Priyanka Shah & Juan Garcia
October 5, 2022

Planning a wedding can be a stressful experience—but coordinating a week’s worth of wedding-related events is another level of pressure entirely. That was the tall task for Plano’s Priyanka Shah and Juan Garcia. To incorporate their interests as well as elements of their respective cultures (Juan hails from Mexico, while Priyanka’s heritage is Indian), their extended matrimonial celebration included a soccer tournament, a mariachi band–led baraat, and lots of furry friends for the animal-loving bride. The festivities culminated in a pair of ceremonies—an Indian “I do” on October 5, followed by a Catholic counterpart on October 7—and ended with a reception at Knotting Hill Place one day later. Since then, the couple—who co-own Penikam Films, a video production company—have moved in together, traveled, and grown their business. We talked with them about the best and most stressful parts of wedding planning—and their most worthwhile wedding splurge.

What was the smartest thing you did while planning your wedding?

Priyanka: Hiring a wedding planner, because it was the only way things could run smoothly. It is crazy how hectic things can get.

Juan: The smartest thing I did was to get very involved and take ownership of planning what I could. Having so many events meant that there was a lot of work to go around.

What stressed you out the most?

Priyanka: Honestly the hardest part was trying to meet everyone’s expectations of what we should and shouldn’t do. At times I felt like my parents and husband were the only people not pulling my hair.

Juan: I felt that my wife was under the most stress, and that’s what stressed me out the most. I feel it’s important for both the bride and the groom to put as much time and effort into planning their wedding as possible and to realize the importance of supporting

each other throughout the process.

What was the most fun part of wedding planning?

Priyanka: Planning the decor, meeting my vendors, and of course, finding all the amazing animals to be part of the special week. (We had a monkey, rabbits, horses, and a camel.)

Juan: The soccer tournament, of course! To tell the truth, it was all fun. Being Hispanic and never having attended an Indian wedding before, getting my Indian groom clothes, going to food tastings, and practicing my sangeet performance with my groomsmen were all a blast for me. The Indian culture is such a rich and beautiful culture, and I got to enjoy it throughout the planning.

What was your most worthwhile wedding splurge?

Priyanka: Hiring my friend to help me shoot the music video of my dreams.

Juan: It’d have to be my Italian wool suit. Getting to pick out the perfect suit, the color, the material, and the look was something that felt very special. I know I’ll look back on our videos and pictures in 20 years and look at it fondly.

Was there anything your spouse wanted that you weren’t sure about? How did it turn out?

Priyanka: I don’t recall. Before the ceremony, we hosted a soccer game between all our family and friends that I was worried about, but I came up with that idea with my cousins.

Juan: Priyanka is an enormous animal lover, and she campaigned heavily for animals throughout each event. I supported her, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy to plan for them. Well I was dead wrong, because the animals were incredible to have and completely made it a signature Priyanka wedding!

What, if anything, would you do differently if you had to do it all over again?

Priyanka: I would do it in Mexico, because I wish we could have bonded more with Juan’s family.

Juan: I had the best wedding ever, and if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would want to try even harder to help Priyanka with everything and take as much off of her shoulders as I possibly could.

What was your biggest takeaway from the wedding-planning process?

Priyanka: Everything will be OK, and we can miss the beauty if we focus on the negatives.

Juan: Weddings are special. They are the unification of two people, and two families. The more both sides can interact and bond, the better the process will go.

What was the most memorable moment from your wedding day?

Priyanka: Our first look gave me butterflies. At that moment I truly felt like a bride, and I knew my life would change forever.

Juan: Having been blessed enough to have seven days of events and two wedding ceremonies, some of my most memorable moments would have to be how at peace I felt during the Indian ceremony and the words of our priest. Being a spiritual person, I wholeheartedly enjoyed and took in every moment of the ceremony.

What has surprised you most about married life? How (if at all) does it feel different?

Priyanka: Married life feels worlds different. I feel like Juan and I are learning many new things together and enjoying the small things.

Juan: What has surprised me most about married life is how wonderful it’s been. One day we were fiancés; the next day, we were married. But the real change is how easy daily chores are. How easy caring for each other is. That unconditional love being cemented and consecrated has made our lives better, and as such, we are both experiencing growth in our professional lives and in our own bond. I love going to sleep and waking up every day next to my wife.