Mandy & Shomik Pathak
April 21, 2007
Our wedding day was one of the most incredible days of our lives...and we didn't spend a fortune!
What mattered most to us was that everything be personal...
My husband is from India, and I'm a Texas girl, so we made sure that our wedding reflected both of us.
So here's a few pics from our big day and some tips on how we both
saved money, and made the wedding uniquely us...
We married at our urban church...which is also both an art gallery,
a coffee shop, and a concert hall...so it was a very unique venue, but it totally fit us...
and as a bonus, it ended up being free!
One of our friends too the pics, and she has an amazing artistic touch!
She totally captured our personalities.
Our rings! The champagne diamond ring was my engagement ring,
but I decided it didn't need a wedding band with it...it stood on it's own...
We made the programs into scrolls with ribbon tied around it and put them in a trunk...
It looked cute, and it was the easiest thing ever!
We decorated with random cool candles I collected over a few months,
and also with fabric and tapestries from India!
Now this stuff decorates my house!
We did a photo guestbook that I made at the Mac store for like $30.
Everyone loved it, and now it actually sits on our coffee table...
rather than being stuffed in a closet somewhere.
The shoes! These were SO comfy throughout the whole day, and I got them
at an Indian market for just $20!
We had a red velvet cake that our friend made for us...it fed almost 300 people
and she only charged $200! We put a mosquito net partially around the table for a kind of exotic feel...
My cousin did my hair and make up! She did such a great job!
We had the coolest room to get ready in!
The dress!! My friend brough me some white lengha fabric from India, and my
grandma sewed it into a wedding dress for me! I loved it...it was such a special thing to me...
I had my friends do that tradition where they sign the bottom of the bride's
shoes, and whoever's name wears off most by the end of the day marries next!
Getting ready!
My wonderful bridesmaids! I had them all just wear any black t-length dress,
and then i got them these cool shawls to wear!
I thought this was a fun shot!
This was one of my favorite pics...I love how our photographer made sure she
got shots that reflected my personality, as well as the more traditional ones.
I'm about to walk out with my Dad here!
During the ceremony...
We borrowed a friend's persian rugs to decorate the floor!
Shomik's saying a few personal words to me here...
I said a sentence of my vows in Bengali...his mother tongue...everyone got emotional then!
Our venue had a very urban feel, so we decorated with long pieces of red, orange,
and brown fabric, and candles EVERYWHERE. It turned out so cool!
People were sitting reception style for the ceremony...it sure saved money for decor
and time for set up and clean up!
Saying a prayer over us...my grandfather is a minister, so he did our vows for us,
and our pastor gave a short message.
After the ceremony, we went outside for some pics...and got a little silly!
Our awesome wedding party!
We were so giddy and relieved after the ceremony!
I just loved the detailed beadwork on the veil...
This is one of my favorite pics...we just had a few gerber daisies
around for flowers...those are so pretty on their own!
I don't know what we're doing here...it's kind of whimsical...
Me and the boys...we just had them all wear whatever black suits
they had with a red tie so they wouldn't have to rent clothes.
Boys having fun!
Me, my parents and my brother...
Then our family...plus our new additions!
And of course our dogs were there..they're our babies!
They were going to play a role in the ceremony, but we eventually
decided we didn't trust them enough for that job. hehe.
A couple more outside pics...
Check out that wallpaper!
The bridal party
Our ceremony transformed directly into a reception party!
There was lots of fun and Indian bhangra dancing! Everyone LOVED
the indian dancing..including my grandparents! We made our own dance mix,
and since the wedding we've had to burn it for a lot of people! :)
I loved how colorfully people dressed! Here are some of our friends waiting
in the buffet line...we had American style appetizers, brisket, and Indian food! What a combo!
Shomik's family couldn't come for the wedding, so they were watching the
whole thing via webcam! During the reception everyone came and talked to them!
It was really important to us to make them a part!
There were some traditional Indian wedding garlands waiting
for us at the reception! I wanted to find a way to incorporate that tradition.
We had everyone shoot off confetti poppers when we left!
Everyone was acting like kids again with those things! haha.
We went to India for our honeymoon, and then celebrated with his family there!
It was awesome!
Thanks to redouch photography for the incredible pics!
Thank you for taking time to look at my site!