Who says you have to be Indian to have an Indian wedding or celebration?
That is exactly what Andrea, recently married, did. She and husband did not have an Indian wedding, in fact neither are Indian, but that did not stop her from putting together a beautiful Indian inspired wedding rehearsal dinner.
Andrea loves weddings. And she LOVES Indian weddings. What could be a bigger honor than incorporating Indian elements into a rehearsal dinner? Nothing, really.
I couldn’t be happier to feature an more exciting, happy, and open couple as Andrea and Daniel.
We had such a lovely conversation that she shared all her details and DIY for you lovely brides!
Inspiration
I have long been inspired by Indian culture and Hinduism, but my obsession with Indian weddings took off while I was living in Brazil. There was a TV series call “Caminho das Indias” which told various stories about Indians and Brazilians. It was quite famous, and the BEST episodes were the ones with the gorgeous, extravagant, colorful Indian weddings.
I always wanted to have one, but neither my husband nor I are Indian. We thought it would be great fun and a wonderful tribute to Indian culture to invoke many of the traditions as a ‘mini-wedding’ at our rehearsal dinner.
Decorations
We used a lot of fake flowers, red fabric, and gold accents for a really traditional look.
We incorporated pictures of deities as well as statues and artwork that we borrowed from friends.
I made different playlists of Indian music. What Indian wedding doesn’t have music?! I made special playlists for taking pictures, eating dinner, and our dance party afterwards of course.
Clothing
We (bride and groom) ordered all of our clothing and accessories direct from India. My mom, dad and matron of honor ordered gorgeous sarees and sherwanis from India too. Everyone else bought thing locally (NJ is a full of Inidan shops) or improvised.
My husband’s family came from Bulgaria and Germany, so they improvised, but some of them did a really nice job! I also hired a local hair/make-up artist with lots of experience in Indian weddings to make me beautiful. I wanted to do traditional mendhi, but it would not have worn off in time for our Jewish wedding on Sunday (that was a bummer not to have any though).
Food
We had an all vegetarian party. We laid out lots of snacks, such a spicy wheat chips, ginger, dried peas, and nuts. We served lots of cook-at-home appetizers from our local Patidar Cash & Carry. These included samosas, spinach and onion bites, and spring rolls.
We even ordered vegetable briyani from a local well-liked Indian place, Crown of India. Since not all of guests were used to having proper Indian food, we served typical favorites of Chinese food and sushi. We wanted to ensure our guests didn’t left out regarding the food.
Jaimalas
My maid of honor, Rachel, made the jaimalas for us. I ordered the carnations from Sam’s Club and bought 12 red roses from the supermarket. She is super awesome and crafty, so with a few pictures and a bit of time, she put them together perfectly.
We exchanged them, but couldn’t keep them on for too long – they were unbelievably heavy!!!!
A couple days later we had a traditional Jewish ceremony with family and friends.
We couldn’t be happier to put together our dream wedding and Indian inspiration. Even though some found it “strange” to incorporate Indian traditions, I was so thrilled to be able to have my own “Caminho das Indias.”
Point is, do what makes you happy for your wedding. No regrets. And do it with love.
Lovely, Lovely