We are so excited to be sharing the gorgeous Jewish-Hindu wedding of our beloved Brides Club with Smashing The Glass member Sara to Deevakar! Like so many couples over the past few years Sara and Deevakar’s planning journey was filled with lots of ups and downs and uncertainty due to the pandemic – but in the end, they pulled off the fairy tale Indian wedding of their dreams – and it is just BEYOND!
From the start, the couple knew it was important to them to honor both of their backgrounds – Sara’s Russian-Jewish and Deevakar’s Indian-Hindu – and they planned the most beautiful interfaith wedding honoring both religions, and highlighting the many commonalities between the two. The wedding was a two-day extravaganza, filled with so many beautiful rituals, delicious food, and, of course, lots of music and dancing! Don’t miss the stunning images from Dhaarna Bhola Photography.
We’re so touched by Sara’s kind words about how valuable Brides Club was to her during the planning stages: “The ladies in Brides Club helped a lot with moral support. I didn’t have bridesmaids, and yet I felt completely supported by the lovely women in the group. From brainstorming creative ideas, to being able to share my planning anxieties, Brides Club had my back. My wedding wasn’t the traditional, cookie cutter Western Jewish wedding I was used to seeing, but because Brides Club is made up of all different types of women who also plan Jew-ish weddings, I didn’t feel alone.”
Sara also used her Brides Club discount to purchase her gorgeous ketubah from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor ketubah.com. Designed by artist Shell Rummel, it depicts two colorful, intertwined circles – a design Sara and Deevakar picked for the way it beautifully represents their marriage and life together – aww!
Now over to Sara…
How we Met
Sara, the bride: Deevakar and I met in Chicago, USA, and currently live in an apartment overlooking the Chicago River. I’m from Boston, MA, USA and Deevakar is from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. Our love of family and similar cultures (Russian-Jewish and Indian-Hindu) bonded us. We got married in July 2020 in a minimony. We had a city hall wedding, and a small barbeque at Sara’s family’s home in Newton, MA. We finally had our religious ceremonies in New Delhi, India—both Jewish and Hindu. It was a large, fun-filled, two-day celebration, which melded the two cultures in food, music, and rituals.
An Indian Wedding
Because we had a two-day celebration, we had a few venues. Our first event was a small function with a Haldi (turmeric) ceremony and brunch with immediate family. In India, most families live in a joint family, also known as a multi-generational home. Deevakar’s brother and sister-in-law’s joint family home in Noida, India hosted the intimate celebration. We chose the garden and patio area, and the sun was just perfect on that day.
Later that night, we had the equivalent of a rehearsal dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn Saket in New Delhi, India. We fused two Indian traditions together. We had a Mehendi (henna) function, as well as a Sagai (engagement). As per tradition, we got religiously engaged the night before the wedding. Deevakar’s side of the family gifted me family heirlooms, and it was very special. The Mehendi was dynamite, Mehendi Art by Arpit’s team is incredibly talented.
Anyone at the event could get henna done, and the bride traditionally has the most elaborate designs. I chose mine carefully. I had the Chicago skyline depicted on one arm, and the Boston skyline drawn on the other. Other henna symbols I included were a Hamsa, elephants, and flowers.
The next day, Sunday, was our wedding day. We had our wedding outdoors, in a fair-like set up at Mallu Farms in South Delhi. Our wedding “fair” had a reflecting pool at the center, where Deevakar and I did a public Bedeken and subsequently Jai Mala (exchange of floral garlands), complete with fire sparkler fountains. We also had a stage with a throne – a staple in Indian weddings. We did many rituals there including the cake cutting. We had a dining bungalow, as well as tables sprinkled throughout. Unlike in Western weddings, there is no assigned seating.
Guests were free to roam around, and throughout the night, the ongoing culinary experience consisted of both buffet and waiters. We had two outdoor lounges and one bar, and our dance floor and DJ was positioned underneath a beautiful tree canopy. Our Chuppah was also a Mandap, since both Jewish and Hindu religions have a wedding canopy. We decided to use the same structure for both ceremonies. It was intimately set in the corner, surrounded by greenery and couches for anyone who wanted to watch.
Mallu Farms was the perfect venue, and we can’t thank them enough for the incredible work they did. It was a one-stop shop—venue, catering, decoration, production, and entertainment. What furthered our decision to book Mallu Farms was that it quickly became a family favorite. Our cousin got married in the same location a few days prior. It was perfect.
What ‘Smashing The Glass Brides Club’ Did For Us
The ladies in Brides Club helped a lot with moral support. I didn’t have bridesmaids, and yet I felt completely supported by the lovely women in the group. From brainstorming creative ideas, to being able to share my planning anxieties, Brides Club had my back. My wedding wasn’t the traditional, cookie cutter Western Jewish wedding I was used to seeing, but because Brides Club is made up of all different types of women who also plan Jew-ish weddings, I didn’t feel alone. I also gained so much insight from other’s posts. I am cheering everyone on, and can’t wait to see how all the weddings are turning out!
The one STG vendor that I used was ketubah.com. They have a beautiful selection.
Theme
We went with traditional, Indian themes. For our yellow-themed Haldi Saturday morning, we worked with Siddarth Jain from Twinklers Events. We told him to do anything he wished, and wow did he deliver. The garden was transformed into a bright, uplifting wonderland. Twinklers Events was also our decorator (and production) for the Mehendi night.
We wanted an orange and silver theme. We juxtaposed orange marigold flowers with shiny disco balls. Our cake for that night was also orange with pink flowers. The vibe was fun and relaxed; I painted Deevakar’s face in frosting during cake cutting, and our cousin sprayed champagne over us. It was crazy and amazing.
Our wedding day had a regal, light pink theme. The in-house decorator at Mallu Farms, The Wedding Dreams, suggested light pink and cream to match our outfits. We had cascading pink drapery, a fountain, and candles illuminating the entrance. The whole venue was sprinkled with light pink, white, and green florals, candles, white paper lanterns, white floral umbrellas, and shiny crystals. The grounds’ lighting was soft and neutral, while the DJ’s colorful lights bounced off the crystals hanging on the tree canopy above the dance floor.
Invitations / stationery
Given that we invited guests from all over the world, we opted for digital invites from Paperless Post. They have a beautiful Indian wedding section, and we chose a hot pink and gold theme to evoke excitement for the modern and royal feel of our two-day celebration.
Hair + Make-up
For the Haldi, I did my own makeup, and put my hair back, knowing that I would be covered in turmeric paste and flowers soon!
For both the night before and the wedding day, I hired Navneet Bindra Makeup for my makeup and hair. She also did my mom’s look for both nights. For the Mehendi night, my look was dramatic and red-carpet ready. For the bridal look, I wanted to feel more in my own skin. We went with a natural look. I loved it.
Dress
When visiting NYC for a friend’s wedding, Deevakar and I had some time to kill before our flight back to Chicago. We decided to go to NYC’s Little India—Jackson Heights, Queens. We thought I could just try some wedding outfits, to see how Indian dresses fit on me. The first shop we went inside was Zahra. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a fabric with cream and pink sparkly crystals. I had to see what this fusion fabric was (fusion because pink and red are traditional North Indian colors, and cream and white is traditional for Western brides).
I tried the skirt on, and immediately felt like a bride. However, we didn’t buy it. Instead, we went to almost every shop in a one mile radius. Of course though, as with all special dresses, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. We had to go back to Zahra. Sure enough, we bought it. It arrived in our apartment, hand stitched and tailored, two weeks later. We also added a pink dupatta (shawl) layered over my lehenga. My sister-in-law designed this dupatta. She had it custom dyed and stitched to match my outfit. I’m so grateful to her, I felt like a queen.
We bought all the other outfits in New Delhi right before the wedding at a shop called Westside.
Accessories
For our exchange of rings under the Chuppah, we used the same wedding bands we were wearing for a year and a half, which came from Tiffany & Co. I picked out the Tiffany True design to go with my princess cut diamond ring. Deevakar chose a solid gold ring.
In the Hindu wedding ceremony, the groom gifts the bride a necklace made out of gold and black beads. The ritual is similar to the exchange of rings in Western ceremonies. For this necklace, I picked out a modern, gold, black, and solitaire diamond design that I liked. CaratLane custom made this necklace, and I’m forever grateful. I didn’t see it until the ceremony, and it was a truly special moment. I wear this necklace now every day, along with my wedding band.
My other accessories from the day were from Soni Sapphire, located in Delhi South Ex.
The handsome groom
Deevakar had all his outfits custom made in Delhi. We sent his measurements a few weeks before we arrived in India, and he picked up his outfits from Manyavar and Zameer & Sons in New Delhi, perfectly timed. His jewelry was also from Soni Sapphire. He looked like a king!
Ceremony
Our Jewish and Hindu ceremonies were super special to us. Jewish and Hindu wedding rituals are very similar. They both have circling seven times, they both have seven blessings, they both incorporate food and drink rituals, and they both are performed under a wedding canopy. We wanted to share these similarities by having separate ceremonies, however—having them back to back in the schedule, and of course, performing them under the same wedding canopy structure. We picked the design of this canopy from The Wedding Dreams’ design catalog at Mallu Farms.
What also made our wedding ceremonies unique to us, was not knowing the details of the rituals until we performed them. Our Jewish officiant was Mr. Ezekiel I. Malekar, the leader of the Jewish Community in New Delhi. Our Hindu officiants were picked by Deevakar’s family. Indian Jews have slightly different rituals than Ashkenazi Jews, as I am Ashkenazi. It was exciting and exhilarating learning about these interesting rituals.
For example, a new Jewish ritual for me was dropping my wedding ring in wine with a thread. The Hindu ceremony involved flower petals, turmeric, rice, water, and fire. My favorite part of the Jewish ceremony was right at the end, when Mr. Ezekiel sang and clapped, and everyone joined in. Our Jew-ish wedding in New Delhi was not only embraced but loved. For both me and Deevakar, this acceptance of our interfaith marriage was huge. My mom calls our marriage a Havdalah candle—beautifully intertwined. She’s right.
Ketubah
Our ketubah design depicts two colorful, intertwined circles. We picked this design because we feel that it represents our marriage and our life. It was designed by Shell Rummel. We bought it from ketubah.com with the STG Brides Club discount.
Our Music Choice
The music throughout the weekend was a combination of Indian wedding drums, Hindi Bollywood songs, Pujabi Pop, Hindi Pop, and American Pop. I had three entrances given our unique schedule. For the entrance right before our Bedeken, my parents accompanied me in a walk through the middle of our venue to the Israeli song ‘Chayim Sheli’ by Eden Ben Zaken. When the song first came out in 2019, before Deevakar and I were even engaged, I would listen to the song, and dream of marrying him.
Photographer and videographer
I took picking out a photographer and videographer very seriously, as I am artistic myself, and value good work. We chose Dhaarna Bhola Photography for both photography and videography. First off, #womanowned. Also, I saw that Dhaarna’s work captured the emotions and small moments in a wedding, something that both Deevakar and I wanted to keep memories of. It was such a pleasure working with Dhaarna and her team on the day. She knew how to make us feel at ease and special at the same time.
Food and Cake
For our intimate Haldi event, Deevakar’s father sourced the Indian food catering from Malhotra Kitchen Point. Hands down, they had the best Gulab Jamun dessert I have ever had.
For both our Mehendi and Wedding events, we continued the Indian wedding tradition of the most amazing culinary experiences, with a fusion twist. The Hilton Hotel’s chef especially made Russian Salad in honor of my father, who is from the former Soviet Union. I asked for pizza bites to be handed out at our wedding at Mallu Farms, to honor my love of American pizza. Some of my favorite Indian food staples were shahi paneer and dal makhani.
Entertainment
Indian weddings are all about music and dancing. We were always dancing! Having drummers and a DJ both nights was a very “us” decision.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
One piece of advice that I received that helped me, was to realize that your wedding is as much if not more about all the memories planning than the actual day. The day is one day. The planning could be months. There are so many opportunities to get jazzed up about the wedding during those times too!
I would also suggest to be as researched and informed as possible, but when push comes to shove, let it go. I imagined our decorations for our wedding to a T. When I found out that our venue only had certain options, I needed to give up control. Once I did, I realized I was living a fairytale wedding, even better than I could have ever planned myself.
SARA & DEEVAKAR’S LITTLE WHITE BOOK
Photography + Videography – Dhaarna Bhola Photography
Ketubah – ketubah.com {offers 10% discount to all members of Smashing The Glass’s Brides Club}
Venue – Mallu Farms
Rehearsal Dinner Venue – Hilton Garden Inn Saket
Bride’s Dresses – Westside, Zahra in Jackson Heights, NY
Jewelry – Tiffany & Co., Carat Lane, Soni Sapphire
Groom’s attire – Zameer & Sons, Manyavar
Hair + Makeup – Navneet Bindra Makeup
Wedding DJ and Production – In house, Mallu Farms
Cakes – The Vanilla Grace
Rabbi – Mr. Ezekiel I. Malekar
Drummers and Baraat Horse – Deepak Band, Surya Nagar Ghaziabad, UP
Mehendi Artist – Mehendi Art by Arpit
Invitation – Paperless Post
Catering – Mallu Farms
Haldi Catering – Malhotra Kitchen Point
Haldi and Mehendi Décor – Twinklers Events
Wedding Décor – The Wedding Dreams
Guest Gifts – Shyam Sweets, The Wrapping Studio
If you’re a Jewish or Jew-ish bride-to-be, you’ll want to join Smashing The Glass’ Brides Club. Guided by the world’s number 1 Jewish wedding expert, Karen Cinnamon, Brides Club is the private community for Jewish and Jew-ish brides that removes wedstress and indecision and gives you what you need to plan with confidence during these uncertain times. Join our Brides Club here.
