Guest Bride Blogger Mohanie Bhajan {JE#1} – The One Where Mo Gets the Ring

Certified Coordinated Bride Mohanie

Journal Entry #1

The One Where Mo Gets the Ring

Hello all my Lovely Brides,

My name is Mohanie and I am a nurse in an ICU in Michigan. My future husband is Devin and he is an engineer with one of the big three automotive companies. Most of our friends refer to us as Mo and Dev. We got engaged August 2017 and are currently planning the continuation of our happily ever after. The big day is May 4, 2019 when I officially become Mrs. Sharma. I am super excited to share our story and my wedding planning journey with you. Hopefully I can provide tips that will be useful in your planning process.

Hey! What’s Up, Hello

Devin and I met at Stony Brook University in Long Island New York way back 2011. In typical college fashion, we met at a mutual friend’s birthday party and became friends. By this, I mean we met once, added each other on Facebook, commented on each other’s post here and there but did not see much of each other again for awhile. Fast forward to 2012 and we met again at another friend’s party. This time we really hit it off. I actually looked at him this time and thought he had the cutest, happy go lucky smile. He must have liked what he saw in me because he was persistent in getting me to go on a date with him after that. You would think that was the start of a long, fun, relatively easy relationship but fate had other plans for us.

When we graduated later that year, he moved to Michigan and I stayed in New York. I thought that was the end of our brief relationship, but we just could not let go of each other.We tried to take turns flying to each other every month. Even though the flight was only a little over 1 hour, man was it exhausting. To all the couples out there doing long distance for more than a year- my utmost respect to you guys. Long distance relationships are hard work! Finally, I’d had enough and moved to Michigan too and decided to use the opportunity to go back to school for nursing.

The One Where Mo Gets the Ring

As a treat for graduating nursing school, we planned a trip to Dominican Republic. I thought “Okay, this is it, he’s going to propose in DR”. I had my nails done and ready for the eventual ring pictures. Right before our trip my parents threw me a graduation party in NY. We were taking pictures with my cake when he distracted me. I heard cheering, turned around and saw Dev was down on one knee. He did not even get to ask the question before I said yes! Unfortunately for Dev, some of my family members did not see the proposal. So what did they do? Gave him a microphone and told him to do it over again. Haha!

My graduation trip turned into our engagement trip. DR is a beautiful country and I would highly recommend it for a honeymoon or vacation. Be sure to do the all-inclusive option and have cash on hand for local excursions. And do not go during hurricane season! We forgot about that pesky detail and ended up having to wait out Hurricane Irma as she went by the island. Luckily, we were not hit hard and in the process, got to spend a few more days on the island. There was not much complaining from us as we got an extended vacation. I love to joke that if we can weather a hurricane, we can handle anything else life might throw our way.

Plan It, Change It, Think About It, Book It

For all my fellow brides, know it is okay to change your mind and vision as you start planning. It is hard work especially when trying to please your family, his family, the extended families, and yourselves. You might even want to just runaway sometimes. If I had a dollar for every time I thought about eloping or doing a destination wedding, I would probably be able to pay for my centerpieces! The best advice I can give you is to sit down with your future husband and discuss things that you both want. Try to meld that vision you grew up with for your wedding with his vision of it. Sometimes those visions will change when you start to explore options and especially when your budget comes into play. Discuss your budget and who pays for what before anything else- it will save lots of headaches later.

While you try to honor what your parents want, it is your day and you should be happy with the results. I will be totally candid and tell you when I started planning, I was trying to please my future mother in law with their side of guest list. However, my fiancé was not happy with the list and wanted to change it. We fought about it because I did not agree with some of the changes and thought he should come to an agreement with his mother before he made the changes. In the end, I saw how unhappy he was about it and I decided to let him do as he wished with his side of the guest list. This wedding is also his and I did not want him looking back and not be happy with it. You will have power struggles with planning but do not let that get you down. It is a stressful time, and some do not handle it as well as others. Above all, have fun with the planning, invest in a yearly planner and set goals for each month leading up to the wedding.

The biggest hurdle for me was getting the reception hall. After I had that step done, I felt like I could breathe easier. I have the extra challenge of planning a wedding in New York while living in Michigan. Thank god for technology and the internet! I saw so many halls and spoke with so many different vendors. I would go around with a notepad and take notes as they were talking to me. It was the only way I could keep all the facts straight and keep my sanity intact.

As a Guyanese Hindu, there are lots of different traditions and rituals we follow. My religious ceremony will be a traditional one in a temple. The following day, we will have our reception in Long Island. I have already selected my wedding dress, Indian outfits, bridesmaids, henna artist, makeup artist, photographer, videographer and DJ. A girl has been busy! I still need to figure out my final guest list, cake baker, floral arrangements, groomsmen outfit, bridesmaids’ outfit for reception, playlist, the do not playlist. and bachelorette party. I am sure there will be more little details I have not ironed out yet. But it is okay because I gave myself time to figure it out. More details on how I made or will make my selections in a later post.

Hope you guys enjoyed my first post. Feel free to leave me comments or questions. I’m excited to be a Coordinate Bride and read about my fellow brides. Happy Planning!