#FirstPerson - "How I Planned My Cross-Culture Wedding!"

What happens when a half Kannadiga-half Sikh Punjabi plans to get married to a Kashmiri Pandit? Apart from a whole lot of fun, it's an insane mix of so many cultures. Imagine the level of fusion elements this wedding must've had! But is it easy to plan a cross-culture wedding? And what all goes behind one? We had too many questions to ask, so we decided to rope in our Real Bride, Raveena to spill some beans about how she planned her wedding! Over to Raveena for some valuable insights!

Their Story

"Karan and I met at a university of Southern California! We were doing our Masters in computer science and started off at best friends but eventually fell in love."

The Wedding Celebrations

"With him being a Kashmiri Pandit, and me, a half Kannadiga and half Sikh Punjabi, we had lots on our plate! And I was quite excited about the whole wedding planning drill.

We decided to fuse elements of the north and south that we enjoyed the most and that had most importance in our lives, as at the end of the day, we wanted it to be memorable for both our families! Every event had a bit of both north and south vibe.

We started the wedding festivities with a chappra Pooja which is reflective of my South roots. This is where we bless the house and call the Gods to bless the occasion. My Haldi was carried out after that in Punjabi style at my house with a dhol wala! Our local florist had done the decorations for the chappra, Haldi backdrop and Pooja flowers. 

The Mehendi was at ITC Windsor, and I wore a lehenga with a sleeveless coat by Seema Mehra and my earrings were from Raabta by Rahul. To keep it short, it was a very intimate and minimal affair.

The Sangeet was a perfect Bollywood night as we both love Bollywood and Salman Khan! I decided to wear a dazzling lehenga by Abhinav Mishra. The celebrations even had Jaggo (Punjabi tradition) and dance performances by the family! We couldn't stop grooving on the peppy hits played by DJ Hussain! 

The wedding was done in a traditional South Indian style at Ganjam Mantapa, Bangalore. The decor had a lot of yellow and orange flowers staying true to the South Indian essence. I wore a saree by Advaya from Angadi Silks (Psstt.. it's the Deepika Padukone wedding saree - one of the 5 pieces they made!). My dupatta was by Mysore Silk Udyog.
I decided to fuse my look by wearing choodas and kaleeras (Again what DP wore; by Ra Abta By Rahul) & Needledust juttis as they added a northern touch to the celebrations and my look! Karan also wore a traditional, silk kurta and dhoti from Vijaylakshmi Silks, Bangalore.

We also had an Anand Karaj at the gurudwara! And we enjoyed every bit of it. We did this for my mother, who couldn't have a gurudwara function as my parents eloped and got married. :D It was basically her dream to see me as a Punjabi bride!

And finally, there was a reception in Jammu, for Karan's extended family and friends!"

 "The beauty of having so many elements is the fact that you get to tap into all the different details that are a part of your personality, and it all came together beautifully! The only tip would be to start planning early to ensure there is enough time to set everything up! My parents were an amazing support system of course", adds Raveena!

Vendors: Photography & Videography - LightBucket Productions ; Decor - The Wedding Chimes; MUA - Ambreen Vikhar Makeup