We don’t often feature engagements here, but today is a special one. Komal and Arvind are both Indian but hail from across the country. For their engagement ceremony, they made sure to incorporate both cultures and traditions.
And WOW! What a fabulously beautiful engagement ceremony and reception they had!
First, thank you to Kimberly at Kimberly Photography in Clearwater, Florida for the stunning photographs.
We had a chance to chat with Komal to hear her insight on planning such a cultured event.
My fiance Arvind is Sri Lankan Tamil, and I am Gujarati – so even though we are both “Indian” our cultures are very different and we made sure we blended the two for the engagement party.
Arvind and I kicked off the day with a photo shoot. We really wanted to take some pictures in Gator Jerseys since we had met at the University of Florida.
We took photos by the Hindu Temple which is an architectural masterpiece. Our photographer then found a wonderful area with tall grass that made us feel like we were in a Bollywood movie.
The event started off with a traditional ceremony. My mom managed to find a South Indian Priest who spoke Tamil to do a Gujarati-style Engagement Puja. It was perfect!
The guests enjoyed traditional South Indian freshly made dosa (my favorite food!) and an assortment of traditional Gujarati curries. The night continued with speeches and dance performances, including a classic Bharatanatyam dance and a medley of Bollywood songs done by my grandparents, parents, aunties and uncles that unfolded the story of how Arvind and I fell in love. It was absolutely adorable.
We finally ended the night with everyone on the floor dancing to Sanedo! I was a bit nervous of how everything was going to turn out but our cultures fused together as perfectly as our love did.
For future brides blending traditions, I would say do not sacrifice on the practices that are important to you. Combining traditions makes for an event that is unique and only yours.
Thank you Komal for sharing your engagement! We wish you the very best at your wedding and married life beyond.
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Photographer: Kimberly Photography
Event Designer: Rtti Couture, Tampa, Florida
Event Venue: Indian Cultrual Center, Tampa, Florida