their own in mind, the attention to detail was nothing short of impeccable.
So we weren’t surprised to hear that they worked with their wedding planner to make sure that every event boasted its own unique theme.
Needless to say, the variety had their friends and family on the edges of their seats, anticipating what’s next.
The Wedding Themes
The Sangeet was kept traditional Punjabi in its decor and food. Geena and Sunny opted for fun and lively colors paired with bright and bold umbrellas.
Adding an element of originality, they even had festive canapés over the served dinner dishes!
Contrasting the bright and bold colors of the Sangeet, the Wedding was kept light to match their outfits.
The Mandap was decorated with lots of florals including luscious hydrangeas, roses and greenery.
The overall effect? An absolutely elegant, pastel look for a beautiful ceremony.
A Reception Fit for Royalty
Geena and Sunny managed to keep their guests on their toes with another complete change of scenery for the reception.
Having experienced the fresh, summery feel of their religious ceremony, the reception felt like a completely different world with a classic winter wonderland theme.
Geena describes the stunning vision that her vendors helped create,
“For our reception we wanted a winter wonderland theme, but with a touch of spring (I’m obsessed with cherry blossom trees). Tall, full bouquets filled with cream colored cherry blossom stems, blush roses, and hydrangeas along with gold accents is what we decided on. The gold ‘ Chanel Chairs’ were the perfect accessory to break the whites and blush pink color palette.
Since our reception ballroom was very grandiose, we chose to keep the color scale graceful and toned down because the true beauty was the ballroom itself, so we wanted to accentuate rather than attempting to remake the whole room.”
Behind the Scenes of Their Luxe Wedding
Incredible, right?
Now that we’ve seen just how well-orchestrated and dream-like Geena and Sunny’s wedding was, let’s take a few minutes to appreciate the hard-work that happened behind the scenes.
Geena shared that her wedding shopping all took place in Delhi, India.
But, they didn’t take the trip without doing their share of research first. By the time they landed, they already knew exactly which designers they wanted and which styles they preferred per event.
Having experienced it herself, here’s her advice to fellow brides who want to go shopping in India before their big wedding,
“Because of the various styles available to our generation, it can become very noisey with all the different styles available now a day. For that reason, really hone in what your style is, and what your vision is beforehand so you can only stick to those designers, it will save a great amount of time instead of going to every single designer and store in Delhi.”
The American Indian Wedding
We also spoke with Geena and Sunny to get their take on planning their Indian wedding in America and they shared their challenges and wins.
Their biggest challenge was finding a venue that comfortably accommodated all 600+ guests (after all, you don’t see that kind of guest list every day!)
Luckily their planner and the location they ultimately chose, Millennium Biltmore, both worked together to keep Geena and Sunny’s concerns at bay.
They not only felt confident about their guest list and the venue, but they also managed to tackle their second challenge: keeping their out of town guests happy.
The gracious couple made sure that each and every one of their guests were entertained and well-attended to for their full-week stays.
Despite their own busy schedules, this winning attitude kept their friends and families feeling taken care of.
What’s Next for the Happy Couple?
Now as newly weds, Geena and Sunny’s wedding is a fond memory.
But, thank goodness for honeymoons.
Their wedding experience didn’t just end with the reception, it continued onto a plane until they eventually reached the beautiful terrains of Switzerland and France.
This love story ends with Geena’s dreams of Paris fulfilled and Sunny’s enthusiasm for watches completed with an epic visit to Geneva.
