A Love Story That Unfolded In New York City

Althea met Yeshwant at a church in New York. They had an instant connection and hit off from there. Here Althea tells us their story. The story of how they met, fell in love and got married. Read on to know their wedding planning process and get inspired.

Yeshwant had come to New York to do his Masters while I was working at NYC. We had very similar interests, laughed and missed the "Chennai things" As days passed by, he was telling me that his parents were looking for a bride and it so happened that, wedding talks at my house began as well. We both had that, "moment". We gave it a lot of thought because, people around us were already making fun and wanted this to happen.

So Yeshwant approached my parents and they were pleased that he went to them first. And now, both the families spoke and had that instant connection for each other. I couldn't have asked for more, he is really a very sweet, honest and caring guy to live with. Less than a week things got finalized and we had to pick a date. We both got really excited about the whole wedding.

The wedding took place at the very beautiful, St. George's Cathedral. It was my dream to get married there in that magnificent church. It is one of its kind. So glad we exchanged our vows there! Being in New York City and planning a wedding in India was quite a challenge.  Especially the time zones is a big bummer. But, a big shout to Yesh's family, specially my BIL Charles Dawson. We had him running around like crazy.

I purchased my gown at the, David's Bridal here in New York. My veil was totally Swaroksi studded, it looked very beautiful and sparkled away. I bought my wedding shoes at Jimmy Choo in New York.  I wore the gown for the church wedding and for my reception I wore a pattu saree. I've always wanted to go to Kanchipuram and this was the perfect time and reason.

We had to two receptions planned, one at Chennai and another in Coimbatore because my parents hail from there. We headed to @prakashsilksandsarees#, loved the collection, very unique, excellent designs. We had a very tough time deciding the saree. I loved this nice dull gold and kinda magenta saree,  that was the saree of my dream.

For my Coimbatore reception, I chose a very traditional red, pink and green pattu saree. I really wanted to have a traditional look. Makeup artist @steffhy-antony#  was fabulous, she knows her work. Never disappoints, her love for her work really comes out on you. For the hairstyle, I wanted to incorporate my favorite Malli Poo and she did an outstanding job.

I wore a seven string gold chocker for my Coimbatore reception, again wanted to keep it classy. We purchased that at my dad's friend's jewelry store in Coimbatore. All of Yeshwant's suits was designed by Tailorman. They took a lot of effort and did an outstanding job. So much collections there!

We bought my diamonds at Joyalukas, I literally went in every jewelry store in chennai but, loved to collection at @joy-allukas#. I'm not a big fan of wearing too many ornaments, I like to keep it classy so, just wore that lovely diamond piece. My blouse designs were a big hit, everyone were talking about it for days, all the credit goes to Sasi Reka. She is the best in Anna Nagar, she completely took over the designs part and did an amazing job. Nothing was repeated, it was unique, young and fresh designs. Most of all, a very sweet and loving person. Mochi is always been my place for footwear and it didn't not disappoint.

My reception gown was designed by the very talented, Geethika. Tara Decors did an outstanding job, everyone really appreciated the work. It was one of a kind. Neha Kumar did my engagement make up. For the wedding, @vurve-signature-salonbeauty-salon-hair-salon-makeup-artist# did an amazing job, loved their services. For all the brides, who are looking for makeup, Vurve is the place to go. They take super care of you and their artists are on time and finish the work very beautifully.

My photographer, was my Buddy, @eden-studios-jebin-dravyam# . He was also my wedding planner for so many things, he took care of most of our ground work stuff, and he made the process stress free for me and my family. His work speaks for himself. Such a talented, humble guy, knows what you want. I didn't have to tell him anything. He knew how we wanted our pictures. He's mutual friend to both our families. And, my bestie. Our catering was done by Ennuwyn Caterers, a perfect Christian Caterers with amazing Briyani. We have 13 varieties of menu. They did a great job.

We had arranged for a small mehandi at Coimbatore with very close family and cousins, it was a nice get together. Good good food, fun and laughter. I regularly do Zumba, I don't believe in looking super slim, just for the wedding day. All my other services I started, once I came to India. As far as honeymoon is concerned, we didn't go on a proper trip, as we had to head back to the states. We spent the weekend at Taj at ECR and had our post wedding photo shoot.

My advice to the new, "bride to be's" would be, plan plan plan! Keep yourself hydrated that makes a lot of difference. Get proper sleep and dream about your big day. That's really the key, put it on your notes as to what you're looking for, always save pictures of blouse designs, makeup and hairstyle and make sure it fits you. Most importantly, enjoy your day, it's your big day. Have fun, don't let anything bring your spirit down.