Planning a destination wedding is already quite a task, but imagine organizing a wedding celebration spanning five days in Riviera Maya, Mexico. That’s precisely what Dhruvi, an influencer (@dhruvii_s) based in Philadelphia and soon-to-be bride, has been meticulously arranging since her engagement to Vybav in August 2022.
Since they’ve opted for a destination wedding, Dhruvi and Vybav decided to host some pre-wedding festivities in Pennsylvania last spring. Where they participated in an Indian engagement ceremony called Gor Dhana (in Gujarati) and Nischitartham (in Kannada).This ceremony marked the formal commitment of their engagement, witnessed by their closest friends, family, and loved ones.
With the countdown to their fête officially on, Pennsylvania Weddings Magazine caught up with the busy bride-to-be influencer to learn more about the couple’s upcoming wedding event, which will unfold over nearly a week later this summer.
Pennsylvania Weddings Magazine: Tell us about the two of you: How did you meet, and how did he propose?
Dhruvi: “We met in the most 21st-century way – by swiping right on each other on Tinder! But the story began even before that. We both attended the University of Delaware at the same time. At one point, we even lived in the same dorm one floor apart and neither of us knew each other. We overlapped at UD for three years and never once ran into each other. One of Vybav’s tennis teammates even tried to set us up to go to a formal with each other and I declined saying “I am not going with someone random person” especially because the formal wasn’t local. We finally met through Tinder when I was a senior in my last semester and Vybav had graduated. It has been 7 years since!”
He proposed in August 2022 by one of our favorite spots in Philadelphia, Race Street Pier. We used to live in the area when we first moved to Philly and we loved going on walks around there, hanging out by Spruce Park, Race Street Pier and Cherry Street Pier. Vybav had been planning this special day for 6 months and had managed to keep this secret for so long (although I had a bit of a hunch, but did not know when or where it was exactly happening).
PWM: How has the planning experience been? The Good, The Bad and Everything in between!
D: It has definitely been a roller coaster. No one prepares you for the amount of sheer decisions you have to make, even the smallest ones. The costs, the budgeting, from choosing the perfect venue to deciding the menu, a whirlwind of choices. My fiancé and I planned our entire wedding together with the support of our parents and help from our closest friends. It helped that he was just as involved in the planning as myself. We both took our strengths and went with it.
PWM: What is your theme? And how about colors?
D: Elated to say each event has its own theme.We are celebrating many events including~ A welcome night, an intimate Mehndi or Henna ceremony, Sangeet and Garba, a joint Haldi celebration, 2 wedding ceremonies, and a reception- each event will have a theme and colors that we have chosen for ourselves, close family and bridal party.
It is going to be a vibrant celebration. We are using a wide array of colors to bring each event to life. From elegant ceremonies to the reception there will be a kaleidoscope of hues to reflect our vision and diversity of our love story.
PWM: What are you most excited on the wedding day?
D: It has been a special journey for us and we are excited for the big day and week. Knowing every decision we have made and the hours of planning we have done and are continuing to do is bringing us closer to a beautiful celebration ahead that will give us memories to last a lifetime. I am most excited to marry my best friend, bring our vision and hard work to life, and start our next chapter together being surrounded by the best people in our lives. Honestly, I am very thrilled to see the final product- the venue all decorated, the food we picked out, the photos, the videos, the outfits we chose, and how they turned out with my makeup. I am excited to see my fiancé’s reaction to me in my wedding outfits, not 1 but 2, North Indian and South Indian Weddings (double the fun), the first looks with family and bridal party, and I’m ready to dance and have the best time of our lives!
PWM: what advice do you have for other brides starting their planning journey?
D: Remembering the big picture. There might be differences whether it is with family traditions or expectations that come up, so throughout the process remind yourself and others the important thing is to celebrate your love and commitment. There might be lots of opinions and suggestions, but remember the day is about you two. It is okay to take others’ input and consideration, but most essentially you (the couple) are the ones that should be making the decisions regarding your big day/ week. Go with your gut instincts and stick to what will make you two the happiest and feel most comfortable. Ultimately, your day is about you and your partner and what you want to make out of it.
Their vendors
proposal photographer | Jeff Moon
Cake | New june bakery
engagement ceremony venue | abington art center
engagement party photographer | nichole mch photography
engagement party florals | Creations by Coppola
Hair | Oli’s Braids
Makeup | Julieta Karapetyan
Arch + Custom Card Box | Built by brown rentals
Read their feature in our magazine below