We're Engaged!

Kanai proposed at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas on 8/14/2010! It was very romantic and extremely symbolic. For those that don't know...Kanai and I first met in Europe in August 1999 and one of the places we visited while there was the Eiffel Tower. I've included a picture of the ring and of the only picture we have of the proposal.

Grishma's Side of the Story


So, we had planned to go to Vegas this weekend because it was like the only 2 days Kanai could actually get off from work. I have to admit that he got an ear full from me about not being able to spend time with me while I was in California (just to visit him), but he was a good sport and just dealt with me throughout all my whining. Anyways, so we're leaving for Vegas and he's just picking on me and teasing me the entire way there. It was a bit excessive and for anyone that knows us...it was a lot more than usual. So, we get to Vegas and our hotel room has the most AMAZING view of the Eiffel Tower and I was WOWed. I loved it. So, of course, Kanai being a neat freak and having to have everything in perfect order takes out all his clothes from his bag (we're there for ONE NIGHT!) and hangs them all up. I, on the other hand, take out whatever clothes I needed for right then and lived out of my suitcase. I mean is there really a point to unpacking when you're there for a night? Silly Kanai. *sigh* Anyways, so I asked him which outfit to wear (I had brought two dresses...for those that know me....YES I SAID DRESSES..leave me alone lol). He picked the blue dress which was a little fancier. Anyways, so it's like evening-ish time and we were both starving. So, after what seemed like forever (only because it was like 40 minutes of trying to find where we wanted to eat) we decided to just get ready and leave to go find somewhere to eat because the 40 minutes of trying to figure it out led to nothing. Kanai's like half way out the door when I realized I couldn't find my ring. Now this is like the "promise ring" (I guess that's what it would be called) that Kanai got me and that I ALWAYS have on. I knew I had put it next to his rings, which were by his camera charger on the desk, but I couldn't find it. Kanai, of course, had hid it from me, so as I'm frantically searching for it he's just telling me that we'll find it when we get back and that it was getting late and we were hungry. Now, of course, I can't make anything easy for him, so I found the ring (he didn't hide it very well) and put it on and walked out of the room satisfied with myself:) We found this really cute Italian place (Kanai will fill in the part where because I don't remember details like that). The waiter was a bit much and we couldn't understand what he was saying because he had a really thick accent. So, we nodded for most of it and just ate our food. We finished and I was freezing. (Just to get to Kanai, I'll point out that when I asked for his coat he refused to give it to me....what a jerk! lol). Anyways, we got outside and it was better because it was like a gazillion degrees outside without any A/C. So then Kanai goes let's go check out the top of the Eiffel Tower. I said sure why not and we walked around aimlessly trying to find where the ticket place was. We ended up at the photo place to pick up pictures after you've been up there and they pointed us to the Gift Shop that sold the tickets. We found them and bought the tickets. We went up the escalators and there was a lady that took two pictures (neither of which came out very good, but we ended up buying one of them as a memory). Then we waited for the elevator to come up. Which took a while. Finally, the elevator comes and it's relative small and there are quite a few people in there. Of course, we're like the last ones to get in, so we're right at the doors. The doors are glass and going up was like a nightmare. It was really scary, especially for two people scared of heights! Finally ,we get to top and it's quite a way up there! So, we're walking around the top taking pictures. The view was GORGEOUS! I mean there were lights everywhere. From my guess, those amazing pictures of the strip that are always taken are from up there because they looked like pictures of Vegas like professional pics of Vegas. Anyways, so we're walking around and just noticing how amazing Vegas looks from up there. We keep walking and there's a big BOOM (it was of course the fountain at the Bellagio going off, which makes a loud noise!). So, I tell Kanai that if something happens and this thing comes tumbling down that we're going to have to jump towards the fountain to save ourselves. For anyone that hasn't figured this out, it's a very stupid plan because there's no way we're going to make it all the way there. But, it seemed doable at the time. I mean I was out of my element and being afraid of heights, I couldn't think properly. Anyways, I'm holding on the railing really tight because of this fear of heights and wouldn't let go. Kanai kept saying it's going to be fine. I'm not a big believer in what others say, so of course it took him a good while before I would actually let go of the railing. (I really don't know how Kanai has patience with me sometimes lol). So, I finally let go of the railing, but remember that ring I HAD to find? Well, it's on my left ring finger, which is where I always wear it. Anyways, Kanai still has to get that off of me. So, he says something stupid like oh you're wearing it the wrong way and I was like no I'm not (in my very what in the world is wrong with you tone), but he gets it off of me anyways. Ok, I'm going to be honest at this point it was kind of clicking in, but I'm a little naive and I'm willing to admit that I wasn't the smartest cookie at figuring all this out. Anyways, so Kanai goes Oh, let me get the security person to take a picture of us. I agreed and he went to get the guy while I kept looking at the view. He took a while (another indicator I should've noticed). He comes back and asks me if I remember when we first met in Europe. I'm sure that was supposed to go romantically, but....I got to be me:) Lol....I very unromantically said no? I mean I was like 12? hahaha. Poor Kanai kind of laughed it off, even though I was obviously ruining his moment. And then all I remember him saying after that was "well I do." I'm pretty sure there were some words after that...AS he was getting down on one knee, but I wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying at that point. He wasn't even down on one knee and I go "Yes yes yes!" Poor Kanai, once again, has his moment ruined because I can't even let him finish lol. BTW, the picture of the proposal is taken as I'm going yes yes yes! A little late, but better than nothing I suppose. Anyways, that's my side of what happened. I'm sure there are details I forgot and random other side things that happened, but now it's blog-official:)

<3 you, Kanai!

Kanai's Side of the Story

So first off, Grishma actually was waiting for this particular trip to be the trip where I would finally propose to her.  Knowing this, I had to plan a little ahead (usually a good idea).  So that being said, I had to make sure that not only was I on point, but at the same time I needed to divert her thinking as much as possible.  So it started a few weeks back where I first talked with her dad, I mean after all I'm not going to do this if her family is going to look down upon it.  Once I realized that he was waiting for me to do it already I knew I couldn't wait any longer (if you know Grishma's dad you'd understand that's pretty much how he phrased it). I had one dilemma though, what the heck was I going to get her.  For those that know us, we love to plan ahead but I mean when it comes to a nice surprise I can't spoil it by asking Grishma what ring she wants, that's just stupid.  So I had to get into her brain (not literally, but we think alike) and I went through various ring settings and styles.  I started my search by setting foot into Jared's, I mean after all I saw these amazing commercials I kind of figured they would be able to help me out.  The second the man greeted me there, I knew I was way lost and I needed to first find out what the heck I wanted in a setting, clarity, and stone size.  Nonetheless, I found a amazing ring and finally got my hands on it.  I'm not going to describe it too much,but I didn't cheap out!  I got a gorgeous setting from an amazing jeweler, it holds 11 diamonds, one big one, two medium size and 8 small ones.  Once I picked that I found a gorgeous circular cut diamond to fit in. So now that I had the ring in my possession, I knew I couldn't have it in the house or else Grishma may find it, so I stored it in my safe deposit box at the bank.  So the weekend finally arrived, and before she had even come out, I made sure that I booked an amazing suite and had arrangements to have it face the Eiffel tower. This location meant a lot to me because I knew I couldn't get the time off to take her the real one, but since we met in Europe and that was the last city we left each, I wanted our journey as an announced couple to take place from there.  So the weekend itself had finally come around and like Grishma mentioned it was rough having spent some quality time with just the two of us until then. We set off to Vegas and on the way there, I needed to make sure that she had no idea what my real intent was for this trip, so I made up a whole bunch of crap to keep her mind distracted and I basically kept teasing her to give her a hard time. 

We got to Vegas and bless the guy there, he made it look like he was doing us a huge favor by moving us up to a 'bigger' room and with a 'nicer' view, even though I had already made the arrangements.  Hey, Grishma bought it so it was well played by the concierge.  We walk into the suite and we have just an amazing view.  And for the record, yes I did unpack all my stuff because I like to stay organized!  So I was waiting for my co-worker to finally check in with me because my original arrangement was to have him arrive prior to me at the top of the tower so he could video tape the whole proposal, but I never got anything from him.  Well, I couldn't wait any longer so we sat there picking out some nice clothes, and I made Grishma wear this adorable dress while I wore a nice suit to match her. While she was getting ready, I finally took the ring out of my suitcase and then got hit with a huge dilemma.  I didn't notice how big the box was that the ring came in, I mean I couldn't just keep it in my pocket because it would easily be spotted!  So I found a nice jewelry bag (okay, fine I stole it from Grishma's jewelry holder, but it was a bag that came with a previous present I gave her) and placed the ring in there.  I chose to keep it in my suit inner pocket so it wouldn't fall out.  At this point, I must have repeated the words I was going to say like a million times in my mind.  I wanted to make sure that what I had pictured in my mind was exactly what I wanted to take place.  As I stood there running the events through my mind, I suddenly realized that the promise ring I had given Grishma had to be left back at the hotel room or else it would another issue I'd have to face.  I had to hide it, but at the same time I needed to make sure that it wasn't obvious that I was hiding it, so I hid it under a charger on the desk and moved all her other stuff next to ring to the other end of the table.  I saw the time and I knew that I had to make it up to the Eiffel tower by 8 pm because that's when I was expecting my co-worker to be there by.  So Grishma walks out of the bathroom and just makes me drop my jaw, she just looked so amazing; I knew at this point that I couldn't screw up.  I mean everything was just perfect!  I told her that we were going to just walk around at Paris and find a nice place to eat.  She was so excited about food that she just started walking out the door with me.  I mean this was great because she didn't wear her ring. I was already out in the hallway and she takes one step out and goes, 'my ring!' The first word in my head was 'S**t!' I mean I almost made it, I tried to talk her out of it, but she would not listen to me and ended up wasting about 15 minutes trying to find it, she succeeded....Now, I had to find a stupid way to get that darn thing off of her!

So, finally we head over to Paris and find this really cute and romantic Italian bistro.  We walked in and realized that we were a bit overdressed but it didn't stop us.  The waiter finally comes and he starts talking, both Grishma and I just nodded our heads, and once he left we looked at each other and just questioned what the heck we had just agreed too.  This guys' accent was so thick it was hard for us to figure what he was saying and I mean that's a huge statement since I listen to so many Indians everyday! Anyways, the food was just delicious!  We finally headed out and by this time I swear I had a huge group of butterflies in my stomach.  I knew the moment was just minutes away and I hate having no idea how to control my emotions.  I didn't know whether to be extremely excited, nervous, or scared.  Nonetheless, when we headed out the doors I realized that Grishma was feeling cold, but there was no way I could cough up the jacket since the ring was in it. (I'm sorry Grishma, you know I would always be a gentleman but I couldn't ruin the element of surprise.)  I knew I had dodged a bullet by not coughing up the jacket but I knew I had to immediately have plan B since being 450 feet up, the temperature was not going to be the warmest.  So I rushed Grishma into finding a bathroom so I could swap the ring from the jacket to my pant pocket.  I was so nervous about doing this because I didn't want to drop the ring, and I just thought how stupid it would have been if I would lose the darn ring right before the moment! So back we went, to the main floor looking for the ticket booth to the Eiffel tower.  By the way, I had told Grishma that we should go to the top the Eiffel tower when we were in our room, so I didn't come as a complete surprise that out of all places to see, I wanted to go there.  We finally found the base of the tower breaking through to the casino floor.  We looked under and we found the photo retrieval place for after the tour.  We asked the men there if we could buy the tickets there but then we realized we had to go to the gift shop. (I'm sorry but who keeps the darn ticket sales in a gift shop, wouldn't it make more sense to just have under the darn tower?!) We walked into the shop, got our tickets and went up the stairs to ride the elevator up.  We walked up and were greeted by a 'professional' photographer who ended up taking our pictures. I even gave her my camera to take a pic but she said no.  (until this day I wish she would have because the pictures she took just sucked!)  We were the last ones in our group to ride up the elevator, so we were forced to be right up by the door.  It wasn't bad at first, but the second we started going up, we realized there was only one piece of glass between us and the fall to our death! (lol, well I know both Grishma and myself felt this because we both moved back as far was we could.) The fact that the women gave all these facts about how tall the darn thing was and so on really started to creep me out.  Well we got up, and OMG was the view amazing!  I didn't expect it to be windy, but it was.  At this point, I had this huge breakdown, how was I going to do this?!  There was a nice group of about 40 people up there and the image I had in my mind was having a whole area with just the two of us and not some idiots walking around us.  So we started walking around holding on the rails and Grishma was about to squeeze off my hand the way she held on.  I realized that if I was going to do this, I didn't want to do it on the backside of the tower.  I wanted it to be background by a gorgeous view of the strip.  Just my luck, the crowd kind of forced us to walk clockwise around the perimeter.  At this point, we heard a big pop followed by a swoosh; we realized that the fountain show had begun at the Belagio hotel so we started to move towards it.  Although I wanted to enjoy the view as much as possible, I was starting to get scared because I realized that my coworker was not on the platform so I had no one to record the moment or to take pictures.  Also, I had that darn ring to take off that was still on her finger!  So I tried as hard as I could to get a hold of her left hand, but Grishma being scared of heights refused to even loosen up on her grip with the handrail.  Finally, we moved towards the fountain show and I knew at this point that it was going to be now or never.  I looked over and I knew I couldn't just grab an ordinary person from the crowd to take a picture because everyone was there with their significant other and wouldn't let go of them. I was making a huge checklist in my mind at this point because I wanted to make sure that the camera was set, that Grishma's ring was off, that the ring in my hand was ready, and that the words I had chosen to say were properly able to recite.  I finally checked it off and moved in for the 'kill.' (LOL, I always wanted to say that)  I told Grishma that her ring was facing the wrong way and I began to move her hand away from the rail and in my reach. As I was doing this, I was slowly removing the ring from the jewelry bag in my right pant pocket.  I then pulled the ring off as if I was going to swap it to the 'right' position, but I immediately said, 'Let's have someone take our picture!'  So I moved away from her completely cutting off her thoughts about the ring and walked to the guard while slipping the ring into my pocket.  I told the guard that I wanted her to take our picture.  She immediately said, 'Ok get ready.'  I had to shut her up mid sentence and I told her to give me a few seconds because I was about to ask a very important question.  So she goes, are you about to propose? And of course I shushed her down and said yes. (Who the heck repeats that out loud knowing that it's suppose to be a surprise!)  So I walk back to Grishma and I look around real quick and I realized that the loud mouth guard and gathered up about 30/40 people around us.  So anyhow, I don't think Grishma caught on so I took a huge deep breath and pulled the ring out of my pocket.  I whispered words into Grishma's ear to set the mood.  I reminded her about our trip to the actual Eiffel tower, to set my self up for my selected words to say.  However with my luck, she responds, 'no, I don't remember much.'  (In my head I was like, Grishma you couldn't have been worse in answering that!)  Well with  the clock ticking for the guard to take the picture, I made up some stuff to transition me into my spiel and loosened my hold around her and started to get down on one knee.  I took the ring out, looked into her eye and got to 'W---' and she cuts me off my going yes yes yes yes yes!!! I couldn't believe it, her eyes just lit up, my smile was about to reach my ears as to how wide it was.  I look over and I finally see a flash.  I then realized the moment I was waiting for the whole trip was not properly captured on any media because the idiot of the guard was only facing me and facing Grishma's back.  (To top it off, instead of snapping pictures she wanted to listen in on what I was going to say....That idiot!)  Well I snapped out of my thought and looked and Grishma who was shocked to see a new ring slide onto her finger and the tears began.  The next thing you know, there are flashes everywhere and people cheering.  I then realized that people I didn't even know had video taped it and took pictures of it, but I never got a hold of it! (Darn them!)  I gave Grishma a huge kiss and just held her knowing that this is my future wife.  Her teared up eyes were still blooming with happiness and excitement.  I have to say, this was by far the happiest moment of my life. 

My Big Fat Indian Engagement

So, having an Indian engagement is quite different from just being engaged. Here's some of what we've learned in the process:

  1. Be prepared to tell the story of the engagement 50 gazillion times and show the ring even more times, but it'll put a smile on your face every time!
  2. Be ready to make phone calls to EVERYONE because people will get butthurt if someone else found out you were engaged before them.
  3. You are not officially engaged until the "ring ceremony" occurs. Until then you have been proposed to and are awaiting the engagement process.
  4. It's a difficult change to jump from calling someone you're boyfriend/girlfriend to your fiance, but it's a change that's worth making:)
  5. The planning phase only gets worse as time goes on...NOT better. But, be happy...YOU'RE ENGAGED!
  6. You will be required to do as you're told and just need to suck it up and deal with it. Try and get what you want, your parentals love you and will give you anything you desire. But at the same, expect for them to want to live out what they've dreamed of for you.
  7. The guest list will multiply....QUICKLY (because your relatives someone's someone's second someone's someone HAS to be there!). For this reason - begin gathering addresses EARLY!
  8. Figuring out RSVPs will give you a headache.
  9. Being bi-coastal means that not everyone will attend, but you should've expected this already.
  10. Each "type" of Indian has some different type of rituals that have to be done at the "ring ceremony," so be prepared to have no idea what's going on.
  11. You know you're Indian when the parentals can't agree to pay 50/50 and each set of parents wants to pay for everything (and here in America the kids are just left on their own to figure it out....lol)
  12. I highly recommend sending one of the parental figures to India before the engagement to get clothes, jewelry, and of course anything else you need (even if it doesn't apply to the engagement). Matching outfits?....still working on that part.
Disclaimer: While everything stated above is true, some has been exaggerated for amusement purposes, so for all of you that may read it (especially anyone that's our parent's age) and have an urge to get mad.....please refrain from yelling at us.

    The Official Official Super Official Engagement

    So, as many of you probably know and have seen....we got OFFICIALLY engaged on March 6, 2011. We had an awesome engagement party after the "ring ceremony" and had a lot of fun with family and friends.


    Now behind all the awesomeness was a lot of drama and stress and pre-planning. Of course there was, right? How in the world can that many Indians get together without that happening hahaha. But, all in all it was great having the families mingle and get to know each other. I know everyone from my side had an awesome time! For pictures and videos, check out facebook!






    For those of you without facebook (good for you!), here are the links:
    Pictures:
    http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2674591&id=6008369&l=41de28f4ce

    Highlight Video:


    So, what's next? Well, I finished my set of thank you cards, Kanai is still working on his. How come no one mentioned that thank you cards were a pain in the butt? Can't imagine how bad they will be for the wedding! Thank god for computers, right?

    We have logos too:) I got bored (this was a while ago and we all know I love personalizing everything....have you seen my laptop!?), so I made one that we used our address labels and another that we plan on using for other things. Here's what the address label one looks like. Very simple, but it looks good on the address labels :). Other one to come later...after it has officially been printed elsewhere.



    So, turns out I'll be going to India after all. I'll be going to attend the wedding of my cousin, Anita, who strangely enough was engaged on the same day as me, but in India. Many congrats to her! While there I will also be getting invites done, picking my wedding dress, and getting favors and whatever I remember between now and then. This will take place in January. At least I get to avoid some of the winter weather in the states right?

    Besides that, just looking at wedding venues right now. Guest list is around 600. Huge right? For all of you that arent used to Indian wedding, not so huge....sigh! But, we are happy to have so many people celebrate with us! Surprisingly, there are quite a few venues that will hold that many people, so the next few weeks are going into visiting them and trying to pick a venue. Once that's done, hopefullyy I can start putting everything else into place. I enjoy event planning, so it is actually fun doing it while I am not in school. When I get back to school, probably not so much fun. But, I will enjoy it until then:)

    Missing Kanai. Wish I was in Cali, but now that it is official, I guess I can go back soon. I went before whether people liked it or not, so I guess the officialness never really mattered after all hhaha. Just want to get some wedding planning out of the way before going again. Then we have to do some planning for the second reception in California. So much planning, but we are happily engaged. Frustrating times or not, we are so happy to be going through all of it. It is worth it all in the end right?

    Will keep you all updated! :) :) :)! :D :D :D!


    - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

    Location:Rancho Cucamonga, CA

    Save the Date for Kanai & Grishma!



    and......WE HAVE A WINNER! (well a Venue)

    The biggest part of our wedding was a venue.

    WE HAVE ONE - BWI Marriott in Baltimore, MD on May 27th, 2012. YAY! The point of contact there, Tiffany, is amazing! She has been very helpful and always very encouraging of all the gazillion questions I had and the multiple times we went back to see the venue. Absolutely love her and wish she was also the wedding planner because she is ridiculously organized and detail oriented (which works so well with me!). I'll be working with one of their wedding planners for details of the wedding.

    Next few weeks go into looking at bakeries, photographers, videographers, and decorators. More details on how those go as it happens! There are so many in the area, but being organized about it and scheduling everyone in ASAP has been a great help. Fair comparisons always make choices easier!

    I have a cake design in mind! Kanai loves fountain and bridge cakes and I love the elegance of henna-type designs on cakes, so we're looking for a combination of the two:)

    Colors for the wedding - Red + Gold. Typical, traditional, but it'll all have our modern twist to it. Reception colors may be the same, they may not. Not sure yet. We have a reception in California a few months after the one in Maryland, so we can do another color combo there. I think the red and gold will go very nicely with the venue we have, so we'll just have to see.

    People have asked whether I know what I want for a dress. The simple answer...not really. The beauty of going to India for wedding shopping is that I have a gazillion possibilities at my fingertips, so I figure I will find something I love while there.

    Some things need to be left to the imagination for you guys! You can't know EVERYTHING before coming to our wedding! More to come later...probably after I finalize some vendors!

    Happily Ever After Contest

    Vote for Us!

    (I know you have to sign in, but we'd really appreciate the votes!)

    The story got a bit cut off, but here is the rest of it: "We continue to deal with these obstacles, but are willing to go through it to spend the rest of our lives together. He proposed August 2010 at the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas symbolizing the last time we saw each other as kids and the beginning of the rest of our lives."

    For the full story go here!

    Thanks!

    DIY Wedding Card Box

    Most people know I love making things personalized. I hate giving generic gifts and hate having generic things. Everything has to be personalized and reflect me:)

    So, why not the Wedding card box?

    I got the ideas from several different places and it took a while to come up with the idea. If you want one made for your wedding let me know (It took a few days to put together with all the drying time, but soooo worth it!)! I enjoyed making it and it was inexpensive (actually ended up being less than going out and buying a regular GENERIC card box).

    Check out the pics!

    P.S. Thanks to Mitu who drew the hand drawings on the bottom box. She drew, then I traced with glitter glue. Had to get her involved too!:)









    So We Made the MOVE!

    Hi Everyone!

    It's been a while since I've written. Only because I have had a ton going on! P.S. I did write before, but for some reason that blog post didn't post. I will post that one now (it's from when I was flying out to California).

    Anyways, as most of you know, we drove from California to North Carolina with a car packed with Kanai's things in 2.5 days. It was a really tough move. It was super emotional and of course really rough on the parental units. We love them to death and it was hard saying bye. We all know that we'll be going back there after our "studies" (we're so Indian) are over, but it's the first time Kanai's been out of the house. His parents were super supportive and as difficult as it was, they let us go knowing that it was to make our lives together better. Now, the trip was insane! Not the most comfortable, but we managed to do it and remain sane (Most of the sanity was due to the fact that we had over 400 songs to listen to + we took turns sleeping in the car). We also managed to play random games, but those didn't last very long. We got to NC for my cousin reunion and had TONS of fun in Nags Head, NC. Kanai got to meet the family! He actually had a lot of fun with them and finally got to take a nice long vacation (though right now he's saying he's ready to get back to work).

    After the cousin reunion, we went to SC to drop off some of Kanai's things at a friend's house (Thanks Trusha for letting us borrow your garage!). We looked at apartments and rounded it down to 3 that we really liked. After that we drove straight back to Maryland. Finally, we were somewhere where we could shower properly, sleep peacefully, etc! The next day, Kanai was cleaning off his car (well DUH!) and we both had been hearing this strange sound come from his usually quiet car. At first we thought it was the weight of the car (we'd been hearing it since Arizona!) Turns out, Kanai's back tires were really worn down because of all the weight, I mean we were really lucky to make it to Maryland without a problem. We got it fixed and now all is well!

    Anyways, we decided on an apartment! We're moving on July 21st (we wanted to stay home for my birthday). I haven't been home for my birthday for 2 years now and figured it'd be nice (rather than be stuck moving and unpacking in SC. So, I guess we'll be starting the next big step in our lives on that date!

    Did we do more Wedding stuff? DUH!

    The last post was getting kind of long, so I figure I'd separate it for anyone that just wanted wedding information.

    We got to MD and after a weekend of doing nothing, we got back to doing wedding stuff. Kanai finally got to meet our vendors! And we finalized with a photographer and videographer : Photography by Ayesha and Blue Sky Films. Both do a fantastic job and are super talented! Ayesha is very friendly, down to earth and exactly the type of photographer I need. Someone that is understanding of what my parents want and need and what I want and need. Blue Sky Films is equally amazing! They make the most amazing wedding DVDs and I just couldn't do without them!

    We also looked at bakeries and have it down to two. Still trying to figure out which bakery to go with.....more on that later.

    Besides that, things are coming along. Wait...did I mention we bought our wedding outfits? We went to Cerritos in California and got them. I found this amazing wedding sari. It was simple, elegant and just perfect:) Kanai also found something to wear. We both prefer simple over flashy. Somehow Kanai got his first and I got mine second. Even without trying to we ended up having them match:) It worked out really well. Typical Indian wedding colors of course: white, gold, red, with a hint of green with crystally diamondy thingys everywhere:) No pictures until the wedding! Sorry! It's locked away for safe keeping for now.

    No other updates as far as wedding stuff right now. More to come later!

    And We're Back!

    Hi Everyone...

    It's been forever since I last wrote. I kept talking about writing in the blog again, but there wasn't really anything to tell or I just kept making excuses...probably the latter. I honestly dont have anything new to say about the wedding.

    We've been happily living together for a while now. It seems to work out good. Kanai got a new job as an assistant manager at BOA. He loves it and is thankful for the opportunity. I have started school again and am busy working and studying ALL the time (yes, I was really doing homework while we went to the drive-in movie theater). P.S. That's a cool experience, if you haven't been before. We try and do fun things on weekends when I'm a little free from school work, we're going to the state fair on Friday, which should be fun. But, we keep our cool for the most part.

    School is kicking butt, but I love it! I love being back and I love the learning process (yes, I am aware I'm a nerd!).

    Anyways, hopefully Kanai will post at some point in the future.

    Thanks for checking with us!

    Wedding Planning + Work + School = Bad Combination

    So, it's been another long while hasn't it?

    There's been plenty going on, but let's try and keep everything happy! We went to Maryland for Thanksgiving and California for Christmas. There's been lots of family time, but unfortunately we won't be getting together again until the wedding (or so that's the plan as of right now). It was all good times and definitely nice being around family since we are constantly just driving each other crazy (not really, but we both have our moments).

    Kanai's not-so-new job is going great. He's been practicing tabla and sounds amazing! He's also been mixing for fun, since we don't have his full set up here, he only plays for fun and can't really do any gigs here:( (If anyone knows anyone looking for a DJ in SC let us know!)


    I've been doing great in school. Learning a lot, keeping busy, all the usual. I've also taken up painting! It's a great outlet and anyone in school can understand at some point you just have to take your face outta the books and do something creative. I would love to buy up all of the craft stores, but don't have the money or time to have fun with all of it. Kanai got me all of this for my Xmas present:) The easel, the paints, a bunch of canvas, etc.) What did I get Kanai? I got us tickets to Cirque du Soleil when they come to Columbia, SC with Michael Jackson's Immortal World Tour in April. :)


    We're still getting along and having fun, despite what everyone thinks hahaha. I like to think that since we've been living with each other for a while now and still haven't gotten tired of each other, we're starting off right:) Oh, did I mention we won our community holiday decorating contest! 



    I made that wreath! And I'm super proud of it:) lol. It was actually really easy to make. One of my good friends, Deshia, has got me hooked to Pinterest and I've gotten so many ideas from it. For anyone that follows me on facebook, I'm sure you've noticed. I actually can't figure out how to disable it from constantly posting on facebook hahaha.

    Anyways, you all are probably wondering about wedding prep, huh? Kanai tried on his wedding outfit when we were in California. It looks awesome! So, that's one less thing for us to worry about. I'm sure I've already mentioned I have gotten my wedding outfit. The jewelry is being made in India and I still haven't found shoes I like! That'll probably be something that will be on going. I wish I could show you guys pictures of all of that, but I really should leave something for you to look forward to. Invitations are being proofed right now. They'll hopefully be printed and sent out by March-ish? So, look out for them! If you happen to be a college student, your parents will probably get them. Sorry:( I wish we could send them out individually to everyone, but we don't know where all of you live! So, don't add the stress to my shoulders! hahaha. Ummmm...let's see what else. We still haven't figured out party favors, but we have kind of left that to the parental units. Kanai's parents are in India right now and my mom is going next week and my dad next month. So, we have plenty of opportunities to get things we may have missed. I'm sure you expect me to send everyone to India with a list (which I did:)). I have gotten the "well if you had just come, blah blah blah"...but I mean I don't really need to be there. The only thing I want to be super picky about are my outfits and I've been strict about taking pictures before buying. I don't need to be there for all that nonsense. I have things to take care of here!

    Almost done with finding a makeup artist. Finally! More on the vendor when I finalize with her. We also have food done (thanks to the parentals!). Hopefully our website will be up soon (www.kanaigrishma.com). Right now it takes you to our blog, but that's where it will be. We want RSVPs via email and the website. I'm not taking phone calls in the middle of the semester. I'm sorry, but I just don't have time to add that to my list. For all the parental units and uncles and aunties that will have a need to call my parents to tell them, be sure to give detailed information AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE WRITING IT DOWN ON A SINGLE LIST!

    So, sounds like all is well right? What am I stressed out about? Honestly I think the things that us "ABCDs"...yeah I just went there....don't know about is what's annoying. I won't give specific examples, but there's a lot of stuff that the parentals will think you know or should know that you don't. By the time you find out, you will have already made plans for something completely different. It's a pain in the butt, and you'll get emotionally and stress out about it. But, in the end, it won't matter right? Kanai and I will get married and that'll be that. Years from now I'm going to look back and laugh at how ridiculously I behaved and this stuff, huh? (Or so that's what I tell myself to keep myself sane).

    Anyways, school starts next week! PhD = naadu (pant holding device..) guess who came up with that joke lol. Anyone that knows my father-in-law or Dad^2 will know it's him lol. So, unless I'm reminded to write on the blog (Thanks Punal:)), you may not hear from me. If you do, that probably means things are ridiculous and I need an outlet hahaha. Please come visit us! We need company in SC!!!

    Love "ya'll"!!! (and no I don't say it all the time, but it does slip out unintentionally from time to time:))

    It's almost March! and Invites are going out!

    Ah! Ok, so it's not an ahhh about the wedding really. It's more of an AHHHHH! about the wedding planning. Things are moving along. Everyone is on board, which is great! Less for me to worry about. I believe most invites will be going out within the next few weeks! How exciting is that! My lovely parental units have done the majority of the work on this one, so mad props to them! I did all the proofs and figuring that stuff out, my dad found our invite guy and made sure he understood my changes, and my mom brought them from India (which means tons of weight in her luggage lol). Kanai's parents are going to start giving theirs out soon too. I believe they got theirs only a few days ago. Hope you guys love them as much as I do!

    My dad just left for India. He's going to just relax for a few weeks (and do some other shopping!). You never realize how much you really need for a wedding until you need it! We have food stuff done too! So, kudos to my dad on finishing that up! The closer we get I feel like I have more to do just because everyone makes me feel like I do, but I really have small things to do here and there, nothing major to worry about. (At least I don't think I do).

    School is going well. It's a very very very busy semester and so wedding planning on top of that isn't working out so well. But, I'm managing...even with my random bursts of I can't do this anymore and wanting to quit school just to finish the wedding stuff up. Kanai has been awesome! He has probably done all the cooking and cleaning for the last few weeks. I feel bad, but at the same time I really just don't have the time for it between school and work.

    We are having two very special dances at the wedding! They should be lots of fun and tons of laughs for everyone. So look forward to them! No more on that otherwise it ruins the surprise!

    As for my wonderful amazing vendors - I will be putting a tab on the website with all their info and websites, etc. as soon as I get time to actually put all that together. We'll see how long that actually takes, but if anyone needs any of their info, please let me know and I can send it over. It's all in spreadsheet format (go figure...it is me, after all), so that should be easy to get to.

    Anyways, back to writing for me. Enjoy your weekends! Don't forget - Memorial Day weekend 2012 = Kanai & Grishma's wedding.

    Hopefully you'll hear from Kanai soon!

    Love ya!

    It's All Wedding!

    So, classes are finally over and it's all about the wedding now. And boy is there a ton to do! I'll be leaving SC on May 9th and be in MD until right after the wedding.

    Less than a month left!

    So, I meant to post earlier, but things happen!

    Anyways, school is finally over for the next month. Kanai takes GMATs this weekend, wish him luck! It's all wedding stuff now. First, I have to finish all the RSVP stuff. Thank you to all that have emailed and gone to our website! If you haven't, do it now!!!!

    I plan to meet with all vendors when I get back to Maryland. Lots of last minute things to do. I finally found the perfect shoes! It took like 20 + shoe places to get the right one lol.

    We are super excited to celebrate with everyone. But, there are so many things to do before then! I'll keep you guys updated!

    At the airport on my way home

    So I'm on my way to maryland to get ready for the wedding. I have about 10 lists of things that need to be done, but i am confident that they will be finished by end of next week.

    Strangely while there is all this stuff that needs to be done i am pretty calm, but it really sucks to be away from Kanai. I know sappy right? I guess just after spending everyday together for almost a year now it is just really weird. He is coming in a week so its all good.

    Did i mention that my bags are packed with his stuff!? I swear all i have are maybe half a carryon bag worth of clothes lol. Did i tell you guys i found the shoes!? Omg they are so perfect! I think im going to wear them for the wedding an reception. They took 20+ shoe store stops to find, but they have been found!

    Also, this week i worked on a program for our wedding. Printing this weekend!

    Next on the list....schedules and meetings w vendors. Why doe it feel like Dance competition season!? Lol! But seriously, nothing could've prepared me better. Shout out to JSK for making me feel like planning for the wedding is no biggy! Love you guys even though most of i cant make it to the wedding:(

    Anyways about to board the flight.

    See you at the wedding! And stay posted bc I'm sure you'll hear from me more as i continue this journey!

    - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

    Two weeks before the wedding!

    So, there's only two weeks before the wedding!!

    I'm super excited! But there's a lot still left to be done. We still have to finish up all the seating arrangements which we're working on right now, but we just finished giving final estimates on the number of people that will be attending the wedding! It's becoming more and more real that the wedding is actually going to take place after months and months of planning... I mean it's been a year since I've been planning this thing I started after the engagement so I guess it's actually more than than a year!

    I have a bunch of meetings with all the vendors this week just to go over last minute details. Being the control freak that I am I want to make sure everyone knows exactly what's going on and then I have a schedule to give to people that I trust to make sure that everything happens the way that we wanted it to. It's really crazy that this is happening within two weeks it keeps hitting me at random points when I'm doing things throughout the day.

    Overall, we're super excited to see everyone! We look forward to celebrating this wonderful time in our lives with everyone that is attending the wedding. Keep all of you updated! Hopefully I'll manage to stay sane until the wedding....

    See you all very soon!

    - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone