It is a modern-day love story for Vaninder Dhillon and Kenny Singh. They met online while in Arlington, VA in September 2015. After dating for two years Kenny asked Vaninder to be his bride in Florence, Italy. They hosted their reception at the Chabot Space and Science Center on May 26, 2018 in Oakland, CA.
Kenny wanted to make their engagement special and planned an Italian proposal for Vaninder at the beautiful Boboli Gardens. The Boboli Gardens are an open-air museum and its architecture, fountains and lush greenery made it the perfect romantic setting for the proposal. Before popping the question, Kenny flashed the engagement ring box to a local photographer and asked him to take a few photographs of their engagement.
She Says: We were at the Boboli Gardens and Kenny asked a random photographer taking shots of the garden to photograph our proposal. The European photographer assumed the camera and shot our entire proposal. Talk about being at he right place at the right time. We want to thank him so much because these are the best candid shots ever!
Our wedding festivities started off with a civil ceremony at City Hall. The state of California requires it and we were excited to include it in our wedding line up of events. We had four events for our wedding celebrations. It was also really important to me to get married at home with a traditional Sikh ceremony. In the spring time our backyard has a very Boboli-esque feel so it was the perfect tie in for us. We had a morning poolside ceremony with all the Punjabi Sikh rituals. My inspirations were totally brought to life by my wedding planners, Limelight Productions. The flowers and the little rustic touches were so special to us.
We had a very fun and out of the box reception at the Chabot Space and Science Center which is an interactive museum. The room we did the reception in is an interactive area for kids to learn about space and was converted into the reception space. The entire museum was available to us, including the planetarium where we did our slideshow! We had three telescopes with attendants that showed people constellations and stations throughout the museum that people could observe or interact with. We wanted to give our guests an experience they would always remember.
The sweetest moment during our wedding was during the Sikh ceremony, when our special guest gave the prayers for the Sikh wedding and reminded us to “speak sweetly” and to be open to loving each other despite what life may come ahead. This resonates with us daily as much as our vows in front of God.
Wedding Planner: Khadija Hansia – Limelight Productions
Photographer: Usman B Photography
Videographer: Usman B Photography
Decorator & Florist: Saba Decor Rentals
Cake/ Sweets: Postinos Restaurant
Caterer: Chef Dumra Wah Jew Wah Catering
Henna Artist: Swati Shah and Henna Pub
Hair and Makeup Artist: Jireh Artistry
DJ/ Entertainment: Nirvana Entertainment
Wedding Transportation: Vintage Carriage Company
Bride’s Attire: CrossoverBollywoodSe
Groom’s Attire: Brooks Brothers and Indochino
