Welcome to the wedding of Shruti & Adam at the New Orleans Board of Trade, where love and culture unite. The area around the venue was transformed into a lively carnival as friends and family danced around the Baraat, guided by the electrifying music and energy of One2 Entertainment. Spanish Oak Events meticulously planned every detail of this enchanting day, setting the stage for a celebration harmoniously blending South Asian grandeur with contemporary elegance. Herbivore Floral Design radiated with vibrant floral arrangements, creating a picturesque backdrop. Shruti's allure was amplified by Flawless Bride, who masterfully executed her hair and makeup, and her aunt, adept in Bridal Draping/Sari Tying, added a personal touch to her radiant ensemble. The cultural essence of the wedding was epitomized in the intricate Mehndi by Saira Mohiuddin. The event blended joy, culture, and sophistication, thanks partly to the vibrant ambiance created by DJ and lighting from One2 Entertainment, which set a lively and spirited mood. The unforgettable moments were artistically captured by The Rylands Photo Co., whose photography immortalized the laughter, tears, and joy, allowing these precious memories to be cherished forever.
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Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
We live in Colorado, which is generally a beautiful place to hike. I was getting a little antsy to graduate from my girlfriend, but we had a trip planned the following weekend, so I figured it would happen at that point. We went on a hike to El Dorado Canyon, and it was steeper than I anticipated. I had an asthma attack, but no inhaler. I think at this point, Adam was thinking of calling it off. But the weather was perfect, the mountains were beautiful, and eventually, I calmed down. Adam pretended to set up the tripod and proposed to me on camera. I love that video. He pulled out the champagne and our to-go champagne glasses, and it was just the most beautiful day. Moreover, he told me that he had already told our parents, which meant we had a little extra time to savor being newly engaged before heading down the mountain to Facetime all our friends.
Tell us how you went about planning your wedding, and your overall experience with the Venues, Hair & Makeup, Outfits, Decor Theme, and all of the other important details.
I knew that I wanted to get married in New Orleans (where we met and in Louisiana, the state is my home), and the venue I wanted to use was the Board of Trade in New Orleans. I also wanted a wedding cake made out of cheese from my favorite cheese shop, St. James Cheese Company. Adam and I had our first dates during Mardi Gras. I had my bridesmaids dress in yellow, green, and gold to pay homage to our favorite New Orleans week. My bridesmaids decorated shoes like they do for the throws during the Muses parade, and on Friday, we put flowers in them as the centerpieces. Ganesha is a huge part of my life. One of my best friends and bridesmaids is a brilliant, talented, and conscientious muralist, and she made the Ganesha mural that hung in the background of our mandap. She also asked me a lot about what Ganesha meant to me, and these elements were represented in the artwork that hung behind us and blessed our ceremony.
I definitely wanted/needed a wedding planner to help with details, especially as we were planning from afar. I used Becky with Spanish Oak Events, and she led me to several vendors. For catering, we wanted a mix of New Orleans and Indian food. We used Pigeon Catering and Nirvana for our food. We had Indian Chinese (the most underrated cuisine) on Friday, and it was a fan favorite. For makeup, I used flawless beauty LLC. They did a great job with makeup appropriate for our outfits and made sure everything was on town. Herbivore Florist did our flowers, which were all beautiful but my favorite elements were the mandap/fountain area of our ceremony as well as our dance floor with beautiful Indian umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Our pictures are incredible. We are so glad Becky set us up with We Are the Rylands. We also had an incredible videography team, Montoto Productions, who made a mini video of our event, which made me tear up every time. New Orleans is a town of parades, so the baraat was easier than usual with a parade permit to shut down the streets. The entire baraat was an incredible moment. The horse was gorgeous, and the band and dhol player really set it off with One2Entertainment. We went with a DJ for the Baarat ceremony but had a live band, Bee Street Benny, for the reception. As we had the cheese wedding cake, we got some different cakes from Bywater Bakery to serve as dessert. We also had a glitter/pressed flower bar and photo booth at the wedding, which was a big hit. My mehndi was so beautiful and intricate. I used the New Orleans Henna Artist, and she brought people to help with mehndi for our event as well. We also really loved having people stay at the Eliza Jane across the street. Throughout the weekend, we kept running into people, and it was really easy to get back and forth.
It was fun to plan an event with two cultures. A typical New Orleans wedding goes from ceremony to reception; there is no sit-down dinner. I was so happy to do this with our reception. People got to eat, socialize, and party immediately.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
One of my good friends happens to be a gifted designer, Nandhita Kumar.
Her company, ChayabyNandhita (@chayabynandhita), does so many things that are perfect for brides. She takes custom orders and specializes in Indian-inspired clothing. For my outfit, she wanted it to feel extremely festive without traditional heavy elements of Indian clothing. New Orleans weddings are very dynamic, and they wanted me to feel comfortable moving around. She picked patterns and colors that were very loud, so I felt like a bride, but let the patterns speak for themselves. She did also add elements about the two of us specifically. My husband is a beekeeper, and she was able to incorporate bees into both of our outfits. Our favorite song is "I Belong to You" by Brandi Carlile, and she embroidered this into his sherwani and on a tassel that I was able to attach to my lengha. My mother was married in mustard, so I wanted this incorporated into my ceremony outfit. She made my dupatta mustard and was able to add elements from my lengha and Adam's sherwani to make the mustard fit into the outfit. For the evening, I knew I wanted a traditional red. She made me this incredible ballgown that looked completely Indian but fit like a dress. While the piece was embroidered, she hand painted the same blue that Adam wore onto some of the embroidered pieces.
She was inspired a lot by the temples of Mysore. At the bottom of these temples, elephants are carved into them to provide structure and stability. She wanted elephants as the bottom border of my reception outfit to represent a strong foundation in our marriage, particularly as this was the outfit after the ceremony. Nandhita made a digital file for the elephants on the bottom of our reception outfit and did the embroidery at home. The entire process was also so fun for me. I got to pick fabrics and designs and talk to my good friend regularly, as she was constantly wanting to make sure everything she was doing was in line with what I wanted. She delivered the most incredible pieces.
I love my body. But it is definitely not a sample size. To have a garment that perfectly fit and accentuated all the things I love about myself made me feel incredibly beautiful. She also added a slit to my reception outfit that allowed the mehndi on my feet and my new bichua to be showcased as well.
I highly recommend using Nandhita Kumar to design your wedding pieces. You will look amazing.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The cheese tasting for our cheese wedding cake. Because cheese is the best.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I think it was mostly that everyone was there to have a good time. We come from different cultures, but it's why New Orleans is such an important part of our relationship. At our core, we value our people and spend time with people who value quality time and having a blast. My bridesmaids are all from my hometown, Adam's best man and best friend he has known since he was six. Our parents have friends that they have known most of their life. People flew in from all over to be with us. Many of my bridesmaids' parents attended. It was just this incredible reunion.
Our families and relationships are important to us, and having them all show up to celebrate us made it feel like the room was dripping with love and joy. I wish I could bottle up the feeling of mutual respect, love, and merriment. I think it was palpable to everyone in the room.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
It's just the most surreal experience; it is hard to decide. My friends (and many of their partners) surprised us with a flash mob they planned together across the country, orchestrated by my mom and sister/friend Yera at our mehndi ceremony. I surprised Adam with a dance with my gals at the end of the baraat, which was so fun. Adam and I actually postponed our big wedding and got married in his backyard the year before when my father-in-law was sick, so having four healthy parents in the mandap with us was pretty emotional/incredible. Both of sets of our parents (married for >40 years) gave us advice. I had been wearing a wedding band and mangalsutra, but Adam putting sindoor in my part was something I saved for the wedding ceremony. That was a hugely notable portion of the ceremony for me. Generally, the ceremony steps made me feel like a married Indian woman: havan, satapdi, phere, bichua. His four sisters came up to tie out gathbandhan. My dad jump-dancing with one of my in-law's best friends was a highlight as well. And walking across the street with so many of my friends and family to continue the party at our hotel's bar was a great way to end the night.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Get married before your wedding. Ha! Mostly joking, but I do think it took the pressure off us and allowed us to enjoy the weekend fully.
The truth is, when so many people you love are in the same room, it's going to be the best weekend ever. Do your best leading up to it, but some things will not go quite right, and that's okay. Just make sure to take deep breaths and enjoy it because the moment passes by so quickly, but the memories will give you joy forever. After saying our goodbyes in the morning, we also took the next day to just rest and be together, and I think that was a really special day.
You are in love and ready to commit to someone. It's a really exciting time.
