About the Couple
We met at age 12 through our mothers who knew each other. We always had a crush on each other but started dating during our undergrad at UC Berkeley. Veeral even asked me to his senior prom but I was studying for the SAT so couldn't make it. We both moved to Boston to pursue our master's. I studied Communications at Boston University's college of Communication and Veeral graduated from Harvard Business School. Veeral works with Bain & Company as a Consultant, and I am presently looking for a job in Production. We now live in Westwood, CA.

Wedding Ceremony
We had a traditional Indian wedding ceremony as per Gujarati Hindu customs on September 2, 2007. The ceremony and reception were both held at the Millenium Biltmore in Downtown Los Angeles with more than 450 guests. We felt that our wishes were granted by God because this is what we had hoped for. The garba ceremony was held on August 31st in Cerritos at the Cerritos Park East Community Center. The Arabian Night theme decor that we had organised added a dash of colour and excitement to the entire function.

Anxious Moments
The most anxious moment was when I walked down the aisle with my dad and grandfather. I guess this is the feeling that every girl goes through before she becomes a wife to someone At the same time, I was enchanted by the lovely music and the beats of dole that played when the barat came in. And my excitement doubled when my family and particularly my brother joined the festivities. For Veeral too these were the most anxious moments. Although he had fun during the barat procession when a huge group of friends and family danced and chanted his name; at the same time he was anxious that many of our American guests have a good time because this was the first time ever they were witnessing an Indian wedding.

Ami with dad and grand-dad

Memories we will cherish
- definitely walking into the reception hall as "Mr & Mrs. Veeral and Ami Desai!" to our favorite hip hop song, Juicy by the Notorious BIG. A little unconventional, but everyone loved it. From there on it was great fun and we enjoyed every moment of our night. The most touching moment was when we listened to the sweet speeches of our family and friends. We were totally overcome with emotions and were rendered speechless.

The reception hall
The Beautiful Decor
The First Dance	Enjoying the speeches
A moving speech

Our recommendations on "excellent wedding vendors/ stores" for those who are having an Indian Wedding in the US:

• Yogi Patel, Global Photography for photography, www.globalphotography.net, call: 805.529.7557, email: yogiphoto@adelphia.net 

• Unique Flowers for flower arrangements and mandap creations/set-up

• White Night Design for table linens and chivary chairs or chair covers

• Amazing Cakes for desserts (we had mini cupcakes passed around to replicate each layer of our wedding cake. We also had pecan bars, brownie bites and white chocolate and chocolate covered strawberries)