Blooming together amidst the stunning views of nature, this adorable couple shared an intimate wedding reception in the deserts of Arizona! They honored the nature around them by holding a simplistic yet elegant event that perfectly represented the values of this couple. Our gorgeous KYNAH bride Pooja illuminated in the iconic Pali Lehenga, she truly looked like a princess!! Congratulations to this lovely couple - the KYNAH team is honored to have been a small part of your big day!

As said by Pooja:

I found out about KYNAH through Instagram. My mother loves to wear Indian clothing and will occasionally share outfits from Indian clothing sites. With the way technology works, I started getting targeted ads and one day I clicked through the site. At that time, they had some beautiful pieces by Papa Don’t Preach, so I would check the site occasionally for new pieces.

I had actually chosen the Pali Lehenga well before John Paul proposed to me. Growing up, I never dreamed about a wedding or a wedding dress, only about finding the right partner for me. When I met John Paul and I knew I had found my person, I started considering Lehengas for my wedding because my South Asian identity could be loud and proud with him. There was a delicateness and femininity about the lehenga that I adored, but what made me fall in love with the Pali Lehenga were the arches in the beadwork. I knew I wanted two dresses for my wedding, both to pay homage to the places I consider home. The Pali Lehenga brought me back to Punjab and Himachal, where I spent time as a child.

We didn’t have a theme, but we wanted to honor our venue, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, and we wanted to honor wildflowers. John Paul has spoiled me with flowers throughout our relationship, but there was one bouquet in particular, a wildflower bouquet he gave me in July of 2021. I loved it so much, and I remembered that bouquet when speaking with my florist about our wedding florals, which were wildflowers native to Arizona. We chose our wedding colors to reflect those you would find in the desert, bright greens, warm terracotta and oranges, sunset blues, pinks, and purples.

John Paul proposed to me on a bench, in a park we walked on our fourth date. I was very adamant that I did not want a public proposal in any way shape or form. He proposed on a Friday, after our Friday morning Starbucks ritual. I had been having a crappy work week and the weather was meandering into Spring in Boston. He asked if I would like to go for a walk before I started my workday. While I didn’t put the pieces together at that moment, he had decided to comb his hair, which he never did for a walk in the park. As we were walking, he was slowing me down, asking me to see the trains on the tracks near our home. Finally, when we got to the park, he was pulling me to the bench we had sat in on our fourth date. I remember turning around to stare at the river that runs parallel to the park and feeling the warm sunshine on my face. When I turned around, he was on one knee. Me being so oblivious to the ring in his hand, I said “Why are you on the ground”?! When I did notice the ring, I pretty much blacked out! I don’t remember anything he said except for “Will you marry me”? Turns out, he wanted to comb his hair because he had asked a friend of his to take photos of the proposal. John Paul and I met online, during the pandemic. I had ended a five-year relationship and I wanted to casually date; I was determined not to jump right back into a relationship. The universe had other plans. When I saw John Paul on a dating app, his smile was everything. That smile was like a planet pulling me into its orbit (it still does). On our first date, we talked non-stop and every date we went on, every experience we shared made it so easy to fall in love with John. Beginning a relationship with him was the best decision of my life. John Paul's love has nurtured me into the best version of myself. I have found safety in him that I have never experienced with anyone else, and a connection that I cannot put into words. I love my husband, but more importantly, I really like him too. Not only are we partners in life, but we’re also friends, and I can’t express enough what a blessing that is.

Reading my vows to John Paul. We both have full plates with work, family, friends, etc. I always want to make sure he knows how much I love him and what an incredible impact his love has had on me. Sometimes in the day-to-day minutia, we forget to tell others how much we love them. It’s deeply important to me that he always knows.

Venue: Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix AZ

Photographer: Heather Kadar Photography

`Hair and Makeup: Makiaj Beauty

Groom's Sherwani: Nazranaa

Florals: The Studio at Cactus Flower