Stunning Sikh Indian Wedding in Arizona: Simi + Mandeep

Punjabi couple, Simi, a physician and Mandeep, a software engineer were absolutely jaw dropping during their Sikh Indian wedding which took place over two glorious days. After meeting at a concert, courting, and a very sweet cupcake proposal, the happy couple took to Phoenix, Arizona to exchange vows at a gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship.

Simi and Maneep’s families came together for a weeklong celebration filled with henna, dancing, traditional Sikh ceremonies, celebrating the long lasting love between an ever so striking couple that is only just beginning.

Wedding Date: November 28, 2014
Wedding Location: Phoenix, Arizona
First Dance Song: “All of Me” by John Legend
Favorite Item on the Menu: Our red velvet cake!

Tell us about how you met and all about the proposal!

We met in November 2011 at a Panjabi MC concert while we were both living in Chicago. Our eyes met on the dance floor and he grabbed my hand to start dancing.

Mandeep had come to Phoenix to meet my family after I’d moved back home about 2 years later upon graduating from medical school, just before starting residency. We had gone to Sprinkles Cupcakes in Scottsdale on a hot summer’s day and ordered a couple of red velvets. While driving back to my parents’ house, he kept pushing me to eat my cupcake in the car, while I was driving. I was so annoyed by his incessant urging that I finally replied, somewhat severely, “fine!” He opened the box to hand me my cupcake and I glanced down to grab it. I noticed a ring plopped right into the center of one of them. I turned to look at him and he grinningly asked, “Will you marry me?” I felt my face turn bright red, both in surprise and embarrassment. I smiled my biggest smile and affirmed, “Yes!” I had the dorkiest smile on my face the rest of the day and couldn’t stop looking at my left ring finger.

Wedding Style

I’m admittedly a history nerd and knew I wanted my wedding dress to reflect Marie Antoinette. I scoured the internet for Marie Antoinette-inspired dresses and came across Ian Stuart, a designer based out of London. He has a whole line named ‘Killer Queen!’ I also knew my dress could not be white, being Sikh in faith (Sikh brides traditionally wear red or pink). Ian Stuart does a lot of dresses in pretty pink pastels. I came across a photo of his masterpiece called Cuvee Rose from his ‘Frill Me!’ line and knew it was the one. It’s a very feminine cascade of taffeta and tulle with pick-ups highlighted by scattered multi-colored flowers that drapes down from a soft sweetheart neck-lined bodice. 

I was lucky to find a bridal salon in Scottsdale called Mariee Bridal that carries Ian Stuart dresses. They were able to fly the sample dress in from London for me to try on. My mom and dad went with me to try on the dress. I knew the minute the last button was fastened that this was my dress. Mariee Bridal was also able to design a bolero jacket to match the dress for modesty during the ceremony. A very dear friend of my mom’s who owns an Indian bridal boutique called Kaeya Indian Couture was able to design a matching pink chantilly lace veil adorned with pearls. The whole experience was very matter-of-fact because I knew what I wanted, but nonetheless super exciting!

Culture

Mandeep and I are both Punjabi by ethnicity (Punjab is a state in northwestern India, divided between Pakistan and India). Generally speaking, Punjabis are loud, festive, and hospitable people. Our weddings span a week with many different traditional ceremonies, the first of which is a ‘haldi’ ceremony for both the bride and groom during which family and friends rub turmeric over the face and limbs of the couple, as this was traditionally thought to make one’s skin more fair and was used as a cleanser.

Another ceremony is the mehndi, during which women and girls adorn their hands and feet with henna against a backdrop of family and friends singing folk songs. Another event is the sangeet, during which family and friends get together to sing and dance to traditional wedding songs. Mandeep and I belong to Sikh families, so naturally, our wedding ceremony took place at a gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship.

Memories

My best memory is the joy on all my family and friends’ faces over the week we spent together celebrating our wedding. Dancing at the reception until 3 am was pretty memorable too.

Help a bride-to-be out!

The best advice I can give to engaged couples is to plan ahead, be organized, know what you want, and have fun! Details do matter, but don’t sweat the small stuff. After all, your wedding is ultimately about the two of you and your happiness. 

Vendors:

Photography: Ushna Khan Photography
Cinematography: Robles Video Productions
Ceremony Venue: Nishkam Seva Gurdwara Sahib
Reception Venue: JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa
Reception Venue: JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa
Ceremony Dress: Ian Stuart
Reception Dress: Satya Paul
Wedding Dress Salon: Mariee Bridal
Makeup: Christopher Valenzuela of Chris V Beauty
Ceremony Hair: Elizabeth Berg of The Luxxi Salon
Reception Hair: Antonio Estrada of ETCH Salon
Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade
Groom’s Shoes: Hugo Boss & Kaeya Indian Couture
Jewelry: Teyjas Jewellers
Wedding Veil, Bridesmaids’ Dresses, & Groom’s Attire: Kaeya Indian Couture
Henna: Purvi Galiya, Mehndi
Event Designer, Florist, & Stationery: Elegant Events Phoenix
Wedding Planner: Dr. Charanjit Dhillon (Father)
Caterers: Jewel of the Crown Restaurant and India Palace Restaurant
Wedding Cake: JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa Pastry Chef, Denny Mohler
Entertainment & Lighting: DJ Adi (Adhikar Dhakal) of In-The-Mix Entertainment