January 7, 2021 | Posted by Village

Sneha and Josh married last year. Sneha shared with us sweet details about their engagement AND Josh’s proposal (two different things – read on to learn more), highlights of their special day, and the story of how they met.

How did you and your partner meet?
Josh and I met through mutual friends at church. Our personalities are polar opposite so it was an awkward first impression. We look back at it now and laugh because initially we would just steer clear of one another because we didn’t like each other. With time we got used to being around each other and became good friends. It began just like any friendship, we met up with other friends for dinner, movies, music jam sessions, etc. We never considered each other romantically at the time because the friendship was so new. The more we got to know one another, the more we became each other’s confidant. I would ask him questions to understand the male perspective and he would do the same to understand the female perspective. We were each other’s sounding boards and would turn to each other for comfort and reassurance when we had troubles of our own. Things changed when we realized that what we felt for one another was more than just friendship and the rest is history. We definitely started as young love and we grew with each other through each phase we encountered.

Tell us about the engagement.
Now this is a funny story. Josh and I have had the conversation of taking the next step in our relationship and we told our parents that eventually we are going to get engaged and get married. In the Indian culture the parents usually pick a date for engagement which is celebrated with a party. During this celebration the patriarchs of each family give the couple their blessings. Our parents had picked a date in the Summer of 2019 and then told us about it. We were a little taken aback because I have always wanted an actual proposal, I wanted the grand gesture, twinkle lights, my love on one knee, etc. With that said Josh said it would happen so I knew the proposal would have to happen in the Spring of 2019. Josh had initially planned to ask me on NC State Campus but unfortunately got rained on. He then decided it was going to happen rain or shine, broke into my house by climbing through a window he was able to open. He had previously planned with my best friend (and my future maid of honor) to have me out of the house the whole day, we had a girls day — we got our nails done, shopped, walked through NC State in the rain reminiscing the good ole days, still clueless as can be. We finally got home, and I started to panic because my dog was not where I left her. My basement door was wide open and I heard footsteps. I beeline to the knives to grab one for protection, which was promptly stopped by my best friend. She said that she would get it but I should probably go sneak a peek to see who’s there. All this was said as she was pushing me down the stairs and I had 911 pulled up on my phone ready to dial and I even said a prayer. About 10 steps down I see the twinkle lights, my sweet pup, and my handsome love waiting for me. The entire space was covered with lights, pictures that dated back years. Some pictures I didn’t even know existed. It was absolutely beautiful. It was everything I wanted and more. It was a private and intimate proposal. And my ring was perfect!! Josh did such an amazing job with all of it!

What made Fearrington the place for you to say ‘I do?’
This is an easy answer! Gilda McDaniel, the wedding coordinator. From the first day onwards she made us feel so relaxed and answered every single question my type A self threw her way. It also helped that Fearrington was a beautiful location with multiple sites and lots of photo opportunities! We loved that everything was done in house; we didn’t have to talk to multiple vendors, just Gilda!

Describe the highlight moment of your wedding day.
The highlight moment was definitely walking down the aisle! Seeing everything planned come to life and seeing Josh waiting for me was definitely something. I was amazed at the beauty, of the decor, the people, and the outpouring of love it was magical. Everything was executed to perfection! Bett, the florist, went above and beyond with her work, she added so many sweet touches to all the details and made it so beautiful! We got our perfect wedding, even with the pandemic restrictions, everything was done in such a way that you didn’t feel like you were missing out on anything. It was absolute perfection!

What was the biggest surprise of the day?
How can we pick one! We have a few:
The flexibility of the day definitely was amazing, we were thinking the schedule would be rigid and we would have to be on top of the timing but the day was so easy, Gilda made everything transition well. If we needed more time for pictures she worked with us and made the adjustments.
The additions to all the small details was so sweet, I have a small obsession with elephants so we had them kind of scattered throughout the site. Bett added these small flowers to the elephants that made them just pop! It went from being a random addition to part of the decor. I absolutely loved it!
The cake! We had had the tasting almost a year ago from the wedding so we were so eager to have it again, but wow! The cake looked amazing and it tasted even better than we remembered. We loved it so much we shamelessly sneaked back to the venue after the wedding to ask Gilda if by any chance there’s some leftover!

What was your biggest surprise about wedding planning?
The biggest surprise was how simple planning was. My personality is very type A. I have a list and timeline and I need it to be followed. I write down all my questions when it pops in my head and I do not like the unknowns. The pandemic definitely threw a gigantic wrench in the planning process. Having Gilda there every step of the way made it breeze by. I probably emailed her at least a 100 times, and she responded to each and every one. Without fail there was always an answer. If I was stuck she would suggest ideas that were perfect for what we wanted.

I would encourage all the future brides to choose Fearrington because you get everything you want and more. Because everything is done in-house it makes planning simple. The coordination between the staff is amazing. My power trio for helping me get the wedding of my dreams was: Gilda (coordinator), Bett (floral designer), and Kat (cake designer)! I will forever cherish these three women for helping Josh and I get our dream wedding amidst the pandemic.

Photos: Samantha Floyd Photography