Outdoor Sikh wedding ceremony in Italy
Shanujan&Prabhleen are a couple with whom we had the enormous pleasure of working. Although both are Indian, they are of two different religions: Prabhleen is Punjabi Sikh, while Shanujan is Tamil Catholic. When they contacted us they explained the need to organize two ceremonies within the same day. Obviously the Sikh ceremony had to be first as it has to be done in the morning, and they wanted an outdoor wedding in Italy. The couple also wanted all their guests to stay together in a modern, contemporary resort where they could hold all their events.
For the outdoor Anand Karaj the setup was done in the intimate and romantic garden of the resort which is located at the end of a huge park with palm trees, flowers and bushes.
Being a very intimate place, almost the entire area was covered for the ceremony. The Mandap created by our floral designer was gorgeous. Prabhleen had chosen a combination of flowers and colors in powder, lilac and ivory.
The bride got ready together with her bridesmaids in the Presidential Suite. They were all coordinated in matching bronze pajamas and the bride’s was obviously in white. Prabhleen’s stunning lehenga was bronze colored and full of embroidery; and her very long hair was gathered in a beautiful braid. The groom, not being Sikh, got the help of the bride’s parents and family members for getting ready and wearing his turban. The result was a perfect Punjabi Sikh groom; and his Tamil friends were definitely thrilled with his look.
Traditional Anand Karaj in Italy
For his Baraat Shanujan wanted a fast, sports car, and what better choice than a roaring Ferrari. The parade, accompanied by the beats of the Dhol player, was led by the groomsmen all dressed in pink with their colorful smokebombs. After reaching the garden where the bride’s family was waiting for him, there was the Milni with the exchange of garlands and gifts between the families. The guests were all given the order of service. This is a nice gesture at fusion weddings to be able to explain – to those who are not familiar with that ritual – what is happening. These booklets were personally designed by the bride, as were the wedding programs – a very thoughtful gesture towards her guests. After all the guests sat in front of the Mandap, the bride arrived accompanied by her uncles under a Phoolon Ki Chadar covered in flowers matching the Mandap.
At the end of the outdoor Sikh wedding ceremony, the guests moved to another area of the resort under a pergola with the majolica tiles typical to this part of Italy. A typical Indian vegetarian buffet lunch was served with a beautiful Amalfi coast themed setup. For this wedding the spouses asked to have Indian cuisine for both lunch and dinner. Therefore, a high-level Indian chef from the UK was hired to take care of the menus for the wedding day. After lunch and the emotional Doli, given that the resort was located a stone’s throw from the sea, the newlyweds moved to the beach for their romantic photoshoot on that warm and sunny day at the end of October.
