An Indian Fusion Wedding at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, California

Christina Royce (30 and a management consultant) and Devjit Chakravarti (32 and a data scientist) went to the same college, but they met when a friend set them up after Christina moved to San Francisco, California. That was the only push they needed. A year later, Devjit proposed to Christina on a vacation in Bali. Devjit and Christina come from different parts of India, and they knew they wanted to incorporate their heritage into their wedding without ignoring their American upbringing. They searched for a venue that could blend their cultures in a beautiful outdoor setting, and they immediately fell in love with Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, California. “The trick for us was figuring out a theme that could bring together the pastoral charm of Ardenwood with the vibrant energy of Indian culture," Christina says. "After a late night on Pinterest, I was inspired to use India's national bird, the peacock, which also calls Ardenwood home.” Once they had the theme, the rest of the wedding fell into place. They created a color scheme of deep purple and gold, with touches of peacock feathers at each setting, and integrated the design into our stationery. “What we could never have planned for was that just before our ceremony began, a flock of peacocks wandered in to join us, making our theme amazingly complete,” Christina says. They built two distinctive looks, the first focused on their Indian culture with traditional attire and ceremony. A quick outfit change during cocktail hour set the scene for their second look: an outdoor, American-style reception. “We were able to thread the combination of our Indian heritage and our American upbringing throughout the wedding, so it felt like so much of it reflected who we are," Christina says. "The one piece of advice we'd give is to prioritize three things that matter the most to each of you and asking the same of your parents. It will help everyone make the many trade-offs and compromises that a wedding needs.” —Rachel Sylvester