Meet One of Our South Asian Bridez: Sofia Thomson
Meet one of our South Asian Bridez: Sofia! She and her husband Reuben got married in April 2023 at his beautiful church in New York. Our team at Cinderella Bridez had the pleasure of doing her Indian bridal hair and makeup for her big day. In this exclusive interview, she discusses her wedding-day preparations, gives advice for upcoming South Asian brides, and talks about her experiences with Cinderella Bridez.
Q: What Indian bridal makeup look were you going for on your wedding day? Glamorous and bold? Simple yet elegant? Soft glam?
Sofia wanted a more natural look that really highlighted her inner beauty for her wedding-day makeup. In previous trials, she’s had experiences with makeup that was too cakey and clashed with her features. She’s also never been a fan of too much highlighter or concealer on the high points of her face. During her trial, she voiced her concerns and opinions to her makeup artist Fiza, who listened to them and made sure that Sofie’s look suited her tastes.
Q: Did you have a pre-wedding skincare regimen for your big day? (skincare products, dermaplaning, facials, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, etc.)
Because Sofia has very sensitive skin, she decided to try a new Korean skincare product a month before her big day to prepare for her wedding, which helped with her hyperpigmentation. Although she experienced some irritation before the wedding, her skin cleared up before the celebrations began and looked stunning!
Q: How did you handle any stress (if you had any) while getting ready for your South Asian wedding?
Sofia’s husband and best friend played a huge role in elevating some of her pre-wedding day stress. They worked together, so their worries were evenly distributed instead of falling solely on one person. As the day got closer and closer, their friends and family helped to balance everything out.
Q: How did you choose your perfect wedding venue? What aspects did you consider?
Their wedding took place at Reuben’s Church in Seaford, NY, and their reception was held at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY. Their venues were within their budget and were spacious enough to hold their 500 guests. Sofia’s husband has attended a lot of weddings at the Country Club, so he knew that the food there would be great too. These aspects made these venues easy choices when deciding their perfect wedding locations.
Q: How did you mentally prepare for a multi-day Indian wedding ceremony? (with multiple events, things can get exhausting and overwhelming. How did you keep calm throughout the process and planning and handling these events? Sangeet, Mehndi, Haldi, Garba, etc.)
Sofia and her husband planned a Christian wedding with Malayalee traditions. They and their families traveled to India in November 2022 and January 2023 to buy the manthrakodi, a gift to the bride from the groom and his family, and minnu. The minnu is a pendant strung on a chain made by intertwining 21 threads. This chain is taken from the Manthrakodi and divided in seven sets, using three threads each. These seven sets stand for the bride and groom’s parents, the bride and groom themselves, and the Church or the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Q: How did you and your spouse meet? How did you know you wanted to marry them?
The two met on an Indian dating app called Dil Mil. They were both on this app for a few years and had their own trials and errors with previous individuals they’ve met. In August 2019, they matched and have been talking nonstop ever since. Her husband Reuben was extremely supportive, especially when Sofia was getting her Masters of Social Work (MSW). She was lost and felt unsure of what the future looked like, and although she would have gotten her MSW regardless, he played a huge role of reassuring and caring for her during this difficult time. Reuben is someone that has not only made her a better person, but she continues to aspire to be more like him. For Sofia, her life feels complete when he’s by her side. There wasn’t an exact moment when she knew she wanted to marry him, but as they were dating, she knew that she wanted him by her side forever.
Q: What are your honeymoon travel plans?
They went to St. Maarten in the Caribbeans. After months of planning their wedding, the two wanted a much-deserved rest, and they spent their time relaxing and enjoying themselves.
Q: Are there any moments that stand out to you from your South Asian wedding?
One magical moment that Sofia fondly remembers is her last dance with her husband. They slow-danced to “Butterflies” by MAX, marking their beautiful wedding with a loving, unforgettable memory.
Q: Do you have any do’s and don’ts for planning an Indian wedding?
One piece of advice that Sofia gives to any upcoming Indian brides is to take budgeting very seriously. She and her husband learned this the hard way by spending a bit more than their budget allowed for several of their vendors. They realized how quickly their expenses towards their wedding added up. She also suggests getting a wedding planner to make prewedding-day ordeals easier. She and her husband ended up taking more time out of their schedules planning for their wedding than they would have liked, so it is crucial to consider a wedding planner to ease some of this stress.
Q: Why did you choose Cinderella Bridez for bridal makeup, bridal hair, and bridal styling for your Indian wedding?
Sofia learned about our company through a friend. Although our pricings were a bit intimidating at first, after seeing her results, she has zero regrets. She loved working with our team, as did her family and friends. Fiza, who was her bridal makeup artist, was professional and organized. Sofia would recommend our team to anyone who is planning their wedding.
To Sofia and Reuben, we wish you the happiest life together! Thank you again Sofia for this interview opportunity!
If you want to read more about our South Asian bridal hair and makeup services, check out the rest of our page at cinderellabridez.com. Or if you want to learn about Barbie’s experiences as a small business owner, visit her website at barbiepatel.com.
Special thanks to Sofia’s vendors!