This Custom Clear Tent At The Bride's Family Home Was Adorned With 26,000 Twinkle Lights
Set on the private estate of the bride’s family home in the Baltimore suburbs, this Indian-Pakistani wedding celebration featured a custom clear tent design adorned with over 26,000 twinkle lights. Sana and Nakul envisioned a multi-day extravaganza weaving together their heritages and traditions. Celebrations began on Friday evening, featuring a mehndi framed by a warm toned palette intended to make the space feel joyous and playful. With the vibrant orange, yellow, and deep pink florals and linens, the space felt cozy and intimate while welcoming their guests to embrace the beginning of the weekend’s events. People enjoyed Indian and Pakistani street food stations during cocktail hour while sipping culturally inspired mocktails poolside. Bhangra dancers, henna stations, and a performance by Bollywood sensation (and brother of the groom) Akull Tandon provided entertainment into the evening. Saturday’s color palette provided a study in contrast to the evening before, with Briana Dixon and Kara Hinchcliff from Nouvelle Weddings and Victoria Clausen from Victoria Clausen Floral Events creating a floral dream of blush and creams, overflowing in abundance and texture. In comparison to the guest dress code of warm colors from the night before, Sana and Nakul requested that their guests wear jewel toned garments to stand out against the classic color palette of the florals and linens. Although they held a religious ceremony prior to the wedding weekend, the couple held a private ring exchange after their first look on Saturday to cement their nuptials. The groom entered the wedding celebrations baraat style, dancing atop a horse to the beat of a dhol drumming. Guests approached the couple to offer congratulations throughout the evening, and the night closed with a heartfelt exchange of emotions between the parents before Sana and Nakul raced through a sparkler exit with all 400 guests.
Nakul is originally from Delhi and Sana is from Baltimore. The couple met during their time in graduate school in St. Louis. Nakul relocated to the Baltimore area in 2022 and soon after proposed at Loch Raven Reservoir. With the help of the Nouvelle team, the couple celebrated their wedding at the family home in Baltimore this past fall.
Sana’s gowns were all custom designed in Pakistan by the following designers: Farah Talib Aziz, Maheen Karim, and Sheetal Batra. Sana and her mother traveled to Pakistan months before the wedding to begin preparations on their garments for each of the different events. When the time came, Sana and her mother adorned 6 beautiful and unique gowns throughout the weekend.
In partnership with Sugarplum Tents, Briana and Kara wanted to enhance the couple’s property with a clear top tent not only large enough to seat all of the guests for meals but also to highlight the special performances that were present during the weekend. Sugarplum Tents provided three separate tents as the platform for a magical reception space on both nights. In addition, three more tents were added to the cocktail hour space to ensure that the weather didn’t disrupt the fun that was to be had! Throughout both tented areas, Victoria Clausen Floral Events enhanced each space with florals to match the vibe of each night. From creating a backdrop for a stage that matched the energy of the performers to fashioning a tent entrance that dazzled guests as they joined the receptions, Victoria and her team brought the designs to life. Rentals from Select Event Group and Something Vintage Rentals allowed for differentiated tablescapes and vignettes between each event that took place that weekend.
Sana and Nakul wished for a wedding cake that was simple and elegant but one that would also be the focal point of their reception on Saturday night. Kupcakes And Co created a tiered cake that was dressed with sprawling white florals and boasted the couple’s favorite flavors. The cake had its own moment as it sat at the center of the reception tent atop a pillar that was surrounded by additional florals and candles. The cake became the centerpiece for guest photos and the couple enjoyed their cake cutting for all to see.
Akull Tandon, a Bollywood singer/songwriter as well as the groom’s brother, performed for all on Friday night. Akull stated how special it was to perform for Sana and Nakul in celebration of their wedding and kept everyone on their feet throughout his show!
