If you’re looking for multicultural wedding inspiration, or if you and your other half are curious about how to blend to seemingly opposing styles, look no further. Today’s wedding captured by Birds of a Feather Photo and Russell John Films proves both can be done – and beautifully. This Hindu Bride and Jewish Groom worked with the talented Danielle of Leilani Weddings to pull off a Tulum-inspired celebration. With help from vendors like Flower Allie and Honeycrisp Designs, they were able to not only intertwine the two cultures, but also “tropical boho” and “classic modern” style for a wedding that uniquely represented the two of them as individuals and their new life as one.
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From the Bride… When Logan and I met, we were working together, and he was my boss at our startup. It was the absolute whirlwind of a romance that neither of us expected, at all – whatsoever. However, from the moment we were together, truly together, we knew it was going to be for forever. Within a year, Logan had proposed twice, and I gave in to what I thought was “too soon!” per my 5, 10, and 20 year plans. Logan on the other hand, said that he couldn’t wait to show the world that he was mine, and I was his. We were engaged shortly after and continued our relationship long-distance, finally planning our dream wedding when I moved back to LA from San Francisco.
Because we were long-distance, mini trips were everything to us! Our wedding day was inspired by our latest vacation to Tulum, Mexico. Logan’s must haves for the wedding included a ceremony at the Hindu temple my father helped architect (the jewel and pride of our family). My must haves were a little more fluffy, in having a live sitar player, a unique aesthetic, and of course a fresh coconut bar! Together, we deemed guest experience and feeling our number one, as we were intertwining two different cultures and families (Hindu + Jewish) into one weekend, a symbol of one (new!) life together. Overall, it was important our guests felt included, comfortable, a little glam, in the know, and HAPPY!
Once we met our planner, Danielle of Leilani Weddings, we finally felt like the vision we had in mind was going to be a breeze. Someone finally understood our “Can this be done?” ideas and even elevated them to the next level! The three of us became a “we” pretty quickly.
We decided to have our wedding party, family, and even vendors in shades of ivory and cream to keep things neutral and clean. The Bridesmaids’ outfits were my absolute favorite and were the bohemian vibe I was looking for. Each sari was custom made in India, with hand-picked silk fabrics by myself and my up-and-coming designer cousin Shivani, where each was unique but complementary to mirror my diverse gal pals.
The big day began in sunny Claremont with my Bridesmaids, sisters, and both moms. I gifted my mom and mom-to-be custom handkerchiefs I KNEW they would be using that day. Logan gifted me a vintage Cartier watch I’ve had my eyes on for years. I went another route and decided to give Logan a box of muffins as my wedding gift, reminiscent of when we had #MuffinMondays together at work. I also had a muffin artfully drawn into my henna the day before! The ceremony was gorgeous, had all the feels, and Logan’s glory moment in life will always be riding into his baraat on a white horse with his best friends, family, and even my family and friends who joined in.
At the end of it all, I’m confident about the decisions we made to stay authentic to ourselves and to take some risks on making deep-rooted traditions our very own. Going with vendors (like Danielle, who made us feel special) was our best choice by far. Mixing cultures and traditions is not always easy, but if it were easy, then it wouldn’t be worth the breadth of feeling we all experienced. We are grateful to our friends and family who showed up, suited up, and were ready to party – and of course, to the incredible vendors who inspired us and made our big days absolute magic.
From Leilani Weddings… It was extremely important to Payal and Logan to have a clean, modern, relaxed but classic summer wedding celebration. Inspired by their recent trip to Tulum, Mexico, Payal and Logan knew the exact direction they wanted to go in for their Hindu-Jewish fusion wedding from the very first time we sat down to talk together about their wedding plans. Tropical Boho Meets Classic Modern was the name of the game, and as we designed together, it was apparent that those two themes would be married together perfectly.
A white seamless dancefloor with custom monogram was a must-have for the couple, along with peacock chairs for their sweetheart table, rattan furniture pieces, and a basket chandelier for the mandap, inspired by the baskets of fruit they saw everywhere in Tulum. They wanted minimal florals and TONS of tropical greens, so we opted for pops of tropical blooms like banana leaves, white phalaenopsis orchids, and delicate ranunculus, accented with few, but powerful king protea stems. We wanted to keep things neutral, so we stayed in tones of beige, white, black, grey and the natural green seen in the tropical foliage, which really complimented the vibrancy of the Hindu temple where their ceremony was held and the beautiful wood of the Padua Hills Theater where the reception was held.
Payal started the day at Casa 425 with her bridesmaids, where she gave them each a gift decorated with greenery from her own backyard that she planted herself. Inside the gift boxes were colorful robes, a mini bottle of champagne, and a Voluspa candle, along with a monogrammed makeup bag – a preview of the other monogrammed details seen in signage and the couple’s dance floor later that day.
It was important to Payal and Logan that their guests felt “in-the-know” and informed the entire weekend, so we designed detailed wedding programs with Honeycrisp Designs listing the order of events of the traditional hour-and-a-half Hindu ceremony, and we explained to guests what the baraat signified as they arrived to dance with Logan as he entered the ceremony site on a white horse. To play into the couple’s fun nature, we made the fonts of all the signage a bit whimsical but still sophisticated. Finally, a Mezcal Mule was served as the couple’s signature cocktail, a nod to their love for Mexican tequila.
Photography: Birds of a Feather | Cinematography: Russell John Films | Event Planning + Design: Leilani Weddings | Floral Design: Flower Allie | Invitations: A Fabulous Fete | Stationery: Honeycrisp Designs | Ceremony Venue: BAPS Mandir | Reception Venue: Padua Hills Theater | Catering: Mantra | Hair + Makeup: Design Visage | DJ: Entertainment Express | Limousine: American Limo | Accommodations: Casa 425 | Baraat Music: Special Occasions | Henna: Beauty by Rachana | Horse: Enchanted Carriage | Peacock Chairs: 6th and Detroit | Photobooth: Orange Box Photo Booth | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals | Rentals: Stephanie's Linens | Sitar Player: Ronobir Lahiri Music | Specialty Rentals: Jake Duke Studios