Real Wedding ~ Karina and Nehal at the St. Regis
There are none more fascinating or vibrantly rich in tradition as a classic Hindu wedding. SO filled with meaning and overflowing with symbolism. Karina & Nehal’s wedding celebration, sent to us by our Little Black Book ~ Orange County Wedding Consultant ~ Stephanie Lairson is about as good as it gets!
Karina and Nehal were married at the St. Regis in Monarch Beach last fall. I can’t even begin to imagine how long it must take to plan a celebration like this! As Abby would say, “Sheer gorgeousness!”
Ooohh her shoes! Here’s a story from their fabulous photographer, Ryan Phillips’ Blog …
*Brides note about the shoes – Christian Louboutin Beverly Hills – I saw a photo of these shows in Vogue over a year before the wedding. I had to have them! I was on the hunt. I went to 2 shops in New York and checked Neimans and Saks. I was coming back from a meeting one day in Beverly Hills and I saw the Christian Louboutin store on Burton Way. I decided to pop in and there they were – glowing in the window. I bought the very last pair – luckily they were my size! Apparently they made very few of this style and they sold out fast. I wanted to wear them so badly that I wore them around the house so I wouldn’t get the bottoms scuffed – they waited a whole year to make their debut!
{We also read on Ryan’s blog that the design of her reception clothing was inspired by these shoes! Pretty great.}
What an amazing venue … what an amazing couple … kind of makes me want to break into a My Fair Lady song …
LOVE LOVE LOVE the portraits …
These guys belong on a magazine cover. All photos courtesy of Ryan Phillips Photography. Fabulous!
Thanks so much to Ryan for sharing these images. Our congratulations to Karina and Nehal.
Stephanie Lairson is a highly acclaimed wedding consultant in Orange County. Just in case you missed her March feature on the Little Black Book Blog … you might want to take a look back at Victoria & Matthew’s Wedding. Totally different. Totally great!
You can also see lots more weddings on Stephanie’s website gallery. Thanks Stephanie!
The colour in this wedding is amazing!
I would love for you to get the opportunity to have a look at a South Australian wedding i have featured on my blog. The reception is full of wonderful colour like this.
x from
summerpicniwedding.blogspot.com/
Goooooooooorgeous.
The colours in this wedding are unbelievable! And that elephant is pretty spectacular!
Oooh I love Indian weddings, truly festive and fun and this one is fabulous!
Love the colors. Stephanie is so talented!
They are such a gorgeous couple!
I agree that this wedding was spectacular -but I stopped short when I saw the elephant.I understand that perhaps this may be an important part of their custom but I also am familiar with the many unethical practices involved with these magnificent animals when used in events and weddings.
Along with the "green" wedding trend that everyone is talking about it would also be a terrific step for our industry to be as well more aware about the potential negative impact when live animals are featured "props"
(and I'm not referring to couples who include their pets in their ceremonys):)
Wow, really beautiful. Where did you get the umbrellas?
I agree with the previous commenter, Kim.
I've been to one Indian wedding and it was beyond opulent. It's obviously very much a part of the culture to have such lavish celebrations.
But I really think the elephant puts things WAY over the top.
GORGEOUS!
I love the dancefloor shot, looks like they're dancing in a fairytale.
BEAUTIFUL!! i love everything- from the colors to the decor to the photography- what a dream wedding!
The use of the elephant is NOT merely for props - it is part of Indian culture and tradition. Try to not be ignorant - this is not about poor treatment of animals - in fact, India is a country that probably honors animals more than anywhere else in the world. That said, tradition is that the groom and his family (baraatis) come from their home town to the bride's hometown on a white mare or elephant. From there, the ceremony is done and he then takes is bride back to his town for the reception. Yes, this can all be done in cars, but it is a deep rooted tradition.This is not like choosing your dog to be your ring bearer.
Weddings in India are a HUGE deal - generally involving many many guests over many days. Naturally, when comapared to your average "one-day-white-wedding" - ANY Indian wedding will seem excessive. The thing to remember is that excess should always be viewed on a relative scale. My final word is this: Elephants and Louboutins are perfectly acceptable.
People need to embrace the fact that we live in a MULTI-CULTURAL society and, as a result, there will be different wedding customs. Those that involve animals, those that forbid the bride to wear white, those that involve breaking of glass and plates, all kinds of different things. Brides should not be made to feel like the wedding industry is all about white weddings anymore. Embrace different cultures - life is a lot more fun when you do.
Responding to comments by N-I am not sure where you got the idea that we were being ignorant about different cultures-as I said in my original comment I understood that this was probobly an important part of their custom. That being said this is not India where animals are honored-the practices of many businesses in this country that procure these kind of animals for events are frequently inhumane and neglectful.
If I'm not mistaken this wedding was in Orange County-..not India.
Unfortunatly in your zeal to embrace some kind of soapbox about cultural differences that were never implied in our comments you completly missed the point.Aim higher.Try not to look for things that aren't there.
I LOVE the pink flower elephant!! Hee heee it makes me giddy!! I want want want one!
amazing wedding. how did you plan for this memorable day?
i found this website that had some really good tips and also wanted to ask you,,,
http://www.citysaheli.com/2009/planning-your-unforgettable-wedding/
any thoughts helpful.
Wow, Kim I have never meet anyone as arrogant as you! America is a culture based on the "melting pot theory" for Nehal and Karina this was a way to bring there culture and share it with their friends and family. If you even had the slightest sense, you would probably have figured out that they merely did not get the elephant out of the wild, rather a trained, animal friendly, and certified company cares for the well being of the animal! Get out of the rock you are hiding under!
Amazing! The images by Ryan Phillips are stunning.
I missed that... amazing ! Although I agree a bit with Kim, I doubt "domestic" elephants in countries others than they belong are treated such as they should be (I'm thinking about the conditions of circus animals, and I doubt there are many other "trained" elephants other than in circuses...)
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