A Persian wedding, a Gujarati wedding, and a whole weekend of fun. This double wedding of Mana and Vinay takes us to the gardens in Memphis, Tennessee. The Persian Aghd ceremony featured soft golds, pinks, and vintage charm. The Indian wedding was full of bold reds, blues, and golds.
And their wedding reception? Complete with a life-size cardboard cutout of them! You can imagine how much fun the guests had talking the flattened couple around for selfies.
Mana shares her wedding festivities with us.
Tell us about the wedding!
I am Persian, and Vinay is Gujarati. Both of us come from such rich and unique cultures that it quickly became clear to us that we would want to give each tradition the time and attention it deserves. Rather than try to fuse the two, we decided to have two separate ceremonies on two different days. We held our mendhi/hanna bandhan on Friday night, the Hindu ceremony and dinner party on Saturday night, and the Persian ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception on Sunday.
Groom Vinay playing the dhol!
A little rain, errr thunderstorm, won’t prevent guests from having fun at an Indian wedding.
Thank goodness for a 3 day weekend! All events were held at the Memphis Botanic Gardens with a ceremony tent outside of the rose garden and beautiful scenery surrounding us in all directions. Our reception was complete with a light up dance floor, a knife dance done by my sister and friend, cardboard cut outs of us, a step and repeat wall, and a hookah bar. There was a little something for everyone to enjoy!
What was the inspiration for your wedding?
Our inspiration really came from our cultures themselves. We wanted glamour, but wanted to stay true to keeping the feel of both ceremonies authentic and traditional. We chose to stick with traditional colors and themes for ceremony decor and attire but added more modern twists with the bridal party and reception looks. Since we had the luxury of having two weddings, we each got to choose the color scheme for our bridal party and the dinner and reception.
What was the hardest part about wedding planning?
Planning the Hindu ceremony was a real learning process for me. I had only attended a handful of Indian weddings before planning my own and had to rely heavily on friends and family for direction. It was amazing to explore all the possibilities from decor to mendhi, and don’t get me started on the fashion!
Did you do any DIY (do it yourself) or special projects/things at the wedding?
The Persian Aghd ceremony on Sunday was very personal for me. My sister officiated, putting together a very personalized program for the day from scratch! My grandfather also wrote a poem for us that he read as a part of the ceremony. My mom and I spent months collecting and DIY-ing all the props that went into making the Sofreh Aghd spread that is the visual centerpiece of the ceremony.
What was your favorite part of the wedding?
Our reception was a fantastic party! We loved the diversity of food, events, and activities that made the night amazingly fun for us and our guests. Our guests had a great time posing for photos with our card board cut outs throughout the night.
What advice do you have?
Let go of expectations!
Thank you so much Mana for sharing your wedding with us! We wish you the best in everything!
{Wedding Vendors}
Rob Lyons Photography-Memphis, TN
Memphis Botanic Gardens-Memphis, TN
Frost Bake Shop-Memphis, TN
Wade & Company-Memphis, TN
Luxury Lounge & Lighting-Atlanta, GA
