These two cuties combined their talents and cultures to create a wedding that was 110% them. Mixing the Bride’s Indian heritage with the Groom’s Jewish background it was a celebration complete with a “chupdap,” creative vows and Bright Rentals’ fantastic pretty pieces – and thanks to onelove photography we have all the memories in our VAULT right this way!
From the Bride… We wanted to honor our families and cultural backgrounds by melding both Indian and Jewish traditions in our wedding. The best way for us to do this was to write and create our own ceremony. Although we wrote the majority of the ceremony ourselves, Brad (our officiant and, conveniently, Ben’s dad) helped to put the finishing touches on the ceremony. The ceremony had a few important aspects that reflected Ben and I and our two cultures: first, we were married under a “chupdap,” a combination of a chuppah and mandap. In both cultures, this structure represents the home that the bride and groom will make together. Second, we took seven vows that mirrored the vows taken in a traditional Indian ceremony and also decided to alternate reading each of our seven vows. Ben and I wrote our vows together as a way to minimize day-of crying and to create promises and hopes for our marriage together. Lastly, we broke glass and clay as part of our ceremony, which have similar cultural significance in both Judaism and Hinduism. The breaking of the glass and clay signifies that our love will last forever and that we have the power to face any obstacles together.
Our friends are an important part of our lives and we wanted to honor their role on our wedding day. One way we did this was to have a large head table that included our wedding party and our closest friends.
Many of our family members and close friends offered their skills and talents to help us create our perfect wedding. One of the most memorable things is that Ben’s dad got ordained specifically to marry us! Having Ben’s dad perform our ceremony made it feel very personal and meaningful. Other contributions included Ben’s mom lending her green thumb to help us plant succulents for our centerpieces, Ben’s paternal grandmother designing hand-made clay vases to house our beautiful flowers, and Ben’s maternal grandmother designing and hand-painting our table number cards! Also, my mom made my bridesmaids and I look and feel beautiful by doing our make-up for the Saatek and wedding. My childhood hairdresser and close family friend, Misty Stevens, traveled from my hometown to do my and my bridesmaids’ hair for all the wedding events! Also, our good friend, Kevin Brown, designed the majority of our wedding stationery (several invitations, our menu and wedding program)!
Our wedding was extra-memorable because we held two events in the days leading up to the wedding. On Thursday evening, my parents hosted a Mendhi Night where the lovely and talented Hiral Shah adorned myself, my bridesmaids, and other guests with intricate henna designs! With so many guests traveling from all over the state, country, and world, this was a great way to kick off the wedding festivities. On Friday morning, my parents hosted a Saatek, an Indian ceremony meant to remove any obstacles and receive blessings from our families. This ceremony was so meaningful to Ben and I and it was encapsulated in the moment when all of our family and friends surrounded us to give their love, support and blessings. To pay homage to my maternal grandparents who are no longer with us, my grandfather’s handkerchiefs were used to wipe away my own and our guests happy tears.
Ben and I hand-made the majority of our decorations (thanks to Pinterest for the ideas and Benny for his carpentry skills)! Our favorite handmade décor were the escort card holders!
Some pieces of advice we learned through our planning process include:
1. Although we planned our wedding over 1.5 years, it flew by! Enjoy engaged life!
2. Spreadsheets and lists can be your best friend or worst enemy!
3. Number the back of your RSVP cards to keep track – not everyone fills theirs out completely!
4. Hire a wedding coordinator – Danielle and the Kai Squared team saved our sanity and helped us truly enjoy our wedding day!
5. Enjoy and savor every moment of your wedding day! When we reflect back and think about our wedding day, celebrating our love with family and friends was the most memorable part of our wedding!
• Ben and I snuck away from the reception for a few minutes to practice our first dance (for the first and only time, I might add). The best part – Danielle (our wedding coordinator) caught us and snapped an amazing photograph!
• Our first look – for both of us, having a private moment before we tied to knot was so special and helped to calm our nerves. Taking some photos together before the wedding also allowed us to join cocktail hour and spend more time with our guests.
• Dancing the night away with our friends and family was phenomenal! Ben’s grandmother stole the show with her dance moves!
• Entering the barn – we introduced our wedding party and they set the stage for an amazing, fun-filled reception with their entrances. Minutes before entering the barn, our wedding party choreographed unique dance moves for their entrances!
[dotted]
Photography: onelove photography | Event Planning: Kai Squared Events | Floral Design: Mission De Flores | Wedding Dress: Novella Bridal | Cake: Forget-Me-Not Cakes | Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas | Bride's Shoes: Toms | Catering: Park Avenue Catering | Makeup: Joshna Patel | Hair: Misty Stevens | DJ: AMS Entertainment | Groom's Attire: Tuxedo Wearhouse | Transportation: Sonoma Sterling Limousines | Venue: Olympias Valley Estate | Henna Artist: Hiral Shah | Photo Booth: Night Owl Photo Booth | Rentals: Bright Event Rentals