A Foundation Built on Friendship
Tell us about your love story
Raiyan and I met during the first few months of freshman year at Rutgers University! Funny enough, our parents (who are old acquaintances) ran into each other at a wedding and introduced us to one another, thinking it would be great to have each other as friends since we lived on the same campus. After that day, we kept bumping into one another around school and became good friends. A year of friendship later, we got together and the rest is history.
What was your and your partner’s vision for your big day?
More than anything, we wanted our big day to be a fun and memorable event for all our friends and family. We are both the eldest children of our parents and have big extended families, so we knew our families were looking forward to our wedding almost more than we were. Mixing our American upbringing with our Bangladeshi roots, plus catering to our wide range of music tastes, resulted in a wedding we couldn’t have even dreamed of.
How did you decide on your venue?
Our original wedding reception was planned for July 2020 with a guest list of 650+. Since we needed a venue with a large capacity, but didn’t want our guests to feel like things were overly crowded, we were only picking from a handful of venues in New Jersey. We wanted a grand space where the cocktail hour and food would be in a separate area from the reception and something with a “wow” factor. We ultimately had a wedding of around 320 people and Westmount Country Club was the perfect pick for us.
Tell us about the vision you had for your wedding - theme, overall feel, food, decor etc.
For our wedding reception, we wanted a classic, elegant look that was timeless yet made an impression. Since our event was ultimately held in December, we went with deep red roses alongside gold elements and lots of candles for our decor. Our cocktail hour was fun and flavorful with Indian fusion appetizers and tasty mocktails followed by a more traditional dinner. The look of our event was romantic and grand; the feel was energetic—a lot of our wedding guests hadn’t been to a large social event in a long time and you could just feel the excitement. It was a fun night of heartfelt speeches, entertaining performances, and a dance floor that went harder than we ever imagined it would—in the best way possible.
What was your bridal look vision? And how did it all turn out the day of?
When I was spending countless hours browsing wedding dresses and looking through bridal photos on Instagram, traditional looks captured my heart the most. I knew I wanted to wear something that would stand the test of time so I could look back on my wedding photos 20, 50, 100 years from now and still be happy with what I chose. I wanted my mother, mother-in-law, and all my aunts to feel like their traditions were valued while still keeping a modern silhouette in line with my own style and tastes. When I couldn’t quite find an off-the-rack dress that checked all the boxes, I was able to work with Khajana to create the perfect dress. I was incredibly happy with the final product and genuinely felt like a beautiful bride.
Tell us about the experience of finding your dream dress at Khajana Boutique.
After trying on dresses and speaking with several stores, Khajana immediately stood out to me with their patience and commitment to listening to the customer. I initially tried on a few dresses at the second location, where Shaina’s mother showed us beautiful options and did not pressure or rush us at all. Once I discussed my vision with her, she recommended going to the original location to talk to Shaina.
Even though I didn’t fully know what I wanted, Shaina was able to understand the look I was going for and sketch up my ideal dress. I showed her elements of a few different dresses that caught my eye and we combined them to create my wedding dress within the specified budget. I’m so grateful that Shaina was to turn my vague descriptions and feelings into a beautiful product. She was transparent about what would and wouldn’t work, provided me a very thorough explanation of the production process, and was always a text away if I had any questions or concerns.
As my wedding was postponed a few times and I had more time to think about my dress, I realized I wanted to add a second dupatta in addition to the veil-dupatta we had already designed and produced. I went back to Shaina in fall of 2021 (after originally placing my dress order at the start of 2020) with this idea and she helped me get it done so seamlessly along with alterations to get my dress ready for the wedding. I could not be happier with the end product and am so glad to have found Khajana.
HMUA: Maliha Khan Makeup @malihakhanmakeup
Photographer/Cinematographer: Park Street Weddings @parkstreetweddings
Decor: Partyland Sajawat @partylandsajawat
DJ: M4U Events @m4uevents
Food: Moghul Catering @moghulcatering
Venue: Westmount Country Club @westmountcountryclub
Groom’s Sherwani: Nazranaa @nazranaanj
Henna: Henna By Shweta @henna_by_shweta
