After dating for eight long years, most of it long-distance, this bride and groom......
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| Aditya |
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| Neeharika |
decided to tie the knot at Sonoma’s Garden Pavilion to give their friends and family a little taste of California. Everyone pitched in to create the couple’s dream wedding and the end result was beautiful
The Venue
Oo la la, the wedding venue was absolutely stunning!! It was very private, intimate and you can't beat that you get the venue for three days with the option to rent the big beautiful Victorian house that comfortably sleeps 12 adults. It's perfect for a wedding that's at 100+ capacity.
Not only was it gorgeous with trees, lawns and flowers, it had the backdrop of the vineyard. The wedding felt homey and comfortable. The venue helped set the tone and provided the ambiance for the relaxed, casual celebration
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The Poonal and Mehendi
As a precursor to wedding ceremonies the Poonal or Janeu came first, the makeshift Pandit taking his own time arranging things but taking very little time in converting Aditya into a Brahmin fit for higher responsibility in life.
I wouldn't put the blame on the Pandit.Aditya felt he was losing precious time before the Mehendi function when all his friends and more importantly the caterers would arrive to start the festivities going.
The Dosas were quite a hit,the guy barely coping with the orders and was recalled at least once after he had packed up.
Many guests took an evening stroll at the vineyards and it was clicketyclick all around.The evening was very pleasant and the Whites and Reds helped to achieve the heady pleasure.
The Wedding
Next afternoon we started with Baraat. A simple affair without the horse and without those guys dancing their heart out throwing money etc. Aditya was given a traditional welcome to the dais followed by Neeharika who was escorted by her sister.
The ceremony followed,the Pandit blowing the conch shell, and they were married quite quickly with the bride taking the mangala sutra around her neck...3 knots to the sound of Getti Melam followed by maang- me - sindoor and saath pheras.
The heaven showered its choicest blessing on the couple and so did the folks...smothering them with Akshadai (Rice mixed with Haldi) and they were ready to ride away into the sunset.
The Reception
The thirsty crowd was gathering for Cocktails/Reception and making a bee-line for drinks and snacks.Lots of Beer and Wine flowed from the Bars that were set up on the lawn and for the teetotalers, Mango lassi was the unanimous choice.
The talk centered around the traffic jam outside on Rt 37 and who will drive back home? Nevertheless they all enjoyed the evening as the new couple made their grand entrance from the bridal suite and over the small bridge on to the lawns.
The Dinner
The couple mingled with the guests for a while and before long the dinner gong was sounded and we had to troop in and take our appointed stations inside.The dining area was well arranged and decorated and was packed to capacity.
We had such a blast celebrating with our extended family,in-laws and friends.Hilarious and heartwarming toasts followed and to conclude Aditya sang a great thankyou song.
After a Dinner relished by all,we crowded the dance floor and the DJ went berserk and got all to shake and dance to glory
The Finale
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1 comment:
I am still receiving compliments from all our guests. The food at the best team building activities was delicious from appetizer to dessert. The manger and his staff were extremely professional.
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