Lisa and Tushar wanted to honor their family and culture during their wedding at the beautiful Renaissance Vinoy St. Petersburg. Lisa's fairy tale wedding vision was combined with Tushar's Indian customs which inspired such details as the colorful and lush flowers, gold accents, and recurring elephant motif.
The couple actually hosted two wedding ceremonies in the tea garden; first an Hindu ceremony and then a Christian ceremony. The first ceremony was filled with customs including the baraat, wherein Tushar entered the garden on a decorated white horse while friends and family sang and danced in escort, and the gorgeous mandap that the couple sat beneath during the wedding. To ease their jitters, they partook in an intimate first look before the ceremonies.
Before the Christian ceremony, the bride restyled her hair and changed into a tulle ballgown with a lace bodice and beaded illusion back. During the brief intermission, guests enjoyed a gelato cart set in the garden - perfect for a warm Florida afternoon. The couple then exchanged vows lead by a pastor, and partook in a unity wine ceremony where they sealed a bottle of wine and love letters inside a beautiful wood box that the bride's brother hand-crafted for the couple as a gift.
Details throughout the reception included nods to elephants, such as elephant candle favors at place settings, and the cutest elephant cake pops you've ever seen!
A delicate floral motif and various shades of pink were also echoed throughout the reception details.
The bride and groom received performances from family members before everyone partied on the dance floor for hours!
The towering cake was topped with a custom acrylic silhouette of the couple and their dog. As if cake and cake pops weren't enough, guests also enjoyed fresh donuts as a late night snack!
Wedding pros who made this dream a reality include:
Venue, Catering & Cake: Renaissance Vinoy St. Petersburg
Photography: Carrie Wildes
Videography: Trinity Wedding Cinema
Floral & Linens: Events in Bloom
DJ & Uplighting: Cory Barren, Grant Hemond & Associates
Gelato: The Gelato Cart
Indian Caterer: The Clay Oven
Transportation: CTS Limo Service
Horse: St. Petersburg Carriages
Hair & Makeup: Michele Renee The Studio
Stationery: Minted