Rhodes on the Pawtuxet Wedding, Rhode Island: Katie and Hemang

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What led you to have a wedding the way you did? Family, friends, location, etc?

After 12 years together (!), we wanted to have a party with the people we love the most. We have large, fun families, so finding a space that would accommodate all of us, have ample dance space, AND give us awesome options for both Indian and non-Indian food were the main pieces in our “Venn Diagram of Needs.” We wanted our families to feel like we represented traditions and to put all our guests in the mood to enjoy and celebrate together. We went for a big celebration, and we think we got a great one at that.

What were you most excited about before the wedding?

 We were most excited to be with all the people we love in one place, and see everything come together after all the planning (the food, flowers, mandap, music…!)

Did anything surprise you?

Honestly, our vendors and staff went above and beyond on our wedding day. We knew things were going to come together beautifully, but everything felt seamless so we weren’t really surprised by anything.

Which images did you love the most?

Seriously all of them. We grinned ear-to-ear going through the images, because each one just captured the feeling of joy that we felt throughout the day. Not going to lie, the dance floor images are really fabulous and the photos of our family and friends getting hyped up during the baraat (groom’s procession) are just phenomenal.

Any advice for couples going through this process or about to go through the process?

It has been said before and should be said again and again:  don’t stress the small stuff. It is indeed really easy to get bogged down by the details when planning all the pieces for a wedding, so working with vendors that you trust and whose work you respect/admire is really key. Keep in mind that you are working with wonderful professionals who know what they’re doing and want to make your day awesome! Above all, a wedding is about bringing two families together, so no matter what it’s going to be an amazing celebration 🙂

Mass Audubon’s Habitat and Wildlife Sanctuary Wedding: Belmont MA, Vedika and Prem

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What lead you to have a wedding the way you did? Family, friends, location etc.?

We wanted this day, and every day, to be about living things, about being alive and present to the world around us and to those we love. We chose to keep our wedding intimate and spend the day in a natural outdoor space as a celebration of family and all that we are grateful for. This is such a special time in our life and we wanted to share it with our loved ones without any distractions or extraneous obligations that could take away from the experience we wanted to have together.

We wrote the ceremony together, incorporating different traditions that brought us joy. We made it so that every part of the day would be a celebration! Prem’s father led us in a meditation, setting a tone of loving gratitude and peacefulness. We asked each family member to share a passage, song, poem, or other form of expression that rang true to them as part of a ring warming ritual. We read memories of our journey together as part of our “I do’s,” and recited vows that we wrote together from letters we had exchanged over the years. We asked our moms to recite the “saat phere,” or “seven steps to marriage” ritual in Hindi and English as we took rounds around two beautiful trees in the garden where we meditated together and shared good wishes. Vedika’s brother officiated the ceremony, and we knew endless hugs and dancing would inevitably follow the pronouncement. We ordered lunch from one of our favorite restaurants and our table was pieced together with family heirlooms under a lilac trellis. The day was like a dream, and it has been a dream ever since!

What were you most excited about before the wedding?

We were of course most excited to get married to each other! We love to dance, spend time in the outdoors, eat good food, and enjoy with family, so we’re not sure there was anything about our wedding that we weren’t excited about! We put our hearts into the ceremony and fell in love with the environment at Habitat, but we were probably most excited to have our families together on this joyous day. We had been anticipating Prem’s parents meeting Vedika’s grandmother for quite some time, and when the moment finally came it was absolutely beautiful.

Did anything happened that you weren’t expecting?

After we left Habitat and got home, we were both surprised at how fast the day seemed to have flown by. We are so grateful that we have these beautiful images to look back on. Watching Vedika’s parents dance to Hindi music and Prem’s parents dance to classic rock were moments filled with laughter and let-go that we hadn’t anticipated. We also couldn’t have expected to get married on such a beautiful day, and are so grateful for that wonderful addition!

Which images did you love the most?

We always come back to images of laughter, hugs, and dancing. Angie captured the emotions of these candid moments in a really genuine way that resonates with us and with those we share our photographs with.

Any advice for couples going through this process or about to go through the process?

Don’t forget that this day is yours and is a celebration of the love that you share! One of life’s greatest mysteries is how, in such a vast world, two people come to meet one another and join together in love. If you’re reading this, then this has happened for you, and your wedding day should be built on whatever represents the beauty of your union. Whether it’s inviting 500 people or eight, doing meditation or breaking glass, wearing white or purple, make decisions that bring you joy, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Let your wedding be a continuous exploration and a constant adventure, just as your love is. This day should be as precious to you as the day you first fell in love!

Saphire Estate Wedding, Sharon MA: Casey and Colby

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What lead you to have a wedding the way you did? Family, friends location etc?

 It was very important to us to have the wedding local for most guests. I grew up in Canton and most of my family and friends still live in the area. Most of the guests did not have to travel far and weren’t obligated to get a hotel room or spend their whole weekend away. It was also important to the both of us to get married in a church because that’s how we both always pictured our wedding.

What were you most excited about before the wedding?

We were obviously very excited to get married but we were both really looking forward to the party after! We knew celebrating with all of our friends and family at the reception would be a blast! Also, I was so excited about finally wearing my dress and Colby getting to see me in it!

Did anything surprise you?

I was surprised I didn’t cry! I always tear up and cry at other people’s wedding so I was fully expecting to ball my eyes out at my own. Instead, I was just so happy all day!

Which images did you love the most?

Colby loves the formal pictures of just me in my wedding dress and the picture of us where he is holding my dress up as we are walking in the woods. I love the candid photos like walking down the stairs to meet my dad, Colby and I hugging outside of the church where you can see my long veil, him kissing my hand as we are sitting on a bench, feeding each other cake, and my dad and I dancing with my mom and grandparents in the background. I could go on and on!

Any advice for couples going through this process or about to go through the process?

Pick what is important to you and just go for it, even if you have to splurge a little. We decided that the photographer and the DJ were the most important to us so we made sure we picked the right vendors for us. Our plan worked perfectly; our DJ provided an awesome party and we couldn’t be happier with our photos!