A Purple Cross-Cultural Wedding at Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California

Samantha Newlin (26, a registered nurse) and Jinesh Patel (29, an x-ray technician) attended the same college, but really got to know each other outside of school through mutual friends. A few months later, Samantha and Jinesh began to seriously date each other. When Jinesh had to move back home to South Carolina for family, the couple maintained a long distance relationship. One weekend when Samantha was visiting, Jinesh rented a boat and planned a picnic dinner on the lake. As they were watching the sunset on the water, Jinesh surprised Samantha and got down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage. The couple had their intimate wedding ceremonies and reception at Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage, California. They wanted to combine Samantha’s Western culture with Jinesh’s Indian background and decided to have two ceremonies to celebrate both. The Indian ceremony took place outside on the venue lawn, with the couple and their wedding party dressed from head to toe in traditional Indian wedding attire. Indian and American cuisine hors d’oeuvres were served afterwards, followed by the traditional Western ceremony. After the two cultures were properly celebrated, the reception took place on the rooftop of the resort where everyone ate and danced the night away. “I think we did a great job of combining our cultures and making everyone feel welcomed and included,” says Samantha.