This Saint Laurent Bride Mixed Old Hollywood Glamour and Beautiful Indian Traditions at Her Wedding in L.A.
While we’re all currently taking a pledge to #StayHome, these weddings took place in the months before the coronavirus pandemic. We hope they’ll bring some joy to your reading list.
“We were like two ships passing in the night,” Roma Shah, the wholesale manager at Saint Laurent, says of her initial interactions with private equity investor Niraj Shah. “But we didn’t officially meet until the fall of 2013 at a lounge in downtown New York City called No. 8.” Their respective friends had to convince each of them to go out that night, and after they briefly met, it took two months for them to eventually go on a date. “Ten minutes of having a real conversation over drinks and dinner, and we haven’t left each other’s side.”
Niraj proposed during a trip to Nizuc, Mexico, with Roma’s side of the family and their King Charles Cavalier, Mercer, in tow. The last night of the trip they had a big family dinner. When they got back to their room, Niraj pulled Roma out onto the balcony. “He then hypothetically asked me, ‘If there was one place in the world you would like to go tomorrow, where would it be?’ Without hesitation I said, ‘Easy answer: Amangiri in Utah.’ His exact response was, ‘Well, that’s exactly where we’re going tomorrow, and Mercer is coming with us.’ I was so surprised!”
On their first night at Amangiri, Niraj set up a sunset picnic and got down on one knee. “He proposed with his grandmother’s ring and also gave me a note from Monique Péan, my favorite sustainable jewelry designer, who congratulated us with a watercolor of a ring I fell in love with a year prior and an appointment to customize our engagement ring with her,” Roma says. “The whole evening was just one surprise after another, and so meaningful.”
For their wedding, they really wanted their guests to experience and see Los Angeles. “We constantly gravitated toward L.A. because of our love for its stunning yet diverse architecture, incredible interiors, delicious food, and everlasting sunshine,” Roma says. “The Sunset Tower Hotel is our home away from home. It has such a rich history dating back to the peak of Old Hollywood—staying there takes you back to that very special era, and at the same time, the hospitality is impeccable and the staff makes you feel like you are family.” They rented both townhomes on the property and made the vibe different in each suite, with friends and family constantly flowing in and out of both.
The festivities started on Friday afternoon with a private ceremony for the couple’s immediate family. The bride wore a look that she custom-made in collaboration with her aunt in India. “I knew from the get-go that I wanted my aunt to create my ceremony look,” Roma says. “She has such a unique eye, and I grew up watching my mother customize all of her Indian outfits with her.” The sleeves of the ensemble were embellished with white beaded pearls, and the skirt had metallic threaded lotus motifs symbolizing purity and enlightenment.
Indian music played as Roma and her father began to walk down the Art Deco staircase together. “I greeted the priest, who pressed his ring finger against my forehead, giving me a red third eye symbolizing a blessing and the eye of wisdom for the married woman,” Roma remembers. “I walked through the intimate aisle onto the balcony to meet Niraj, and we could not brush the smiles off of our faces. We were in complete happiness.” They exchanged religious vows and performed symbolic rites utilizing fire, air, water, and earth. Marigold yellow-orange flowers were thrown onto the happy couple, followed by rice, to symbolize unity, prosperity, and purity.
Later that evening, the couple exchanged their vows again, this time in front of all of their wedding guests. “I remember the lights were dim and the room was filled with candles,” says Roma, who wore a white Tom Ford dress, a Trace Henningsen veil, and Saint Laurent shoes for this portion of the weekend. “My Tom Ford gown was a highlight for me because it fit the mood of the location. I wanted to relive an Old Hollywood glamour moment, and this was the perfect dress.”
Roma’s brother-in-law Prakash officiated their public exchanging of vows, garlands, wedding rings, and her mangalsutra necklace, which is the Indian version of a wedding ring. “We wanted to mix a beautiful balance of our Indian and Western cultures for this portion of the ceremony,” the bride says. “It was a 10-minute ceremony, and the moment we sealed it with a kiss, the DJ started playing ‘Can’t Do Without You’ by Caribou, and we let the party begin!”
On Saturday, one of the most iconic homes in L.A.—the Sheats–Goldstein Residence by architect John Lautner—served as the backdrop for the main event. “The home is so architecturally striking,” Roma says. “There’s a poolside terrace attached to the family room, infinity tennis courts, a downstairs club—all overlooking the city from atop the hills. To us, this is L.A.”
