Today’s gorgeous wedding is a beautiful blend of cultural traditions. To honor bride Manisha’s Indian (more specifically gujarati) heritage, they chose to have a Hindu ceremony in the morning including a baraat (the groom’s processional). Where Manisha’s father had ridden a horse to her mother’s village in India, Brian opted for a classic car from the Grove Park Inn. Manisha was able to watch the baraat from the hillside with her cousins and sisters. Halfway through the baraat, he “dismounted” from the car and was carried on shoulders to Manisha’s mother where he was welcomed with ceremonial rituals. The guests all paraded through the resort to a canopied terrace for the pooja (wedding ceremony). Although it was a scaled back ceremony, petals lined the aisle for Manisha’s processional and garlands were shipped from Boston for them to exchange.
Immediately following the ceremony, picnic lunches were available to the guests. Served in wooden apple baskets with white and gray chevron cloth napkins, the lunches included Indian soda (Limca), cumin seared tofu wraps, a North Carolina apple, and homemade kettle sweet potato kettle chips from the Grove Park Inn. Guests were encouraged to take the baskets into Asheville or throughout the Grove Park Inn to enjoy the scenery and locale. While both could agree on the importance of exquisite food, Brian wanted color in the wedding and Manisha wanted to stick with a white and gray palette. They compromised with merlot accents that brought an elegant autumn touch to the decor. Merlot became the color of small wedding design elements- their wedding logo, her shoes and his socks, the ribbon on the welcome bags, and the color of the table numbers. Two Ring Studios did a beautiful job capturing all the special moments of their day:
The Ceremony
The evening transitioned to a more typical Christian-American wedding to honor Brian’s background and Manisha’s upbringing in the States. During a Protestant ceremony on the terrace under the shade of a tent, Manisha and Brian exchanged vows and rings as the sun dipped behind the Blue Ridge Mountains. Guests were treated to a cocktail hour of charcuterie, Asheville craft beer, and signature cocktails handcrafted by a local bartender. The reception incorporated both of their backgrounds. Rather than a guestbook, guests signed bottles of Dom Perignon and locally purchased wine for their first, second and third anniversaries. The table numbers were written in both gujarati and English. Traditional Indian sweets were served immediately following the seasonally inspired meal. A live band, the Royal Suits, kept the dance floor busy with soulful vocals and incredible instrumentals of music from Motown to the present. The evening ended with the bride and groom lounging on the terrace feeding one another s’mores right before their sparkler send-off.
Vendors:
Photographer: Two Ring Studios//Event Planner: A Griffin Events//Hair Stylist:Hughes Hair Design//Calligrapher:Lovely Lettering//Design and Decor:PRI Productions//Paper Props:Sugar Apple Prints//Reception Venue: The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa//Musicians:The Royal Suits, East Coast Entertainment
