Real Wedding

The bridal party stayed at The Addison, where the main wedding events were held. The couple planned botht the Hindu and Christian wedding ceremonies for the same day. In the morning was the Hindu wedding outdoor with a large Mandap draped in traditional bold colors and red silk. In keeping with the traditions of a baraat, the groom arrived on a horse for the ceremony.

The Christian ceremony took place at sunset and was decorated in a romantic theme of light pink and blush colors. The outdoor reception was elegant with a beautiful large fountain and strings of thousands of bistro lights everywhere.

This couple’s advice to other couples includes: Do your research to pick the best venue that is within your budget – and the best match for you. Don’t make rush decisions just because you are excited. Then enjoy the day because it goes by quickly. Don’t stress about little things that you can’t change, but do spend some time at each event to take it all in.

They chose a location closest to Ashanka’s parents, since they planned to host several pre-wedding events for the family. The first event, the ladies’ sangeet, took place at her parents’ home and was coordinated by the family and Akansha’s maid of honor. They hung saris in the party tent in the backyard to add some color, and opted to go without using flowers as décor until the wedding day. The wedding itself was also held under a decorated tent, but in the courtyard of their hotel venue. Since it was a December wedding, they provided heaters under the tent to keep their 250 guests warm despite the winter weather, and they also chose a warm, traditional color scheme with red, gold, and an abundance of flowers.

It was important to Ashanka and James to combine the best of Indian and American culture in their wedding, and they did so in their music choices and décor. During the reception, their DJ played a mix of Punjabi, Hindi, and popular American songs chosen by the couple, and they also had a dhol player for the baraat procession. James and his fraternity brothers surprised Ashanka with a choreographed dance performance, and her family also sang and danced for her to a traditional Indian newlywed song.

The Hindu ceremony took place on the beach in the late afternoon. The Mandap was elevated on a white stage that was decorated with red, orange and pink fabric with gold tiffany chairs for the parents and white lounge chairs for the couple. A red aisle runner led the way to the Mandap. The guest seats were covered by two white and pink tents. Red fans on each chair included descriptions of the different stages of the ceremony.

After the ceremony, the guests enjoyed a vegetarian dinner reception in the outdoor courtyard decorated with string lights.

The day after the Hindu ceremony, a symbolic ceremony took place in the garden where a violinist played before and after the reception. This outdoor rooftop location included a stage for dancing to top 40s, Soca and Indian music.

The couple feels a destination wedding is the way to go. While the stress does not go away, nearly half of it is taken away as the wedding planner/coordinators takes over and handles everything.