This Holi Festival-inspired wedding shoot by Naturally Yours Events and Shane Welch Photography is packed full of joyful and fun-filled details from the start of the al fresco ceremony to the end of the vibrant, geek-chic reception at Catalyst Ranch. Pulling inspiration from the Indian holiday that marks the end of winter, this creative team of experts, like the floral-extraordinaires at Pollen, crafted up adorable details that celebrate life, love and lots and lots of color! Make sure you watch the entire day unfold in the film by Sterling Wedding Cinema and come back this afternoon for a fun DIY project! See all the details here!
Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, is an Indian holiday to mark the end of Winter. Everyone comes together to celebrate spring, life, and love. During the festival, participants douse each other in dyes and colored water. By the end of the day everyone is head-to-toe covered in shades of the rainbow. The inspiration for this wedding shoot is the playfulness and joy of the Holi Festival with a bit of geek-chic.
The ceremony took place in the park where we strung DIY chain-link garland in the trees as a colorful backdrop. Our florist used a Lego version of the comic book villain, Magneto, as a boutonniere and filled the bride’s bouquet with colorful garden-esque flowers. Watercolor invites and paper goods added to the fun and whimsical theme. In keeping with the playfulness of this wedding, we included a juice bar with crazy straws, an Etch-A-Sketch with the couple’s wedding date, funky sunglasses, and noisemakers for guests. After the ceremony, guests greeted the couple with dyes and paints as the Festival of Colors began. Our bride’s dress was once a white point d’esprit silk tulle over cotton muslin dress, and is now colored in every hue.
With bright orange and green walls, Catalyst Ranch was the perfect reception venue for this wedding shoot. Our bride changed into a playful, vintage-inspired cocktail dress and changed her hair to an up-do with victory rolls and a birdcage hairpiece. The couple danced the night away, got dressed up for photos in the Traveling Photo Booth, and ate cake covered in sprinkles.
The sweets table included more DIY elements with a heart art piece shaped by repurposed paper tubes. Some tubes were painted and placed in varied heights for a more whimsical look. The reception table’s decor included a few different retro games in bell jars, a funky yellow and orange tulip centerpiece, and very colorful mismatched plates. Guests found their tables by picking up mini games, like Wooly Willy or pinball, that directed them to a larger version found at each table. At the end of the night, guests could sign and send their wishes to the bride and groom on rainbow-colored wooden Jenga pieces.
Wedding Planning: Naturally Yours Events / Wedding Photography: Shane Welch Photography / Wedding Videography: Sterling Wedding Cinema / Wedding Venue: Catalyst Ranch / Wedding Florals: Pollen / Bridal Ceremony Gown and headpiece: Mignonette Bridal / Bridal Reception Gown and headpiece: Dame Couture / Menswear: Humble Collective / Makeup: Makeup by Pamela / Hair: Debbie Petrielli / Jewelry: Due Sorelle / Wedding Cake: Luscious Layers / Truffle Cake & Sweets: Truffle Truffle / Candies: Get Local Chicago / Stationery: Lily Red Studio / Juice favors: Juice RX / Photo Booth: The Traveling Photo Booth / Linens and Flatware: M&M Special Events / Models: Brittany Clapper and Andrew Bochniak / Event Design Assistant: Janae Laverdiere