A Cool City Wedding with Traditional Indian Touches

Anjana Kadakkal and Trentice Bolar's ring exchange was a moment nine years in the making. Not that the wait was a problem. "We're both extremely determined, committed people who don't mind the long haul," Anjana says, "As you can tell from our careers!" Anjana, a physician, was finishing her medical-school rotations in New York City when she met Trent, now an attorney, on the dance floor in a bar. "We spent every day together for a week, and then I headed to Chicago for my residency," she says. For two years, they dated long distance, until Trent started law school in Chicago. But then, after two years together, Anjana relocated to Washington, D.C., for a medical fellowship, and Trent landed a plum job at a firm in NYC. After another four years apart, Trent finally moved to the capital in May 2014. Within a month, they were engaged. "He got down on one knee in our living room," Anjana recalls. "It was very low-key."

What wasn't low-key? Their bold vision for the wedding. "I didn't want a white dress," says Anjana, who chose red because, she says, "in traditional Indian culture, only widows wear all white." Remembering early dates driving around New York admiring street art, the couple booked Long View Gallery in Washington, D.C., and decorated it with graffiti-like details that also incorporated Anjana's heritage. On May 2, before 106 guests, a friend officiated as they exchanged vows they'd written, standing in front of a graffiti image of Trent's favorite flower, the lotus, which is sacred in Hinduism and signifies new beginnings.

From the crimson gown to the DJ's mix of what Anjana calls "a '90s punk soundtrack," the celebration was upbeat and unconventional. After a meal of shrimp and grits, kale salad, spiced lamb, and curried sea bass, a throng of loved ones, spanning all the states, schools, and jobs in the pair's history, climbed onstage to bust out their moves. The newlyweds soon joined the fun, kicking off their marriage the same way they met: on the dance floor.

The graffiti-inspired suite, by Paperzest, included a vellum overlay of Ganesh, the Hindu god of good fortune who removes obstacles.

On the morning of the wedding, the couple had scones from BakeHouse delivered to guests' hotel rooms.

The newlyweds held hands outside the reception, she wearing statement-making red Vera Wang dress, and he outfitted by Suitsupply.

Although she carried a lamp down the aisle in keeping with Indian tradition, she held a bouquet for her wedding portraits and the first look. The sheath bouquet by Sidra Forman included banksia, echinops, grevillia, leucadendron, and protea. "I love flowers that are fluffy or interesting," says Anjana.

"Since the wedding was very modern, I wanted some traditional elements, like the jewelry," says Anjana. These pieces were made in India using gold, coral, and kundan stones.

In Indian ceremonies, brides often carry lamps. Anjana walked down the aisle with this votive on a porcelain tray lined with moss, succulents, and echinops.

The bride chose different black dresses to fit each bridesmaid's personality and style.

Anjana found the lotus design online and had it re-created on an 8-by-10-foot canvas. "Now it's displayed in our home," she says.

Escort cards penned by Arney Walker Calligraphy were presented on a tray filled with pebbles and decorated with succulents.

While they were apart, Anjana sent Trent love quotes. She selected five of them to print on their cocktail napkins.

The couple filled their reception with farm tables, ghost chairs, and glass vessels with lilies, dianthus, banksias, proteas, scabiosa, grevilleas, and bottlebrush.

The couple has a wooden table and ghost chairs in their home, and wanted the same look at their reception. The centerpieces were alternating cloches filled with string lights and plates with tropical flowers.

"Three is a lucky number in Indian culture," says Anjana, who chose three buttercream frosted white on white patterned cakes and topped them with Sweet and Saucy Supply cake toppers that spelled out the celebration of the day. Two of the confections were white cake with passionfruit curd and blackberry meringue buttercream, and the third was an almond cake with salted caramel filling.

The newlyweds join their guests in dancing to Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk," during a flash mob performance organized by the bridesmaids.

All of the gifts to guests were edible, from the welcome scones delivered to their doors the morning of the wedding to this parting party favor: donuts from an Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken truck the couple had parked outside. "I thought a donut truck would be a fun urban way to end the night," Anjana says. The graffiti-inspired pouches are just stickers on normal pastry bags.

Location: Long View Gallery

Event Planning: Pineapple Productions

Catering: Spilled Milk Catering

Flowers: Sidra Forman

Décor and Furniture: Design Foundry

Photography: Kate Headley

Stationery: Paperzest

Calligraphy: Arney Walker Calligraphy

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Music: DJ Chris Stiles

Rentals: DC Rental

Bride's Gown: Vera Wang

Bride's Accessories: [jewelry] Art Karat; [shoes] Topshop

Hair: Hair by Giselle

Makeup: Carl Ray

Groom's Ensemble: Suitsupply

Groom's Shoes: Ted Baker

Scones: BakeHouse

Transportation: RMA Worldwide Chauffered Transportation

Valet: MJ Valet

Donut Truck: Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken

Cake Toppers: Sweet and Saucy Supply