1. Real Weddings

A Traditional Indian Wedding at A'Bulae in St. Paul, Minnesota

Planning one gorgeous celebration isn't easy, but Vineeta Lall (Registered Nurse) and Ne

Planning one gorgeous celebration isn't easy, but Vineeta Lall (Registered Nurse) and Neil Ramdhan (Geotechnical Engineer) did it right and partied for five days. One day included a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony at Sri Venkateswara Balaji Hindu Temple in Edina, Minnesota. With its massive arches out front and an auditorium large enough for their 400 guests as well as the mandap, it was one of the few Hindu temples that caught their attention. Shades of red and gold colored everything for a ultra-traditional look. Everything about the ceremony—from Vineeta's traditional palanquin entrance to the flower malas—was thick with family and cultural traditions. The next day, the party continued with a Western-inspired reception at A'Bulae in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since purple is Vineeta's favorite color, she made sure the hue colored everything from the attire to the centerpieces and the lighting. It was accented with metallic silver and bright green for a summery aura. See all our favorite details from this traditional meets modern wedding, beautifully captured by LaceHanky Photography, below.

The invitations were custom ordered through Indian Wedding Cards. The shape of the card was similar to the arches in the front of the Sri Venkateswara Balaji Hindu Temple in Edina, Minnesota, where the ceremony was held. The stationery was gold screen press paper with red text to match the traditional red and gold color scheme.
"The day before the Indian wedding I realized I had this beautiful red and gold sari and no shoes," Vineeta says. "Before getting my henna done, I quickly ran to Macy's and found a Style & Co. gold shimmer shoe that looked similar to the antique gold look of my sari."
Traditionally, the day before an Indian wedding, the bride has a mehndi party. All the women have henna done on their hands and feet as a way to signify the bride's transformation from a single woman to a married woman. Vineeta wore traditional gold and red bangle bracelets up her arms for the wedding as well.
Vineeta doesn't usually wear a lot of makeup, but she wanted a traditional Indian bridal look. Her makeup artist, Bidhyia, nailed it with this stunning natural look complete with dramatic eyelashes and a red lip. She wore her hair in a high bun since her shawl was 20 pounds, and she needed something to help hold it up.
Vineeta's seven bridesmaids donned traditional red and gold saris from Utsav Fashion in India. The bride loved how they matched the red and gold colors of the traditional Indian wedding ceremony. Their gold jewelry sets were handpicked by Vineeta for each of them. Instead of carrying bouquets, they held diyas, or lights, while they walked down the aisle.
Neil's father, groomsmen and junior groomsmen escorted Neil into the temple for the ceremony. The groom rode in on a white horse that was adorned in gold and red. Everything about the ceremony was thick with family and cultural traditions.
Vineeta's brothers, cousins and uncles carried the bride to the mandap in a traditional palanquin. In the olden days of Indian culture, a palanquin (sometimes called a doli) was used to carry a bride to the groom's residence. It's a traditional way of welcoming the bride to her new groom in an elaborate way. "After they gently set me down in front the mandap, I went to Lord Ganesha's shrine to seek blessings," she says. "I was then escorted to the stage by my mom and dad to my loving groom, Neil. It was very emotional."
Vineeta knew she wanted a traditional Indian bridal look. She chose this red sari embellished with gold and Swarovski crystals from from Frontier Heritage in Toronto, Ontario. It was one of the first outfits she tried on and was love at first site.
The eight groomsmen donned cream kurtas, which is traditional Indian attire for men. It was a light cream silk outfit with a red and gold scarf. They completed their look with traditional shoes embellished with silver and gold. The bridesmaids wore traditional red and gold saris to bring the whole look together. The wedding party attire came from Utsav Fashion in India.
After the traditional Indian wedding ceremony, Vineeta changed into this Allure Bridals dress. The bodice was adorned with Swarovski crystals and the skirt was layers on layers of soft organza. "I wish I could wear it every day," Vineeta says of her couture gown.
Forever in Bloom Floral created Vineeta's gorgeous hand-tied bouquet using green hydrangeas, white roses, white hydrangea and white orchids. The stems were tied with an ivory ribbon accented with a pearl and crystal brooch.
Neil wore a white dendrobium orchid on his lapel for the reception at A'Bulae in St. Paul, Minnesota. The stems of the boutonniere were tied with a black ribbon for a chic, finished look. Forever in Bloom Floral added some of the textured orchids to Vineeta's bouquet to tie the look together.
For the Western wedding reception at A'Bulae in St. Paul, Minnesota, the bridesmaids donned black lace and plum satin dresses from the Dessy collection. The groomsmen wore Michael Kors suits from Savvi Formalwear. The attire included white skirts, purple skinny ties, black slacks and suspenders.
The bridesmaids carried hand-tied bouquets gorgeously arranged by Forever in Bloom Floral. They included violet dendrobium orchids, plum carnations, purple hydrangeas, green hydrangeas, mauve roses and fuchsia stock. The stems were tied with a purple satin ribbon. Vineeta loved how they matched the purple color scheme.
Buttercream Bakery made Vineeta and Neil's four-tier cake for dessert. Inside, it alternated between Baileys cream and amaretto. Outside, it was decorated with buttercream frosting, green ribbon and real, cascading roses, orchids and hydrangeas.
The reception tables were topped with tall square vases filled with silver manzanita branches, purple hydrangeas and violet dendrobium orchids. Rhinestones were wrapped around the vase and crystals hung from the branches for a sparkly, glamorous look.
Some of the reception tables at A'Bulae in St. Paul, Minnesota, were topped with floating candles filled with purple orchids under the water. Rhinestones, mercury glass and fresh rose petals brought the look together.
"Neil and I are a very fun-loving couple, and we wanted to make a grand entrance by busting a move on the dance floor. The entrance song started with 'Marry You' by Bruno Mars and then dropped the beat of 'Vibes Cyah Done' by Machel Montano. It is one of our favorite Soca Indo Caribbean songs. We danced together, and put on a show for our guests," Vineeta says. "It was a blast."