Always a Bridesmaid: Louis & Kanishka

As a wedding planner, I believe the most beautiful celebrations are the ones that are deeply personal. This past year, I had the incredible honor of seeing this firsthand as a bridesmaid for four different friends. My fiancé and I traveled to San Francisco, Portland, Santa Barbara, and Burlingame to celebrate their incredible nuptials. Each was its own special experience, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on them, including my first ever Indian wedding and the lessons I learned watching their planner manage multiple events across various locations.

Floral's in the bride and groom’s first initials in her parents’ backyard pool.

Louis & Kanishka | Memorial Day Weekend | SF Bay Area

When I think about Louis and Kanishka’s wedding, the word that comes to mind is thoughtful. I remember every little detail they included to make everyone’s experience great, and the hard work that they and their planner did to make sure those details shone through.

Like most Indian weddings, this was an extravagant multi-day affair. Thankfully, they thought to host it over Memorial Day weekend, meaning that more people were able to make it to more events. Conner and I even had the day off of work as part of a designated day-off program!

It started with the Mehndi, hosted by Kanishka‘s parents at their wonderful home. Everyone got to get henna done, enjoy some outstanding food, and get to know each other as bridal parties. This was the first time many of us had met, and the first time most of us had seen each other since Louis‘s bachelor party in February. (The one area they weren’t so considerate was Louis choosing Valentine’s Day weekend for his bachelor party, but Kanishka is innocent in that!)

The next day, we enjoyed the Shanthi and Pithi ceremony combined. This, of course, led to an outfit change for our fabulous bride and groom, and to show them how much we cared, we surprised them with a coordinated dance between both the bride's and groom's parties. The aunties even got involved!

That night, most of us made our way to San Francisco, where Louis and Kanishka had rented out a room block at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis and provided welcome gifts for all of their guests. This included a wine that came from the grapes on Kanishka‘s family property, bags that came from India, and Italian seasoning and Garam masala baggies to honor their two cultures. And of course, water and a protein bar. They signaled early that they were expecting us to have a great time, and we did.

Saturday was the big day: the wedding. Louis and Kanishka rented our outfits for us to wear to the ceremony, and the rental service provided draping on-site. Once we were done with our hair and makeup, we got to sneak up to their suite to get a sneak peek at them before the big show. They both looked absolutely impeccable, Kanishka in her red lehenga and Louis in his intricately embroidered white kurta.

The groom’s party!

We made our traditional Baraat over to the ceremony space, and Louis warned us that we would be in charge of protecting his shoes. I got so deeply in the mix that his stepdad went out of his way to tell me that I was a "tough broad," which I can only take as a compliment.

More group dances and many more drinks we had that night, a beautiful celebration of their multicultural love and the profundity of this moment in their lives. The next morning, our heads pounding, we made our way out of the hotel. As we departed, we were greeted with a farewell gift, which included sweets handmade in Kanishka‘s family kitchen by her and her family members, an apple, and another bottle of water. They knew what they were doing to us with the fernet cocktails that they served at dinner that night.

What started on Hinge now ends in Oakland, where they hosted their civil ceremony at Lake Merritt. It was officiated by Assemblymember Alex Lee, who, by the nature of being an elected state official, has the right to perform civil ceremonies. We then made our way to Drake’s Dealership, where we enjoyed pizza, salad, and some beer, before ending the night with karaoke and cocktails at the Legionnaire Saloon. From that, I don’t remember much. But it was fantastic.

You might be thinking to yourself, "why haven’t you yet mentioned the planner?" And my answer would be that I didn’t have to. Because the flow of events, the planning, and the execution were so seamless, you would think Rubal wasn’t even there. I legitimately thought she was just a friend of the family until I found out that she was the one coordinating everything behind the scenes. In partnership with her outstanding team, she put on an incomparable event that I can only hope to emulate as I build my business to be like hers. It's the ultimate testament to the power of a truly great planner: their presence is felt in the flawless experience of the guests, not in the stress of the day.

The Planner's Takeaway: This is the ultimate goal of a planner: to be felt, but not seen. When the logistics are so flawlessly executed and the thoughtful details are so seamlessly woven into the experience, the planner disappears into the background. The focus remains exactly where it should be: on the couple's story and the joy of their guests. This is the magic of a truly effortless event.

Pro Tip: When interviewing planners, ask: "How do you get to know us as a couple, and how does that translate into the guest experience?" Their answer will reveal if they are a true event designer focused on personal storytelling, or simply a logistician. Look for a planner who is as interested in your love story as they are in your timeline.

Warmly,

Natasha Parker & Paloma Events