Stephanie and Zain’s vibrant Tampa Indian wedding was a weekend-long affair that combined the bride and groom’s cultures into one great harmonious celebration.
“Our wedding was a four-day Indian Catholic-Pakistani Muslim fusion wedding. We wanted to make everyone feel welcome, and we wanted to honor the traditions most important to our families,” the bride shared. “Our design was traditional Indian and Pakistani. For our Mehndi, we focused on bright colors. For our reception, we wanted to create an elegant, royal look. We chose teal, pink, green, yellow, and purple for our Mehndi and bright, vibrant, fun colors to get hearts beating fast and feet dancing! For our reception, we chose deep red and gold, because we wanted an elegant and royal-looking palette.”
MORE: INDIAN WEDDING INSPIRATION
Food, decor, and creating a memorable experience for their 280 guests were a priority to the bride and groom.
“We both love to travel, so our wedding favors were leather luggage tags that were engraved with the message: ‘And so the adventure begins!’ the bride explained. “We are also both big foodies, so we went to multiple tastings and painstakingly drafted our wedding menu to make sure it was diverse and delicious for every event we hosted.”
The St. Petersburg couple met during their medical school and residency at the University of South Florida. Over the last seven years, they have grown to call Tampa Bay home and relied on Marry Me Tampa Bay as a local research tool for the wedding planning process.
“I used Marry Me Tampa Bay to research vendors. We viewed [our vendors’] work on Marry Me Tampa Bay before hiring them, such as Michele Renee The Studio,” the bride shared.
With two culturally diverse ceremonies, the bride sought a reputable Tampa Bay hair and makeup artist who could effortlessly transform her looks between each event.
“I looked up different styles on Pinterest, and my makeup artist worked with me to come up with unique and beautiful looks for each event,” Stephanie beamed. Tiffany with Michele Renee The Studio was indispensable to me; I could not have asked for a more pleasant and professional artist, and the looks she created were stunning. They came highly recommended by our friends who had recently gotten married. Tiffany and her team of artists did an outstanding job.”
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While looking back on her perfectly planned wedding day, it was an impromptu moment with her groom that truly swept Stephanie off her feet.
“When I entered the ballroom at our reception, Zain walked off the stage to meet me in the center of the dance floor. Anticipation was so high, everyone was practically holding their breath. When I reached him, he reached out his hand to me and whispered, ‘Give me a spin’ with a huge smile on his handsome face,” the bride reminisced. “It was totally impromptu! I grabbed his hand, and he spun me around so that my beautiful gown flared out, sparkling under the light of the chandeliers. Everyone loved it!”
What were your hair and makeup inspiration for your wedding day?
I looked up different styles on Pinterest, and Tiffany Williams of Michele Renee The Studio worked with me to come up with unique and beautiful looks for each event. This vendor came highly recommended by our friends who had recently gotten married.
Tiffany and her team of artists did an outstanding job. She was indispensable to me; I could not have asked for a more pleasant and professional artist, and the looks she created were stunning.
The Proposal:
Zain was doing an “away rotation” in emergency medicine in New Zealand for a month, and I went to visit him. I grew up obsessed with the Lord of the Rings movies (and books), and Zain loves the movies, too. As any Tolkien buff knows, all of the movies were filmed in New Zealand. We had always planned to do a tour of “the Shire” movie set when I visited.
Zain secretly booked a private tour, and his sister hired a photographer to join us on the tour (her engagement present to us). I was surprised that it was just three of us but I didn’t question it. Then as our guide led us to the first “Hobbit hole,” Zain got down on one knee, and asked if I would go with him on this adventure of life! (A cheesy reference to one of the movies). Then the photographer pulled out a camera and started taking photos of us; only then did I realize who he was. Little did we know beforehand, but the “Hobbit hole” Zain chose to propose in front of was actually called “The Wedding Hobbit Hole” because the only two characters in the movies who are married lived there.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Our design was traditional Indian and Pakistani. For our Mehndi, we focused on bright colors. For our reception, we wanted to create an elegant, royal look.
What were your colors?
We chose teal, pink, green, yellow, and purple for our Mehndi and bright, vibrant, fun colors to get hearts beating fast and feet dancing! For our reception, we chose deep red and gold, because we wanted an elegant and royal-looking palette.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Hiring a wedding planner made the process of planning much smoother and easier, especially because my husband and I both have demanding jobs. I would highly recommend hiring a planner such as ours who has experience with local venues and vendors.
Ceremony Venues: Catholic Ceremony at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Muslim Ceremony at Islamic Center of New Port Richey
Reception Venue: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Photographer: Asaad Images
Videographer: NSPG Media
Planner: Eventrics Weddings
Decorator and Event Designer: TAS Events & Design
Bouquet and Boutonniere Florist: KP Event Design
Caterer: Aashirwad Restaurant (Orlando)
Cake: Aprons Catering GreenWise
DJ: Volcanik Entertainment
Officiant: Father Curtis Carro of Christ the King Catholic Church and Imam of Islamic Center of New Port Richey
Dress: Le Trend Boutique
Bridesmaid Dreses: Indian Wedding Sareecom
Hair & Makeup: Michele Renee The Studio *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wed Pro
Designer: Tas Events and Design
Photobooth: Uptown Selfies
Henna: Henna Allure
