Wedded Bliss: Brin + Parth's Festive Indian Wedding by the Beach

Brin and Parth’s joyous Indian wedding in California had us wanting to join in on the couple’s megawatt celebration that featured so many incredible OMG moments!

The couple initially met at work, dated shortly, but went their separate ways until reconnecting in 2018 and the rest was history. The couple’s nuptials included the groom’s Baraat which literally shut down a whole street in anticipation of the soon-to-commence wedding ceremony. Not only did the venue and decor have us swooning but the bride and groom’s traditional and Western wedding attire had us giving ooh’s and aahh’s with each look.

The bride’s red and gold lehenga historically has three pieces that make up the garment- the lehenga (the floor-length skirt)- the choli (the crop style/fitted blouse) and the dupatta (the draped fabric worn as a shawl over the shoulder). The groom’s sherwani was also beautifully embroidered in India with its Nehru collar, and silk churidar trousers. Bringing to life Brindi and Parth’s breathtaking vision for their wedding the teams at Utsav Events and The Pretty Palm Leaf coordinated the planning, decor, and deeply meaningful ancient rituals within the backdrop of the Spanish Revival architecture of the Ole Hanson Beach Club.

Ready to see more gorgeous details from Brin and Parth’s dreamy traditional Indian wedding? Take a look at the gallery below!

Couple: Brindusa Dumitrascu & Parth Dave
Occupations: Digital Delivery Specialist| Civil/Rail Engineer

Quick Facts

Wedding date: February 5, 2022
Wedding location: Ole Hanson Beach Club| San Clemente, California
Bride’s entrance song: Bob Marley – One Love (guitar instrumental)
Groom’s entrance song: Dr. Dre – Still D.R.E (guitar instrumental)
First dance song: Asi Se Baila El Tango

How they met…

We met at work in 2014. We hung out with colleagues, we flirted a little, and we even went out twice. But nothing more happened … until 2018 … when we found ourselves single at the same time. One thing led to another, and fast forward to the present day, we live in our beautiful home in Glendora, with our two mischievous kittens. We like to joke about how we started dating: “It took Parth four years to ask for a date. Talk about taking it slow!”

The proposal…

You know how everyone has a story about how they booked this romantic location, there was a beautiful sunset, and the groom proposed to the bride who was in complete shock? Yeah, that’s not what happened. Instead, Parth proposed by asking if we wanted to buy a house together, and Brin said YES, with Kindle’s (the cat’s) approval of course!

Wedding style…

The wedding ceremony was traditional Indian (Gujarati), so we both wore Indian outfits. Brin’s bridal lehenga was bright red, with gold embroidery, which made the lehenga quite heavy. It was a bit of a challenge to get it to stay on. Parth’s Sherwani was light gold with gold embroidery and dark red accents. Both outfits were bought in India.
The reception outfits were Western-style. Brin wore a light-yellow Mac Duggal tulle gown, with 3D floral appliques, while Parth’s suit was a bright blue, and the coat resembled an ethnic Indian tunic.

It’s all in the details…

Wedding shopping experience…

For the Indian outfits, since they were bought from India, we had video calls with the designers, picked the outfits we wanted, gave our measurements, and they were brought over by family. The sizing was done perfectly, there were no alterations needed once we received them.

As for the reception outfits, Brin spent a couple of months researching dresses online. All she knew at that point was that she wanted a yellow gown. She even had it narrowed it down to a couple. We visited a few stores in Los Angeles, and lucky enough, one of them had the dream dress she was looking for. Parth’s reception suit was a bit of a gamble as it was ordered on Etsy. He found one that was unique, as he didn’t want to do a traditional suit and tie. We sent the measurements, and the tailor got it just right!

Celebrating culture…

Since Parth is an only child, it was important for Parth’s parents to have an Indian wedding, but we also wanted to incorporate modern, western elements. We came to a compromise, and out of respect for them, we chose to do an Indian ceremony and a Western reception.

A Gujarati wedding is a three to four-day long affair where every day is significant with traditions and customs. The actual marriage ceremony happened on February 5th for us. And although traditionally the whole ceremony can last for a few hours, ours was a condensed version. It felt like a blink of an eye!

The Baraat…

The Baraat was the first event of the wedding. A Baraat is a celebratory wedding procession for the groom involving live music and dancing. It is meant to bring the groom to the wedding venue with much pomp and fervor. This usually takes place before the traditional vow exchange.

Nowadays there are various ways in which the groom enters (horse, car, motorcycle, etc.). Parth decided to try and find the most SoCal car for his grand entry. Once he saw the Vanderhall Venice, he knew it was the perfect car for the day.

The Baraat can last for a long time. We decided to make ours short and memorable, but full of energy! We ended up closing down the street so we could dance our way to the ceremony location. Family, friends, and guests usually dance around the moving vehicle. Parth ended up getting out of the car and dancing because he didn’t want to miss out on the fun. We even had random passersbys join!

Ever wonder what the bride is doing during all of this? Many times, the bride is secretly watching! The bride is not included in the Baraat because it is solely to welcome the groom and his family to the marriage site.

Brin’s favorite moment…

Walking down the aisle, with all the guests clapping their hands and throwing flowers at her, with Bob Marley’s One Love playing in the background.

Parth’s favorite moment…

The Baraat. We ended up shutting down the street, so family and friends were able to freely dance their way to the ceremony location. The music was so loud that some curious onlookers even cheered and joined in the fun.

Wedding advice…

Give yourself enough time to plan the wedding and make sure that both the bride and the groom are involved and make the decisions together. It can be stressful at times, but it’s also a fun bonding experience that you’ll never get to experience again. Feel free to personalize parts of the wedding day that are unique to you as a couple and don’t feel pressured to keep things rigid just because they follow traditions.

And definitely hire vendors with experience, as they ultimately make the big day run smoothly and perfect. It relieves the stress of the day and you can live in the moment and enjoy the wedding day. Be as engaged as possible with them during the planning, and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. After all, it is your day.