Beautiful Irish Indian Fusion Wedding at Kew

Julie and Raj are with us today to share their beautiful Irish Indian fusion wedding at Kew Gardens in London, which was held on the 5^th July 2019. Their day was classic and timeless with a pale pink colour scheme and a wonderful fusion of their cultures. It was all so effortless and pretty.

Firstly they were married in the Nash conservatory and they then celebrated in the breathtaking Orangery. Keeping everything simple and paired back allowed the light spaces to really do the talking. These two focused on delicate flowers, painted stationery and stylish attire for their wedding day style. They also added in some gorgeous touches such as the naked wedding cake and lots of live music to provide atmosphere and entertainment. Such a refined and elegant celebration of Julie and Raj’s love.

Jacob and Pauline provide these sensational shots and I cannot thank them both enough.

The Proposal

Raj booked us a weekend away in Nottingham, which is where we met while studying for our Master’s degree. We stayed in a lovely guest house called Langar Hall. After dinner one evening the waiter asked if we would like to have our drinks outside. I went out to see a pagoda set up with candles and champagne and that’s where he popped the question!

The Vision

We really wanted our wedding to be a reflection of our style but also incorporate both our cultures. Both Irish and Indian cultures are known for their love of a good wedding! It was actually really nice to be able to bring different traditions together as the whole day felt really unique and special.

The Planning Process

As we got engaged in the winter, we knew we needed to book the venue pretty quickly if we were to get married the following summer. We actually had the venue booked just two weeks after the proposal so it did feel like we dived in to planning mode super quick! We felt like we could relax a bit after that.

The Venue

The choice of venue was definitely the biggest decision for us, especially being as we are from two different countries. We did think about getting married in Ireland but we thought we would find it too challenging to organise a wedding remotely.

We both love Kew Gardens and we live really close to it. My Aunt also lives right next to it so I remember going there when I was a child when we visited from Ireland. I always thought it would be a gorgeous wedding venue but never actually thought I would end up getting married there.

It also ticked so many boxes too, like the fact that it was so close to the airport meant it was easily accessible for my side who were flying in from Ireland, some guests even flew in on the day itself. Raj grew up in West London too so it was also really easy for his family and friends. It was important to us that we didn’t lose any guests because of the location of the venue.

We had our ceremony in the Nash conservatory and reception in the Orangery which are both really beautiful, bright spaces.

After meeting with the Kew events team, we booked it straight away. We did see one other venue but I think at that stage we were already too emotionally invested in Kew!

Your Outfits & Accessories

My dress is from Golden Sash Bridal in Fulham. I didn’t really know what I wanted when it came to the dress as there were quite a few styles I liked that were all a bit different. I also was aware I needed to select a dress as I know how long they take to make so didn’t want to leave it too late. The dress I chose was probably only about the 10^th dress I tried on! I ended up redesigning quite a few elements like the neckline and the length of the train so I worked with one of their designers who made the dress again with those amendments. Raj’s sister Poonam lent me her veil as my ‘something borrowed’ while my earrings were a gift from Raj which I opened on the day.

Raj’s suit was from French Eye, and was a bespoke 3 piece suit he picked the fabric out himself. My little gift to him was a Tissot pocket watch to wear on the day.

Beauty

Bride’s hair and makeup was by the lovely Ausra at Kristina Gasperas.

The Readings & Music

We had a harpist for the ceremony and drinks reception. We chose ‘I Giorno’ as the entrance song as we both love Einaudi and it sounds beautiful on the harp. We also had Raj’s cousin play the dhol as we entered the reception and while we cut the cake which is always a great way to start a party.

For the reception our DJ, Malkit, did a great set infused with a bit of bhangra! We had some Bollywood themed dancers too to help the crowd get into the spirit and to show the Irish contingent a few moves.

We wanted something that felt meaningful but not cheesy. We came across some lovely excerpts, one from Wild Awake by Hilary T. Smith and one from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres. My brother also read a traditional Irish blessing which has always been one of my favourites.

Bridesmaids

I had been looking online for the bridesmaid’s dresses but couldn’t find anything that was quite right. Raj’s Mum took me to shopping and we found the bridesmaid dresses. They were the perfect colour and unlike traditional sarees did not require any expertise to wrap so were a more practical option for us. The only slight challenge was that as all my bridesmaids were in Ireland so I had to get them altered without them even trying them on. Luckily, they fit perfectly and the girls looked beautiful in them.

Your Photographer

Choosing the right photographer and videographer was definitely a really important aspect for us. I came across Jacob and Pauline on Instagram and thought Pauline’s style of photography was so beautiful and elegant and was so happy that she was available for our wedding. She did an amazing job and we couldn’t be happier with our wedding photos.

Your Filmmaker

We also found our Videographer, Andrei, on Instagram and thought his style was of videography was perfect for us. He was great to work with and put us at ease right away. Again, we were so delighted with the results.

The Details & Décor

There are so many lovely pictures of the Orangery online so it was great to see it styled differently and to gather some ideas and inspiration. We went for a theme of blush pink and floral for the day itself for other details like the wedding invitations and wedding app. It’s quite amazing how much time you can spend deliberating over small details like invites especially when there’s just so much choice! For the table decorations we went for tall vase floral centrepieces with pale pink roses and eucalyptus bouquets which matched the bride and bridesmaids’ bouquets. Instead of having bouquets on the remaining tables I bought little vases in different shapes from Ikea and our florist just added single blooms which meant we didn’t need as many flowers.

I had seen so many lovely printed canvas signs and seating plans on Pinterest and wanted to create something similar. I ended up buying a regular artist’s canvas and having the seating plan design printed on high quality paper which I then attached to the canvas which was a more cost-effective way to achieve the same effect.

We had a polaroid camera and some props beside our wedding book so guests could snap a few pics to add to their message which were lovely to read when we got back from our honeymoon.

The Cake

Our cake was from le Papillon Cakes. We went for a ‘naked’ cake decorated with fresh berries.

The Honeymoon

We decided to go for a ‘safari beach’ honeymoon as we wanted to try something that bit different from what we would normally do on holiday but also wanted some time to relax after the wedding. We stayed at the Sanctuary Makananye Safari lodge in South Africa which was a really special place. On our first tour, our guide spotted a Cheetah and asked us to follow him by foot through the bush to find her. He then encouraged us to go and sit next to the Cheetah for a picture which was slightly nerve-wracking! After the safari we travelled to Mauritius where we stayed in the St. Regis resort for a lovely relaxed week in the sun.

Memorable Moments

One of the stand out moments was the best man’s speech where Raj’s brother revealed he had the notebook that Raj used to write his own raps in as a teen, and then proceeded to rap one for the guests! Also, in true Irish wedding style, the night ended with the Irish guests partaking in a very energetic rendition of Riverdance.

Advice For Other Couples

I definitely recommend using a wedding app to collect your guests’ RSVPs and to share additional details about the day. It really takes the stress out of keeping track of your guests’ attendance and details such as dietary requirements. It also means you can save costs (and trees) by not having to print so much information on your invites.

I would also really recommend having both a photographer and a videographer if you can. We weren’t originally intending to have both but I am so glad we changed our minds. I feel like the day goes by so fast so it’s really nice to know you can watch it back and relive it all and I’m sure it will be a good laugh to watch it in the years to come.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Utterly divine.

Julie and Raj thank you both so much for sharing your exquisite wedding story with us today. If you’d like to see more multicultural wedding inspiration, we have many more stunning celebrations in our archives xo Lou