{just a few pics thanks to cheryl, jackie, jake, kevin & mei ling}
Our big day was perfection! Thanks to everyone who made it so incredible. There were so many worker bees behind the scenes who made it so smooth (you know who you are, and we love you and thank you forever!). And except for seating snafus at the reception, most everything went just as planned.
For those who enjoy walks down memory lane, here's a recap of Sunday, October 17, 2010:
Ceremony: Performed at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta. Please see our previous post for all the details! The ceremony was such a beautiful experience. From both of our processions with our friends and family leading us, to the moment the curtain dropped, to the rice showers, everything was perfect. Even if we were a mess by the end, it was all so wonderfully worth it!
Reception: Held at the Marriott Marquis-Downtown Atlanta. Both dads and Srikanth (one of my closest childhood friends) gave sweet & lovely toasts. Kruthi dance academy gave two fun shows. Mira & Arjun gave us an adorable introduction to our first dance to Otis Redding's "That's how strong my love is." But the real hit of the evening, were our good friends and DJs, Jordan and Preston, who kept the dancetastic songs playing all night long! They played sweet dinner music too, but the dancing was when the party really started!! From the first dance to the last, we were on the dance floor with several others, all night long. It was exactly the dance party I wanted.
Registry: We created a honeymoon & household registry, and we're nothing but thrilled with our decision!
GRATITUDE
Thank you doesn't seem nearly enough to some very special people in our lives, but we want to at least recognize some of those people..
Our parents & family: They worked so, so, so hard. We will never be able to say thank you enough times for their love and support and patience with us. You are our heroes!
Pre-wedding shower & party hosts: The Paynes' church friends, Tony Veal, Aunt Alice, Lakshmi Auntie & Rao Uncle, Rama Mama & Krishna Atha, Tulasi Auntie & Raju Uncle, Anna & Michael Brittain, Emily & Todd Tyson, Cheryl Lassiter & Jackie Fine
Mendhi party & Sangeet: Thanks to the hosts, Mano Auntie and Padma Auntie for such a fun evening. Thanks to Tanvi and the kids, Anjani Auntie, Phani Auntie, Mrs. Sudhamayi-the MC/singer of the night, and everyone else that helped pull that event together including all the friends & family that attended
Ceremony: A million thanks to Ramanadhan & Pitchappan Uncle for all their hard work on the beautiful mandapam. Syamsunder Uncle, Rama Mama, Uma Ponangi Auntie, Ravi Ponangi Uncle, Lakshmi Auntie, Rao Uncle, Saleena, Shaun & Joseph Dakin, and everyone else who helped behind the scenes to organize the auditorium and the lunch in the banquet hall. Thanks to Ravi Sarma Uncle for MC'ing the ceremony and to Sasikala Auntie for styling me properly! Thanks to the Avvas in Peachtree City for providing the flowers for my hair. Thanks to Seshu Auntie, Usha Pinny & the other Aunties for helping my friends look so beautiful in their sarees!
Reception: Thanks to Ann & Cheryl Lassiter for getting the perfect, last minute boutonniere, also thanks to Cheryl for styling me for the evening! A special thanks to Siva & Tanvi for MC'ing and Arjun & Mira for introducing us during our first dance. That was one of the best moments of the entire day!
Overall: Thanks so much to all the family that came from India & all over the States. We were honored to have the Payne cousins, David's aunts and uncles, and Payne family friends from near & far. From Washington State to New Jeresey, we were so lucky to have Radhi's dad's former classmates as well as the Mohans' family friends they met in the States 30+ years ago. Thanks to Usha Pinni who was a workhorse in every part of the process, Rajylakshmi Auntie who was our house manager and kept everything running smoothly, the Poluris who came from India and Santosh from California and helped so much, all the Sripathis and their cute kids, and the Avvas were all integral to making the big day run so seamlessly. Thanks to the Sarmas, Raos, and Ponangis for all of their help throughout the past months. Krishna and his team & Ravi Kumar Uncle were the official & unofficial photographers of the event, and I can't wait to see all the moments they worked so hard to capture!
To everyone who worked so hard to make our day so special, please know that we will never forget how much time and effort and love you put into our day. Without all of you from very near and very far, it wouldn't have been so perfect!
Love & Thanks,
Radhi and David
