Often times a wedding involves the blending of two different families, backgrounds, cultures, etc and this can be a very daunting task. This Charlottesville Wedding gets it though. The Bride and Groom have married all the gorgeous details of a traditional Indian wedding with a lovely backyard affair in Virginia. The result is simply stunning, as if henna + Blueridge Mountain views were a born pair. Jen Fariello Photography captured every last dazzling detail right down to the Bollywood inspired first dance. See it all here.
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From the Bride… Both of my husband’s parents are from India, and my parents are from England and Wales, so our hope when planning our August wedding was to blend our two backgrounds into a very personal celebration. We wanted to create an intimate, traditional wedding feel but also to bring in as many Indian elements as possible. My parent’s home in Charlottesville, Virginia, with views of the Blue Ridge mountains, provided the perfect location for our outdoor wedding.
The night before the ceremony, guests were treated to an Indian pre-wedding celebration called a Sangeet, where I wore a beautiful red lengha choli given to me by my mother-in-law. Guests danced to Bhangra music played by an Indian DJ, and were able to have henna decoration drawn on their hands and arms.
The next day, everyone enjoyed wine tasting or other Charlottesville attractions before buses brought them to our home for the wedding. We had a simple traditional Christian ceremony performed by the groom’s childhood priest, and guests tossed flower petals as we walked back down the aisle together. My bridesmaids wore deep pink J-Crew dresses in the style of their choice, and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres were all slightly different.
After cocktails in the backyard, our reception was held under a marquee tent decorated with huge lanterns hung from the ceiling. We danced first to a personal favorite, and then broke into a Bollywood-style dance we choreographed together. Our band, The Dickens, was absolutely fabulous, keeping everyone on the dance floor all night and letting Praveen perform a song dedicated to me. The henna-patterned cake done by Maliha Creations was gorgeous, and we left the tent under a line of sparklers – a perfect end to a perfect night.
Wedding Photography: Jen Fariello Photography / Wedding Coordination: Barb Wired, LLC / Catering: Harvest Moon Catering / Tent Rental: Skyline Tent Company / Wedding Cake: Maliha Creations / Floral Design: Pat’s Floral Designs / Rentals: Festive Fare Rentals / Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia via Bel Fiore Bridal / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Hair & Makeup: Bristles / Wedding Reception Band: The Dickens via Sam Hill Entertainment / Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Musicians: Terra Voce