Have you ever seen a South Asian bride walk down the aisle under a floral doli escorted by her father who was greeted at a mandap by a groom dressed in tartan, presenting him with a sword? Yeah – us neither. When Jen and Matt first came to me and said they wanted to plan a fusion wedding mixing their Indian and Scottish cultures, I could not have been giddier… I mean… I LOVE Indian food, and the South Asian culture that I have had the pleasure to be surrounded by through my carrier as a Chicago Wedding Planner. And I LOVE my Irish/Scottish heritage. Present me with a bagpiper and I’ll weep or leap for days. So the thought of combining these two joys of my life to create an iconic day for an awesome couple? Game on!
The weekend started at our more modern venue of the two-day affair, Venue Six10. We wanted to ensure this day felt different than the wedding day from a design standpoint, so we veered towards crisp whites, deep blues, colorful guest favors, and a more casual cocktail style floorplan featuring taller pub tables, smaller cocktail tables, and highboys near the bars for guests to mix and mingle to kick the weekend off.
We also planned for a lineup of performances to truly make this Sangeet, or “night of music” a celebration of Jen’s South Asian culture. Cocktail hour featured a Shehnai Player. Before dinner, performances were made by bridesmaids, groomsmen and the bride’s family. After dinner, professional Bollywood dancers dazzled with their modern, hip hop inspired interpretation of dance, and bhangra dancers led dance lessons to get guests ready to tear up the dance floor. Guests left the sangeet exhausted from a crowded dance floor, and excited to see what the next day’s wedding would hold!
Flash forward to the wedding day and to our interpretation of an Indian/Scottish wedding at Chicago’s Iconic Field Museum. Kehoe Designs crafted gorgeous planter boxes for the aisle adorned with the groom’s family dress tartan, leading to a stunning, asymmetrical mandap with architectural and asymmetrical feature. The South Dome of the Field Museum was the perfect backdrop for such a grand and unique ceremony. Bagpipes led guests out of the ceremony and up the grand south staircase to cocktail hour, where guests could explore the exhibits, the museum had to showcase. Jen and Matt love food, and one request Matt had was a meat ship – yes. That’s a ship made of meat. Blue Plate Chicago heard this idea and ran with it, sailing in their custom creation for guests to snack on before dinner.
Dinner and dancing would be held in Stanley Field Hall under Frost Chicago’s stunning display of green drapery and golden chandeliers adorned with foliage to compliment the whimsical greens in the rest of our design. Florals were in shades of white, navy and tones of green, while linens and rentals were focused in hues of shimmering gold. The exquisite cake by Flourish Cake Designs left guests wondering if it was fabric or cake, and featured tiny, gilded, raptor feet running up the tiers all the way to the top which was adorned with exquisite and edible sugar floral and foliage.
After eating their incredibly crafted and thoughtful meal, guests emerged on to the dance floor to the beats of Indigo Band from Arlen Music Group and didn’t look back, unless they were admiring the live painting of painter Marjorie Jean who captured Jen and Matt’s first dance so vividly.
This Chicago wedding planner truly had a ball planning this unique undertaking and appreciated the challenge! There’s nothing better than a couple who wants to let the best part of themselves shine on such a special day, and entrusts the LOLA Event Productions team to carry out the vision!
Vendor Team
- LOLA Event Productions: Lavish LOLA Planning Package
- Venue: The Field Museum
- Photography: Studio This Is
- Video: Wholehearted Films
- Sangeet Catering: Mantra
- Wedding Catering: Catering: Blue Plate Chicago
- Cake: Flourish Cake Design
- Decor: Kehoe Designs
- Rentals: BBJ Latavola Linens / Nuage Designs / The Festive Frog / Halls Rental
- Lighting and Drapery: Frost Chicago
- Sangeet Entertainment: Sugar Event Entertainment / Movement of Desis / The Shenai Guy
- Wedding Entertainment: Arlen Music
- Photobooth: Shutter Booth Chicago
- Paper Goods: Steracle Press
- Mehndi: Moniza Abbasi Art
- Beauty: Tamara Makeup
- Live painter: Majorie Jean Art
- Bridal Wear: Anita Dongre
- Grooms Outfit: Indo Chino
