Beautiful Fusion Indian Wedding in an Irish Castle: Lindsay + Miten
When you think of fairytale weddings, ‘Disney’ typically springs to mind, perhaps Harry and Meghan or even Kate and Wills. Most recently though, our hearts were fluttering when we came across Lindsay and Miten’s beautiful Indian fusion wedding in Ireland. Having lived abroad in Ireland for a few years, I just couldn’t decline the offer to feature their magical wedding.
Every detail was picture perfect. No less is expected of course when you get married at one of the world’s best hotels. Lindsay and Miten’s cross cultural wedding took place at the 800 year old Irish castle, Ashford Castle in true fairytale style.
First dates and more thereafter
Lindsay and Miten first crossed paths at a friend’s birthday party. The two of them at the time were living in different cities though, Lindsay in California and Miten in Washington. At that point, a long distance relationship didn’t seem feasible.
A week later though, Miten’s friend decided to play matchmaker telling the both of them on separate instances, that they were interested in each other.
“Miten called me, and I assumed he was so smitten that he had asked for my number from Jon. It turns out, Miten had introduced Jon to his wife ten years prior, and Jon decided to play matchmaker and return the favor. Jon told Miten I was interested in Miten, and Jon told me Miten was interested in me. After a series of very unusual dates, where Miten tagged along to awkward, pre-scheduled work events, I was sure Miten would never contact me again. But, after some cancelled meetings in New York a few weeks later, I returned to Washington D.C. and we have been together ever since.”
The proposal was a memorable affair, with Miten popping the question to Lindsay under the Norther Lights in Finland.
“We got engaged under the Northern Lights in an igloo in Kakslautanen, Lapland, Finland after a day of winter snow fun, ice caves, and dog sledding.”
Fairytale Irish castle dreams
Lindsay lived in Ireland for a few years herself, and so she was absolutely certain on the idea of having a dreamy Irish castle wedding. What she didn’t anticipate though, was having an Indian wedding ceremony.
“I always knew that I wanted to get married in a castle in Ireland, specifically, Ashford Castle, but apart from that, I did not have any ideas about the wedding ceremony or party.
I assumed that once I met my match, the details should reflect us as a couple, and so would become obvious while we planned the event together.”
With Miten coming from a Gujarati background though, Lindsay stated that it was perfect and true reflection of both heritages and background. She couldn’t have pictured a better day.
“It felt so perfect and true to my family now, that I can’t imagine it having been any different today!”
The venue was the driving force behind choosing their October wedding date. Ashford Castle is one of the most exclusive venue’s in Europe and only holds a few weddings during the calendar year. Lindsay and Miten had to book 18 months in advance to get their desired wedding date.
Bolly-good fun
It was so lovely to see Lindsay and Miten choose a multi-cultural and colourful theme for all of their festivities. Every aspect of their Indian fusion wedding was impeccably put together by their talented team of wedding professionals from Ireland, UK and India.
The festivities began with a vibrant Sangeet function under a beautiful marquee space in the gardens, bringing Bollywood to Ireland.
Indian catering and event specialists, Coriander Group transformed their space into a Delhi street market with delectable Indian food and vibrant entertainment.
“Our Sangeet had an Indian street market theme. All the food was cooked in live stations that mimicked the street stalls of India. We had Bollywood dancers and extravagant lights, water features, music, Dhol players, bhangra music, and more.
Palletized furniture, Bollywood posters, bright fabric pillows/cushions, and market-inspired food stalls helped to create an incredibly fun, bright, and energetic environment in the “secret” Tollman garden in front of the beautiful fountain.”
Must say, that we absolutely love how Lindsay and Miten opted for muted tones for the remaining events. Whilst the sangeet was one great big, atmospheric Bollywood party, the ceremony and reception were more subdued, classy affairs.
Bride Lindsay states that the wedding didn’t necessarily have a defined theme.
“The idea was to highlight the contrast between the bright, vibrant colors of an Indian wedding and the traditional garments worn during the ceremony, against the muted yet regal backdrop of Ashford Castle.”
The couple wed according to Gujarati traditions with their pheras taking place under a stunning Indo-fusion mandap, beautifully styled and coordinated by Waterlily Weddings.
With 2 days of Indian celebrations, the festivities wrapped up with an elegant white and green Irish reception party.
Bella Botanica created beautiful rustic, natural floral centerpieces and a floral arch to complement the surroundings.
Honestly though, that hand-painted wedding cake is what caught our eye! A wonderful reflection of the natural Irish greenery.
Photographer, Rob captured some gorgeous shots of Lindsay and Miten around the grounds of Ashford Castle, and he also took the couple of the famous Cliffs Of Moher.
Colours to reflect cultures
Lindsey and Miten’s wedding trousseau was equally as impressive. Stylists, Styl By Meha were responsible for styling the whole bridal party.
“We had the most incredible stylist, Meha, who helped us shop throughout Delhi for our wedding outfits. We could not have done it without her. She took our vision, and helped us find designers who could literally custom design and manufacture all of our garments. She managed the production, collection, and shipping. Living so far away, we could not have managed the process without her.”
The couple made a family trip out of it and ventured out to Delhi with Meha. Lindsey felt that it was important to have a local with knowledge of latest Indian fashion trends, so Meha was there to guide them along every step.
“We wanted to shop in India because Miten was born in India, and we went with his family to make an occasion of it. We had such a great time shopping as a family, revisiting India after many years, and really did not have any problems. The process was so much fun, and Meha turned a dream into a fairytale!”
Both bride and groom wanted to somehow incorporate the colours of India and Ireland in their outfits.
“Outfits for the bridesmaids and groomsmen were inspired by the Irish and Indian flags. We wanted to infuse the green and orange into the outfits but we didn’t want the colors to be too dark or “obvious.” We began by looking at emerald green and a few different shades of orange but ultimately decided that a lighter, softer look would be best for the environment.
The pastel/mint green for the bridesmaids was perfect and the light orange-coral popped on the groomsmen.
For myself, I had something bold and bright for the sangeet. In contrast, for the wedding day, I chose to opt for muted tone, so I chose an off-white base for the lehenga, light metallic golds and silver zari embroidery and bead work and coral and green.
All of my accessories were inspired by the colours of Ireland so I had a combination of emerald green and diamonds.”
Miten’s sherwani suit was light blue with silver and white embroidery made to ever so slightly contrast Lindsay’s gorgeous lehenga.
Following the wedding, Lindsay wore a classic Oscar de La Renta bridal gown, with simple lines and dramatic backline.
“Although impossible to believe, I had already selected my wedding gown, but I found my mother’s diary after she passed away, and she had selected the very same dress for my special day. The most exciting moment for me was when I got to wear the cathedral veil from Carolina Herrera. I decided to wear my Indian jewellery set from the Hindu ceremony with the dress.”
Lindsay was inspired by Cleopatra and the golden era of Hollywood, so her talented hair and makeup artist created a glamorous look for her.
Special moments from their Indian fusion wedding
Surprisingly, Lindsay and Miten were quite fortunate to have had blue skies for their entire celebration. For anyone who has traveled to Ireland before, we know all too well that 95% of the days are wet!
“The entire day was memorable. I’ve never seen a more beautiful day in Ireland, including blue skies. Unheard of in October! The castle, lake, and surroundings could not have looked more beautiful.”
It wouldn’t be a fairytale Indian wedding without an epic bridal party. Lindsay had 6 bridesmaids by her side. With her mother not being around, it meant the world to her.
“I had six bridesmaids. All my best friends. Two girlfriends from San Francisco, and four girlfriends from my LLM in Ireland. Since my mother passed away not long before the wedding, it was so important to have my best friends stand beside me on the special day. They really are my family. Miten’s sisters and their daughters also played a big part on the day. Miten had seven of his best friends from childhood and college, and was joined with his brother’s in law as well. Most important to the both of us though, was having our young boy, Rohan join us in the procession and ceremony. He really stole the show!”
The supportive team
In the beginning, Lindsay faced some personal setbacks, in particular the recent passing of her mother and her father’s illness.
However, she had nothing but praise for all who were involved in making her Indian fusion wedding dreams come true. It takes a village, and Lindsay and Miten’s crew pulled off a magnificent celebration for them.
“Michelle of Waterlily Weddings, the wedding planner, was incredible at managing the logistics. Meha of course was a genius at helping pull together the clothing, favors, and Indian elements for the ceremony even when we couldn’t return to India to complete the shopping process!”
“We had to import everything, from the caterers, the priest, the clothing, the wine and the guests. All the vendors were on different time zones actually which made the coordinating particularly complicated. In the end though, the event was magical.”
African dreams
Lindsay and Miten chose Africa as their honeymoon destination.
“We went to Tanzania on Safari to see the great animal migration, Zanzibar, and Seychelles. We wanted to take a trip that we would not likely have the opportunity to take again in terms of distance, time away, and uniqueness. It was other worldly and an incredible trip of a lifetime.”
Happy endings
After a soul-stirring celebration in the surroundings of an Irish castle, Lindsay couldn’t be happier about her gorgeous Indian fusion wedding.
“Make sure to follow your vision, and do not let anyone influence you away from the day you and your future spouse want. At the end of the day, the wedding should be a reflection of the couple, and not the rest of the family. Don’t worry about small details going awry as something will go wrong. Just enjoy all of the things that went well and no one will likely notice if something doesn’t turn out as you expected.”
A huge thank you to Lindsay and her wonderfully talented photographer, Rob for sharing all the beautiful details from the wedding.
SUPPLIERS
Photography – EPIC LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY // Videography – STORY OF EVE // Venue – ASHFORD CASTLE // Décor and florals – WATERLILY WEDDINGS, STYL BY MEHA and BELLA BOTANICA// Stationery – Designed by the bride, art by SWISS COTTAGE DESIGNS // Catering – CORIANDER GROUP // Cake – CUPCAKES AND COUNTING // DJ/Entertainment – CORIANDER GROUP // Celebrant – BRAMACHARI SHARAN // Bride’s outfits and accessories – STYLE BY MEHA (Wedding) and OSCAR DE LA RENTA/CAROLINE HERRERA (Reception) // Bride’s shoes – BAGDLEY MISCHKA and JIMMY CHOO // Hair and Makeup – NATALIE O’BRIEN and COLLETTE COSTELLO // Mehndi – HENNA BY YAMINI // Groom’s outfits – STYLE BY MEHA and LALIT LAUNGANI // Rings – Heirloom diamond from bride’s mother, rings designed by bride, manufactured by GIREAUX JEWELERS // Bridesmaids outfits – STYLE BY MEHA // Groomsmens outfits – STYLE BY MEHA
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