For any couples planning a multicultural wedding, take notes from Matthew and Preena who paid homage to both their Indian and English heritages in one cohesive celebration. They began the day with a Western-style ceremony followed by a traditional Hindu “Mandap” all set in the charming English countryside. A feast of Indian food was served for their ballroom reception and Taylor & Porter didn’t miss a single moment. Click here for much more!
From Taylor and Porter…Matthew and Preena married this summer at Wrest Park, a Grade I listed Mansion in England mixing elegant French architecture with a grand and picturesque landscape. This unique early 19th century house was the perfect setting for this couple’s classically elegant style. Matthew and Preena shared not one but two ceremonies; both a Western marriage ceremony and a traditional Hindu “Mandap”. The Mandap was one of the most colourful, lighthearted and inclusive ceremonies I’ve ever had the privilege to capture. It involves both family’s participation and has many different traditional elements including offerings to the gods, promises made between the parents to care for each others child and even a part where the women of the family offer secret marriage advice to the bride! It was a beautiful meeting of families, traditions and cultures.
The grounds of Wrest Park are adorned with stunning lawns, wooded walks and flower gardens, dotted with fountains, statues and ornate follies. We explored the park and house capturing portraits with Matthew and Preena as the warm August sun set. Their reception was held in the grounds; in the beautiful light filled Orangery where after a feast of traditional Indian food they danced the night away under the stars.
From the Bride, Preena… We decided to get married at Wrest Park after we visited the site a year before the day in torrential downpour and knew in an instant we would book, it was the first and last place we looked at and a big tick off the list, also as it was half way between both our family homes and a easy train ride from London for our friends.
We decided to fuse both my Hindu Gujarati heritage with the Groom’s English background and began the day with a civil ceremony where we wrote our own (tear-jerking!) vows to one another. I walked down the aisle to ‘Here, There and Everywhere’ by the Beatles played by our talented brother in law David.
This was followed by Indian street food canapés on the library terrace and then a traditional Hindu ceremony, with a sitar player. Finally we had a drinks reception with a jazz band followed by a 3 course Indian feast and cocktail bar. The cake was made by my Aunt and our first dance was to Sweet Pea by Amos Lee. The day was fantastically co-ordinated by the brilliant best men which certainly helped it run smoothly.
The pastel colour scheme leant to fusion of Regal Indian and classic English and ran through to the stationery, flowers, button holes (the guests has lavender and rosemary) and favours (potted succulents).
When we started planning our wedding we knew the things that were important to us – one of them being a Photographer with a great eye and a natural approach. From the initial enquiry email to our meeting on our engagement session and also the day itself, Louise and Teo were warm, friendly, fantastic company, professional and helped put us both at ease. On the day and prior they worked continuously and many guests commented on their dedicated approach. We have so many beautiful photographs from our day and are truly grateful to Taylor & Porter for their hard work and talent in producing the images. We would not miss a beat to recommend them to anyone for any occasion.
Photography: Taylor and Porter | Floral Design: Fleurette | Stationery: Matthew Meader | Catering: Greenleaf | Transportation: Gold Chauffeur Cars | Venue: Old Wardour Castle | Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab | Flowergirls Dresses: I Love Gorgeous | Mandap Furniture: Art Parmer | Sitar Player: Jonathan Mayer
