Indian and American Wedding Fusion: Naimish and Rebecca

I’m baaaaack! Seems like I’ve been gone forever right? Yeah feels like that for me too! My bad. =) I’m hosting a baby shower for my best friend this weekend in Atlanta which means I’ve had to dedicate some time to the final details, buying party supplies, prepping the games, etc. this week and doing house stuff like laundry (boring!) to get ready for the 5 hour road trip ahead of us tomorrow evening.  I’m still not ready but I HAD to take out some time to show my blog and my lovely ladies (YOU of course) some love!

So I’ve got a Real Wedding feature for you today from the very talented Boston Wedding Photographer, Shang Chen! And it’s a culture infused delight. The couple, Rebecca and Naimish wanted to create a memorable “destination-like” wedding for their guests which took place at the beautiful OceanCliff hotel. I really LOVE this place. Earlier this year I featured Katrina and TJ’s wedding that was held there also and fell in love with the venue!

So from the Indian and American culture, TWO wedding ceremonies, nautical themed frames and colors, this wedding is just overall amazing!

From the lovely bride: We were excited to have both a traditional American wedding and modern Hindu ceremony, but wanted to have a single location for both events on the same day.  We looked at many venues in the Boston area and only found one location that we all (including parents) liked and that would allow a fire for part of the Hindu ceremony.  The Boston venue was WAY overpriced and we decided that if we were going to spend more than we wanted, it should be at a location that our many out of town friends and family would enjoy as a mini-vacation.  We had enjoyed trips to Newport in the past, and a single look at the available wedding venues had four very strong options.  We loved that the OceanCliff was also a small hotel and the entire wedding party stay could stay.  As a converted mansion, it has the Newport nostalgia.  We also appreciated the equally beautiful “rain backup” location for our planned outdoor ceremony.  There were great spaces that were all different for our two ceremonies and two meals.  It actually worked out better than I expected.

What unique elements or DIY projects did you incorporate into your big day to help make it extra special?

Invitations – I used IndianWeddingCards.com and got some fabulous, intricate, modern invitations that integrated both the ocean feel and the Indian feel.  The price was excellent when comparing to comparable items made in the US.  The hassle was serious – it took about 20 computer proofs for each item before is was what I asked for.  Fortunately they sent proofs for multiple items at once.  I was very skeptical not having actual paper proofs before ordering, but once they arrived – I was elated.

Stamps – we used one of the photos of us from our engagement shoot and made a photostamp for our invites.  People loved that!

Table identification – I named each table as a city or country that we had been to and had a photo of us that was taken at that location for each table.  After making table assignments, we tried to put people at a table that would have meaning for them.

Seating cards – I used glass tea light candle holders with an electric candle (so that they were not too hot to pick up), and made each guest their own personalized candle holder with the name of their table on the back.  If you do this, start weeks in advance and make sure you construct them in alphabetical order (took a full 24 hours, and since I procrastinate, it was 24 straight hours 3 days before the event).

Wedding logo – we tied all of our elements together with a repetitive N&R on the invitations, menu, programs, our cake topper, our chairs, thank you boxes, guest goodie bags, and water bottles.  All the paper items, including stickers for the thank you boxes and guest bags, were made at indianweddingcards.com, so they all matched.

Thank you to guests – thought about chocolate sailboats, but finally decided to do a huge mini-desert spread with coffee and tea and then put small boxes out with our wedding logo on them.

What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your wedding?

Thinking that things won’t take as much time as they do.  Also, because Newport has many wedding venues, it requires planning 1+ years out to get room blocks for your guests.  We were only able to get a single room block about 10 miles away, but our guests were able to use the comprehensive list of options that I put on our website to find accommodations.

What was your favorite wedding moment?

The party atmosphere at the Bharat (in a hindu wedding where the groom arrives and is greated by the brides family and friends); the look on my husband and his mother’s face as my grandmother walked me down the aisle for the hindu ceremony; being able to sit, hold hands, and relax with my husband just before we entered the evening reception.

What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now?

Let go of the details a week before and relax!

Shang did an amazing job capturing all the details and fun this couple shared on their wedding day! There is more wedding goodness from this couple on Shang’s website so be sure to check it out. Thanks to the bride and groom for sharing your fun wedding details with us!

Bride and Groom: Rebecca and Naimish

Wedding Date: June 19, 2010

Location (City, State, Country): Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Guest Size: 175

Ceremony and Reception Venue: OceanCliff Hotel

The Creative Team Behind the Scenes:

Photographer: Shang Chen Photography / Flowers: Toni Chandler (Newport, RI) / Indian wedding décor: Alankar (Boston, MA) / Wedding dress: Pronovias (New York, NY) / Rings: Mouradian (Bosotn, MA) / Indian lunch: Mela- One World Cuisine (Boston, MA) / Cake: Cappuccinos Bakery (Newport, RI) / Invitations: Indian Wedding Cards / DJ: DJ Yogz (Boston, MA) / Dholist: Amit Patel  (860-729-571) / Bridesmaid dresses: David’s Bridal / Groomsmen suits and ties: Macy’s /Bridal Sari: Om the Origin (Islen, New jersey)

This wedding was submitted via Two Bright Lights!