Darlings! Embark on a journey where two souls came together to create an abundant tapestry of wedding festivities. Swetha & Melchisedek's celebration, with Big Guava Event as the guiding force behind this fusion of Sri Lankan-Tamil and Haitian cultures, demonstrated finesse in blending time-honored traditions with contemporary designs, ensuring that each ceremony radiated both personal significance and universal charm. Under the ornate arches of the First United Methodist Church, with the groom's sister, Donaise, serenading "Draw Me Close To You" and Melchisedek's father sharing a heartfelt reading, emotions danced like dainty flames, making the ceremony unforgettable. Every corner of the venue was kissed by the magic of NJP Events & Design, while Photos by Rob Futrell captured moments that will remain etched in memories forever. Whether it was the floral arrangements or the grandeur of Debra's Bridal and Nazranaa ensembles, the day was a canvas painted in shades of love. The brilliant pieces from Givenchy and Nazranaa Jewels accentuated Swetha's move. The intricate designs by Manu's Beauty Care and the pristine touch from Beauty Marked elevated her elegance. As nightfall draped the city, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront came alive with music and laughter. With DJ XFactor at the helm, the reception became a whirlwind of ecstatic dances and uncontainable happiness. Lose yourself in the captivating gallery.
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
Melchisedek (or Jean, as most people & I call him for short) met in 2010 at the ages of 19 & 20 at the University of South Florida. Our first few encounters were in passing at the student center, thanks to our mutual friend (& later bridesmaid) Anita. Our real story begins, however, at a student event where Jean spotted me across the USF Amphitheater & asked me to dance bachata with him. I was hesitant at first, knowing that this Sri Lankan girl had no idea how to bachata, but I decided to take a chance & learn with this tall, dark, & handsome Haitian man. By the end of the night, we'd had such a great time that we exchanged numbers & continued to text through the rest of the night. Coincidentally enough, over the next few days, we realized that we were in two of the same classes. We became study partners, passing notes in class and studying together on campus. It wasn't long before our friendship grew into something bigger. Our relationship definitely stirred things up a bit; after all, an interracial couple (specifically a South Asian woman & a black man) was not the norm back then and was often considered “taboo” in both cultures. We took the negativity in stride, & it only helped us grow closer. One of the things that attracted me most to Jean was how important culture & family are to him, as both are so important to me as well. About 2 months into dating, he met my family in order to take us to the airport as we were traveling to Sri Lanka. At the time, because our relationship was so new, I introduced him as just a "friend." Regardless, he made such an effort to get to know my parents & ask about our culture. When we returned home, I felt this newfound connection to my roots, & Jean was so eager to hear all about my first time there. That's when I knew he was the one. Over the past 13 years of being together, that hasn't changed one bit & it's one of the things I love most about him. We make an active effort to learn about each other's cultures every day, never losing touch with our own roots but always eager to incorporate other cultures into our daily lives. Not to mention, he has been my biggest motivator & supporter since day one, always pushing me to be the best version of myself & cheering me on even when he can't physically be there.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
It was nothing short of a dream come true, to say the least. On the eve of our 10-year anniversary, in the midst of the pandemic, & with the help of my family & friends, Jean pulled off a fairytale proposal - complete with twinkling lights, white clouds, balloons, & the song we first danced bachata to that fateful day playing in the background. At my childhood home, I walked in thinking I was going to a surprise party for my parents, & instead found a room filled entirely with balloons, twinkling lights, & fog. There, at the end of a pathway lined with flower petals & lanterns, stood my Prince Charming & our dog Aladdin, my Prince Ali, waiting with my dream ring. It was absolutely magical!
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.
We always knew we wanted to have two ceremonies, a Christian ceremony & a Hindu ceremony & make every effort to incorporate both of our cultures into our wedding. It was no easy feat, planning two ceremonies & two receptions over two days. Thankfully, my sister Shankeer had gotten married the year before in a similar fashion & was such a huge help. Having planned two ceremonies + two receptions the year prior, she had done a lot of the research on vendors, venues, outfits, etc., for me. I honestly don't know how I could have planned everything without her! With her help, I was able to book most of my vendors early on, which saved us a lot of stress later in the planning process. For example, we knew we wanted to book Photos by Rob Futrell, our amazing photographer, as I fell in love with his work during her wedding. We also booked Beauty Marked FL again, as they did such an incredible job with my sister's bridal hair & makeup. For our Hindu Ceremony and reception bridal & wedding party outfits, I just knew we had to go through Nazranaa again, as we loved how everything turned out with our custom outfits & jewelry in my sister's wedding; & our wedding looks turned out even more beautiful than I could have ever dreamed of!
About halfway through the planning process, I realized that there were still several moving parts I needed help with. I decided to hire a wedding planner, & it was the best decision I could have made! Big Guava Events made the planning process much less daunting - helping me book the rest of my vendors, organize my ideas, create timelines & keep everyone on track & events moving on time during the wedding weekend. I definitely would have been lost without them!
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Going through Shia with Nazranaa again was such a seamless process. We flew up to NJ & chose all of our outfits (bridal lengha, groom's sherwani, bridesmaids' lenghas, groomsens' sherwanis, bride & groom's reception outfits, & all jewelry) in just one day! I had a few colors & designs in mind, & Nazranaa helped bring my ideas to life. Our theme centered around royalty & peacocks for the Hindu ceremony and reception, so Nazranaa made sure to incorporate them into our outfits.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
The decor! NJP Events & Design did such an amazing job taking all of my ideas & bringing them to fruition. When I walked into our reception ballroom, I actually started crying. I was so happy that everything turned out exactly how I imagined it. Our royal & peacock theme was a big hit amongst my guests, as there were so many little details incorporated into the weekend - small gold elephants adorned the head table, peacocks sitting on swings hanging from trees with crystals & lights as centerpieces, bronze peacock statues perfect for photo ops, a large peacock fixture on the arch of the entryway to the mandap, multicolored peacock light up rings & customized glow sticks handed out to guests on the dance floor, & gold, silver & rose gold trinket boxes as favors.
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Expect the unexpected & have multiple backup plans! Our Hindu ceremony was to be held at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront on their River Deck, with a beautiful view of the St. John's River & the Main Street Bridge. There was a large Navy ship that docked right outside of our venue, completely blocking our riverfront view. This ship was supposed to be moved several months prior, but the move kept getting postponed. We had finally come to terms with this giant ship being the backdrop of our ceremony & had even changed our ceremony setup to have it only obstruct a part of the riverfront view, only to find out two days prior to the wedding that they were a hosting an outdoor Christmas party, complete with a dressed up Santa, drinks, & loud music at the same time & day of our ceremony! I was panicking - how could we hold a religious ceremony with a loud party right next to us?! We ended up having to move everything to an indoor ballroom. Thankfully, our wedding planner, Big Guava Events & decor vendor, NJP Events & Design, were able to work with the Hyatt & create a magical scene for our ceremony; & although it wasn't exactly what I had imagined, it was still beautiful in its own way.
Stay tuned for more unforgettable tales; until then, may your hearts be filled with everlasting joy.
