A Bright Wine Country Wedding with Indian and Chinese Elements

By Laura Wallis
September 21, 2018
Corbin Gurkin

This bicoastal couple invited guests to join them in Napa Valley for a ceremony and reception that celebrated their two unique cultures.

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Corbin Gurkin
Go Inside This Couple's Haldi Ceremony and Welcome Dinner

As symbolic tests of couplehood go, Jenna Lam and Alok Patel's first dance was ambitious. They choreographed (with the help of a dance studio) an elaborate cultural mash-up: foxtrot into Lindy hop into a retro-funk, '70s-era Bollywood number with five groomsmen. They practiced each step in secret, a surprise for their guests. And they did so on opposite sides of the country.

Since the start, Jenna and Alok's relationship has been bicoastal. Each has a thriving career—she's a Napa Valley, California, event and wedding planner; he's a pediatrician, television producer, and entrepreneur in New York City. It's a long-distance love that might never have happened if he hadn't fallen so hard the moment they met. In 2010, Alok was in medical school in Arizona, and Jenna was there scouting sites for a friend's wedding. "I was mesmerized by how beautiful, witty, and ambitious she was," he says. She didn't take notice, but a few years later they connected on social media, and he took the chance to flirt. When they began talking on the phone, things clicked. "I knew he was charismatic and funny," Jenna says. "But I hadn't understood how committed to his work and passionate he was until then."

They had their first real date in September 2015, when Alok flew across the country to take her out. It was a success, and a couple of weeks later, Jenna recalls, she was the one who said, "So, do you want to be my boyfriend, or what?" He popped the question the following April.

They decided to marry in the Napa Valley. It was Jenna's home and also near vendors she knows well—vital, given all the bells and whistles they wanted, starting with the Hindu ceremony that was a must for Alok. "There are so many cultures in our two bodies," Jenna says. "It was going to be a richer affair than I'd ever dreamed."

To make the traditional ceremony accessible for their mostly not-Indian guests, they shortened it (to one hour from three and a half ), created a guide to Hindu wedding prayers for the program, and found an English-speaking pandit (priest). At the same time, Jenna wove details of the Chinese heritage from her father's side into the mix; the color red—significant in both cultures—was key throughout. Traditional Chinese lion dancers, which the bride's dad insisted on, entertained at dinner. Jenna used elephant and pagoda motifs on stationery and programs, and crimson chinoiserie fabric for table coverings. The menu was a fresh "California" take on a classic Indian banquet, and there were six specialty drinks infused with Asian and Indian flavors—plus, for late-night snacks, dim sum. The whole effect was a playful, gorgeous blend that Jenna dubbed "chai meets dumpling" (also the name of their wedding website).

And that dance? "We brought the house down," says Alok. Two very different people, dancing steps they'd learned separately, turned out to be perfectly in sync. No surprise to the groom: "We were always meant to be together," he says. "It just took her a while to realize it."

Watch Jenna and Alok's wedding film by The Cana Family.

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Themed Save-the-Dates

Corbin Gurkin

Save-the-dates by PS Paper featured the elephant and pagoda motifs. Another fun elephant-related detail of the wedding? The couple registered to adopt an elephant through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

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A Layered Invitation

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PS Paper created gold-printed, chocolate-brown invitations with a floral chinoiserie acetate overlay.

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A Bento Box Welcome

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Welcome bento boxes held layers of cookies, gummies, chocolate truffles, and savory bites.

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Getting the Groom Ready

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Before the wedding, Alok's mother, Priti, hand-tied his turban, with assistance from his sister, Payal. He wore a sherwani from Heritage.

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Traditional Accessories

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Jenna wore a maang tikka—Indian bridal jewelry that adorns the forehead—with matching earrings. She also wore a lip stain and said she didn't worry at all about it smudging or wearing off.

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Stylish Sisters

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Jenna's sisters, Abbey and Kelly, wore black and gold.

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Here Comes the Groom

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A white horse was dressed up for the baraat—the groom's arrival.

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The Sounds of the Baraat

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Drums called dhol were played as Alok rode in.

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A Welcome Cocktail

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Refreshments began pre-ceremony, with mint-and-peach rum lassi served in copper tumblers.

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Red Programs

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Program booklets with red covers and gold tassels provided guests with a guide to the Hindu ceremony.

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A Golden Aisle

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Over 600 marigolds dotted the aisle at the ceremony site, which was set with clear chairs for guests.

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The Ceremony

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After the bride's mother welcomed the groom with prayers and escorted him to the mandap—a nuptial canopy—Jenna's father escorted her down the aisle and gave her away by placing her hand in her groom's. The bride hired 20 a cappella singers as a surprise for her groom at the ceremony. And Jenna's sisters placed grains of rice in her hands as she completed the mangal phera—"circling the sacred fire"—signifying their support and protection. In a final tradition, akhand saubhagyavati, married women from both families were to whisper blessings to the bride.

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A Garland Exchange

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The couple exchanged garlands of orchids, carnations, and stephanotis, signifying their acceptance of each other.

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The Recessional

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The newlyweds' red stoles were tied together as a sign of their eternal bond.

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A Pause for Portraits

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Following the ceremony, the newlyweds posed for a few sunset photos among the grapevines.

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The Bride’s Bouquet

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Jenna's bouquet was made using red amaryllis, garden roses, ranunculus, and 'James Story' orchids.

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A Floral Seating Display

Corbin Gurkin

Floral panels by artist Janis Anzalone formed the escort-card wall.

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A Closer Look

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Insanely Creative Escort Cards and Seating Displays

Each "card" was a leaf calligraphed by Anzalone on a crepe-paper flower made by PS Paper.

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Escort Cards to Take Home

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Each guest (including these former-clients-turned-friends of Jenna's) grabbed their crepe paper flower from the seating display. The blooms then doubled as another keepsake from the celebration.

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Delicious Appetizers

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The menu, by Componere Fine Catering, was "mind-blowing," says Jenna, and included passed hors d'oeuvres like squash- blossom pakoras.

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Friends From Work

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Do You Have to Invite Your Coworkers to Your Wedding?

Jenna's longtime friends and industry collaborators made up a portion of the guest list. Photographer Meg Smith, stationery designer Jill Sasso of PS Paper, and planner Lexie Brooks were all smiles on the big day.

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All the Drink Options

Corbin Gurkin
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Six signature drinks were created by Camper Cocktail Company, including a tequila-spiked green juice and a boozy chai.

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A Colorful Table

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Place settings in neutral tones and monogrammed napkins coolly contrasted with the vibrant tablecloth with an elephant-print on it.

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Vibrant Décor

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Flowers in shades of pinks, reds, oranges, and goldenrod were used throughout the celebration.

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Chinese Lion Dancers

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Traditional Chinese lion dancers surprised the crowd just after everyone sat down for dinner. "They arrived and I had almost forgotten them," Jenna recalls. "They were amazing."

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Instead of Cake

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Jenna and Alok didn't care much about the cake-cutting tradition: "We wanted to dance and make it fun," she says. So they skipped it and served up trays of single-bite sweets, like these white-chocolate-and-chai truffles, instead.

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Another Sweet Option

Corbin Gurkin

Dark chocolate and toasted marshmallow bites were another sweet nibble guests enjoyed during the dancing portion of the night. The other two options included green apple and pistachio truffles and dark chocolate and passionfruit bites.

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A Fun First Dance