For Harveen and Raj’s first date, drinks turned into dinner and before they knew it, the restaurant was closing for the evening. They both knew they had found someone special. We loved getting to know them, and know you will too. Read on to hear about their proposal and wedding.

Get to Know our real couple models here, but there’s still more content to come! Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram so you never miss a post.

What made you want to model for this photo shoot?

Our wedding coordinator and designer, Amrit Dhillon-Bains with Anais Events, put us in contact with Real Weddings Magazine. Neither of us have been a part of a shoot, and we thought it would be a fun and new experience for the both of us.

What was your favorite part of modeling?

Working with a group of talented individuals. They were very helpful, professional and we knew they loved what they did for a living. The energy on set was just so awesome.

What was your favorite part of this shoot? Did you relate to the concept?

Our favorite part of the shoot was seeing the concept come to life. The colors, flowers and design were so beautiful. Being Indian, we definitely related to the concept of spice.

What do you do for a living?

I am a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Oakland. Raj is a Manager of Global Sales Compensation at Salesforce in San Francisco.

What do you do for fun?

We definitely live to eat. We both live in the Bay Area and like to explore new restaurants. Even though we currently live in the Bay Area, we are from Sacramento and love to come back home and visit some of our favorite places (like the Grange where we had our first date) and explore new restaurants and bars in Sacramento. There always seems to be a cool place to check out.

Tell us about your love story. How did you meet? What was the proposal like?

We were set up by mutual family friends. Raj took me to the Grange in Sacramento for our first date. It was just supposed to be happy hour drinks, but drinks turned into dinner, and the next thing we knew the Grange was closing. We both found it so easy to talk to one another and it felt like we already knew each other – [it] as if we were old friends.

Before Raj proposed, he asked my parents for their blessing. He proposed at Scoma’s in Sausalito. We were at lunch, enjoying the view of San Francisco, and he gave me a scrapbook. The scrapbook contained monthly calendars spanning our relationship. He had entries for each date we went on and each time we were together. There were corresponding photos. It was obvious he put a lot of thought and effort into the scrapbook. He proposed on one knee and it was beautiful. Afterwards, he planned a surprise celebratory dinner with our families. It was very thoughtful.

Tell us about your own wedding.

We are getting married in Yuba City at Tierra Buena Sikh Temple. My parents married at this same temple 31 years ago. In fact, their wedding anniversary is only a couple of days after our wedding. The wedding is a traditional, Sikh wedding and will highlight our religion and culture. The reception is the following day at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento.

What was it like modeling with one another?

Modeling with Raj was a lot of fun. We were both out of our element and it was great to share this experience. Raj is a jokester and in almost all of the shots where he was asked to whisper something nice in my ear he decided to crack jokes instead. The day was a lot of fun.

If you could offer any advice to future couples, what would it be?

This is a good question, especially since we are still in [the midst of] wedding planning. I’d advise forming a group of supportive people to assist with all aspects of wedding planning. For us, that was my parents and our wedding coordinator. They have made the process so much more enjoyable and fun. Another thing that I have found very helpful is reminding myself to enjoy the process and not sweat the small details.

THE DETAILS

VENUE

The Pavilion at Haggin Oaks 

916-870-8597 | sacramentogolfweddings.com

PHOTOGRAPHER

Valley Images Photography

916-296-5057 | valleyimagesphotography.com

DESIGN, STYLING, PLANT-DYED SILK RIBBONS, SPICE BAR AND COORDINATION

Tan Weddings & Events

530-601-0914 | tanweddingsandevents.com

STYLING AND FLORAL DESIGN

Strelitzia Flower Company

530-758-5050 | strelitziaflowers.com

CAKE DESIGN

Something Sweet Bakery

209-745-9000 | somethingsweetgalt.com

HAIR AND MAKEUP

Jenifer Haupt, I Make Beautiful

916-532-9800 | imakebeautiful.com

HARVEEN’S MAIN LOOK GOWN

Second Summer Bride

916-330-4422 | secondsummerbridesac.com

HARVEEN’S ADDITIONAL LOOK GOWNS

Always Elegant Bridal & Tuxedo

530-755-4282 | 530-487-7110 | alwayselegantbridal.net

Diamond Bridal Gallery

916-521-9856 | diamondbridalgallery.com

My Martha Design Boutique

530-622-6009 | mymarthadesign.com

RAJ’S TUXEDO

Always Elegant Bridal & Tuxedo

530-755-4282 | 530-487-7110 | alwayselegantbridal.net

JEWELRY FOR HARVEEN’S MAIN LOOK AND SELECT ADDITIONAL LOOKS, AND RAJ’S TIES

Macy’s | macys.com

HAIR ACCESSORIES FOR HARVEEN’S MAIN LOOK

Luxurious Bridal

209-400-1915 | luxuriousbridal.com

JEWELRY AND HAIR ACCESSORIES FOR HARVEEN’S ADDITIONAL LOOKS

Hair Comes the Bride | haircomesthebride.com

Style Avenue Studios

916-812-1114 | styleavenuestudios.com

PAPERIE

Honey Paperie | honeypaperie.com

RENTALS

Celebrations! Party Rentals and Tents

916- 773-2133 | 916-562-2900 | 775-773-8900 | celebrationspartyrentals.com

CUSTOM SPICE PLACE CARDS AND CUSTOM DÉCOR SIGNAGE

Swoonable | swoonable.net

VIDEOGRAPHER

Jensen Wedding Films | jensenvideo.com

Special thanks to our real couple models, Harveen and Rajinder, and all of the professionals who contributed to this feature!

See more from this feature here!

Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Associate Editor Emily Peter.

Photos by Valley Images Photography/copyright Real Weddings Magazine.

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