The One with the Glamorous Hectic Fun Fusion Wedding

Neha & Ryan’s Wedding Day Highlights

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, is how I’d describe Neha and Ryan’s wedding. They chose to describe it as ” glamorous hectic fun”. Overall, if you combine those two phrases, you’ll find the best fusion of the phrases from their fusion wedding day at Lucien’s Manor.

Do you believe in fate? I believe that luck (and cupid) strikes us at the perfect moment and we meet the person of our dreams. Neha knew the moment she saw Ryan that he was her perfect match.

Neha told Ryan that she always pictured getting married in a traditional Indian wedding ceremony. They both loved the glamorous wedding idea and blended together the Indian and western ceremony ideas to have one big fusion wedding. Royal purple, gold, and ivory were common colors used throughout the wedding day.

Neha’s day started at the Hampton Inn Voorhees surrounded by her bridesmaids. The getting ready space was intimate and it was fun to watch the hustle and bustle of Daneene Jensen & Associates get busy with hair and makeup for the bridal party.

And just like most weddings, someone looks at the clock and realizes that it’s time to get dressed and get going! The very unique part of a traditional Indian wedding is the ceremonies actually start without the bride – so if she’s running a few minutes behind schedule that’s totally okay! Neha slipped into her red lehenga from Nazranaa. Of all of her outfits from the wedding day, this was by far her favorite detailed with ornate hand embroidery. Her arms were adorned with traditional bangles – which are always a treat to put on.

Getting dressed for an Indian ceremony is certainly a process.

Well worth the effort and the wait. Neha was a vision when she was fully dressed and ready to see her groom for the first time on their wedding day. The entire outfit made her feel like royalty on her wedding day. Well worth the wedding day splurge!

Ryan on the other hand was almost took the title of ” first groom lost on a wedding day.” (He wasn’t really lost… I mean we weren’t either, just happened to be in two separate buildings to start the day). The real story is Ryan gave his room up for a guest and stayed with his guys at another hotel. Just speaks to the kind guy Ryan is, always putting others before himself.  Once we coordinated our schedules we were off to the races!

As Ryan put on his traditional Indian outfit, the rest of his guys told stories and joked about the events from the night before. As Ryan got ready, he was cool, calm, and collected however, you could feel the excitement in the room. As the guys finished putting on their outfits, there were some quick glances around the room, and with out saying a word, you could tell everyone was ready to go and get Ryan married. Ryan looked pretty sharp as he adjusted his outfit before heading to Lucien’s Manor to start the Baraat.

The Baraat is Travis’ favorite part of the day. How can it not be a favorite? Usually there is a horse, elephant, or fast car with tons of dancing and great music. In Ryan’s case we had a horse on hand to kick off the ceremony festivities. It always great for the bride to see some of these moments in hindsight!

As the crowd began to form, you could feel the energy rise as the music began to play. With the music pumping, Ryan mounted a gorgeous steed decorated in golds and reds and began to work his way towards Neha’s family. As the music intensified, so did the energy of the crowd. Fueled by dancing the energy and joy of the crowd was almost palpable as they danced down the road. Once gettering near the door, Ryan dismounted and danced with his friends and family before being formally greeted by Neha’s family.

The baraat concludes as Ryan’s future in-laws meet him at the door to the venue. They welcome him and take him inside to the ceremony space so they can prepare him to welcome his future wife.

Walking down the aisle, Neha knew that this would be the best moment from the wedding day. Ryan stood at the head of the aisle in awe as his future wife was escorted by family to the stage. Neha happily joined him in front of their family and friends to promise their lives together. Though nervous and a bit anxious, Neha was relieved and happy to see Ryan’s face waiting for her.

” The biggest moment for me was the Jaamala (exchanging of wreaths) during the Hindu ceremony. I would say the whole wedding day was surreal, but I tried to stay present in the moment the whole time and savor it all,” Neha recalls from the wedding day. It is such a big moment to start the ceremony because it starts the rest of the ceremony where all the little pieces are about binding the bride and groom together.

Their first ceremony was relatively short (in Indian ceremony terms) but it brought out smiles and joy in the two of them. I love Hindu wedding ceremonies because they incorporate a variety of traditions and games. One of my favorite ” games” they play is the Joota Chupai (stealing of the groom’s shoes) before the ceremony even officially begins. Neha’s side successfully stole his shoes. The whole game is meant to bring laughter and fun to the family. The groom may be the last one to laugh though – since he has to pay to get his shoes back before the end of the ceremony!

Once the ceremony concluded, we did some quick family photos with the beautiful ceremony backdrop before we snuck outside to photograph the newlyweds and their bridal party in the gardens at Lucien’s Manor. I’m certain when Neha and Ryan planned an early June wedding (to be fair, they prefer the autumn weather) they didn’t think temperatures would soar as high as they did! Fortunately we had a great couple who didn’t mind getting cozy in the heat of the sun on their wedding day.

Our goal is to always make our clients feel like rockstars – or in Neha and Ryan’s case – models. Honestly, we didn’t have to work too hard, but this is a favorite from their wedding day.

And here’s one of Neha’s henna, because it’s not highlighted enough ever!

And that was just the first half of the day. Seriously.

Did someone say reception? Not quite yet! Next up was the western ceremony. Neha’s bridesmaids gathered to get her dressed in her white wedding gown from David’s Bridal. And when you get girls and bridal gowns and gold sparkly gowns and weddings together you MUST have champagne!

While the couple waited for a break in the weather for their first look, it was a bit of sweet poetry that patience became a factor for their first look – much of their five year relationship has been based on patience with being apart for periods of time! Between North Carolina, Philadelphia, the Poconos, and Virginia, the few drops of rain separated them was no big deal compared to the 10 hours of driving they would do just to spend a weekend together. Long distance can make or break a relationship and clearly it has made this relationship one for the books!

My favorite part of the day is watching the video footage from the first look. Jeff from New Milford Productions was there to grab this footage and other highlights from their day.

Neha’s advice to couples soon-to-be-married is to, ” stop trying to be a control freak because you can’t control everything (at least not at an Indian wedding), especially being late.” Is is right, you cannot control the weather! Fortunately we had a quick break in the clouds to snap a few portraits of the… sorta-weds? (are you technically married once you’ve gone through one ceremony, but you’re waiting for the next?). The second ceremony was scheduled to be outside in the garden, but the weather gods elected that a bit of rain would move the celebrations inside. We took advantage of the empty garden space to photograph Neha and Ryan for their second set of portraits.

Over the years the two have collected so many friends and family throughout their vast education, travels, and genuinely being very nice people. Their second ceremony changed up the bridal party a bit so they could incorporate more people that they love in their ceremony of marriage. The rain drove us inside to snap the bridal party photos, but everyone was so amazing with just going with the flow and having a great time before Neha and Ryan walked down the aisle for their western ceremony.

Engaged in September of 2016, they pulled off two ceremonies and a reception on their June 2018 wedding date. Neha walked down the aisle escorted by her father. Ryan watched in awe as his beautiful bride walked towards him. Their ceremony was short and sweet performed by Honorable Judge Margherita Worthington with the backdrop of the indoor waterfall at Lucien’s Manor. The ceremony space was washed with colors of purples for the uplighting which complimented Neha’s bouquet and the bridesmaids’ champagne Lulu’s gowns.

” Walking down the aisle, with all our friends and family in one place, supporting us, with positive vibes only. For the record, I wish I could relive our wedding day 1000 times over.”

United completely in marriage, Neha did one more swift outfit change for the reception (Ryan stuck with his Calvin Klein for the latter half of the day). I love outfit changes at weddings because it gives us an opportunity to photograph the couple with a completely different look throughout the wedding day. Indian weddings also have so much amazing color and style and flair that it really is a visual treat to photograph.

And I’m always in awe of Travis’ ability with a macro lens. SO here’s more deliciously beautifully light shiny details.

So we snuck them into the ballroom for their pre-reception portraits. The ballroom decor had been meticulously decorated by Nirali Decor. Pops of purples and golds and champagnes filled the La Grande ballroom at Lucien’s Manor – it really captured the newlyweds glamorous vision!

The newlyweds entered their reception to 270 cheering guests. DJ Magic Mike from Magic Mike DJ’s International and his crew of Dhol players got the crowd amped up for a night of dancing and celebrating.

Neha and Ryan’s main goal was to make sure their friends and families to have fun and enjoy the amazing atmosphere they had created for their wedding day. The dance floor was packed the entire night. The newlyweds enjoy a few performances by their friends and families.

SO much fun to see your friends and family choreograph and learn a dance just to perform for the newlyweds!

Did I mention the slow-motion booth by SlowMo Party? Such  great hit with Neha and Ryan’s friends in family. It looked like everyone had fun in there (who doesn’t have fun making a mess in slow motion)! The footage is hilarious to watch and a perfect reminder of the day for the newlyweds!

The newlyweds also surprised their guests with our signature Same Day Slideshow – we showcase images from their wedding day AT the reception!

Somehow the party ended at Lucien’s Manor at midnight – though this group could have (and might have?) partied all night long to celebrate the union of Neha and Ryan. (we heard rumors that someone may or may not have split their pants ” dropping it low” at the reception)

These two best friends look forward to traveling together now that they are married. After a few loose-ends are tied up around the country, these two will be settling down to focus on family and traveling for their honeymoon (we hear Croatia and the Maldives are in the picture… can you pack us in your suitcase?). Thank you to the beautiful couple for letting us tag along on your wedding adventure. You have so many years ahead of you to adventure and laugh together and we cannot wait to stay friends and see your story develop!

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