International Grand DulhanExpo 2007 - South Asian Bridal Show
December 2, 2007 :: 12:00 NOON - 8:00 PM
Garden State Exhibit & Convention Center, Somerset, NJ USA

"Thanks everybody for your kind words below, thanks to my Family and the Media for their support, thanks to 5000+ Visitors & 200+ Vendors who showed up despite the early snow storm (Next year we are moving it to Oct/Nov and not taking any chances). We guess, this event holds an 'Emergency Tag' for Brides & Grooms who are getting married in the coming year. Above all I Thank God for making it a huge success, and we are glad that we could be there to Match the Brides with the Vendors."

- Sumit Arya, Organizer

WELL-WISHERS:

"Hello Sumit Bhai, Congratulations for becoming the #1 in the Wedding Expo Industry. I have seen the efforts you have made for so many years to achieve this position. Your success in this area is being appreciated by all vendors who take part and everyone who visits your Expo. The most admirable thing about your business is the way you have achieved this position single-handedly in the most adverse of conditions. Everyone visiting my place in Mumbai talks about the 'Grand Dulhan Expo' with great respect. You are helping in a great way to keep our traditions alive among new generations living in the entire USA. You are way ahead of all the Sadhus, Sants, Pandits, Maulvis and Gurus in helping the community in preserving our traditional values."
- Chandra Prakash (Mandap Manufacturer, India)

"Sumit and Shikha Ji, First of all CONGRATULATIONS for the Grand success of Grand Dulhan Expo 2007. As you know due to my busy schedule I could not come on time at all the previous shows. I enjoyed a lot this time, since I came early at 1:00 PM. I was amazed to see the variety of vendors, all the needs for Bride and Groom were available under one roof. Wow!
I tell you, you guys are getting the blessings of hundreds of parents. It was a great show and you are doing a great job. We are proud of you for exposing our traditional values to the next generation and keeping our reeti-rivaaz alive in USA.

Shear hard work is the key to your success, and I have seen you advertise the expo far away from home into the wee hours of the night, with your team. Keep it up. God Bless You !!
- Bal Mukand Gupta (Miss Bollywood USA and Worldwide Pageant)

"You are doing a great job organizing this, Sumit! Looking at the schedule, it looks like a great event! Wish we could have been there."
- Geeta Sugandh (Ghazal Maestros-Sugandh Family, California)

"Congratulations on the huge success. Rajeev Bhambri ji from India Abroad was all praise about your show. Next year we are definitely taking a booth for Quick Travel to promote Honeymoon Services. "
- Peter Kothari (Community Leader, Owner: Quick Travel)

MEDIA SPONSORS:

"Sumit & Shikha are like family members to me, and they work so hard at these expos, and so selflessly. They deserve every bit of the success they have achieved. Anything they need from me, I'm always there for them."
- Kulraaj Anand (Media Sponsor - EBC Radio)

"Despite the cold and chill accompanying the year's first snow storm, it was warm and lively inside the Garden State Exhibit Center, where the Second Annual International South Asian Bridal Show - 'Grand Dulhan Expo' - was bustling with activity. Enthusiasts from all around the tri-state braved the weather to get to the event. DulhanExpo is USA's largest South Asian Trade Show - a platform for connecting with all categories of Wedding Planning Professionals under one umbrella."
- Ritu Jha (Staff Writer, DesiNJ, Home News Tribune, Courier News)

"Dear Sumit, You have worked so hard, so you certainly deserve a lot of sleep and catching up with your loved ones. Thanks a lot for your invitation and again you idea of 'Dulhan Expo After Party' is nice. I will definitely see you there. Happy holidays!
- Aanchal Chanda (Media Sponsor - 'Movie' Magazine)

"Sumit, Thanks for keeping a Media Booth for us, obviously I couldn't be there, since I am on the West Coast now, but so glad to hear that you are continuing to go strong and making it in this tough field. Good for you and Shikha. I am really impressed, and if you ever decide to expand to the West Coast, you always have support from me... All the best!"
- Preeti Gupta Shah (Media Sponsor - CopperPages.com)

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VENDORS - CURRENT & FUTURE:

"DulhanExpo served as a tool for us to reach out to the brides. It turned out to be better than we expected, considering the weather. We had all serious enquiries, we really stayed busy with all the brides who really wanted to work with Moghul. Sumit, we should sit down soon to map out next year's plans. There are some ideas we wanted to share also."
- Shreekant Dhyani (Moghul Caterers, Mithaas)

"We were very pleased with the turnout. We'll be more than glad to host the Spring Show at our facility."
- Anthony Valente (Hyatt Regency Princeton)

"There has been a lot of transformation in the Indian Wedding Scene in the past few years. In our China & other Home Products we are trying to create a fusion between Indian & Western Cultures. We are hoping for DulhanExpo to help us reach that right audience."
- Poonam Khanna (Fortunoff: Gift & Bridal Registry)

"Sumit we loved the spot you gave us at the expo. Next time we definitely want to offer Free Horse & Carriage rides to the guests in the parking lot, and we want the picture of our horse in the poster."
- Tony Telemonde (Caliber Farms)

"Hi Sumit, Just wanted to let you know that the expo was fantastic!! We had a great time out there. Thanks!"
- Sukhvinder Purewal (Prospective Vendor/Franchisee, California)

"Amazing work, Sumit. I don't think anyone can duplicate what you did on December 2nd"
- Jennifer Sohan (Nanking Caterers)

"Sumit we have never seen a show like this. Amazing, my boss loved it so much, we are in it for ever now... Please keep us updated with the next dates. We have provided services to the South Asian Community in the past and we want to make the relationship even stronger."
- Bette Sanders (Select Event Rental)

"We should have done this sooner, Thanks Sumit."
- DJ Manan Shah (DJ Immense of IE DJs)

"Thank you for everything, Sumit. It was a really nice show. I received a great response last year and hoping for the same this year."
- Samantha Diaz (Dance Soul Co: Fusion Belly Dancers)

"The response was so much better than I expected, My booth was crowded all day. The live make-up demo was a great idea. Thanks Sumit."
- Ayesha Khan (Singhar: Makeup Artist)

"I received many orders for my 'Saawariya' theme mandap today, and people liked the blue & gold accented dinner table inspired from the movie."
- Ravi Verma (Wedding Design: Mandap/Decorators)

"Sumit, you know we have never missed your Long Island shows, but I realize now that we shouldn't have avoided your New Jersey shows either. We loved this one so much that you can count us in for all the New Jersey shows also for 2008 & future."
- Joel Duval (Duval Studios)

"We really didn't expect to find the target audience for a Kids Learning Center here, we were there just to advertise, but we were surprised to find 3 students on the spot, more inquiries are coming in. I guess audience is audience, anything can sell here. A booth at DulhanExpo was a great idea."
- Rakesh Amarnani (Aloha Learning Centers)

"Hi Sumit, Thank you so much for giving us the honor of going up on the Dulhan Expo stage! Hope you liked your 5th Anniversary Cake! As always, it was fun to be a part of the show. The only thing, or should I say person, missing was Shikha. I just hope the snow would have held up for another day, the turn up would have been even larger. Anyway, thanks again for everything. I wish Shikha and you all the luck in the world for the future. Kind regards."
- Purva Sudan (Cake Gallerie)

"The Fashion Show was amazing. We liked the way our jewelry stood out against the black saris. We were pleasantly surprised how people managed to come despite of the snow. Great Job, Sumit. We received lots of compliments and serious inquiries. Let's come up with some other marketing strategies to keep the momentum going. Please call us after recovering."
- Sunit & Piyush (Srimals Jewelers, India/California)

"Hi Sumit, First of all, it was a great show. I just wish the weather could have been better.
I hope you got some rest. Didn't get to meet you and thank you on our way out as we had to rush and catch a 6AM flight. Thanks Again!"
- Siddharth Bansal (MohanLal Sons: Menswear, New Delhi/Chicago)

"Great Show Summit! I would like to receive suggestions from you about what our next steps should be. We should meet soon. Many people seemed to really like the modern, different styles of centerpieces we showed them. We received many compliments, which is great, but we need to turn that into business now."
- MJ Lovett (Wedding Design by MJ: Florist, Wedding Planner)

"Hey Sumit, looking at the Vendors List on the DulhanExpo website, that's a great lineup you got there, seems like you have been working hard at making your expo a great entertainment and fashion event. Kudos to you!! Wish you all the best."
- Tina Tandon (Prospective Vendor/Fashion Designer)

"Hi, I am so Sorry for not appearing on Sunday on behalf of Swab4Bevin team. We left from Long Island and got onto the highway and almost got into several accidents due to the snow, so we turned around. I really am bummed that we couldn't come, we were really excited especially since it was going to be a good crowd. When are you next upcoming events? Please keep in contact & help us in any way possible - I believe you are a great contact for our cause. Thanks for donating the booth."
- Suby (www.swab4bevin.org - Bone Marrow Drive)

"Sumit, Thanks for letting us participate and donating a booth. I wanted to thank you in person but couldn't find you in the office at the Garden State Exhibit Center. Thanks for helping us do some 'Samaj Seva'. Thanks again."
- Irfat Chowdhury (Department of Public Health)

"We had no complaints about sales, we didn't get effected by the weather at all"
- Shweta Dani (Halee Creations: Costume Jewelry)

"Thanks for such a great show, we had huge amount of sales, we sold like crazy"
- Minu Kumar (Ashma fashions: Fashion)

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VISITORS/BRIDES-TO-BE:

"Hey Sumit, Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that the expo was great! Keep up the good work."
- Nausheen Khurram (Casual Visitor - New York)

"Hi Sumit!!! Really wonderful photos on facebook.com... simply loved them. You must do a show in DC!! I wish I could have made it to your show in NJ... but hopefully next time. You did a wonderful job!! Keep up the good work :-)"
- Saba Shahid (DulhanExpo Fan - Washington DC)

"Hey Sumit, when are you going to organize a show in DC? The event last Sunday looked great! Well done!"
- Farwa Tirmizi (Casual Visitor - Washington DC)

"Such an ingenious concept, awesome work!"
- Shelly Kamran (DulhanExpo Fan - Seattle, Washington)

"Hi Sumit, I just wanted to let you know that I thought the Dulhan Expo was great. I know some of my friends that were there who actually put down deposits on some of the wedding services, right on the spot."
- Shetal Chatlani (Casual Visitor - New Jersey)

"The expo was great yesterday!! The whole fashion show wardrobe was so nice... over all everything was really helpful and beautifully done. So thanks for the invite and the wonderful event... keep it up ! :) And, oh yeah, i had a question. I was wondering about the makeup on the models. Who were the makeup artists for that?? Because that was really nice too... xoxo"
- Aruba Chaudhry (Casual Visitor - New Jersey)

"Oh My God, I saw myself in the video taken by my friend Adil. Jay Sean is just so amazing
He held my hand a couple times during that song, OMG. I love Adil for taking this video."
- Nina Rai (Casual Visitor - FaceBook Comments)

"OMG. I didn't know Jay Sean would actually show up. I died and went to heaven... OMG"
- Krishna Patel (Casual Visitor - New Jersey)

"I was planning to attend the expo, but due to the weather I was unable to make it. I was wondering if there is any way for you to mail me some information. I am specifically looking for a Hindu priest, a florist, a caterer, and a place to provide decorations for a wedding in Queens, NY on July 5, 2008. Also any general information you could send me would be great, too. I was so disappointed to not be able to make it to the expo today."
- Gin Peterson (Bride-to-be)

"Hi, we were able to make it to the show despite the snow, and we are glad we did. The vendors were great and so was the fashion show etc."
- Neela Khanolkar (Bride-to-be, New Jersey)

"Hey Sumit, How are you? The 2nd annual GDE (Grand Dulhan Expo) was great!
Your wife, Shikha missed out on a great time, the fashion show was great, Jay Sean was great! You must be exhausted after such a hungama!

You know, it took my friends and I at least 3 and a half hours to get to the Garden State Exhibit Center. Somehow we got lost and we tried to contact you, but we knew you weren't going to pick up so we visited: Paramus, Franklin, New Brunswick and Edison in all that icy roads and snowy travel. Gosh it was quite memorable but we made it there safe and sound.

I think you're doing a great job getting all the vendors, DJs, models and everything else together for the several shows you put in a year. Jeez, Must be difficult and very time consuming to put such a grand event together. I could only imagine the stress level involved. Take care."
- Swati Alousious (Casual Visitor - New York)

"Hey Sumit, I hope your doing well. When are you going to have a Dulhan Expo in Calgary? I want to be a part of this Amazing Dulhan Expo. I love your work...Good Luck with Everything ;)"
- Nida Sheikh (DulhanExpo Fan - Calgary, Canada)

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MODELS/TALENT:

"Thanks for the opportunity, Yaara. Needless to say, 'Dulhan Expo' was amazing. 'Kundalini Shock Attack' had an awesome time performing last Sunday. Thanks Jayesh Rana for the top-notch sound. Call me when you get a chance. Take care brother."
- Yousuf Arain (Performer: Kundalini Shock Attack, New Age Band)

"Hey Sumit & Shikha, Congrats on the success of the Grand Dulhan Expo! I feel bad I missed out :( Next time for sure, I'm coming!"
- Priya Kumar (DulhanExpo Model)

"Hi Sumit, How are you? The show was great. We had so much fun. Thank you for having me at your show. Thank you so much."
- Kanwal Bashir (DulhanExpo Model/Miss Pakistan Worldwide 2007)

"Hope you are well! Thank you for the opportunity to do the Grand Dulhan Expo! Had an amazing time, the best Designer Line up ever... Thanks."
- Oumy Diaw (DulhanExpo Model)

"Hey Sumit, How are you doing? It was a great experience working for you. Thank you for this opportunity. Please keep in contact... hope to work with you again... good luck."
- Amrinder Singh (DulhanExpo Model)