A Blush-and-Gold Multicultural Wedding at Harborside East in Charleston, South Carolina

Before tying the knot with a blush-and-gold wedding ceremony at Harborside East in Charleston, South Carolina, Krutika and Brad kicked off their multicultural wedding with two other events: a Haldi ceremony and a Mehendi celebration. “As a multicultural couple, we knew we wanted our wedding to reflect our different backgrounds and traditions,” shares Krutika. “Incorporating Indian and Western elements, we wanted our wedding to be fun, vibrant, and most importantly a reflection of us. Our relationship is a combination of two very different backgrounds and cultures, so we wanted to make sure our guests felt that throughout our wedding festivities, but still witnessed our love and commitment to each other.”

The event of the couple’s wedding weekend was their Haldi, which had a yellow color palette to represent the turmeric used in the ceremony. The turmeric at the Haldi signifies “a blessing to the couple and gets their skin ready for the big day! It is traditionally celebrated separately by the bride and groom, but we personalized it by combining the ceremony with a rehearsal lunch to celebrate with our closest friends and family!” shares Krutika. In keeping with the turmeric-inspired yellow color palette, couples traditionally wear yellow to the Haldi. “As this was also our rehearsal lunch, I wanted to incorporate the Western tradition and wear an iteration of a white orcream dress to pay homage to Brad’s tradition,” says Krutika. “On the flip side, Brad wanted to use the Haldi as an opportunity to wear something a little more Indian. He chose a short yellow kurta. As our families and friends applied the turmeric on us, the vibrant colors showed through amazingly! I kept hair and makeup simple as we were surely going to need a shower after.”
Following the Haldi, Krutika and Brad celebrated with a Mehendi where guests could get a henna application done. “Friday’s celebrations were a great introduction to the wedding weekend celebrations where guests could get henna application, enjoy a fusion food menu and kick off the dancing! Traditionally, Indian weddings are known for over-the-top decor and style! We definitely wanted to incorporate some of that, add our own flair and provide our event designer with some creative freedom! For the Mehendi, we wanted vibrant color and traditional decor.” For the Mehendi, Brad donned a gold sherwani that carried special meaning. “In 2019, we were both lucky enough to be able to travel to Indian for my cousin’s wedding,” says Brad. While there, I picked up a gold sherwani to wear to the wedding. Not only did it look awesome, but something pretty special happened on that trip while wearing that sherwani—I realized Krutika was who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with! So it seemed fitting to incorporate it into our wedding festivities.”
Following the Haldi and Mehendi pre-wedding event’s, the couple exchanged vows during a blush-and-gold wedding ceremony. Since the couple’s big day was in the middle of the pandemic, “COVID-19 protocols and safety were of great importance to us,” says Krutika. “In addition to cutting the guest list, we created our own signs to be displayed for masks, sanitizers and social distancing! We also customized programs for our guests explaining the various ceremony steps so our guests could follow along and understand the significance.” Celebrating family was a central part of Krutika and Brad’s big day. “Krutika’s mom went above and beyond with our favors: traditionally braided scarves from India and beautiful red pouches personalized with our initials and chocolates,” shares Brad. “She also created the beautiful gold scarf that Krutika walked under while being escorted by her family.” In addition to Krutika’s mother playing a central role in the wedding, Krutika’s late father was meaningfully honored as well. “An important aspect of our wedding was the addition of my dad’s picture on a charm added to my bouquet,” says Krutika. “As he is no longer with us, this made me feel like he was able to be part of one of the most important days in my life!”
For their wedding ceremony, Krutika and Brad blended both Indian and Western cultures and created a fusion ceremony that represented their partnership in a meaningful and personalized way. “We personalized the fusion of the two cultures by having the same ceremony for the bride and the groom (these two ceremonies are traditionally done separately). We had a Hindu priest perform the Indian portion of the ceremony, but rather than have him or a single other officiant conduct the Western ceremony, we split it into two parts with one bridesmaid and one groomsman officiating. It was a unique and personal touch that allowed us to incorporate more of our wedding party in the ceremony. We also wrote our own vows, and struggled to keep them as brief as possible,” says Brad. “A lot of Krutika’s family is in India and could not attend the wedding, and several other friends and family were also unable to attend due to COVID-19. However, they were all able to be a part of it via our Zoom live stream.” As a sweet ending to their multi-event wedding in Charleston, South Carolina, Krutika and Brad served ice cream from their favorite date spot in lieu of wedding cake. Looking back on their wedding weekend, Krutika and Brad share that their favorite part of the wedding “was sharing this day with each other and with all of the people who are important to us. We appreciated that everyone embraced the culture and celebrated love!”