Hiba, a physician from Potomac, and Anant, a finance professional from Bahrain, met through Hiba’s sister, who went to business school with Anant. They crossed paths for a few years after their initial meeting, then sparks flew when Hiba joined a meditation class that Anant was teaching. The next weekend, they had a first date at Jack’s Wife Freda in New York City, and eight months after that, Anant proposed while the pair were vacationing in Cambridge, with both of their families joining them there to celebrate as a grand surprise for Hiba.
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For their November wedding, the New York City couple opted for a “grand elegance” theme at the Fairmont. They included both a traditional Hindu ceremony and a traditional Nikah ceremony to represent the coming together of both their families, cultures, and religions—Anant’s favorite part. Hiba’s favorite part was walking to the ceremonial stage accompanied by her siblings and father. Color palettes for the various parts of the weekend included yellow, green, and gold for the haldi and mehndi at the bride’s family home, including a dramatic multi-story installation of hanging florals in the foyer; blush pink, white, and deep red for the ceremonies, where more than 6,000 pink rose petals hung from the gazebo; and blush pink, gold, and white for the reception, where centerpieces included submerged gardens with candles. At the end of the night, their 220 guests took home favors that they also used to find their seats: personalized scented candles made in Dubai.
See the photos from the wedding day below.
For more, watch the video of their wedding day here.
The Details
Photographer: Nat Wongsaroj Photography
Venue: 12 Stories (welcome soiree); Fairmont Washington, D.C. (ceremonies and reception)
Planning and design: CG&Co. Events
Catering: Bombay Tandoor; Celebration by Rupa Vira
Cake:Fairmont Washington, D.C.
Florals: Sarah Khan Event Styling
Invitations: Appy Couple
Hair and makeup: Salon SBS
Bride’s attire: Seema Gujral (Haldi/Mehndi); Kalki Fashion (ceremonies); Ejaaz Couture (reception)
Bridesmaids’ attire: Mirraw
Groom’s attire: Manish Malhotra (haldi, mehndi, ceremony); Raghavendra Rathore (reception); Singh Turban Tying (turban)
Music: Sid Komaragiri (tabla and sitar musicians); Neil Desai (dhol); DJ Magic Mike (DJ)
Rentals: Posh Event Rentals
Videographer: Ten 27 Films
Bridal henna: Bhavna Naik
Horse: Carriages of the Capital
Photo booth: Extraordinary Entertainment
Dance floor vinyl: Signature Events
Draping and skirting: Fabrication Events
Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.
