Pelican Hill Wedding – Ami & Sidd | Andrena Photography Blog

Today’s installment highlights Ami and Sidd’s gorgeous wedding at Pelican Hill Resort and the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. Brought to you by the lovely and talented Pinaki and Raakhi at Pink Rock Events, along with the incredible artistry of Nisie and the team at Enchanted Florist, this wedding was a stunner from beginning to end. The Moroccan-themed decor at the sangeet dazzled guests, who loved the full-room fuschia and orange draping, comfy cushions and couches, and the hot pink monogrammed dance floor. Ami got her mojo on and surprised Sidd by doing a dance performance for him, and he of course couldn’t stop smiling as she whirled and twirled.

The next day’s ceremony took place at Pelican Hill Resort. I’d never seen the majestic Pelican Hill rotunda draped from top to bottom before, and it was truly awe-inspiring. If you’re not familiar with the Pelican Hill rotunda, it is so massive that you almost can’t believe it. If you look closely, you can get a sense of scale by looking at the tiny chairs on the stage. The amazing and dedicated Nisie and her team started their work at midnight the night before the ceremony, working outside in 30-degree temperatures. Floral elephants greeted the guests as they walked down the aisle towards their seats, and later flanked the sweetheart table at the reception. Inside the rotunda, Nisie and her team hung chandeliers and balls of roses nestled in a center of gorgeous draping. The front of the rotunda served as the mandap, with towering trees made of flowers (the trunks were made of flowers, too) flanking the ceremony participants and creating a beautiful background for the many family photos we took. Working closely with the teams at Pink Rock and Nisie’s Enchanted, Ami took care to realize her vision for a unique color palette that isn’t often seen at Indian weddings. The end result was spectacular, particularly against the blue waters of the Newport Coast coastline.

The reception took place at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, and featured a hanging cake, Bollywood-style dance performances, and a light-up disco floor set up club-style behind a curtain in the ballroom. After the requisite toasts, speeches, cake cutting and dance performances, the couple disappeared, and then the curtains parted to reveal them smack in the middle of the disco floor, doing a choreographed first dance to a Michael Jackson song. I think it was either Billie Jean or Beat It, but I was so tired by that point that I no longer remember. LOL. And speaking of unique, if you think that hanging cake setup was easy, think again. I recall at least 20 people being involved in getting the cake onto the hanging platform. I’ve almost never seen a team of people looking more concerned, as getting that cake on top of all those hanging roses was very tricky, but it all worked out beautifully, and the Ritz pastry team really outdid themselves. This beautiful wedding was published in a five-page feature in Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine. A huge thank you to the ever-talented Yoshi Morimoto and Robert Evans for serving as second and third camera. It was a pleasure to have their incredible talents at this lovely wedding.

Ami & Sidd – Pelican Hill Resort and Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel

Coordination: Pink Rock Events
Ceremony Venue: Pelican Hill Resort
Reception Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel
Floral Artistry: Nisie at Nisie’s Enchanted Florist
Cinematography: Kevin Shahinian at Pacific Pictures
Hair & Makeup: Jeannie Jeffries at Couture Beauty Team
Lighting: Amber and the team at Amber Event Production
DJ Artistry: DJ Rishi P
Hanging Cake: A joint piece of art by Nisie’s Enchanted and the Laguna Niguel Ritz-Carlton Pastry Team