12

Aug

2020

Barathi and Mahesh’s ‘Elegant Secret Garden’ Hindu Wedding with Modern Twists by L. Hewitt Photography

Hello Wednesday and what a hot one it has been so far this week. Yesterday was boiling here in Sheffield, I hope you managed to cope with the heat where ever you are?! I had a lovely day with Dexter yesterday and I have another one planned today, we are meeting friends this afternoon and going for food. But on with today’s wedding. It’s the beautiful wedding of Barathi and Mahesh who held their traditional Hindu wedding with a modern twist in Baltimore. The whole day looks spectacular, from the decoration to the outfits. And Oh my how stunning are all of the outfits. The couple went for two outfit changes to represent their traditional side as well as their modern side and the results are spectacular. Big thanks to L. Hewitt Photography for the photos.

Barathi and Mahesh were married on 9th November 2020 in Baltimore at Hilton Baltimore. ‘The best part of the venue was the amazing floor to ceiling windows in the cocktail hour space that looked over Camden Yards which is the baseball stadium where the Baltimore Orioles play. It is such an iconic Baltimore view. We also loved that there was plenty of space for all of our guests without feeling crowded and it was nice for all the events to be in one spot. It made it very convenient for both our guests and us!’

How they met 
We met in French class in high school when we were 15. Our last names start with an S so we sat near each other and we became fast friends. He asked me to junior prom, and we went as dates. I still have the cute notes he would put in my locker back then! After graduation we went to college in different states but stayed in touch, reconnected and even did the long-distance thing for a while. We finally both ended up back in Maryland when I started medical school and the rest is history.

The proposal
It was the day after Thanksgiving and we had plans to hang out that afternoon. He suggested we go for a walk around Fort McHenry which is a short drive away, to burn off all the food we had eaten at Thanksgiving. It was unfortunately, the coldest day of the year so far! I knew something was up when he told me I should probably change into something else (I was wearing sweatpants). We started walking around the park, eventually he pulled me over onto the grass and dropped to one knee. He said many lovely things and pulled out the ring. Meanwhile his 2 best friends were hiding and taking photos of the whole thing! They even had some hot chocolate and a blanket waiting for us.
The cherry on the cake was a surprise party he arranged with both our families and close friends at a local restaurant. I was actually so surprised and it was wonderful celebrating with everyone immediately afterwards!

Outfits
For my ceremony look I knew I wanted more traditional attire. The typical Tamil bride wears a red silk saree and mine was from one of the most traditional saree stores in the south of India, RMKV. I also wore gold jewelry which is very traditional. I decided to mix things up a bit with my hair which was more modern (low, textured bun) accented with a white and green floral hairpiece. Overall I loved how I was able to combine both the Indian and American aesthetic into one look, which is who I am as a first generation Indian-American. Mahesh wore a gold Sherwani which is a more typical look for a groom from Maharashtra, which is where his family is from. I loved how the gold was accented with red accessories like his scarf and headpiece which complimented my saree well. For the evening I wanted us to switch gears and have a more modern look. I wore a lehenga, which is traditional Indian garb, but had it designed in an Ivory color as a nod to the more traditional American bride. I wanted lots of sparkle and the dress, which was made in India was covered in gold and pearl beads, all done by hand. This time, I wore my hair down in big curls, for a more glam look for the evening. Mahesh debated between a tux and suit but decided on a black suit which is more his style. However, he added a vest and a bow tie to stand out from the rest of his groomsmen. It was a very classic and timeless look. I loved that the vest had a deep red accent on the back which showed when he took off his jacket for our big dance number.

Theme or Colour scheme
My inspiration overall was elegant traditional with a modern twist. My husband and I were both born and raised in the United States but our parents are Indian and so we wanted to truly fuse both our Indian heritage with Western touches.
For the décor I really wanted to play up the fall colors, with lots of greenery and pops of burgundy and blush. I wanted the florals and décor to feel like a secret garden that the guests had stumbled upon. We didn’t want anything too symmetrical but rather to feel organic and as though it was this overgrown garden that was still beautiful.

Flowers
I really wanted a mixture of greenery and florals. My theme was an elegant secret garden and so I wanted everything to feel very organic and natural. The mandap, bridal bouquet and centerpieces all incorporated florals and greenery and I think really added to the romantic garden vibe.

Decoration
We had a mandap built by our decorator which is the wedding pavilion made of gold pillars and asymmetrical draping with plenty of greenery, florals and candles. For the reception we turned the mandap into a stage for the bride and groom ( and later a stage for dancing on when the reception got wild!). They added a beautiful candle backdrop that had hundreds of real tealights. It added such a romantic touch which I really wanted. We didn’t do too many DIY but the two main ones were our cardbox which my friend did lettering on with our names and the escort card wall which was 8 feet tall and built by Mahesh and I. We really loved the idea of having a unique way to display the escort cards but buying or renting was way out of our budget so we found plans for building it online and somehow made it work! It was decorated with the words “our favorite people” and paper flowers from Pottery Barn Kids.

Food 
We served Indian food for both lunch and dinner but went with different regions to keep things interesting for the guests. The lunch was vegetarian as you don’t typically eat meat after a religious event such as a wedding and was similar to food you would prepare in the southern region of India, which is where the bride’s family is from. The dinner was more similar to North Indian food or what you would find at most Indian restaurants.

Wedding Cake
We did a different flavor for each tier, including a lemon raspberry, chocolate mouse and Smith Island (which is a local favorite from Maryland!)

Where did you go for your honeymoon?
After planning and executing a huge wedding we decided we wanted a honeymoon where we could lounge by the beach and relax and we got just that in Negril, Jamaica.

Special Moments
There are so many to choose from! I loved the ceremony because we really made it personalized by including traditional Hindu wedding elements such as tying the mangal sutra and exchanging flower garlands, but also made it our own by writing our own vows and having our grandparents say a few words. We didn’t write them together but both of our vows promised lots of dessert, which was a cute surprise! I should also mention that Mahesh is not someone who cries easily and he teared up when I walked down the aisle with my parents, which was a special moment.

Advice for other couples
Spend your time on what is important to you. I knew that dancing was something that I loved and wanted it to be a part of my wedding. I probably spent more time choreographing and practicing our group dance than I did doing other things for the wedding, but it is also a moment that I will remember forever! Also, take ballroom dance lessons with our partner. Both of us loved this because it gave us an activity to do together that was fun and not making spreadsheets or seating charts. It was a built-in date night to what may otherwise be a time in your life that is consumed by wedding tasks. Finally, if you can have a casual event the night before your wedding, do it! We invited all of our friends to a local brewery for dinner and drinks the night before and it was nice to actually have a few minutes to talk to people and catch up before the craziness of the wedding day.

 

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For more information on L. Hewitt Photography go to

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