OMINI ORLANDO RESORT AT CHAMPIONSGATE | SONYA AND MATT | INDIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

How did you both meet?

Matt and I met at work! We were in the same analyst program coming out of college and we instantly became best friends having lunch with our group of friends every day and spending our weekends together. 5 months later he made his first move and the rest is history!

How did your husband propose?

Matt’s proposal was incredible. Since he is not as extroverted as I am, I assumed he would propose in a private manner. He knew my favorite holiday was thanksgiving because my family and friends get together in Florida and sing karaoke until 4 am and who doesn’t love karaoke with family?! Well Matt doesn’t love karaoke as much as I do but he always sings one song with me, for me. To give a little more context, we had just gotten into Columbia Business School to pursue our MBA and finally knew where we would be for the next 2 years. At thanksgiving, just a week after our 4 year anniversary, Matt, as always, said he’d sing a song with me. I told him his pick. We sang Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and as I went to leave the stage once finished, Matt stopped me. He grabbed the mic said some beautiful words and proposed in front of all my family and friends. It was the most incredible moment of my life, aside from marrying him of course!

What was your wedding inspiration? (think decor, overall theme and feel of the day, etc)

I kept calling it “Enchanted Forest.” All I could imagine was the beautiful garden in secret garden. I wanted lots of green, pastels and to take advantage of the beautiful Florida outdoors.

What was your favorite design element of your wedding?

That is so incredibly hard to say as Occasions by Shangrila did an amazing job capturing my vision. For the sangeet, I loved the paper floral wall. It was so perfect. For the ceremony, I absolutely loved my gate and the way it framed the mandap with the beautiful green garlands. For the reception, I loved our boxwood and chandelier backdrop.

Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them.
Matt and I loved doing our “fusion” wedding in which we did a shortened Indian ceremony and right after, a short American ceremony in which we exchanged our own vows. It made it so personal. We decided to do this because we wanted to make sure both sides of our cultures were represented but we didn’t want to have 2 separate and/or long ceremonies.

What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day?
That’s a tough one but I think I’d say the most memorable moment was when Matt surprised me for a second time that weekend with a performance. This time it was at the reception and he got off the stage and joined the bridesmaids/groomsmen dance and started singing with my brother while doing the choreographed moves. I was so astonished and it meant so much to see some of my closest friends and family dancing together with my new husband!

My second favorite was during the reception once the program ended and guests went for dinner, we had asked our planner to have dinner set up for us behind the backdrop so we could eat quickly and I disturbed. It was one of our best decisions as we got a moment alone. She had champagne waiting for us along with our meal at a sweetheart table and we got to take in the fact that we were finally married! It was wonderful.

Matt: My favorite was probably when Sonya got up to sing for me.  She has such a beautiful voice and I know how much she loves to sing, so seeing her up there in front of everyone performing song for me was very special.

Please describe your cake (if any):

We didn’t have a cake but rather ordered my favorite cupcakes from “Baked by Melissa” and had them shipped from NYC. We also had a gelato cart and a couple of Indian desserts.

Can you please list your vendors:

Wedding Planner: Andrea Constantinou Pavone of Pavone Events

Location/ catering manager: Omni Orlando Resort, Amanda Demore

Bridal hair/makeup: Sumaiya Waheed

Bridesmaids Hair and Makeup: Michele Renee

Photo: KV Photography

Video: NSPG MEDIA

Decor: Occasions by Shangri-la

DJ: Firoz Dudha of Dudha Productions

Mehndi: Tejal Henna

Food: Aashirwad, Khasiyat, Woodlands, Sweet City Gelato, Baked by Melissa Cupcakes.

Any advice for those planning their wedding now?

My practical advice would be to stay organized and assign dates to your to-dos so you can stay on track and avoid last minute stress. My general advice is to enjoy every minute because once it’s over, you’ll miss it.

What was your biggest surprise on your wedding day?
My biggest surprise besides Matt singing and dancing with my brother and the bridal party was probably the fact that I managed not to cry in public! I’m such a cry baby, especially when it comes to sappy, romantic moments but I somehow managed to choke down the tears. It was a miracle.

We were also surprised by how amazing all the performances and speeches were throughout the weekend.  Everyone clearly put so much work into preparing and we were absolutely blown away!

What one moment will last with you both forever?
It may not be just one moment, but I think the general sentiment throughout the weekend. Seeing how happy our families were, how well they got along, how much fun they were having, and how much effort they put in to make our weekend meaningful was a dream come true. We couldn’t have asked for more.

Also, saying our vows to each other in front of all of our friends and family was an amazing moment that we will remember forever.  We loved taking the opportunity to put our love into words and felt it really gave a personal feel to the ceremony.

Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos?

I can’t wait to see Matt and my photos from the morning of the wedding with our family and friends as well as on our own. It was such a special morning.

What song did you walk down the aisle to?

My close family friend whose been like another dad to me, Firdaus, played “Thinking Out Loud” on the violin as I walked down the aisle. This was the song Matt and I sang at karaoke before he proposed.

What song played for your first dance?

James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go”

What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?

We finally get to start our lives as one unit, as “The Hobers.” We have so much to look forward to ranging from travel to dogs to graduating MBA to having kids. It’s like our lives are just beginning so it’s hard to pick just one thing to look forward to.

What did you like the most about working with KV Photography?
You choose KV Photography because of Ed and Val. Their talent is beyond obvious but not every photographer has their charisma, chemistry and kindness. They make you feel like you’re family and are so incredibly flexible. They make sure to capture not just the couple but your friends and family so you can relive every moment. I am so grateful to have met them and hope to use them in the future for our photography needs.

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