Even with the many challenges of a long-distance relationship, the bonds of love and togetherness never faded between Anandi Mandania and Rushi Gajjar. Anandi, a resident of New Jersey, and Rushi, who lives in Dallas, met each other while taking vacations at a beautiful Mexican destination. On the first anniversary of their relationship they went on vacation, again to Mexico, where it all started. Rushi proposed to Anandi on a beautiful beach during a private dinner. Anandi had been wishing that Rushi would propose, and when the moment arrived she was overwhelmed with joy and ecstasy. Three years after their engagement the two were married on November 20, 2021. It was a destination wedding at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, along Macao Beach, in the Dominican Republic. They enlisted the help of Shaadi Destinations to arrange the venue, date and transportation, but the wedding events were conceived and planned by the couple. 
BANQUET HALLS Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana 809-687-0000 | BEAUTICIANS Flawless Beauty by Pauline 484-767-2531 | | BOUTIQUES Shilpa Gandhi Studio 201-253-7513 | CATERING Pranama Restaurant 829-768-6262 | EVENT PLANNER Pearls Events 973-830-9327 | Shaadi Destinations 970-680-1870 | MEHNDI Vineeta Rathod Vineetarathod34@gmail.com | MUSICIAN M4U Events 732-771-649 | PRIEST Mayur Maraj 219-613-6848 | PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHY Lightyear Studio 215-279-9041
Among the pre-wedding celebrations, Sangeet had a Caribbean and fun atmosphere. The guests enjoyed a fire dance performance and stalls serving Indian snacks were offered. Pani Puri and Vodka Puri were super hits. At Haldi, all the guests wore magenta outfits while the bride and groom wore yellow, making for beautiful pictures of the event. The wedding was an outdoor ceremony in the morning. With beautiful water views in the background, the Mandap décor was kept minimal. Rushi arrived on horseback. There was a dress code for the guests, with women wearing dresses in pastel shades. Both sets of parents wore emerald green, and the bridal party wore pista green. A DJ played music and the couple and their guests danced with enthusiasm and joy. The reception featured a travel theme, based on all of the places the couple have visited. The seating arrangements also had travel themes. They had lighted crowns. Spanish, Bollywood, Caribbean and other kinds of music were played and there were dance performances by the couple and their families. Rushi was mesmerized by the sight of Anandi in her wedding attire. Her father, too, compared his daughter’s glow to a diamond. During his speech at the reception, he emotionally told Rushi that he is entrusting his precious diamond to him and Rushi should make sure she always glows. It was a fun-filled wedding, and the memories of the special day will always be cherished by the couple. 
First, it was a dance team and then Statistics tuition that made Manisha and Akaash closer to each other. Gradually they started liking each other and finally, the cupid struck and they began dating in 2016. After dating and knowing each other for 4 years, Akaash took Manisha to Nashville, the heart of Manisha’s favorite country music. On the fourth anniversary of their first date, he proposed to her amidst floral carpet and floral heart, getting down on one knee. The answer was a delightful yes with the happiness of spending the rest of their lives together. Finally, it was on March 5, 2022, that they decided to tie the marital knot. As both were from Orlando, they decided to have the celebrations locally and chose B Resort & Spa as the wedding venue and hired the wedding planner Big Guava Events. Instead of celebrating separately, the couple had their prewedding ceremonies together. The Haldi and Vidhi were done outdoors with simple yet elegant décor with a backdrop of a dome made of greenery combined with lots of fresh flowers. At the end of Haldi, both of them had mango lassi, and champagne and their friends poured a bucket of ice-cold water on the couple. On the second day, they had the Sangeet night with a dance floor, food stations, a photo booth and a surprise dance performance by the bridesmen.
The rest of the tables had a small low variation of florals to avoid the guests’ view of the dancefloor. Each of the 290 guests enjoyed the party thoroughly. The first song was Mann Ki Lagan by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan followed by Dil Le Gayi Kudi followed by speeches and a wonderful performance by friends on the couple’s relationship. There was also a remembrance table for the loved ones who were no longer with them. The couple enjoyed every moment of their special event in presence of their close ones and it will remain a precious memory for them. 
Two years of pandemic and lockdowns delayed their wedding. Finally, the date was fixed on June 5, 2022. As both the bride and groom grew up in New Jersey, they wanted the venue close by and The Rockleigh seemed to be the perfect venue for both of them. The duo planned every detail of the wedding and the festivities and so did not hire any wedding planner. Both celebrated the pre-wedding rituals at their parents’ place. Janisha had her Mehndi, Ganesh Puja and Vidhi at her childhood home in Rockaway, NJ. Ronak also had his Ganesh Puja and Mehndi night at his family home in Parsippany, NJ, with a decorative gate, floral Ganesh and flowers all over. The Grah Shantak was performed at Aashirwad Palace in Rockaway, NJ. The duo celebrated Sangeet together with exquisitely colorful and traditional Garba. The wedding took place inside and the decorations were in perfect sync with the beautiful chandeliers of the Rockleigh. Both the bride and groom were dressed in white with touches of green. In perfect color coordination, the aisle was decorated with rose petals and tall candles in glass cylinders. The Mandap was decorated with garlands of fresh greenery with off-white and blush-colored flowers. The groom arrived at his baraat in a convertible Audi R8. There was highly energetic dance to Bollywood music with occasional pop music. This was complemented by an amazing MC and Dhol player. The couple uttered their vows along with the marriage mantras. The reception was a gala event with all the 400 guests enjoying the dance and music which was a mix of EDM, pop, Latin music, and Bollywood music. The first dance was with “Say you won’t let go” by James Arthur followed by father-daughter, mother-son and both the family’s dance performances. During the reception, the Harry Potter book from the engagement was displayed, as well as a box in which Janisha and Ronak asked guests to leave things to do to add to their bucket lists Both Janisha and Ronak were mesmerized to see each other in their wedding attire. They were so happy to be with each other for the rest of their lives. 
