REAL WEDDING

  • Photography By:

    Erum Rizvi

    Medha Shukla and Shaan Sharma

    July 1, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia

    A Four-Day South Asian Wedding

    Medha Shukla and Shaan Sharma matched on a dating app in early-December of 2020. The two started chatting and the conversation was flowing well, until Medha accidentally ghosted Shaan for almost a week – after which, they decided it was time to exchange numbers.

    “LA had just become the global epicenter for Covid, and I worked in a hospital,” Medha shares. “I had just received the first dose of my covid vaccine, but the vaccine wouldn’t be available to the general public for a few months, so we weren’t allowed to meet in public or be out past a curfew. After a canceled date due to work, we finally set up a Zoom call. I had been on dating apps for five years at this time and was pretty jaded about dating, so I’d usually end a FaceTime date when my phone battery started getting low. Shaan and I started talking and before I even realized it, I was asking for him to wait a second so I could grab my charger to keep the conversation going.”

    That first call lasted three hours, and was followed by ten more virtual dates. Medha and Shaan spent hours making dinners and baking together until they were finally able to meet in person at the end of January 2021. Since LA was still in the middle of the pandemic and indoor dining wasn’t permitted, the couple decided to take a long drive through the Malibu Mountains for their first in-person date.

    “As a southern girl,” Medha adds, “I was very impressed when he showed up at my front door with flowers in hand. We drove through the mountains listening to Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. I had my first In-n-Out experience with a true California boy who not so subtly held my hand pretty early on in the date. I wasn’t ready for the date to end so we got coffee afterwards and just continued to talk. This date ended up being five hours. My first impression of Shaan was that he was an absolute gentleman with a great sense of humor and just seemed like a really genuine person. Looking back, Shaan said that he thought I was ‘stunning, intelligent, witty, and full of sparks.’”

    A month later, Shaan asked Medha if they should take themselves off the dating apps and “see where this goes.” She informed him that she deleted the apps two weeks before.

    “We felt so blessed and honored to share such a beautiful wedding with so many people that we cared about.”

    Stargazer Hiking Trail

    For their second date, the couple went on a sunset hike along the Stargazer Hiking Trail in San Pedro. A year and a half later, Shaan proposed in that same spot.

    “My family had come into town for my graduation from my hospital fellowship program and we had plans to have a large family dinner with Shaan’s family at the end of the week,” Medha explains. “Shaan told me to dress up nicely as we were going to go to the Terranea Resort beforehand to have lunch with one of his friends before heading to his parent’s house. Halfway through the drive, Shaan’s friend called and said they had to reschedule. Little did I know at the time that Shaan’s friend was calling from Mexico, and this was just an excuse to be near Stargazer. Shaan suggested that we stop by the trail for the sake of nostalgia. He asked me to face the ocean so he could take a nice picture and when I turned around, he was down on one knee.”

    The Atlanta Wedding Scene with Wera Events

    After their engagement, Medha and Shaan set out to plan their dream wedding from across the country. We chose Wera Events namely due to the name it had built for itself, especially in the city of Atlanta, to spearhead the planning process.

    “Our planner, Judy Maligaspe, really helped us to navigate the Atlanta wedding scene and ensure that our vision was met,” says Medha. “Shaan and I would often come home after work and have late night Zoom meetings across the country with Judy and all of the amazing vendors we had the privilege of meeting and working with during the planning process.”

    “It was very important to me and Shaan to honor our grandparents who had passed shortly before our wedding,” she continues. “I lived in Hawaii as a child with my grandparents and often went to school with my grandmother. I made sure that her presence was felt at the wedding through incorporation of hibiscus and plumeria flowers in my henna, ceremony garlands from Cindy’s Lei Shop in Honolulu which is located near the school my grandmother worked at, and orchids displayed throughout our reception hall.”

    A Four-Day South Asian Wedding in Atlanta

    On July 1, 2023, the bride and groom hosted an incredible four-day South Asian wedding in Atlanta. Multiple events included a Sangeet at the Atlanta History Center, and an ultra-chic reception that was held at Nobu Atlanta.

    “Our wedding day was more than we could have ever imagined,” says the bride. “We were overwhelmed by the love from everyone who traveled so far to join us on our wedding day. It felt as though our vendors were all cheering us on as friends as well! We felt so blessed and honored to share such a beautiful wedding with so many people that we cared about. And most importantly, we were ready to start our lives with each other. I think we both share the sentiment that we waited a long time for this moment that we weren’t sure we would ever experience, and so many people made it come true for us! Another memorable moment for us and many of our guests was when Shaan’s friends performed a rap for each of us individually incorporating memories from our friendship and singing our praises.”

    Since the newlyweds share a deep love for Hawaii, they kicked off their new life together by honeymooning in Maui.


    WEDDING TALENT

    Location: Nobu Atlanta; Sangeet Location: Atlanta History Center; Planning & Design: Wera Events; Floral Design: Utopian Events; Wedding Garlands: Cindy’s Lei Shoppe; Milini Garlands: Stringed Petals; Rentals: EventWorks; Invitations & Monogram: Atelier Azure: Caterers: Nobu Atlanta, District Events & Catering, Tabla Atlanta; Hair & Makeup: Beauty by Ami & Femme Beauty by Bhavna; Henna: Manasi’s Art;  Salina Patel;  Baraat: Dholi Saag; Dilruba Instrumental: The Lost Strings Co.; Cinematography: Chris J. Evans; Photography: Erum Rizvi

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