Now we’ve seen some interesting themes and venues in the South Asian wedding industry, but this one takes the cake.

Ankur and Akta were engaged at the world famous Brookfield Zoo earlier this year, which is situated right outside of Chicago in Brookfield, IL.  With family, friends, and the various animals in attendance, this event definitely is one of the most unique we’ve had the chance to cover.  With Chicago photographer Joshua Albanese covering the event and Saffron catering the entire event, you couldn’t have asked for a better combination of vendors.  The night was topped off with the amazing sounds of DJ Damaniac.   As an added bonus Ankur and Akta had provided a party bus from ChicagoLimoNet providing a safe yet memorable night for all their friends and family.

We had a chance to sit down with Ankur and Akta and get their take on the vendors that helped make their special day come alive:

DMS: We’ve never seen an event held at the zoo.  Especially a South Asian Event.  What were your thoughts on the staff and the services provided?

Ankur and Akta: The Brookfield Zoo was excited since ours was the first Indian event they were going to host. Since this was the case we had to expalain many details of the event. We made sure we had someone dedicated to make sure the event staff knew where to be and when. The staff were very attentive to every detail of our event. Even though we had to take extra care in educating them about how a Hindu engagement ceremony worked we never worried that they would not be able to satisfy our requirements. Since the cocktail hour location was in a different location than the reception hall it was good that they provided numerous amounts of staff to guide everyone. The zoo had a very wide range of linens and other decoration options. Everyone still reminds us about the fun they had at this unique location.

DMS: As beautiful as the venue was, its even more important that the entire event and all its beauty is captured right.  Give us your thoughts on Joshua Albanese.

Ankur and Akta: Josh was very responsive when we needed to get a hold of him. Weve heard of photographers disappearing after the event so him being available whenever we called was very important. Josh has a lot of passion for photography, after meeting with him we were excited because we felt for him this was more than just another gig. During the event we barely knew he was there, we were worried afterwards that he did not capture the important events of our engagement but after we saw the photos we were impressed that he was able to capture everything we wanted.

DMS: Many people in Chicago have heard of Saffron and know their quality.  Can we get your thoughts?

Ankur and Akta: Everyone loved Saffron’s food. We have always had a good experience with the quality of their food and service. We will be using their service for all of our wedding events as well.

DMS: Now let’s move to the most important part, the party!  Tell us about your DJ choice.

Ankur and Akta: We got many compliments about our DJ, DJ Damaniac. He was able to mix Hindi and Western music amazingly. Even during the event itself he was able to take special requests from people and was able to mix that in as well. He coordinated everything with our venue which was good since it was one less thing we had to worry about. Damaniac showed up on time and was prepared when we needed him to be. During the dancing portion he showed off his dhol skills which really got everyone excited. He really takes a lot of passion in his work and didnt want to stop playing even after the contracted time was done.

DMS: Transportation isn’t something that most folks think about for events.  How was your experience in finding transportation for a safe yet enjoyable night for your guests?

Ankur and Akta: One of the hardest parts to figure out was how to transport people to and from the zoo since we didnt want people to drink and drive. Reading online reviews of many different limo companies we were nervous about booking one. We ended up going with ChicagoLimoNet. Their prices were very reasonable and they were easy to get a hold of. They came on time both ways which is all we could ask for. The limo buses were clean and comfortable. Everyone had a good time on them.

Looking at the pictures, you can’t help but feel that you were truly back home enjoying a traditional and grand Indian event.  Design My Shaadi thanks Ankur and Akta for providing us their thoughts and permission to use their event images.  We also want to thank Joshua Albanese for providing the images.  Be on the lookout for engagement shoots as well as wedding coverage for this wonderful couple.