Combining their Indian and Jewish heritages, Jocelyn and Jeet pulled off an incredible multi-cultural wedding celebration and worked with the talented Krystal Hart to plan all the magic that took place at The Space Downtown during the Sangeet and later at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards for their ceremony and reception. The grounds of this beautiful winery and its breathtaking mountain views were seized by Cramer Photo to photograph all the charm of the fusion ceremony. Maharani Jocelyn had the sought-after Mehndi With Heena create lovely reddish-brown lines swirled around her hands, the artist also included an NYC skyline design which added a meaningful touch to her mehndi! To finish off her fusion bridal look, the bride donned a hand-beaded white dress and combined it with a Banarasi dupatta that together looked absolutely perfect! The Jewish blessing was followed by the special Indian rituals that blessed the handsome pair under a sweet rustic mandap! Check out this fusion sunset wedding in the full gallery!
How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met through our friend Al. Al had invited a group of friends over to his apartment before going out on the town in NYC. When I arrived I saw Jeet across the room and thought he was very cute. We spent the night dancing and have been together ever since.
I knew he was the one on our second date. We had finished 3/4 of our dessert (an apple tart) and Jeet had excused himself to use the restroom. When he came back to the table he saw that I had let the waiter clear the small amount of tart and ice cream that had been left on the plate. He was so sad! I knew he was special because he clearly had a deep appreciation for desserts and sweets just like me. We now have some sort of sweet almost every night and at our wedding, we had six cakes to celebrate our love for desserts.
Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
Jeet met me at the end of one of my work trips in New Mexico. We drove from Albuquerque up to Santa Fe to spend a long weekend. I was a little suspicious that something was in the works because upon arrival Jeet had to mysteriously make a trip into town. I was immediately nervous he was organizing some sort of elaborate public proposal! But, he knows me way too well for that. The next day we went hiking in Bandelier National Park and while sitting on a bench in the wilderness he dug past the trail mix and snacks we had packed and pulled out a ring to propose. It was very sweet, private and totally us. We spent the rest of the day hiking and then had an amazing dinner in Santa Fe to celebrate. His mysterious trip into town was to pick up the ring which he'd had rerouted to Santa Fe after a major snowstorm in New York had delayed its arrival.
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.
Charlottesville is so special and a wonderful place to bring family and friends to spend a wedding weekend together.
Since we live in NYC it was really helpful to have a wedding planner. We couldn't have done it without Krystal. She had a great relationship with all of our vendors and made sure everything ran smoothly and really became a friend as we planned the wedding. We had a Jewish-Hindu ceremony which involved both a Rabbi and Hindu priest. It was interesting to see the similarities in some of the wedding traditions of each culture (the mandap/chuppah covering, singing, walking in circles, 7 blessings, exchanging of rings or garlands).
Pippin Hill is a gorgeous venue and the staff is so friendly. I loved our cocktail hour as the sun set over the mountains. Their chef created a delicious selection of food for our wedding. He was flexible in creating meals for our guests who had a variety of dietary restrictions. The food was amazing and our guests were raving about it. The wine selection was varied and delicious as well.
Nikki and her team at Glo-Out did a wonderful job with hair and makeup for the wedding party. You could tell it was important to them that the bride and her bridal party feel beautiful and comfortable and they made that happen. They made sure my makeup looked natural like I wanted but still glamorous like a bride. I loved the lip color she mixed together -- pink, but not too pink and actually went well with my flowers.
I was in love with the mandap/chuppah and the flowers at our wedding. I showed Krystal and our florist, Wynne, pictures of what I wanted and they absolutely made it a reality. The mandap structure was custom made. While it was too early for marigolds they strung white carnations from the back (which were later re-purposed in the photo booth). The floral piece on the top was filled with beautiful bright flowers including orchids which are special to me because my late grandmother (Mimi) loved orchids. The bouquets my sister and I carried also had orchids. It was important to me to have lots of bright colors in the flowers and for it to feel like the garden and beauty around Pippin Hill was flowing inside for the reception. I loved the hanging chandeliers of greenery and flowers that Wynne and her team created and it paired well with the strung lights and gold votives used to hold candles and flowers.
Sarah Cramer was an excellent photographer. She has a special way of making you and your guests feel comfortable as she's taking pictures and capturing so many emotional and exciting moments throughout the weekend.
Bachelor Boys Band-- The band was so talented and good at their job! They were lively and fun and really kept everyone engaged and out on the dance floor.
Cakes-- Anita did an awesome job with our cakes. We had such a fun variety. Anita worked with us to create some amazing combinations and select the right size for each cake. Our delicious cakes included: Vanilla with vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries, Almond cake with chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries, Lemon cake with lemon curd and fresh blueberries, Carrot cake with chai cream cheese frosting, Chocolate cake with amaretto buttercream and a classic Red velvet cake.
Mehndi -- Everyone loved Heena! She came to Charlottesville on Thursday to do my mehndi along with a few other family members. This was my first mehndi experience. I had sent her a little information about Jeet and I in advance. She designed my mehndi to include the NYC skyline since that is where Jeet and I met. It included a person hiking since Jeet and I love to hike together and got engaged on a hike. I loved the thought she put into the design and how personal she made it. Heena was so kind, patient and friendly. She also came on Friday to do mehndi for our guests and all of the women said they loved their designs and the time they spent interacting with Heena.
The Space Downtown was a great location for our Mehndi. They were very flexible and easy to work with. One of the highlights of our Mehndi was UVA Di Shaan bhangra team performing for our guests. Our friends and family loved watching them dance and had so much fun dancing with them. It really kicked off the weekend in a fun and exciting way.
How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I wanted to wear an Indian outfit for the Mehndi and a more traditionally western white dress for the wedding ceremony. I always imagined my Indian outfit in reds and golds. As I started looking around I pretty quickly realized I loved Anita Dongre's designs. My friend lent me her beautiful Anita Dongre outfit and it was a perfect fit. I wore a special bangle that Jeet's maternal grandmother left for his future wife along with a gold necklace passed down from Jeet's paternal grandmother.
For my wedding dress, I knew I wanted something beaded. The dress I wore was the very first dress I tried on. It is a Theia dress and was hand-beaded. Jeet's mom selected my dupatta I wore for the Indian part of our ceremony. It is a beautiful red and gold hand woven Banarasi dupatta. It was special to have Jeet's mom drape it over me before the ceremony began and Jeet's dad do the same for him.
What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
The most enjoyable part of the planning process was working as a team with Jeet to create a celebration that we and all of our friends and family would enjoy. The best part of the planning process for us was definitely Anita's cake tasting meeting and when we did our food tasting at Pippin Hill. Both were shared with our parents and it was just a lot of fun as well as being very tasty.
What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
We were so grateful to have family and friends travel to Charlottesville from as far as India, London, and the U.S. west coast. I think our guests loved the Mehndi because everyone was invited and it was a fun chance for everyone to get to know each other before the wedding. While it was a little sunny I think our guests loved our blended ceremony. Most people on the bride's side had never been to an Indian wedding and on Jeet's side had never been to a Jewish wedding.
Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
It is so true what they say that the day really goes by in the blink of an eye. It's the most amazing feeling to be surrounded by all of your favorite people in such a joyous occasion. When I think back on our wedding the scene that keeps playing over and over in my mind is of all of us from both families out on the dance floor laughing, singing and dancing. At the Mehndi, we ended the night with everyone from both sides out on the floor laughing and dancing with the bhangra dancers and on the wedding night, we ended with everyone on the dance floor as well. I loved it!
Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
All of the stress and jitters melts away once you see your groom and the ceremony/celebration begins. You realize that all of the time you put into planning pays off and the little details don't matter anyway because you are surrounded by all of your favorite people who are there to celebrate you as a couple. It's a room full of love and it's amazing.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
Jeet and his mom's wedding dance was really fun because the band played a slowed down version of "Happy" by Pharrell. But, then halfway through they sped it up and Jeet and his mom asked everyone to come up and dance with them. This was a really special way to kick off the dancing for the evening and get everyone involved.
We used MoxBox photo booth and I think our guests loved it. One of my most memorable and laugh until you cry moments was using all of the fun props and making funny faces with Jeet and friends and family in the photo booth. The MoxBox background is really pretty (we added our strung carnations as well), you can watch your photoshoot on a screen afterward and then they upload them to a website so all of your guests can access the pictures.
The magic of this fusion tale will continue in our next post!
Mehndi Artists: Mehndi With Heena |
Sangeet Venue: The Space Downtown |
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards |
Planning & Design: Krystal Hart |
Floral & Decor: Wynne Shaffer - Hedge Fine Blooms |
Hair & Makeup: Nikki Fayolle |
Catering: Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards |
Bollywood Performers & Instructor: Virginia Di Shaan at UVA |
Cake & Treats: Maliha Creations |
Photo Booth: MoxBox |
Photography: Cramer Photo
Mehndi With Heena
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