Colorful Indian Wedding Weekend
Perhaps the most intricate wedding of our 2022 season, we finished the year with a gorgeous Indian and Catholic wedding celebration! Geetika and Trevor come from different cultures, and have come together to form a beautiful kaleidoscope of experiences and values. They came to Samantha Joy Events hoping their Indian fusion wedding could reflect this special, integral part of their relationship. The wedding and celebration that came next was a colorful celebration of love, family, and culture. Inspired by the bright colors of traditional Indian weddings, we decided a beautiful way to demonstrate the importance of color in celebration would be to take the guests through a journey of color during each event.
The wedding weekend festivities began with the mehndi ceremony - vibrant, pre-wedding party, where the bride has mehndi ink applied to her hands and feet and celebrates the upcoming ceremonies with friends and family. One fun tradition of the event is the bride gets the groom’s name hidden somewhere in the application of mehndi and the groom is supposed to find it. The mehndi ceremony was hosted by the bride’s family in preparation for the following events of the weekend. The first SJE event of the weekend was the Catholic ceremony held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The church has magnificent domed, painted ceilings which brought an essence of the Indian-cherished colors to the ceremony, while also hosting Trevor’s traditions of the day. After the ceremony, guests traveled to The Lift, a modern, warehouse venue, for a rehearsal dinner that turned into a Sangeet.
The Sangeet is a celebration of the union and bonding of the couple and their families and incorporates dance performances and abundant food and drinks. For Geetika and Trevor’s Sangeet, we brought in a bit of flair with modern, blue-print linens, bright pink pillar candle centerpieces, and flowers in shades of fuschia, yellow, ruby, and salmon. The vivid colors of the florals balanced the elegance of linens well and created a formal, yet festive atmosphere for the guests to dance and celebrate the new Shroeders.
The following day began with the baraat - rich with tradition and custom, the baraat is a celebratory wedding procession for the groom and involves live music and dancing from the guests. The groom’s family and friends braved the crisp, cool air to celebrate Trevor as he processed to meet his soon to be in-laws. It was a lively way to begin the final day of celebrations! Following the baraat, was the Hindu marriage ceremony. Under a mandap of vivid magenta draping and adorned with gold florals and greenery, Geetika and Trevor promised forever together and received blessings of happiness from the elders of the family.
After the ceremony, the beautiful couple and their lovely guests transitioned into a lunch adorned with delicate, yellow-patterned linens, white and gold candles, and florals in yellows, salmon, and gold. Tiny, golden elephant figurines could be spotted throughout the venue, adding a slight, whimsical feel to the luncheon and a sacred animal. Fuschia draping added some bright pops of color around the venue, which completed the atmosphere of a happy, airy family celebration. After lunch, guests were ushered out to rest and prepare for the night’s grand finale.
The final event of Geetika and Trevor’s wedding celebration was a marvelously extravagant reception. The finale to our color progression was to go darker and deeper in all of the colors we had experienced throughout the weekend. Linens of marbled ruby, gold, and magenta were set against golden and fuschia drapings with hanging greenery. Florals ranged every color of the weekend with fuschia, gold, salmon, and ruby all engaged in creating a vibrant, festive scene. American and Indian cuisine were served to guests after they found their seats in a most unique way. Upon entering The Lift, the mandap was waiting - transformed into an interactive seating chart meets art installation tunnel that guests walked through to find their table. With walls of paper-circle strings, it provided guests with their table numbers. Waiting upstairs was a gorgeous, four-tiered, wedding cake draped with a pink and gold, sugar-icing saree; it was the centerpiece of the dance-floor until dinner concluded. Dancing took over the remainder of the night, with an energy no guest could escape. Everyone was drawn to the dance floor at some point, where they had the chance to congratulate the happy couple as well as admire the beautiful, golden henna design on the dance floor. What a unique, and beautiful celebration to end 2022, and what an incredible wedding that we hope the bride and groom will never forget.
Event Planning and Design: Samantha Joy Events | Photography: Chelsey Barhorst Photography | Videography: Mike Taylor Productions | Catering: Garnish Catering | Cake: Icon Cake | DJ: Legacy Event Group | Floral Designer: Floral V Designs | Transportation: Westwind Limousine | Beauty: Brideface | Rentals: All Occasions | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Draping: Fitz the Occasion | Dress Boutique: Luxredux Bridal | Dress Designer: Lillian West | Tux: Men’s Warehouse | Stationery: Ivory House Creative