June 24, 2011

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House of Talent Studio.

Tulsi Parikh loves her hometown, Atlantic City. So when she and Vikash Patel began planning their October 2010 wedding, they wanted to celebrate the fun, festive town, while honoring their Indian heritage and entertaining guests both young and old. The result was a three-day extravaganza that involved 450 guests, multiple venues and a boardwalk horseback ride for the groom.

Atlantic City Extravaganza

Tulsi and “Vik,” both 26, met at a New Year’s Eve party at the end of 2007. They hit it off quickly, and began a long-distance relationship since Tulsi lived and worked in New Jersey and Vik worked in his family’s business in suburban Atlanta. Once they decided to marry, both families were involved in planning the celebration: Vik’s family hosted an engagement party, and Tulsi and her mother took a month-long vacation to India, where they purchased most of the clothing that the bride’s family wore during the wedding weekend.

The celebration began on Thursday, October 28, with a musical party called the sangeet at the Carriage House in Galloway. A band played Indian music while guests danced and the crowd enjoyed a variety of cuisines. A henna artist painted many female guests’ hands. (Tulsi had an intricate design painted on her hands the day before.)

The main religious ceremony took place on Friday with the Hindu priest, Haren Dave, a friend of Tulsi’s family, who conducted the two-and-a-half hour ceremony in English. “That helped our guests stay engaged,” Tulsi says. “It was emotional, beautiful and heartfelt. I loved it.” That night, the couple hosted a late-night party, mostly for friends, at the Blue Martini lounge at Bally’s Casino. For the formal reception on Saturday, they chose One Atlantic for its majestic ocean views and roomy banquet room. Tulsi and Vik surprised their guests by arriving in a pushcart. “It was so Atlantic City—our guests loved it,” Tulsi says.

For the reception, Tulsi wore her favorite of the outfits she had purchased in India, a jewel-toned sari with deep purples, blues and reds. “Traditions have loosened up, and some Indian brides today wear white gowns, but I had my heart set on a traditional sari,” Tulsi explains. Vik had already followed custom by arriving at the wedding site on a white horse. “Traditionally, in India, the groom would have arrived on an elephant,” he says. Instead, wedding planner Sonia Dhaliwal secured a horse, and Vik took the first ride of his life along the boardwalk to meet his bride.

Following a honeymoon in Belize, the couple moved to Atlanta, where Vik manages a restaurant and Tulsi is preparing to start nursing school.

SOURCES:

PHOTOGRAPHER: House of Talent Studio, 516-644-5454; houseoftalentstudio.com

SANGEET LOCATION: The Carriage House, Galloway Township, 609-748-2400; the-carriagehouse.com

WEDDING & RECEPTION: One Atlantic, Atlantic City; 609-343-9902; oneatlanticevents.com

WEDDING PLANNER: Sonia Dhaliwal, Savvy Planners, 732-790-2605; savvyplanners.com

CATERER: Moghul Caterers, Edison, 732-549-7976; moghulcatering.com

FLOWERS: All Event Decorators, Fairfield, 973-332-3369; alleventdecorators.com

BRIDAL PARTY ATTIRE: Purchased at various boutiques in India

SHOES: Macy’s; macys.com; and Ajay Arvindbhai Khatri, Ahmedabad, India

GROOM’S ATTIRE: Lou Marchiano for Men, Northfield, 609-641-2088

MUSIC: DJ Shilpa, 908-227-5795