Payal and Akshay Patel celebrated their nuptials with an Indian “white”-themed wedding on December 31, 2016 at the New Braunfels Civic Center in New Braunfels, Texas.
She says: Akshay and I met at a Sweet 16 in San Antonio a couple of years ago, where we were seated together. He was too shy to talk to me at first, but when he did, we clicked and just had that connection.
He proposed to me in Albuquerque, where he is from. He told me to dress up and be ready for a day of horseback riding. When we got to the location, instead, he surprised me with a ride in a hot air balloon, where he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him as the song “Tum Hi Ho” played on the loud speakers. I looked down from the balloon and saw our family and friends holding a “Will You Marry Me?” sign on the ground. I said yes!
I wanted our wedding to be different, yet elegant, so I went with white, ivory and gold colors. Since the day Akshay proposed, I had been looking at décor ideas and could not make up my mind as to what exactly I wanted. After meeting with our decorator, I decided to go with modern drapery instead of a mandap. My husband loves crystals and candles, so I made sure we had a lot of that.
The most special moment from the wedding was when my dad went on stage in front of the hundreds of people and sang “Kehta Hai Baabul” for me. This was a surprise, and there was not a single dry eye in the crowd.
Photographer –Bella Lumi Photography
Videographer – Epique Cinema
Decorator – Decor One
Cake – Pennington Cakes of San Marcos
Caterer – Pankaj Patel
Henna Artist – Sheila (San Antonio)
Hair and Makeup Artist – Hair by Melody Pereda, Make up by Kristel Sustaita (San Antonio)
DJ/ Entertainment – Dhol Beat International
Wedding Transportation – Vintage Bentley
