Double Knot

Photos Courtesy: IWP Photography
www.iwpphotography.com

Seven Christian vows and seven Hindu pheras have tied
Hitesh and Amy in a doubly strong knot.

Hitesh and Amy met in college at the University of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. They started dating and it only took six more years for Hitesh to propose!

Hitesh and Amy took a trip to Corolla, NC on the Outer Banks. They had a grand time enjoying the dunes and safari. Upon reaching the Inn, the two relaxed relaxing on Adirondack chairs with coffee. As they watched the sun set, Hitesh suggested a walk down to the gazebo over the water. He handed his phone to Amy asking her to take pictures of the setting sun. As she tried to capture the sun touching the waters, Hitesh knelt on one knee and said “Amy.” She turned around and was completely speechless. In that state of shock, all Amy could utter was a meek “Yes.”

What followed was planning for a Christian wedding and a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.

Christian Wedding
The Christian wedding was a simple but elegant affair. The bride wore a strapless ivory gown with a rose pink sash at the waistline. Above the waistline, beadwork offered a pinkish-golden hue. Below the waist, the dress was satin with a shear overlay and similar beadwork as the top. The shoes were ivory peep toes with rhinestones across the toes.

Amy wore her hair down, parted on the side. The stylist used rollers to give bride’s hair a little body and the curl. The makeup was a dewy, fresh look.

Hindu Wedding
The hardest part of all the planning was to find the Hindu bridal trousseau. The couple made a couple of trips to New York to find outfits for the bride and her sisters. Hard work pays off! Amy’s Hindu bridal dress was a red and gold mermaid cut made of raw silk. The skirt was of brocade fabric adorning crystal work.

For the Hindu ceremony, the bride’s stylist put her hair in an up-do under the dupatta. For the reception, she took the dupatta off, showing-off the wonderful hairstyle. The makeup of the bride was a subtle one in shades of gold.

The ceremony was held in a beautiful golden mandap, which had a matching gate and pedestals for flower arrangements aligning the aisle. The roof of the mandap was adorned with a gorgeous display of vibrant flowers. The aisle was laid with red carpet. On the entrance gate, there was a golden idol of Ganesha sitting under a beautiful red and gold umbrella.

A memorable moment for Amy was a tradition followed during the phera ceremony. She received new shoes from her new family just before the fourth phera. Amy got a pair of golden shoes with attractive rows of rhinestones from the toes reaching up to the ankle.

Reception
The bride wore a pink and teal outfit for the reception. Her bolder makeup matched well with the attire.

The décor of the evening was conceived in rich vibrant colors. The tables were adorned with teal Moroccan lanterns and teal votives. The centerpieces had many different elements. There were flower arrangements on every table with a dessert stand. The linens were champagne. The flower arrangements were a combination of orchids, roses, and hydrangeas.

The wedding cake displayed a mehndi design on all four tiers with heavy artwork on the front that gradually tapered in the back. It tasted even better than its appearance. The yellow cake with butter cream icing wascovered in fondant. Two layers were filledwith achocolatebuttercream while the other two were raspberrybutter cream.

The wedding party was introduced to Tonight’s Going to be a GoodNight by the Black Eyed Peas. The father-daughter dance was performed to the The Indiana Waltz by the Pine Tree string band. Upbeat Indian music and the latest top 40 hits kept guests moving throughout thenight.

Favors
For the Christian ceremony brunch, mason jars filled with organic chocolate truffles were offered to guests. Amy’s sister and father personally decorated the lids with two different fabrics that she picked out and attached a ribbon with a little thank you tag.

Several other favors were offered at the reception later that evening. Silver clocks were given to close family. The other favors consisted of silver cups from Bangalore filled with Lindt chocolate truffles and silver decorative tins from India.