When Khadija first saw Rondell walk into the local boxing ring, she did not know his name or anything about him, but life stopped and she had an epiphany: she was going to marry this man. You can say it was love at first sight. Who says fairy tales don't exist?

Khadija courted Rondell and they went on their first date on January 3, 2012 which included a trip to the Headlands Beach. A few years into their relationship, they wanted to get married but both parents did not like the idea of their children marrying outside of their race. Yes, racism and religious hurdles were huge in their relationship (Rondell is black, Khadija's heritage is Muslim Indian). Rondell's parents came around first to accepting Khadija but both waited patiently for Khadija's parents to give their blessing. Rondell refused to marry Khadija without her parent's permission and so they waited. And waited. And waited. (Can we note how patient Rondell was and actually stuck around? Khadija definitely got a good one!)

In the waiting process, Khadija always joked that if her parents would give their blessing, she'd plan to get married within weeks. When permission was given exactly 7 years later (January 3, 2019), Khadija and Rondell decided to get married on Friday, January 25, 2019! It was a whirlwind of planning but Khadija is a wedding planner with Limelight Productions, which proved to be an advantage.

Khadija and Rondell had anything but a traditional wedding. They wanted to honor each other's heritage, culture, background and family. Khadija and Rondell viewed Big Daddy's Antique's in San Francisco, which had the perfect quirky and fun vibe they were going for. Plus, the space needed no rentals! The couple let the space dictate the rest of their wedding details.

The space was vintage and both bride and groom decided to wear something meaningful. Khadija wore her great grandmother’s 100 year old pure silk outfit with gold threads from Rander, India and Rondell wore his great grandfather’s suit, tailored to fit his muscles ;)

Khadija and Rondell had their welcome table in front of the antique gym lockers with vintage boxing gloves - which was perfect since they met at boxing. The couple had a vintage type writer for their guestbook asking their guest to create a bucket list of adventures for them. Both, the bride and groom, are adventurous and can't wait to fulfill the bucket list their family and friends have created!

Rondell was adamant the couple do an engagement shoot since he never got to propose the traditional American way - it was a traditional Indian proposal where the parents say yes. Yes, it still happens to this day! The engagement shoot was at the Headlands Beach, where they had their first date and incorporated a vintage Mercedes since Rondell loves cars. They also incorporated a Bollywood style shoot with a flying scarf and all (with no wind!). The pictures captured their love perfectly.

At the wedding, the couple focused on lots of good food. Both love to try out new restaurants and wanted their friends to try out their favorites: Khadija's love for Indian street food and Rondell's love for Southern food, plus a gelato cart, pies, cookies, a beautiful wedding cake, mocktails named after Khadija's cat's personalities, a coffee truck and Khadija's first love: churro's. Fresh churro cart was a must for a late night snack!

Khadija and Rondell walked into Rondell singing his love for Khadija, which was cut short by a dhol player that let the couple dance in Bhangra style. The couple opted for no sit down dinner so their friends could enjoy each other's company and had a free form dinner with different food in different corners to encourage mingling. The couple surprised everyone with a Bollywood flash mob in lieu of a traditional first dance!

The couple pulled off an incredible wedding with 2 weeks planning that reflected their individual personality plus their personality as a couple, which made the wedding have an extra special touch! The couple advises that you choose what you want for your wedding together. Take your family and friends opinion but ultimately decide what you two love. Follow your heart. Khadija did and she married the love of her life by listening to her heart. “

Khadija & Rondell