Real Weddings: Stephanie & Subhir's Multicultural Wedding
This blog was originally created by Madeleine Villa.
Their love for boy bands is what brought them together, but it was their love for each other that led them to tie the knot in a gorgeous multicultural wedding. Check out how Stephanie and Subhir’s multicultural wedding combined both their families' traditions to create a stunning day for all to enjoy and how Henkaa played a part!
Could you tell us a little about the two of you?
I work in the communications field for the federal government. My main job is event planning, which was very helpful when planning our wedding! Subhir is a real estate agent and developer for his family’s business.
We met through mutual friends at an ugly sweater holiday party in December 2014. We connected over our shared love of boy bands (namely *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys) and danced the night away. After that night we were head over heels for each other, and have been inseparable ever since!
We love having fun and experiencing new things together. We’re always travelling, hitting the gym together, visiting new restaurants, going to concerts and shows, and checking out festivals and other events wherever we go. We also have two fur babies (cats) named Sammy and Gizmo.
Who proposed, could you recall the moment?
Subhir proposed to me at our favourite weekend getaway spot, the Fairmont Chateau Montebello. Usually we go for a special occasion, but he told me he won a free night at a silent auction - which was all a ruse for his proposal.
After we finished dinner, the waiter brought over an envelope and handed it to me. Weird, right? I opened it, and inside was a book with all of our “firsts” and inside jokes. Subhir pulled his chair up beside me, and I started bawling my eyes out (they were tears of joy) because I knew what was happening.
As I looked at each page, Subhir talked about all of the amazing memories we had made together. By the time I got to the end of the book, he was down on one knee with a ring. I was sobbing so much I could barely say “YES”! Afterwards, the waiter brought over some champagne and a delicious dessert tray, but the tears wouldn’t stop and I couldn’t eat a single bite!
Could you describe your multicultural wedding day and how it came together?
We wanted to create a multicultural wedding celebration that brought both of our family’s cultures together, which also reflected us as a modern couple. Our decorator/day of coordinator and florist really helped bring our vision to life.
Our wedding venue was formerly a church, and my aunt read a few bible passages we chose at the beginning. Then we had a shortened (1 hour) Hindu wedding ceremony where we both wore traditional Indian wedding clothes. After the ceremony, we changed into a suit and white dress for the reception.
Our DJ had everyone dancing until the wee hours of the morning to everything from new pop music, boy band songs (our favourite), 80s jams, and Bollywood hits and classics. We all had the best time!
Can you recall your favourite moment or most memorable detail?
I was SO nervous right before my dad and I walked down the aisle. Not nervous to be marrying Subhir, but to be doing it in front of 180 of our friends and family (to me, that’s a lot of people!). My dad was so calm. He gave me a little pep talk and quietly talked to me as we were walking down the aisle, which really helped and was so sweet.
After the ceremony, while our guests were having drinks and snacks, Subhir and I were in a room getting ready for the reception. It was so wonderful having that quiet, peaceful time to chat, relax and enjoy being newly married.
Why did you choose Henkaa Convertible Dresses for your bridesmaids?
There are SO many decisions to be made during wedding planning, that I wanted the choice of bridesmaids dresses to be quick and easy. When I found Henkaa, I knew the dresses were perfect. All I had to do was pick the style (Sakura Infinity Dresses) and colour (burgundy wine). I left it up to my bridesmaids to decide how they wanted to tie them, that way they could be creative and feel their best.
They were also really affordable, and I knew my bridesmaids would be able to wear them again in the future (I've already re-worn my Henkaa convertible dress from a wedding I was a bridesmaid in). An even bigger bonus is that they are handmade in Canada - it's great supporting a Canadian business!
Fun fact: I ordered Henkaa dress fabric swatches and brought them on a trip to India to help with wedding shopping! The swatches helped us match my bridal lehenga, Subhir’s sherwani, and my sister’s sari to the Sakura Infinity Dresses in Burgundy Wine my bridesmaids wore.
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