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    Lavish is an understatement

    A palace, an elephant and the Mayor rocket this three-day Hindu wedding into thestratosphere

    Ruchi Mukherjee
    Jan 8, 2013 | 2:20 pm
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • The groom arrived by elephant for the actual wedding ceremony.
      Photo courtesy of © J. Cogliandro Photography
    • No expense was spared for the elaborate decor of the three-day wedding.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Recreating the intricate carvings of the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur tookImagination 3D six months.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Henna paintings on palms and feet are part of the wedding tradition.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • The setting at the Hilton Americas-Houston was a vision of light, color andIndian-inspired design.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Beautiful trinkets were given to wedding guests by "maharajas."
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
    • The Hilton Americas-Houston ballroom is readied for the ceremony.
      Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

    No one will soon forget the elaborate, wedding extravaganza that closed out 2012 for Nikita Malani and Atman Shukla, who spent the last three days of the year celebrating their marriage in sumptuous grandeur as only Indian tradition can command.

    More than 1,000 guests witnessed the elaborate Hindu wedding festivities that began on the first evening with the traditional henna and sangeet celebrations in the ballroom of the Hilton Americas-Houston. It seemed that the bride's parents, Raj and Jugal Malani, spared no expense for the wedding.

    "It is our only daughter's wedding and we wanted it to be grand, over the top and very special. An affair that Houston would love to talk about for a long time," Jugal said.

     

    As is often tradition, the dashing groom arrived on an elephant amid a procession of musicians . . .

    In addition to arranging for the music and dance and bountiful servings of food and drink, Jugal Malani tapped Dipak Pindolia of Imagination 3D to recreate the elaborate facade of Rambagh Palace in Jaipur for the evening. Six months in the making, the palace replica extended 168 feet across the beautifully-decorated ballroom and extended 27 feet high with domes and columns as intricately carved as those of the original in India.

    Guests, who included Mayor Annise Parker and Kathy Hubbard, donned their finest bejeweled saris and silk nehru jackets to join the vibrant festivities that featured the music and dance of Bollywood.

    While guests were immersed in applying henna on their palms, which is a traditional ritual, close family and friends entertained the couple and guests with various Bollywood dance performances.

    (The bride's father, CEO of Unique Industrial Product Co., is a leader in the Indian community, known for numerous charitable endeavors including raising funds for education of the poor in India. He is president of India House Houston.)

    The day after the sangeet and henna ceremoies, the wedding was held at Chateau Cocomar, a French-style villa in Champions. As is often tradition, the dashing groom arrived on an elephant amid a procession of musicians beating dhols (double-headed drums) and traditional drums. The procession is known as baraat, which is led by the groom's family and friends and is considered a "royal arrival."

     

    Throughout the three days of ceremonies, the bride looked stunning in Indian fashions created by designers Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra. 

    The wedding ceremony was performed by a local hindu priest under the witness of elders, several spectators, fire (an auspicious element in Hindu marriages) and Lord Ganesha, the half man half elephant God that is considered the deity to dismiss all obstacles.

    The grand finale of the three days was a splendid reception hosted at the Hilton Americas where food and drink were bountiful. Coordinating the extravaganza were wedding consultants Schwartz & Woodward, working with Plants & Petals to create the lush setting. The ballroom lobby was transformed into a lavish garden with Maharja's welcoming guests with garlands, decorative pins and other adornments.

    Throughout the three days of ceremonies, the bride looked stunning in Indian fashions created by designers Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra, who design outfits for Bollywood beauties like Arshwarya Rai, a former Miss World.

    Appreciating the fun and traditional aspects of these wedding ceremonies and joyfully ringing in the New Year on the final night were Harish and Shashi Jajoo, Sonal and Subodh Bhuchar, Sunny and Rashmi Sharma, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Meena Dutt, Nidhika and Pershant Mehta, Anu Bala, Swatantra, Bimla and Manish Jain and the list goes on.

     Ruchi Mukherjee is a lifestyle feature journalist for TV Asia and host of Lights Camera Action, an online magazine that covers Houston South Asian American society news.

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    Silk and Sequins

    Cultural fashion takes center stage at Runway to Asia in Houston

    Joel Luks
    Jul 10, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
    Photo by Annie Mulligan
    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

    If fashion is a language, Runway to Asia spoke it fabulously fluently.

    The ballroom of The Post Oak Hotel shimmered with silk, sequins, and sartorial splendor as Asia Society Texas debuted its first-ever Runway to Asia style-studded affair — a glamorous gala-meets-catwalk moment where heritage was hand-stitched into haute couture.

    More than 300 guests filled the swanky venue for the event, greeted by models perched like living mannequins in Danny Nguyen’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, each ensemble a fabric-forward love letter to cultural identity and avant-garde vision. This was a glamnifesto on what it means to wear your roots with pride and purpose.

    Leading the stylish charge were co-chairs Leigh Smith, Shazia Sultan, and Phoebe Tudor, who curated the afternoon like seasoned couturiers. Attendees noshed on a three-course lunch before the real feast began: a full-throttle catwalk presentation honoring two design dynamos — Danny Nguyen, Houston’s own silhouettist supreme, and international fashion luminary Zang Toi.

    Rekha Muddaraj, former KHOU 11 anchor turned emcee extraordinaire, welcomed the crowd with poise, passing the mic to Asia Society Texas president Bonna Kol, who framed the gathering as more than just fashion, but part of the nonprofit’s mission to celebrate cultural diversity through art.

    The applause crescendoed when Michael Buening, the organization’s director of performing arts and culture, announced the event had raised more than $300,000 to fund more than 20 annual programs.

    Pro tip: philanthropy always looks better in couture.

    Then came the honors. Nguyen was honored with the Texas Trendsetter Award, praised by Shazia Sultan for blending traditional elegance with avant-glam silhouettes. Meanwhile, Tudor crowned Toi with the Global Icon Award, charting his runway rise from Malaysia to Manhattan.

    Toi’s “Opulence of the Orient Express” collection brought the house down with 37 jaw-dropping looks: Ottoman-inspired caftans, midnight velvet suits, pearl-dusted evening gowns, and coat-dress hybrids that defied the laws of layering. Each ensemble whispered luxury and screamed craftsmanship.

    The raffle added a thrill of retail roulette with prizes including a luxe Hill Country escape, personal styling sessions with the honorees, and golden tickets to Zang Toi’s Fall 2026 New York show.

    Soaking in the scene were Sushila Agrawal, Nancy Allen, Fady Armanious, Kristy Bradshaw, Divya Brown, Tripp Carter, Theresa Chang, Anne Chao, Molly Crownover, Kari Dagley, Chloe Dao, Debbie Festari, Kathy and Marty Goossen, Brigitte Kalai, Mandy Kao, Sippi Khurana, Karen Kwok, Teri Lee, Kelley Lubanko, Christy Lynn, Petra Martinez, Sneha Merchant, Duyen Nguyen, Cabrina Owsley, Akemi Saitoh, Miya Shay, Sue and Randy Sim, Shawn Stephens, Y. Ping Sun, Ileana Trevino, Janae Tsai, Stephanie Tsuru, Heidi Turney, and Asha Virani.

    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
      

    Photo by Annie Mulligan

    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

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