As Indian wedding planners in Philadelphia, our Elegant Events wedding planning team loves working with diverse couples. Jerry and Preeti’s fantastic Philadelphia wedding weekend was no exception!
Many of our multicultural wedding celebrations incorporate multiple events, sometimes over multiple days. Jerry and Preeti’s wedding included multiple venues, several caterers, incredible décor, several clothing changes, and lots of transportation to arrange. All while being mindful to incorporate a touch of both cultures into each wedding celebration to ensure the inclusiveness of all guests.
Here’s what Jerry had to say about their wedding and working with our Elegant Events team:
It was a pleasure working with Donielle and the Elegant Events team for our wedding in April 2019. The wedding went without a hitch. This was quite a feat, especially considering the fact that my “then-fiancée-now-wife” and I were located in California and coordinating with Donielle for our Philly wedding. We only visited Philly twice to plan for our wedding. In addition, we had three different themes to work with for our wedding – Chinese, Indian, and Indo Chinese-American fusion. To this day, we still get comments from family and friends about how beautiful the venue was and how much fun they had at our wedding. Donielle was our quarterback – she managed the various food vendors, the decorations, the venues, photographers, the mandap guys, a bunch of guests, etc. – and made planning a wedding while in a different time zone much easier than we expected. Donielle was extremely collaborative to work with, quick to incorporate feedback, and was super enthusiastic the entire time. It was a pleasure working with Donielle and we wholeheartedly recommend working with the Elegant Events team for your events!
Double Happiness
The wedding weekend began with two events, a traditional Indian Sangeet and a Chinese Tea Ceremony combined into one fantastic evening.
Preeti and Jerry honored his Chinese heritage with the Tea Ceremony, and wedding décor included beautiful red paper lanterns his family brought from China.
The lanterns hung above a delicate four-tiered cake decorated with red ribbon, cherry blossoms, and the Double Happiness symbol. The reverse side of the beautiful cake included some fun personalization by the couple.
Double Happiness is a symbol of joy and unity is found in many Chinese weddings, and one of several symbols woven thought the wedding.
The Sangeet portion of the festivities incorporated lots of traditional Indian dancing and included a dance performance by Jerry’s family honoring Preeti’s heritage and family.
Indian Wedding Traditions
The second day began with transporting wedding guests just north of the city for a traditional Indian wedding ceremony.
Jerry arrived on a beautifully decorated white horse as part of a Baraat with the parade leading him and his family to the manor house’s front door, to be greeted by the bride’s family.
A large clear tent was erected to host the wedding ceremony. A dome-shaped Mandap was wrapped in stunning light green fabric and dressed with fresh floral creations. Four risers with floral arrangements flanked a custom aisle runner designed with two powerful symbols from Chinese mythology – a dragon and a phoenix, representing success and prosperity.
Following a beautiful wedding ceremony filled with symbolism, guests were treated to a delicious luncheon of Indian foods before returning to Center City Philadelphia for a little downtime before the evening’s festivities.
A Party at Penn’s Landing
After a day packed with a loving family, friends, and tradition, the newlyweds took some quiet time, and an opportunity to yet again change clothes. They took some time for photos on the pier at Penn’s Landing with family and their wedding party.
The evening continued with a fabulous American style ballroom wedding reception. The Grand Ballroom overlooking the Delaware River was designed in an elegant Navy-blue color palette. Tables were draped in luxurious linens and decorated with stunning floral arrangements and hundreds of flickering candles.
The reception was filled with touching speeches, a packed dance floor, a delicious buffet dinner, and show-stopping henna inspired wedding cake.
Congratulations, Preeti and Jerry, we wish you a lifetime of Happiness!
Thank you to all of the Philadelphia area wedding professionals who made this multi-day, multi-cultural celebration so amazing!
Philadelphia Wedding Planner: Elegant Events
Welcome Event Venue: Vie by Cescaphe
Welcome Event Catering: SangKee
Indian Wedding Ceremony Venue: Belle Voir Manor
Indian Luncheon Catering: Moghul Catering
Penn’s Landing Reception Venue: Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing
Penn’s Landing Reception Catering: 5iveChefs
Hair and Makeup: Beautiful Brides Philly
Henna: Henna by Sushma
Horse for Baraat: KV Carriage LLC
DJ / Photo Booth: DJ Ravi Jackson LLC
Floral and Décor: Elegant Events Florist
Photography and Cinematography: Lightyear Studio
Transportation: J&J Luxury Transportation
Wedding Cakes: Bredenbeck’s
Hotel Rooms For Wedding Guests:
Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City- Convention Center
Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia-Penn’s Landing
Embassy Suites by Hilton -Center City