Dreamy Modern Wedding Which Raised Money For Charity!
BY Latha Sunadh | 05 Oct, 2017 | 1636 views | 4 min read
Raising money at your wedding for charity is no mean feat and Ashwin and Anisha from Cinncinati did just that. Apart from that, we loved how interesting they made their wedding look and feel - every choice was a conscious one - choosing Anita Dongre who's into conservation, TOMS because it gives to charity and more. The fun elements were great too - an ice-cream truck and pretty decor! While Drees Pavilion at Devou Park as a venue gave this wedding a modern look, photography by Michael Bambino & Co. was a riot!
Meet Anisha & Ashwin
Ashwin called Anisha after receiving a tip from her dad. Anisha was established in her career and ready to settle down. She was interested in a guy in New York who owned a plane, but her curiosity was piqued by a 6'2'' doctor with family values. To clarify, Ashwin is 6'2'' and values family. Their first conversation was colored with shared experiences, favorite books, favorite destinations, and Anisha insisting repeatedly that she "knows what she wants". It was three hours, and in the end, Anisha closed their magical first encounter by asking "can I please see some more photos?".Thus began a facetime romance that was restricted to WiFi-only, pre-call and post-call. Three weeks after talking, Ashwin drove to Cincinnati and they met. Butterflies and more meetings. In September of 2016, on a sunny Saturday, they went to the Cincinnati Zoo. They ultimately ventured to the giraffe feeding platform and paid 3 bucks for a couple pieces of lettuce. As Anisha giddily turned to feed lettuce to a gentle giraffe, Ashwin descended to one knee and wordlessly offered her a gorgeous ring. She said it was fate. He said it was about damn time.
The Wedding
The Reception
From The Bride:
"We are so fortunate to have the family and friends that we do and we very quickly learned we have enough love and support to last us a lifetime. So, in lieu of receiving gifts or gifting tokens to our guests, we asked our guests to donate to 1 of 2 charities -Ashwin's choice - Pratham or my choice - the American Heart Association). Furthermore, we had some fun at the Reception and asked guests to place a token into a frame at the back of the room to place their vote for 1 of the 2 charities. The "winner" would receive all the additional gifts and a contribution from us. We raised over $20,000 for charity!! We are bound in humility and enjoy giving back, we hope other brides would be inspired to do similar.
Another cool thing is we are very supportive of conservation so our wedding stationery and paper-based decor were made from hand recycled paper (Xylem Papercraft). We chose Anita Dongre for our wedding attire because she supports conservation and utilizes green methods including equal and fair employment in designing and producing her clothing. TOMS is a brand, I love - so getting 1 (more) to give 1 to a child in need, was a no-brainer for us. Plus, the fun bits - we had an ice-cream truck and late night snacks and called it a day" says Anisha.
Vendors: Venue: Great American Ball Park (Sangeet), Drees Pavilion at Devou Park (Wedding) and The Hyatt Regency Hotel (Reception) Photographer: Michael Bambino & Co. (Michelle Jackson was the lead) Stationery & Invites: Xylem Papercraft and Rickshaw Recycle in Delhi Wedding Planner: Nidhi Bedi at A Bride's Mafia Decor: DJ & Lighting in decor by DJ Ice & Fresh; florist at Glendale Florist; decor by Entertainment Unlimited Productions; Photobooth by Framester Catering: Amar India Restaurant; Mango Tree and Gomez Salsa Videographer: Robert G. Films Cake: Dessertworks Cakery & Brij Mohan Jewellery: Surana Jewelers of Jaipur, my mother & both grandmother's jewelry & JKJ Jewelers of Jaipur Bride's Outfits: Sangeet & Wedding outfit by Anita Dongre ; Sabyasachi Mukherjee Groom's Outfits: Sangeet outfit by Vivek Narang; Wedding outfit by Anita Dongre ; Reception by Canali Accessories: Toms Shoes; Ferragamo shoes; Stuart Weiztman shoes
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