A Traditional Indian Wedding in Virginia's Picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains

A Venue with a View

The couple, who hail from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, opted for a destination wedding nestled into Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyards checked all of their boxes. "We instantly fell in love with the picturesque backdrop and the focus on elevated cuisine," says Ronita. "We are also lovers of wine, so a venue that offered the backdrop, elevated cuisine, and wine was a home run for us."

Family Ties

Ronita enlisted the help of her mother and her bridesmaids while getting ready on her big day. She wore a traditional red and gold wedding saree by Sabyasachi, recommended to her by the designer himself. "Once he found out I was Bengali, [he] scolded us for trying on lehengas and told me to try on a traditional banarasi saree." She followed his advice, and the rest is history.

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Jewels and Gems

The bride donned a traditional Indian gold choker and polki set from Jaipur Gems and diamond drop earrings. For a sweet touch, she added a custom cuff and necklace that was passed down to her from her grandmother.

A Breathtaking Bride

Ronita's bridal look was complete with a re-and-gold Sabyasachi veil made to match her saree; she also slipped into brushed gold Dior pumps.

Traditional Indian Groomswear

For the ceremony, Ryan wore a custom Indian sherwani with intricate gold embroidery and a matching ruby-encrusted safa (a turban). He tied it all together with To Boot New York cognac shoes.

The First Look

Ronita and Ryan shared their first look in Pippin's vineyard. Ronita describes feeling nervous before, emotional during, and relaxed after. Ryan, on the other hand, says he was relaxed the whole time. The couple held each other close in the final moments before the official ceremony.

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Henna Heaven

As is the custom for Indian weddings, the bride was given Mehndi (or henna) tattoos on her palms, hands, arms, and feet before her wedding day. In Indian culture, Mehndi designs signify blessings, joy, luck, and love. Plus, according to tradition, the deeper the color of the henna, the happier the bride will be.

The Bridal Bouquet

The bride's bouquet was lush and vibrant. She wanted it to take a natural, almost wild shape with pops of pink and red to go with the color scheme. According to the couple's florist, Southern Blooms, the arrangement included coral charm peonies, pink peonies, art deco roses, romantic antik garden roses, pink snapdragons, blush astilbe, coral pom dahlias, peach stock, bridal veil foliage, and Ruby Loropetalum foliage.

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It Takes a Village

Ronita was surrounded by her bridesmaids for her special day. They each wore traditional, custom-made Indian attire in champagne-and-red colors to contrast the bride's saree. They carried smaller versions of Ronita's bouquet, with more of a focus on pops of color.

The Little Ones

The adorable ring bearer and flower girl donned traditional Indian ensembles, as well. "We picked blue-and-gold for the ring bearer—male members of the families were wearing blue and gold—and we chose yellow for the flower girl to play into our theme of little pops of color," explains Ronita.

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A Grand Entrance

Ryan rode into the ceremony on a white horse during the baraat, accompanied by traditional Indian music and his family. Per custom, the bride secretly watched the procession; she recalls this moment as one of her favorite parts of the celebration.

Scenic Ceremony

Ronita and Ryan's mandap, a traditional wooden structure made for Indian weddings, was covered in sheer fabric and bountiful flowers that matched those in the bouquets. The piece framed an epic view of the rolling hills and mountains.

A Symbolic Ceremony

The bride and groom exchanged white orchid garlands during the ceremony, their family and the stunning Blue Ridge Mountains just behind them. In Indian tradition, this is a symbolic way of showing the couple's desire to marry each other; the white color represents purity.

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Rituals Rooted in Tradition

Traditional Indian weddings have a fire burning in the center of the mandap; this acts as a witness to the sacrament of marriage. Once the fire begins to burn, offerings are made from family members as wishes for a happy union. Ronita and Ryan shared these special moments together, honoring the traditions and rituals that have always been part of the bride's life.

Personalized Vows

The couple wrote their own vows for the ceremony. "Ryan quoted The Beach Boys (we got engaged to "God Only Knows") and I quoted Taylor Swift (a sweet and funny nod to our shared love of [the singer])," explains Ronita. Later on, the newlyweds reflected on the most special parts of their day—and their unique, personalized vow exchange was one of them.

Cocktails at Golden Hour

Outside the farmhouse, Ronita and Ryan served a refreshing gin-infused lemonade as their signature cocktail, along with a full bar and wine made from the Pippin Hill vineyards. They offered passed appetizers, too, consisting of black truffle and thyme puffs, fried green tomatoes, lobster rolls, masala chicken papadum, smoked salmon, and more. Guests sat in the antique chairs and chaise lounge vignettes placed around the yard.

A Moment Away

The newlyweds snuck away during the cocktail hour to take sunset portraits. Ronita changed into a pink-and-white floral Oscar de la Renta gown, and Ryan into a Burberry suit. Later on during the reception, they both changed out of their formal shoes and into classic Adidas Stan Smiths for dancing. Ryan's were blue and white, and Ronita's were gold.

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A Glass Seating Chart

A nod to the color scheme, their seating chart—made from glass in a gold frame and topped with lush flowers—featured pops of gold, red, and pink. Each attendee's name was written in white calligraphy.

Lush Locale

The farmhouse at Pippin housed the duo's reception. The location was so special to the couple that, prior to their nuptials, one of Ronita's bridesmaids drew a sketch of the venue; they used the illustration on their stationary and favors.

Chic Table Settings

Samantha of Simply Chic Events created intricate table settings that nodded to the color palette and romantic theme. Each place was set with blush-and-white plates with gold flatware from Emerson James, taper candles, floral centerpieces, and pretty acrylic place cards and table numbers. Flower-patterned napkins completed the look.

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A Memorable Meal

Ronita and Ryan served a hearty meal for dinner, including tomato and carrot soup, roasted vegetables, beef tenderloin and crab cakes with roasted and pickled mushrooms, and more.

Romantic Reception

The main farm table was decorated with a linen runner and printed napkins from La Tavola; guests sat in chic cross-backed chairs from Festive Fare.

Having Their Cake

When thinking about their cake's design, Ryan and Ronita decided on a simple but elegant look with gold brush strokes. The three-tiered confection included two flavors: vanilla cake with mango curd and two tiers of lemon cloud cake with berries.

The Chandelier

The rafters were wrapped in leafy garlands and chandeliers hung from the high ceilings. Bunches of pink-and-red flowers punctuated both the overhead installation and the tables below.

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Nuggets of Wisdom

The couple shared this piece of advice for everyone in the throes of the pre-wedding process: "Not everything will go as planned but nobody else will notice. And start the planning process early!"

In the end, Ronita and Ryan had a magical day, followed by a honeymoon in Big Sur, Los Angeles, and Bali.

Sources

Photography, Laura Gordon

Venue and Catering, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards

Wedding Planning and Design, Samantha at Simply Chic Events

Flowers, Southern Blooms

Stationary, Proper Letter Co.

Guestbook, Starboard Press

Bride's traditional attire, Sabyasachi

Veil, Sabyasachi

Jewelry, Jaipur Gems

Bride's reception gown, Oscar de la Renta

Shoes, Christian Dior

Hair and Makeup, Anna Breeding

Groom's suit, Burberry

Groomsmen's attire, Indochino, To Boot

Music, Sage String Quartet, DJ Chris Stiles

Cake, Maliha Creations

Rentals, Emerson James Rentals, Paisley & Jade, Festive Fare Rentals

Lighting, Blue Ridge Event Production

Transportation, Ambassador Limo, Harmon's Carriages

Linen, La Tavola Linen

Henna, Mehndi with Heena