Donna and Aalok Wedding

Donna and Aalok

July 25, 2015

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Summary

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Wedding Slideshow

A short slideshow of our Wedding Day.

Donna & Aalok Wedding by Bridal Kaleidoscope

Events

We are a combination of cultures.
Our celebration will have a mix of ceremonies from both sides.

Mehndi

In a typical Gujarati wedding, the bride's hands and feet are adorned with henna. Women on both sides of the family can adorn their hands as well. Henna takes time to dry and turn colors, so don't plan on using the parts of your body that is adorned with henna for an hour or two. To get the darkest henna, the bride will sleep with it on! Part of this custom is to ensure the bride does not do any work before her wedding, but is pampered by her family.

Donna will be getting a little henna adorned, and we encourage close family to get some as well. This event is limited to close family members on both sides. If you're attending, think about what design you'd like.

* Attendance Limited to close family members

Time: Thursday, July 23, 2015 evening
Location: Holiday Inn in Rolling-Meadows/Schaumburg
Attire: Western Casual

Garba/Raas

Garba and Raas are traditional dances typically held the night before the wedding. It's the first ceremony where both sides of the family and friends come together and allows the bride and groom to meet everyone from the other side. The Garba is also an ideal place for future couples to meet and begin their own stories.

Garba is a dance where everyone dances around in a circle. The basic Garba is four steps and moves forward only. Typically, groups break off to form inner/outer circles and some get more complex with both forward and backward steps.

Raas is a line dance where people join lines in groups of two and hit the sticks of the person across from them. The sticks are called dandiyas and historically have been wood, but now these have become more ornate and become a keepsake of the wedding. The basic Dandiya Raas is five steps.

Donna and Aalok both enjoy dancing and it's part of how we both let loose and relate. We expect everyone to come ready to dance! We'll be teaching the basic steps of each dance at the ceremony, but you should watch the videos before you come.

Videos

Time: Friday, July 24, 2015 evening
Location: Holiday Inn in Rolling-Meadows/Schaumburg
Attire: Indian or Western Casual, but be ready to dance without your shoes!

Wedding Ceremony

The ceremony will be divided into three parts: Baraat, Service, Luncheon.

See below for details.

Time: Saturday, July 25, 2015; 10am (Baraat); 10:45am (Service)
Location: Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club
Attire: Indian or Western Formal; Bride and Groom in Western Formal; Bridesmaids and Groomsmen in Indian Formal

Baraat

The Baraat is the groom's to the ceremony location. Historically, Gujarati's married people in nearby towns, so the Baraat is the arrival of the groom, his family, and his friends to the bride's village. Frequently in Gujarati culture, the groom is on horseback. Everyone in the groom's side is part of the Baraat. It is a slow procession, frequent stops for dancing, accompanied by a large drum.

In our case, we'll be starting at the far end of the parking lot. Whether you are part of the Baraat or not, it's fun to watch and hear, so come and see the Baraat. Aalok is still unsure if horseback is the way to go, but if you have an opinion, give him a call.

The Baraat will last approximately 30 minutes. After which, Donna's mom will perform some Indian rituals. Post-rituals, everyone will move to the service area while Aalok changes from Indian formal to Western formal clothing.

Videos

Service

We will be performing a Western service with selected parts from Indian culture, including the Seven Steps. The service will take place in front of a beautiful gazebo with Rev. Millind Sojwal. The couple is thrilled he will be able to come from New York as he has played a key role in preparing them for marriage. Donna and Aalok will be in Western formal attire, while their bridesmaids and groomsmen are in Indian formal attire.

The service will last up to 1 hour. After which, everyone will go upstairs for a luncheon with selected parties in tow as we take pictures. As is custom on both sides, Aalok will not have seen Donna in her dress prior to the service, so watch his face...or Donna, after all, she is the bride.

Luncheon

After the service, a Western buffet meal will be provided inside the country club. It will serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. There will be some pictures taken at the service site and around the golf course at this time. After everyone has eaten, Donna will toss her bouquet to the single ladies. As we end the luncheon, everyone will send off the bride and groom with some combination of flowers, bubbles, and sparklers.

Reception

In the evening of the ceremony, we will have a large reception. There will be a cocktail hour before the reception. After everyone gets seated, we will have introductions, some performances, and speeches. An Indian buffet dinner will be catered with vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. After dinner, we'll be playing Western and Indian dance music and hope everyone will join us on the dance floor to enjoy the night away.

Videos

Time: Saturday, July 25, 2015; 6pm (Cocktails); 7pm (Reception)
Location: Holiday Inn in Rolling-Meadows/Schaumburg
Attire: Indian or Western Formal, but be ready to dance!; Bride, Groom, Bridesmaids, and Groomsmen in Indian Formal

Bride & Groom

The Happy Couple!

Donna Edwards

Donna comes from a small town in Kansas. As the youngest child, Donna had more free rein than her siblings. She was the one always having fun and making everyone laugh. This small town girl played volleyball and basketball growing up with a close group of friends who still stay in contact. Donna's friends and family laid the foundation for her Christian Faith. These early experiences made her in many ways a minimalist with a continued focus on relationships over possessions and power. To this day, her favorite time in Kansas is the Fourth of July festival with varied activities like turtle racing and three-legged races.

While it was difficult to leave her small town, Donna excelled in college in Oklahoma and began pursuing her career in medicine. Along the way, she made a number of friendships that will last a lifetime and a host of memories. Becoming a doctor is a long road, but with perservence, close friends, family support, and a calling, Donna was able to push through to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Today, she's able to work with patients that others find challenging and her favorites are the elderly, as always.

Despite living in New York for a decade, she's managed to keep her friendly demeanor and is always open to meeting new people and making friends. Donna has always been warm, compassionate, helpful, and empathetic, which has helped her become a great doctor, friend, fiancè, and mother.

About my family

Aalok Shah

Aalok grew up in the suburbs of Chicago with a tight knit family and friends who taught him the importance of being loving and loyal. As the oldest, responsiblity and meeting high expectations were the standard. Both of his parents had an active role in teaching the fundamentals for school and helping him with homework. Their investment gave Aalok confidence and curiosity to learn more. Even after a masters degree Aalok can't learn enough and can be caught in his free time reading numerous articles from a variety of sources. He enjoys sharing facts, debating, and critiquing hot topics in finance, technology, and occasionally politics.

A relationship with a close Uncle guided Aalok's decision to pursue software engineering. While computers are perfect for Aalok's introverted side Aalok deeply values staying in touch with people from both his past and present through phone calls and visits. He will go out of his way to make sure communication happens.

Aalok's job opportunities landed him in New York where he learned to connect with a variety of people over the last 10 years. He enjoys long walks exploring the city, new dining experiences, and travelling across the globe.

Now as a life partner and father, he is always ready to help. He listens and calms Donna after a long day. Not to mention, the perks of his surprise dates and random flowers. There is no need to ask for chores to get done as he has usually already started the laundry by the time Donna even thinks of it. He loves his lone times with Kai and has his special ways of making him laugh. Aalok is a dream come true.

About my family

Our true love story

How did we get here?

Dating in New York is tough. Aalok and Donna both have plenty of stories to attest to that as both were planning to let speeddating be their final attempt for awhile at finding someone. Turns out speeddating wasn't the end. It was the beginning.

While Aalok would give a logical analysis of why the two met when they did and how it all worked out for Donna there was something more mysterious at work.

Regardless, for Aalok the one minute conversation about Donna's trip to Turkey was enough to peak his curiosity. While for Donna a thoughtfully planned first date with a tall, dark, and handsome man awaiting her arrival at the bar was enough to make her weak in the knees.

Soon Donna would discover how fulfilling it is to have someone truly want to know you, accept all of you, and strive to make you happy. Aalok would find the joys of having someone who you can share your inner most thoughts and feelings with as well as the importance of letting loose.

For us, we found our missing pieces in each other and someone we could count on through thick and thin.

Someone to love forever.

Our Family

These are some of the people who have helped shape Aalok and Donna and helped us become warm, caring, and loving people.

Donna's Grandparents

Charles and Roberta McCallum built and led Christian churches across the Northeast, West Indies, and South Africa. Fortunately, during Donna's high school days they lived in Kansas where every Sunday afternoon she could be found at their home. She deeply values their faith in God and their words of wisdom.

Donna is extremely grateful for all the love, grace, and support they have especially shown her new family these last couple years. Their weekly emails, text messages, and Facebook messages are always a highlight.

Donna's Parents

Bill and Darlene married in 1967. Bill is a first generation American with his father coming from England. Darlene was born in the West Indies, but grew up in several cities along the east coast including Schnectedy, NY where she met Bill. Even before their marriage, Bill had a close relationship with Darlene’s parents and oldest brother Chuck. The two raised their children with daily prayer time and the importance of higher education as seen with all three children having master’s or doctorates.

Darlene is a retired nurse. Her work stories inspired Donna to pursue a career in medicine. Today, Donna and Aalok enjoy her care packages, her excitement to be a grandmother again, and her help with wedding decorations.

Bill works in finance and, while originally a New Yorker, now finds himself at home in a small Kansas town. Donna takes after her dad's dry sense of humor and has always turned to him for encouragement. When Donna first told him of Aalok, he said:

"Does Aalok have a sense of humor? Well, if so it will be just fine!"

Donna's Sister

Dawn is the oldest, and while she may initially appear quiet she has always been ambitious with a love for adventure and people. The adventurous side is apparent with how she convinced Donna to go zip lining a few years ago. We will see if she can get Donna to join in on her on her new hobby of sky diving!!! She has devoted a great deal of her life to helping others both through her work and personal relationships. From high school writing projects to medical school exams to the experience of becoming a mom, Dawn has been there to listen and give whatever she could to ensure Donna's success. Donna is excited to have Dawn's continued support as she stands beside her as the Maid of Honor.

Donna's Brother and Sister-in-law

Bill and Faye were the ones that initated Donna's move to New York City. Over the last 10 years, their weekend get togethers have provided a much needed family connection that got Donna through many of life's ups and downs. Bill is Donna’s go to older brother for financial insight and business strategies as she learns what it means to be a young New York doctor. Faye has been in Donna’s life since she was 11 years old, so at this point the “in-law” can easily be dropped. In the last year, the two have shared more in common as Donna also became a working mom. They are ecstatic to have Aalok joining the family. While Wilson and George, Donna's nephews, are already enjoying having a new cousin, Kai, nearby!!!

Aalok's Parents

Devendra and Dina moved from Gujarat, India to Chicago, IL in 1979 and have been building a life in Chicago ever since. Together, they helped their families by being the gateway to the US. As a young child, Aalok received a lot of attention from many of his uncles and aunts, and is very grateful to have a large extended family nearby. Aalok's parents always focused on family and education. They sacrificed to ensure their children had a better future. They succeeded with both children having completed their Master's Degree and building careers and new lives for themselves.

Aalok's Sister

Nirali is Aalok's little sister, and growing up, she was the one person that Aalok was protective of. Whenever Nirali started at a new school or job, the two would always be on the phone talking about how different it is. Nirali, however, has always been great at making friends and within a few months, would have a fun group of friends.

Growing up, we'd hear "oh, you're Aalok's sister," but these days, it's become more common to hear "oh, you're Nirali's brother." She's definitely the more social sibling and enjoys traveling with friends to see new sites. She's also the fashion sense of the family. It's safe to say that without her help, Aalok would still look like he was in High School, and would never have swept Donna off her feet.

Kai

Kai was born to Aalok and Donna in August 2014. Any mention of him is sure to bring a smile to the couple's face. Currently, he enjoys playing on his jungle play mat, crawling after anything on the floor, and singing to himself. His favorite food is sweet potatoes.

Bridesmaids

Donna's Lifeline

Heather

Heather Sheese Rubio has been a shoulder to cry on, a friend to pray with, and someone to share a whole lot of laughs in-between since their “divine” meeting at a conference in college. The two share a deep spiritual connection that has stood through a number of life challenges.

Becca

Becca Eller and Donna met on the first day of college chemistry class. The two were quickly in-separable study buddies which made learning a lot more fun. Their friendship has continued through the years with visits and phone calls to up-date each other on the latest twists and turns of life.

Tina

Tina Cocioba has been more like a sister for Donna than anything else. She is the one Donna runs to in New York for comfort and a word of wisdom. Tina is basically a Saint. She has made healthy snacks for Donna at times, helped Donna with two moves including organizing the new apartments, and now volunteered her graphic design skills for birth announcements, wedding invites/programs/decorations!!!! We can’t imagine life without her.

Emilie

Emilie McKittrick helps Donna stay connected to a world beyond science and medicine. The two met one Saturday on a Chelsea art gallery tour. From there the friendship grew with a horseback riding trip, costume parties, and many fine dining experiences. Besides the fun, she has helped Donna navigate a new relationship and pregnancy with her insight on life.

Lauren

Lauren Gassier is pretty much the reason Donna met Aalok. The two had both started working together on ways to meet quality men in New York and getting ready for a “healthy relationship.” It was Lauren who introduced Donna to speeddating and gave Donna the information to the event where she met Aalok. Beyond the meeting part, Lauren remains a confidant Donna frequently turns to for empathy and advice.

Groomsmen

The daring lads of the seven seas

Ati

Ati is comical, quick-witted, inventive, and a film aficionado. He can discuss any topic from politics to film to sports with either blinding technicality or with witty humor.

Ati and Aalok have been friends since Aalok was born. He's always ready to respond with a witty joke, and has an arsenal of stories of childhood. As kids, Ati was always ready to go play sports, or better yet, invent a game to play in someone's basement. Ati has always been great at making friends and has an easy-going, fun-loving attitude. Aalok and Ati get together every Thanksgiving, and it's always a fun time to reminisce and catch up.

Amer

Amer is outgoing, trendy, collaborative, and driven. While all of Aalok's groomsmen are friendly people, the most common compliment about Amer is that he's just such a nice person. He's always ready to go the extra mile and help others any way he can.

Amer and Aalok have been friends since the beginning, and grew up together in Chicago. As kids, they played football in the streets, snow, and fields, while shooting hoops in the summer. Since at least middle school, Amer's been the cool one in the group, sporting trendy hair styles and clothing. While the two live cross-country now, they make time to see each other at Thanksgiving.

Kevin

Kevin is jovial, outgoing, and always cracking a joke. While he works on semi-conductors and can always discuss the state of the art, he'll love to talk your head off about the Chicago White Sox or old times together.

Kevin and Aalok met freshmen year of college. While they only had one class in common throughout all of college, the personalities meshed well, and the two have stayed in touch ever since. Kevin recently got married and bought a house, so I'm sure he's busy with projects at home.

Thomas

Thomas is talkative, inventive, project-oriented, and always happy. In his free time, he's learned karate, wood-working, and how to be an auto mechanic. You can get Thomas talking about any of these interests, or any leisure activity from games, to Chinese comics, to anime, and of course anything tech-related.

Thomas and Aalok met on the first day of class freshmen year of college. It turned out that we were both in the same major and had a lot of classes together that semester. Both enjoyed the Computer Engineering courses and love talking about everything in the tech industry. Thomas was Aalok's best friend in college and despite living cross-country, the two have stayed in touch.

Dave

Dave is an entrepreneur, game maker, film aficionado, and adventurer. Ask him about wandering through the jungles in Peru, or about his time working on film sets, or about just how complex it is to build a game.

Dave and Aalok met working late nights on their startups and quickly became friends. Dave and Aalok discussed everything from startups and tech to dating and relationships. He's the first person Aalok told when Donna was pregnant, and the friend at the hospital when Kai arrived. Dave is Aalok's Best Man and can't imagine his startup life without Dave nearby.

Josh

Josh is quick-witted, intelligent, comical, and has a response to any topic. You can ask him about anything from what makes a great knife, to the best cheesecakes in NYC, to what goes into making a great whisky.

Josh and Aalok met while building a course to help people become better developers. He drills into any subject deeply, but can always crack a joke to lighten the mood. After spending many hours running the course, Josh and Aalok toured NYC restaurants on many nights while walking around the city. He's a fun person to hang out with, geek out with, or celebrate any event.

Sanford

Sanford is all about making an impact. He's worked on robots, political campaigns, and startups. He's always ready to discuss anything from tech to politics to music, but most importantly, he wants to know your thoughts and viewpoints.

Aalok and Sanford met at Startup Weekend. Sanford was the one person in the 10+ person group who would bring up intelligent questions about the business plan and also understood technology. His honesty is refreshing in an area where people tend to be very politically correct. At the same time, he is the most outgoing person you've ever met. Whenever you meet someone that knows Sanford, the answer to "How did you meet Sanford?" is always interesting and funny.

Our Gallery

Coming Soon!

Things to Consider

An outdoor wedding in July could get hot, so remember cool clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, hand held water misting fans, or ice packs.
Interested in getting a Choli for Garba. a Sherwani, or outfit for reception!?! Check out Sahil and Utsav
Bride and Groom prefer no boxed gifts due to travel back to NYC and limited space in NYC housing.

Accomodations: We have negotiated a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn in Rolling Meadows/Schaumburg with a discount booking code ADW. This is the preferred hotel as the garba and evening reception will be held in the hotel.
Transportation: If you're flying into O'Hare Airport, you do not need to rent a car for the wedding events. The hotel provides a shuttle to/from the airport. We will be providing transportation to the wedding site for those that need a ride from the hotel.