Where do I even start with this one?

Ever since I first met this couple we became instant friends.  Many many hours were spent with all 3 of us planning, tasting, touring, crafting, crafting and crafting some more.  They are such a joy to be around . . . maybe that’s why we double date now with mu hubby!

Here’s an AMAZING wedding so full of family and love . . . These two have such tight bonds with the people in their lives it was just touching to be around.

Congrats guys!!!

{Liz and Kaushik}
7.21.12
Fairview Park & The Yacht Club on Lake Union

Henna!!! What Indian wedding would be complete without this?  Liz had a henna party a few days before, it was so fun! I even got a little henna on my arm:)

The programs made by the bride and groom . . .
Yessie from Yessie Makeup Artistry working her magic as always
I am so proud of this bouquet! The colors were so fun to work with:)
One of my favorite shots . . .

Liz had on her Mother’s ring around her neck.  
We all know that her mom was there at the wedding, watching from above and she had the best seat in the house.

One of the flower girls Parker! Look at that smile:)

Waiting for the ceremony . . . hiding above everyone above a secret entrance!

And the groom Kaushik!
What a gorgeous day it was, the sun came out just in time for the ceremony!

Father of the bride
How cute are the little people in their Indian attire??
Ceremony time!

And the Best Man and Maid of Honor . . .

And . . . . here comes the bride! This park is so neat, and that entrance is pretty amazing!

(Their expressions!)

The henna candles

The vows . . .

The Kiss!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Sheth!

HA!

Sister love! 
Caitlin you were a fabulous Maid of Honor and such a great help throughout the planning! 

Annnnnnnd to the party we go!


We had so much fun with the bright colors for the decor! 
Liz, Kaushik, myself and family made and hand stamped all of the menus.
Liz’s sister and now brother in law made all of the gold dusted chocolate elephant pops.
All of the lanterns were painted fun colors.
LOVE color at weddings:)

Even the cake had henna on it (Mike’s Amazing Cakes)

One of the craft nights we had for the wedding was also a cocktail tasting.  SO FUN!
Liz’s brother is a bartender and so they had some fun options for a “his” and “her” cocktail.  Both were popular ALL night long! “hard knock wife” and a “wedding smasher”.  Delicious!

“The Guestbook”
This was a super creative canvas painted by Liz’s good friend Darcy.  Pretty amazing peacock, right?!

I mean look at the detail!

Best toasts ever! Each speech either had everyone in tears or in belly laughter

The First Dance

The Sangeet!!!
Oh my goodness what a way to start the party off right!
Their friends had choreographed and planned several songs along with performances. 
SO MUCH FUN! I have decided every wedding needs one of these:)

AND dancing!

The planner (me) and the photographer (Sean) being goofy after a long day
as were others . . .

“Dhanyawaad” means Thank You! SO great to embrace both cultures.

How did the sister catch the bouquet, wait was that on purpose??? 🙂

AND the winner of the garter!

(How amazing is Affinity Photography?!)

This was a wedding I will never ever forget, and I hope friends that will last:)
Congrats you two, I know this will be a truly genuine and great marriage!!!

Happy Anniversary
(and see you at the next happy hour!)

From the bride:

Our vision for our wedding was a celebration that combined our American and Indian cultures. We were joining families from opposite sides of the globe, and it was important to us to bring together elements from each other’s heritage. We actually had two wedding ceremonies; our first Hindu temple ceremony was two days before our American ceremony. Prior to our wedding, I had a henna party with my bridesmaids; my bridal mehndi took more than 3 hours to apply!

With the help of a wedding planner, we planned our wedding in about 7 months. Of course our décor theme was Indian, which meant LOTS of color! We focused on deep red and purple, with accents of marigold and teal. To keep our budget in check, we went the DIY route wherever we could! We had a few family get-togethers with assembly lines for stamping and embossing countless invitations and menus. As a cheaper alternative to flowers, we used lanterns as centerpieces and spray painted them purple, red, and gold. For our favors, we made chocolate elephant pops and dusted them with gold powder. It was fun adding our own personal touches wherever we could! One of our favorite details was making table numbers with Hindi characters. Additionally, my brother created two Indian inspired cocktails that were a big hit; we also bought our favorite Indian label beer to offer guests.

Although we never thought we would risk an outdoor ceremony in Seattle, we liked the idea of a separate but nearby ceremony site outdoors. We found a small park on Lake Union that gave us a private and intimate atmosphere. The lake offered a beautiful backdrop for wedding portraits and the reception site was only a five minute walk down the street. Although the clouds were looming the morning of our wedding, the sun broke through just before I walked down the aisle!

Our reception was an absolute blast! The highlight of the night was the Sangeet performed by our friends. A Sangeet is a traditional part of the Indian wedding festivities where friends of the bride perform choreographed dances. Our guests had so much fun cheering them on, and it was a fun surprise to those who had never seen one! Everyone had fun dancing to Bollywood music until the end of the night.

I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day. We truly enjoyed ourselves, and our guests had a lot of fun. There are always details that don’t quite come together in the end (which nobody will ever notice but you!), but when the day comes, just relax and enjoy the day. What I’ll remember most are the people and emotions we felt celebrating the creation of our new family. A wedding should be an expression of the couple and it’s a joy sharing that with those you love most!”

The team:
CEREMONY VENUE: FairviewPark
RECEPTION VENUE/CATERING:   TheYacht Club on Lake Union           
PLANNER/COORDINATOR: Simplyby Tamara Nicole
PHOTOGRAPHY: AffinityPhotography
OFFICIANT: Pastor Clint Sams
DJ: DJ VJ
xoxo