Shivani weds Christopher
Shivani Patel, a mortgage processor, and Christopher Carranza, an assistant bakery manager, were first introduced by mutual friends who wanted the two to date. When they actually met, sparks immediately flew. Two years and two months after they began dating, Christopher proposed during a vacation in Orlando. After a romantic dinner on the first night of their holiday, the couple was sitting in the balcony when Christopher went inside to put more sugar in his coffee and returned with a ring. He went down on a knee asked her the question. She said yes and wedding bells began to ring.
Shivani’s mother, Bhavna, took charge of the wedding planning and her sister Puja helped the bride decide important aspects. To be sure all went smoothly, they hired an event planner, Pinky Patel, to help them organize the wedding day. They had 10 months to do the planning, and with the help of the planner, everything went smoothly, despite a few stressful moments.
The wedding took place at the Hilton Orlando, given its convenient location and proximity to the airport. The wedding was preceded by the mehendi and vidhi. The mehendi ceremony took place at Shivani’s parents’ home in Tampa. The entire place was decorated by the bride’s family, who flew in from London for the wedding. The vidhi ceremony took place at Hunters Green Country Club, located in Tampa. The venue was decorated by Krishna Events.
Shivani’s family hired a coach to travel from her parent’s home in Tampa to Orlando, since about fifty of them were traveling together. On July 12, 2014, Shivani and Christopher wed in an Indian ceremony held in the Hilton’s ballroom. Later that afternoon, after the Indian ceremony, the couple took their vows in a civil ceremony held in another ballroom. Krishna Events decorated both the ballrooms.
Dudha Productions brought the ceremony to life with amazing music. They played during all wedding events. For the Indian ceremony, the groom entered to the tunes of “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” and the bride entered to “Tum Hi Ho” from Aashiqui 2. “Mere Haath Mein” from Fanaa floated through the ballroom as the bridesmaids entered. For the civil ceremony, the bridesmaids and groomsmen entered to “Marry Me” by Train. The bride made a beautiful entry to “I Do” by 98 Degrees.
The reception was a grand affair with the venue decorated in a lovely combination of purple and teal. The three unique centerpieces were made using purple and teal orchids and crystals. The tables were covered with purple tablecloths and beautiful silver chargers. The bright lighting lit up the entire room beautifully.
Music for the reception was mainly Indian, with a few dashes of American music. The bride and groom walked in to”Desi Girl” from Dostana. The couple’s first dance was to “Endless Love” by Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross. Shivani’s sister and her friends performed a dance for the newlyweds. The groom and his mother danced to “Because You Love Me” by Celine Dion. The bride and her father danced to “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle.
Shivani and Christopher had a dream wedding. The couple advises would-be brides and grooms to enjoy the engagement and wedding planning phase because the wedding comes and goes before you even know it!
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