It all started with an Instagram story. Milan Patel happened to see a mutual friend post a birthday wish for Pearl Shah, and in that fleeting frame, something clicked. “I remember thinking to myself, I really need to get to know Pearl,” he says. Their first exchange was through polite DMs: she was studying medicine, he was building a career in finance. Years later, when the world slowed down during the pandemic, they finally met in person. “We were supposed to just have dinner,” Shah laughs. “But a couple of hours didn’t feel like enough. Milan invited me to join his friends afterwards. I ended up meeting 30 of his friends on our first date, so you can only imagine how overwhelming that was.”
Through four years of long-distance, between medical school lectures and entrepreneurial ventures in hospitality and real estate, their bond grew stronger, leading to a Paris proposal straight out of a dream. “I kept dropping hints that if he were to propose, it would have to be in Paris; complete with violins, red roses and classic Bollywood romance,” says Shah. “He went one step further, with a ‘marry me’ sign made from red roses and my favourite song, Tum Hi Ho, playing softly in the background.”
The couple chose California’s windswept coastline overlooking the Pacific for their wedding, a four-day celebration at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. “It allowed our guests to feel like we were on an extended family getaway in this picturesque destination,” says Patel. To make it even more personal, they collaborated with artisans from Gujarat to craft keepsakes for guests: welcome bags shaped like mini Birkins with hand-painted watercolour motifs of the venue, gold-foil accents and pashmina shawls from Jaipur. Shah has switched professional lanes and set up a jewellery brand, Cohinoor & Co, through which she created custom lapel pins and brooches inspired by Indian motifs such as peacocks and elephants. “For the haldi, we curated a Gucci Flora bazaar with personalised purses, bindis, bangles and sweets,” she adds.
The celebrations began with traditional Gujarati rituals, including the grah shanti pooja and mameru, a pre-wedding ritual where the couple’s maternal uncles bless them with gifts and sweets, followed by an intimate bridal mehendi. As a bride with an eye for detail, Shah worked closely with her event team to translate her love for fashion into each event. “I drew inspiration from my favourite fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and Cartier. I wanted every celebration to feel distinct yet part of one story,” she says.
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