Reema + Joe | Day 1 : You got the right stuff

Thanks to Reema and Joe, my 2012 wedding season closed out with a blast … in fact, it was a double blast! Let me explain. When people ask “which cultures often have the largest guest count?”, what first comes to my mind is Indians and Italians; huge 500+ guest counts where everyone is invited. Well, Reema and Joe bring together both Indian and Italian families. So what do they do?!?! They can’t have a 1000 person wedding!! Instead, they decided to have a double wedding!! Two separate full blown weddings back to back!

When we first connected way back, meeting Reema & Joe was a little difficult to arrange. In fact, I never got to meet Reema! I first met Joe and he was chill, laid back, and looked very involved in the wedding planning process, what a great guy! He had his own little ideas to make the day interesting … full of creativity! The connection was immediate. It was amazing that Reema had full confidence in Joe to choose the photographer, a clear sign of how great these two are for each other. I didn’t meet Reema until the wedding day, but I think she felt at ease when I sent her an iphone photo of a New Kids on the Block cassette on my desk. She is a HUGE NKOTB fan and that’s all that was needed to gain her trust, haha. To expand a little on the NKOTB love, both Reema & Joe are stuck in the 80’s, well maybe not stuck, but they love everything about it. Reema couldn’t stop gushing about being pulled on stage at a Jordan Knight concert a few days before her wedding. While Joe loves Tears for Fears and everything WWF wrestling. Day 2 of the double header had a clear wrestling theme … stay tuned for that!

But lets get back to day 1. The first day was the Indian wedding with a traditional ceremony and Reception at Peter & Paul’s Paramount Conference & Event Center. Everything was coordinated by the wonderful Roxie of Roxie B Wedding Designs and decorated by Diana of The Diar Collection.

I absolutely LOVE Indian weddings because there is always so much colour and constant activity. It was great to learn all about the traditions (this was the first I’ve witnessed in English) and all of the dancing and entertainment was phenomenal! Oh, and I can’t get enough of some spicy Indian food, mmmmmmmm, the burn feels so gooooooooooooood.

So much happened throughout the day that I’ll have to explain it throughout the upcoming photos.

I started at Reema’s house where she and her bestie got ready. The details of her outfit were amazing, from the flowers in her hair to the henna on her feet. And all her bridesmaids were equally as stunning!

From what I’ve seen in the past, the groom often arrives to the ceremony riding a horse. Well, Joe certainly came in a stallion … a little Italian flare to an Indian tradition. I like it!

What I love most about Indian weddings is the entertainment. It’s always spectacular. Reema and Joe brought in some fantastic dancers that just blew us away. Ketan Saini (seen first) was particularly amazing with a mix of modern and traditional dance.

As I mentioned earlier, Reema and Joe love the 80’s, so it was great to hear a DJ set full of Tears for Fears, Journey and Bon Jovi. It took a lot to keep myself from joining in!

The end of the night was interesting to see. The parents official say goodbye to their daughter as she starts a new life. Emotions were high and tears were plentiful. But don’t fret! Tomorrow is a new day and a new party! Bring on wedding Day 2!!!!

Yes, I was once a NKOTB fan. Don’t judge me.

Photographer: James Paul Correia Photography (assisted by Andrew Ho)

Venue: Frank D’Arpino of Paramount Conference and Event Venue 

Videographer: Eugene Lo of Cinematic Weddings. Check out their fantastic video of the pre-wedding events

Wedding Coordinator: Roxie B Semple of Roxie B Designs

Hair & Makeup: Pamela Brij and Mindy Bharji of BeautyBliss

Florist: Fancy Florists

Decorator: Diana D’Silva of The Diar Collections

Wedding Cake: Cathy of CC Creations

Caterer: Sanjeev of The Host Indian Cuisine – Richmond Hill

DJ: DJ Bhavik of S4 Sound Sensation

Bridal Wedding Outfit: Raja Fabrics

Bridal Reception Outfit: Gaurav of CTC West

Bridesmaids/ Groomsmen Outfits: Anju of Kaveri Kollections

Groom Wedding Outfit: Naveen Fashions

Groom’s Reception Outfit: Harry Rosen