Tahlia and James' love story began with a pager in the emergency room and the rest you could say is history. James and Tahlia were both working in the ER, Tahlia as a Physician Assistant and James was an orthopedic surgery resident at the time. James' first interaction with Tahlia came when he received a page from her regarding a patient that he needed to see. After that he just knew that she was someone who he wanted to be in his life. They shared with us why they picked Tahoe as their destination wedding location, how they melded their two cultures in their wedding, and the favorite parts of their day.

James and Tahlia's wedding weekend began with the traditional Indian Mehndi ceremony. Mehndi is the application of Henna to the bride the night before the wedding as a means of cooling the body and relieving any stress the bride may have before the wedding day. The ceremony is held the night before the wedding as a way to celebrate the bride and wish her good luck on her journey to marriage. James and Tahlia's Mehndi Ceremony included the traditional application of Henna and a big celebration for their families and friends.

Their Love Story

Basically, we met at work! I am a physician assistant in the emergency department and James was an orthopedic surgery resident. I had to consult him on a case so we met in the ER but did not date for another two years. During that time, he had planted some seeds to my ER friends that he knew about how he was interested and I finally started to look in his direction. Honestly, I was initially a bit unsure about going on a date with him because I come from a pretty traditional Indian family and if it were to get serious, I was worried about telling my parents that I was dating someone Chinese. I decided to look past that for the time being and went on a few dates and the chemistry we had was just undeniable. We had such a wonderful time together and shared the same love for medicine, traveling, and our dogs! We both knew very early on that we were in this for the long haul! I was definitely overthinking what my parent's opinion would be about him. They were a bit awkward at first meet but they were able to see him for who he is rather than him being "non-Indian" and he became part of the family so quickly.

Why Tahoe

James and I knew we wanted a destination wedding for two main reasons. We love to travel and thought it would be very fitting for us. We also agreed that we wanted an intimate wedding and this would be the best way to achieve that! Having a wedding in Houston, where we live, would mean easily having an over 500 person guest count. I have a huge family and that's just how Indian weddings are! Neither of us really wanted a beach wedding and thought a more mountainous setting would be perfect.

We were in between Napa Valley and Tahoe but when I went for a site visit at the Resort at Squaw Creek, I fell in love the moment I walked into the lobby. Every other venue I visited after that just didn't compare to the feelings I got there, so we were sold. We also felt that there was going to be so many fun activities for our guests to do around Tahoe: cruise the lake, hike, gamble, and just explore. The Resort at Squaw Creek itself has so many great restaurants, activities, and just jaw-dropping grounds. We now have an excuse to return to Tahoe for the rest of our lives as the biggest day of our lives is so intimately tied to that magical place.

Our Favorite Moments:

James: The whole wedding day was a high-speed blur, but I specifically remember the beautiful mountain backdrop and how the sunlight peeked through the clouds at the perfect moment while my bride walked down the aisle. Our ceremony felt intimate and truly perfect. We were able to have a moment to ourselves as we broke away from the reception and went to the meadow to take some scenic pictures. Our mothers coming together to give us a traditional blessing was very special. Finally, our first dance and the dance party that ensued with all of our friends and family until the very end is something we will never forget.

Tahlia: It was so amazing to see a year's worth of planning come to life. The most memorable moment for me was to listen to and read our personal vows to each other during our ceremony. We were standing in front of 250 of our favorite people, but at that moment it felt like it was just the two of us. I also remember feeling over the moon seeing our families come together and having such a great time in celebration for us. I was nervous/curious about how our cultures (Chinese and Indian) would blend/interact together and my heart was so full seeing James' family taking part and enjoying our Indian traditions and both sides being so welcoming to each other. Lastly, James is not too keen on dancing, so I can never forget the surprise Indian dance James performed for me with my bridesmaids! It was such a fun surprise and a perfect way to open up the dance floor for the rest of our incredible night!