In January 2006, Your Dream Shaadi, UK's leading Asian Wedding Portal launched an unprecedented competition to give away an all expenses paid wedding worth an estimated £40,000 to one lucky couple. The competition captured the imagination (and no doubt entered the prayers) of brides and grooms across the country and thousands of entries flooded in, with numerous couples telling us why they thought they should be eligible to win such a fantastic prize.

When bride to be, Simi Heer half heartedly entered the competition, little did she expect that one year down the line she and her fiancée Gus Bains would be celebrating their marriage at one of London's most glamorous and opulent venues, put together by the crème da le crème of the Asian Wedding industry, without spending a penny of their own!!

As Simi recalls "I've never won anything before so when I heard of the competition organised by Your Dream Shaadi, I didn't have my hopes up. One night Gus and I were out with a few friends and the subject of the competition came up. Over a few drinks we cam up with an entry in the form of a poem. I duly submitted my competition entry and left the rest up to fate!

Simi was not alone and between the months of January and April 2006 the entries flooded in from around the country, all stalking their claim to win the dream shaadi of 2007!

THE WINNER IS ANNOUNCED!
Choosing a winner from the numerous entries received was no easy task and all the judges had a job on their hands selecting an answer that combined originality with merit. However, when the following entry was received (submitted by none other than Simi herself) the unanimous view emerged that this unique entry in the form of a poem deserved to be the winner.

I've got the man and the plan,
All I need is a helping hand.
The oldies can't work, I can't save
Please help me get the wedding I crave.

I never thought it would happen, meeting the man of my dreams
The clairvoyant said I knew him, there he was on New Years Eve.
I'd known him for six years I didn't think he cared
Then that night he declared it all
He wanted to marry me warts and all.

We save and save to no avail
All I want is a beautiful red veil.
I saw your advert was it a sign?
Could this be my life line?
This may seem a lighthearted read
But thank you Dream Shaadi for hearing my plea.

When Your Dream Shaadi's MD, Rahul Katrak contacted Simi up inform her that she'd won she was ecstatic but couldn't quite believe it, it just seemed too good to be true! Simi recalls "I kept asking a very amused Rahul what the catch was and he had a job on his hands to convince me that I'd actually won. Weeks later I was still waiting for someone to tell me it's a mistake or a practical joke and that the prize had been taken away from us or given to someone else!!"

It was only when the planning of the wedding actually commenced and Simi And Gus arrived at the stunning Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington to meet Rahul and be officially congratulated that they realised that this was for real and that the wedding of their dreams was right there for the taking!

THE PLANNING COMMENCES
After completing the formalities, Your Dream Shaadi entrusted the execution of the wedding to expert wedding planner Anita Patel of Tania Tapel. From the word go Anita was on the ball, very much in the know of what needed to be done, coordinating all the various sponsors of the competition, helping Simi & Gus to arrange appointments and select the services on offer as well as providing them with inspirational advice and ideas to ensure that their big day would be truly magical.

Anita organised travel to London on successive weekends to arrange meetings with the various companies and the couple, reassure them and pull together all the components of the wedding as only a wedding planner of her calibre can. During the entire execution of the wedding, Simi & Gus marveled at Anita's structured, professional and systematic approach, her friendly demeanor and the tireless energy and dedication that she put into making their dream shaadi a reality.

At their first meeting, Anita showed Simi & Gus around the Millennium Gloucester hotel including the beautiful conservatory where their wedding ceremony would take place, the banquet hall that would be used for the reception and the bridal suite. Simi & Gus got a chance to meet all the hotel staff that would be there to help them during their wedding planning and on the big day itself.

The couple's next stop was with eminent fashion designer Sunil Sejpal of SF Collection who would be designing their wedding outfits. As they had decided to have only a civil wedding and reception at the hotel (with their Gurudwara ceremony at a later date), Simi & Gus decided on a pair or Indo-Western outfits. Simi opted for a white bridal gown with exquisite embroidery and Gus chose a dark morning suit with a white short and red cravat.

Simi's next stop was a makeup trial with esteemed makeup artist Lubna Rafiq. After discussing what Simi wood be wearing and the format of the day Simi and Lubna decided on a chic & natural look. The trial proceeded and Simi was delighted with the results and left fully confident that she would look a million dollars on the big day of her wedding. The makeup trial was followed by a consultation with Amira of Henna Spirit. Once Amira had seen a sketch of Simi's dress and photos of her makeup trial she was able to quickly assess and recommend various mehndi styles to Simi, followed by a demonstration - the results spoke for themself and Simi's mehndi style was agreed on the spot!

A few weeks later, Simi, Gus and Anita started to plan the theme of the wedding. They decided on a cream and red colour scheme in keeping with the Indo-Western format of the wedding. Industry renowned wedding decorators Jay & I Services met the couple at the hotel to discuss how the conservatory would be decorated. They decided on a chic ceremonial stage complemented by elegant candle pedestals. Ace Occasions and Tied Bouquets met the couple to discuss the reception decor. They agreed on white chair covers & red ribbons with matching flower pedestals respectively. Finishing touches were provided by Forever & Ever with whom Simi chose boxes of red freeze dried rose petals to be scattered on the table and white and red themed wedding favours that would be placed on each of the banquet tables . To match their theme, Simi & Gus decided on a simple and chic invitation from Jelebee Art's collection of contemporary wedding cards.

With most of the preliminaries in place, Simi & Gus moved on to the most enjoyable aspect of planning the wedding - Food & Alcohol!! Anita arranged for a food tasting with Vama, caterers of distinction at some of the UK's most opulent weddings. The couple were warmly welcomed at their Kings Road restaurant and the menu options available were explained to them. After a highly enjoyable and delicious food tasting, a menu and wine and beer (provided by Cobra Beet) were agreed upon. Staff provided by waitressing company Off To Work attended the meeting to understand the format of the day and ensure that the couple's requirements were understood and met.

Following this, Anita arranged for Simi & Gus to meet Mistry Music. Jay Mistry came prepared with song lists, MP3 music samples on his laptop and a lineup of background music was discussed to complement the wedding proceedings. It was agreed that Mistry Music would provide a full DJ service for thereception complete with lighting and starcloth backdrops. Last, but most certainly not least, Simi & Gus met Aziz of Aira Photography. They had already seen samples of his stunning portfolio and fallen in love with his ccontemporray reportage style of photography. Aziz's charm and quick wit endeared himself to the couple and once they were comfortable with him he was able to quikcly access from what angles and expressions they looked their best. They discussed various styles and themes of photos as well as various album options and felt safe in the hands of a true professional.