Event Ingrediants

Planning & Coordination: Jubilee Events
Photography: Carrie Draghi
Ceremony & Reception Location: Hilton, Stamford Connecticut
Florist: DesiFloral
Mandap & Decor: Mandaps by Dhoom
Invitations, Table Numbers and Escort Cards: Lilah Paper
Cake: Sabina Jahic
Caterer: Coromandel
DJ/Entertainment: All Digital Mobile Music

Rich and Veena were married on June 27th, 2009 at the Hilton in Stamford, Connecticut. They were surrounded by 250 of their closest friends and family as they celebrated two ceremonies and an amazing reception! Their amazing day was photographed and documented by Carrie Draghi Photography and we had the incredible honor of coordinating and planning their wedding.

The morning began with Veena getting ready for her first ceremony with her maid of honor and mom. Dana Bartone & Co. arrived in the early morning to work on hair and makeup. The bride wore the groom’s sister’s wedding gown and veil and her maid of honor wore a gorgeous purple gown. The groom and his best man wore classic black tuxedos. Their niece and nephew took on the extremely important role of flower girl and ring bearer.

Their “western” style ceremony took place in the Hilton’s gorgeous white tent, which has beautiful chandeliers and amazing white fabric ruching. They exchanged their vows in a room filled with an incredible amount of light. Once their ceremony was complete it was time to change and get prepared for the second event of the day, their Hindu ceremony.

In keeping with traditional Hindu customs, Veena had henna tattooed on her hands and feet — along with all the female friends and family close to her. The hotel suite where the women got ready was a flutter with jewels and gorgeous colorful saris. They helped one another to dress –including soaping up each others hands to get the teeny-tiny bracelets on. Veena was absolutely gorgeous in a red sari and her mother’s jewels.

The Hindu ceremony began with the Baraat, which is aptly named for the marriage processional. While Veena was tucked away in her suite, guests gathered from the farthest point of the Hilton with the groom and made their way inside. It was an extremely jubilant march that took about an hour to complete. There was a lot of drumming (which was AMAZING) and dancing. The history behind the Baraat is the groom being escorted by the bride’s parents and his parents into the bride’s village. I imagine in an era where this really occurred, it would have taken SEVERAL hours to reach the bride. The sweetest part to this story was that Veena watched the entire processional from her suite window.

Once the groom and his guests made their way inside the hotel and reached the meeting point, elders of both the families meet and welcome the groom with garlands and aarati. Then, the ceremony was to begin. The ceremony ballroom was transformed by Dhoom in rich reds and golds. Their mandap was absolutely spectacular, as was all the floral arrangements and special details placed throughout. Once the groom and his family were settled, the brides’ parents went to escort her in.

After their ceremony guests were invited back into the white tent, which was transformed for their reception. They had tall purple floral arrangements and beautiful white lid-top boxes filled with a gold dish and Indian candies at each place setting. Veena had a henna design inscribed on their beautiful white buttercream cake.

Veena changed into the MOST beautiful purple gown. It was so intricate and beatiful with a lot of bead detailing.

The maid of honor and best man gave very touching speeches, and the bride and groom enjoyed their first dance — ‘Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay. They danced ALL night long and had an amazing grand exit at the end of the evening where their guests showered them in rose petals. It was a great way to top off the night!

Many thanks to Rich and Veena for allowing me to be apart of their amazing wedding day. It was such a joy to be with you and your families!!