Both Rajesh and Lisa grew up in Newark, NJ. In 1984 Lisa, 32, who is part Colombian and Italian and the daughter of Lisa and Luigi, moved to Rockaway, NJ where she attended Morris Hills High School. She decided to work full time and put herself through college part-time. Lisa graduated William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ on June 2002 with a degree in Business Management. Rajesh, 32, who is part Dominican and part Guyanese, the son of Gobin and Milagros, went to Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Newark and graduated from Rutgers University Newark, NJ in May 2006.
Lisa works for Medco, a Pharmaceutical Benefit Management company, as an Account Manager in Franklin Lakes, NJ. Rajesh works for Commonwealth Brand Cigarettes as a sales representative. The couple now lives in their town home in Morris County, NJ.
Rajesh and Lisa met in a Latin nightclub in NJ in May 2000. It was the end of the night and Rajesh couldn’t let the night end without speaking to the lady in red. Within moments of their first encounter, both Lisa and Rajesh knew they had met their soul mate. The couple dated for 6 year and Rajesh proposed in August 2005. Rajesh, being part Hindu, wanted to honor the traditions of his family and the couple agreed to have both a Christian and Hindu wedding in the summer of 2006.
The Engagement
After a family BBQ with both families in attendance, Rajesh tricked Lisa into stopping at the Westin Hotel in Morristown, NJ where he had a beautiful surprise waiting for her. Rajesh booked a suite and surprised the bride to be with roses, champagne, soft music, candles and a perfect proposal.
The couple experienced two beautiful wedding ceremonies. The Hindu ceremony took place in May 2006 and was celebrated with the couple's closest family and friends. Rajesh's family pulled together by far the most amazing wedding the couple or their guests could have ever dreamed of. The couple and their family wore the traditional Hindu wedding attire as did most of the guests. Over 100 guests were in attendance at the private residence for the Hindu ceremony.
The couple then had a Christian ceremony on August 25, 2006 at the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica in Newark, NJ.
With the talent of wedding coordinators Tina LaMorte and Tara DeLeeuw of OhSoFab, the décor was very contemporary - simple yet elegant. Each room was filled with white candles of different sizes. The primary colors used were burgundy, gold and lime green. The flowers were stunning with vibrant colors of deep reds, fuchsia and lime green. The bridesmaid wore a form fitted Bill Levkoff burgundy dress. The bride wore a custom made Casablanca gown and the groom wore a Calvin Klein tuxedo. The reception hall was a location very special to the couple. Shortly after they began dating, their first formal event was the wedding of Lisa’s lifelong friend. For their own wedding the couple went back to their roots and chose the same venue – the beautiful Primavera Regency in Sterling, NJ.
The couple flew to beautiful Hawaii as their honeymoon destination for two weeks. The first destination was Maui for 8 days. Rajesh and Lisa stayed at the Four Seasons where it was paradise on earth. Next, the newlywed’s island hopped to Kauai where they stayed at the Hyatt for 5 relaxing days.
Unique Touches
It was important to the couple to represent their cultures. In order to achieve a multicultural feel the couple focused on entertainment galore. They provided their guests with Flamenco dancers during cocktail hour, dinner and throughout the event. There was an authentic Cuban cigar roller, mambo players, and an exotic blend of Hindu and Latin music.
Since Rajesh’s passion is graphic design, he expressed a strong interest in high quality stationery. The couple hired Robin K Design’s to create the romantic save the date and the elegant invitation to set the tone of the festivities. For the day of stationery, the couple worked with Miami based Alexandra Sanchez Pimentel. The couple provided Alex with basic information and Alex used her talent, wit and creativity to design amazing programs, poems, table names, seating cards and more. Alex’s ideas were rich and unique. Both designers were the perfect fit for the couple.
Very late in the planning the couple learned a very valuable lesson. Everyone will have an opinion on what you should do, who you should hire, how much you should spend, etc. The couple realized that the people who are important to you may interfere with your own ideas. They highly recommend sharing minimum information to order to make sure your wedding is exactly that – your own. Lisa and Rajesh learned that people will form an opinion of you and your wedding either because they are envious or feel they know what’s best. The lesson learned is, stay true to each other, your ideas and your love. They believe if you can accomplish that, then you will walk away from your wedding with no regrets and beautiful memories to last forever.
On a final note, the couple recommends hiring excellent vendors who not only execute quality service but vendors who are passionate for their work. This will ensure that the entire planning process with each vendor is seamless. They were very fortunate to have developed strong relationships with their key vendors such as the Wedding Coordinator, Photographer, Videographer, DJ and Florist. They had industry leaders ~ a dream team.
Ceremony Venue: Sacret Heart Cathedral Basilica Ceremony Priest: Monsignor Joseph Plunkett Reception Venue:The Primavera Regency Photographer:Milton Gil Photography Videographer:Digital Dreams Film Wedding Planner:Oh So Fab Florist: Debbie's Designs Hair: Salon Moulin Rouge Makeup: Evelyn Abanto Invitations: Robin K Designs Day of Stationery: Alexandra Sanchez Pimentel DJ: Sonido Con Clase Transportation:Santos VIP Travel Agent: Liberty Travel Cigar Roller: Tony Santan Dancers: Art of Flamenco Bridal Gown: Manuela's Bridal Boutique Tuxedo:Coleman's Tuxedo Indian Attire: Deen Fashions
