A Flower-Filled Indian Wedding in New Jersey with the Dreamiest Botanical Motifs

Thoughtfully Handmade

Sakshi used her own handcrafted paper for the English invitation, which included a design of foxgloves and roses circling the couple's monogram, and a hand-calligraphed, digitized font for the couple's names. The bride's friend at Floraison Design created a custom painting of the venue's gazebo covered with flowers, which Sakshi used at the top of the detail card: "It was a sneak peek into what the day would look like for the guests," she says. "The entire suite was then tucked into a custom pocketfold that featured an artwork that truly represented what I wanted the day to feel like—a colorful, yet serene garden. The pocketfold was wrapped in a thin botanically dyed silk ribbon and finished with an oval garden key wax seal."

The pocketfold art also lined the envelopes, which Sakshi calligraphed and finished with vintage stamps. "We had our favorite horticulture stamp, as well as an Audobon stamp that captured my love of ornithology, and a foxglove stamp that represented that recurring motif of that flower through our wedding," she says. "Our most special stamp was the vintage William Harnett stamp, which had stacks of books and musical sheets. Matt and I are both big readers, and we are constantly trading books off to one another. The musical sheets represented Matt's love of piano and classical music."

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Red Alert

For the first event of the day, the couple's Indian ceremony, Sakshi wore a custom lehenga from Nazranaa. "I had fallen in love with one of their designs which had a beautiful vining pattern on the top piece and very intricate metalwork embroidery," she says. "The team helped me pick out a deep red velvet and then customize the specific colors of the metalwork and beading so that the final piece was the beautiful red that I wanted and the beadwork and metalwork was a nod to the peaches and colorful florals of the rest of the wedding design."

Keeping to Tradition

Sakshi's uncle led her down the aisle toward the floral-covered mandap that overlooked the property's lake. Cream-colored draperies, custom pillows, and opulent accents surrounded the couple as they moved through a traditional Marathi ceremony, "which is representative of the specific region and culture my parents and I come from," says Sakshi. "The Marathi ceremony starts with the meeting of the two families, and the giving away of the bride. After that, there were many recitations that had their individual importance."

A Family Affair

The couple's mothers and fathers all participated in the wedding. "A lot of the Indian ceremony was super involved, and even Matt's parents had their share of involvement," says Sakshi. "The majority of the ceremony all has to do with wisdom being bestowed onto the couple and us making promises to each other that we will always take care of each other, and be true friends throughout life."

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Petals Everywhere

Matt and Sakshi were showered with petals as they made their way back up the aisle.

A Pop of Color

Sakshi and Matt asked their attendants to wear the same outfit for both the Indian and Western ceremonies, but accented their attire with coordinating sashes for the first part of the day. "I wanted a way for my red attire to work cohesively with the rest of the wedding palette, and adding these sashes and seeing it work so well was incredibly satisfying," says Sakshi. "Since the bridespeople were so colorful, we decided to keep it classic with the groomsmen—they wore black suits and looked incredibly dapper when we added those red sashes."

Take Two

After the Indian ceremony, guests sipped cocktails and nibbled passed hors d'oeuvres while Sakshi and Matt changed into their second looks and shared their first look on the chapel steps. "I didn't expect to get emotional, but Matt did, and seeing him being so happy to see me—even though we had just seen each other in a different outfit and gotten married—made me feel loved and ready to get married for a second time that day," says Sakshi. She wore a custom wedding dress with a double layered skirt and floral lace accents altered to perfection by Belle Atelier, while Matt donned a slim-cut black tuxedo from Men's Wearhouse and Czech coin cuff links. "His mother's family immigrated from the Czech Republic and we wanted to represent that heritage in some way," says Sakshi. "It was also fun that we were able to find coins that were issued in 1993—the year of his birth."

Flower Girl

Sakshi wore her hair in loose waves, pulled back with a custom headpiece from Erin Rhyne. "This was my absolute favorite accessory," says the bride. "She made it in the peachy, mauve and lavender tones that I wanted throughout the wedding. We also decided to add gold blackberries to the headpiece, which in a small way represented the new life we were about to start in the Pacific Northwest, [which] is practically covered in blackberries. She also made me matching floral pins that I wore in my loose braid for the Indian ceremony, and I was able to share some pins with my bridesmaids and my mother and mother-in-law. It became a special keepsake that we all wore and it was so fun to see it in my bridesmaids' hair whenever I was with them."

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A Rare Find

Sakshi asked Blue Pansy Floral to create a bouquet of her favorite flowers: "She used foxglove, dahlias, garden roses, sweet peas, cosmos, lisianthus, scabious, and zinnias in the perfect peachy creams, mauves, and lavenders," she says. "She worked so hard to make sure she could get her hands on foxglove for me, and every time I saw one throughout the day, I was extremely thankful for her commitment to bringing in those special blooms."

Something Blue Shoes

Something Bleu shoes added a whimsical touch of color to Sakshi's second look.

Garden Party

Sakshi's bridesmaids wore floral gowns from Lord & Taylor—"such a special find," she says. "They had the perfect peach and mauve tones, and the cut and flow of the dresses matched the garden aesthetic that I was trying to build in the wedding."

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Mauve for the Gents

The men who joined her bridal party wore complementary mauve tuxedos from The Black Tux. "It was fun, different, and really represented the unique group of friends that I had," she says. "And most importantly, everyone was comfortable and happy with their clothing."

Forever Altared

The pretty chapel on the venue's grounds played a large role in the couple's decision to hold their wedding at Park Chateau. "I really wanted at least one outdoor ceremony, and the chapel on premises made it super convenient to have an outdoor Indian ceremony and then switch to the chapel for the Western," says Sakshi.

In Bloom

Bentwood chairs and large florals at the altar called back to the property's outdoor gardens.

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Hand in Hand

In lieu of another religious ceremony, Sakshi and Matt asked his grandfather to read a blessing and a prayer, and then invited a friend to lead them through a hand-fasting ceremony, where, says the bride, "we got to actually 'tie the knot' with three cords."

A Wild Welcome

Garden trellises, concrete planters, and climbing florals created a three-piece entry sign and escort display as guests entered the reception space.

Cheers!

Sakshi and Matt drew inspiration for their signature cocktails—a classic gin and tonic, called the "Gin and Teeny," and an "Earl Grey Lemonade" made with tea, lemon, simple syrup, and vodka—from their beloved cats, Teeny and Earl Grey. A small table set up next to the elaborate bar allowed guests to scan the menu before ordering.

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In the Garden

Soaring windows provided natural light to accent the room's architectural details, while oversized florals on the floor and tables showed off the couple's love of plants. "Our favorite activities together involve building and growing our garden and a lot of inspiration in my life and business come from garden design and botanicals," says Sakshi. "I wanted it to feel like you were stepping into a lush garden."

Petal Power

Moss-colored linens backed floral-edged chargers, centerpieces in marble vessels, and fresh petals scattered on top of the vellum-overlay menus. Small boxes held candles in the couple's favorite scent.

Grown with Love

Sakshi and Matt also sent their guests home with small packets of seeds, displayed in custom envelopes that matched the invitation suite and secured on small flower frogs.

Golden Touch

Glass cloche display cases held calligraphed table numbers surrounded by fresh flowers, leaves, and berries.

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Reading Rainbow

The couple incorporated their love of books into their decor by using small, vintage hardbacks to anchor centerpieces of peach, mauve, and pink flowers in petite bud vases.

Just Dessert

A round table dressed in muted green linens displayed the three-tier chocolate mousse, strawberry, and cream cake from Palermo's Bakery in front of a stunning installation of flowers over the fireplace.

Ready to Celebrate

Sakshi and Matt chose "Can't Help Falling in Love" for their first dance. "I just really love that song and every time I listen to it, it feels so romantic and timeless," says the bride. For the newlyweds, sharing the day with their family and friends provided the most memorable moments. "It was so special to have everyone we loved together at one place, and it almost felt surreal—friends who have been with me since I was in kindergarten meeting friends from college, and cousins from both sides of the family hanging out and getting along," says Sakshi. "I think the best part of the entire thing for me was seeing how excited everyone was to celebrate with us—a light after almost two long years of waiting and isolation."

Sources

Photography, Michelle Lange Photography
Venue and Catering, Park Chateau Estate and Gardens
Event Planning, Amorette Events Co.
Flowers, Blue Pansy Floral Design Co.
Videography, Bilski Productions
Stationery, Inquisited (design); Czar Press and Mingo Press (printing)
Cake, Palermo's Bakery
Music, M4U Events
Rentals, Dovetail Rentals; Glam Party Rentals
Bride's Lehenga, Nazranna
Bride's Accessories, Erin Rhyne hair piece; Bella Belle shoes; Something Bleu shoes
Hair, JC Hair Design
Makeup, Beauty on Location
Bridesmaids' Dresses, Lord & Taylor
Groom's Attire, Manyavar; Men's Wearhouse
Menswear, The Black Tux
Bride's Gown Alterations, Belle Atelier
Engagement Ring, Oore Jewelry
Favors, Lauren Redmon Design Co
Lasercut Signage, Elisa Anne Calligraphy
Mandap, Mandaps by Dhoom
Silk Ribbon, Cfleurs Design
Sugar Flowers, Mamie Brougitte Cakes
Watercolor Artwork, Floraison Design Co