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Real Weddings- Ritu and Rishi

April 10, 2009 | editorial team

Today’s Real Wedding couple is so beautiful, and their traditional Indian wedding was so full of richly colored details and meaningful traditions I just can’t stop looking at all the photos. What a delight!

One Thousand Words Photography, traditional Indian wedding, Seattle, Washington

Ritu and Rishi were married in July in a traditional Hindu wedding that was made up of a number of joyus celebrations over multiple days. First off was the Mehndi party where Ritu was surrounded by the women she loves and her hands and feet were decorated with intricate designs for the wedding. Watching a Mehndi artist at work is a stunning sight to witness and the results simply couldn’t be any more beautiful. They say the darker the Mehndi turns out, the more your mother-in-law will love you! What an amazing way to begin the wedding festivities.

One Thousand Words Photography, Mehendi celebration, traditional Indian wedding

The Sangeet, another pre-wedding celebration, was thrown by Rishi’s family at The Woodmark Hotel, and was all about singing, dancing, drumming, laughing and celebrating the upcoming wedding. According to Ritu, “It was almost like a mini reception, 250 people attended as opposed to the 375-400 at the wedding!” There were dance performances, traditional songs, creative food stations and a color theme that included lots of bright colors like fuchsia, purple and turquoise.

One Thousand Words Photography, Sangeet celebration, traditional Indian wedding

On the day of the wedding ceremony, Ritu and Rishi got ready with their families and then met up to take fun photos all around downtown Seattle with Angie and Ashley of One Thousand Words Photography, which was one of Rishi’s very favorite parts of the day. When it came time for the ceremony to begin, Rishi rode on horseback through the city, dressed in spectacular traditional Indian clothing, and was surrounded by his family and friends as they sang and danced him to his waiting bride and her family at the Seattle Sheraton. Their ceremony was traditionally Hindu until the very end when they were officially announced as husband and wife, and Rishi was asked to “kiss the bride”.

One Thousand Words Photography, turquoise, orange, gold and off-white wedding color palette, traditional Indian wedding

It was important to Ritu and Rishi to make their wedding truly unique and to combine the formal with the fun so everyone had a good time. At the reception they had a special entrance for the groomsmen and bridesmaids to get the party started. They had a fake band dress up first as the Beastie Boys and then as AC/DC and the bridesmaids entered the party to Girls, girls, girls and the groomsmen walked in to Men in Black. There was a formal sit-down dinner as well as lots of dancing to Indian music, and the most sentimental moments came when their fathers gave their speeches. “Rishis Dad shared a great story about how each time Rishi’s Mom got pregnant, they had a name picked out in case they had a girl. It was to be Ritu, but they ended up having two boys. However, now Ive come into their lives and they have their Ritu.” How sweet! Ritu’s Dad got so emotional that her Mom had to go stand by his side as he spoke. “It was just so sweet to see my parents that way.” To brighten up the large Sheraton ballroom and bring summer indoors, they chose a color palette of turquoise, orange, gold and off-white, beautiful Indian inspired invitations, programs and place cards from Paper Moxie, and richly colored flowers from the talented Loves Me Flowers.

Thank you for telling us all about your incredible wedding Ritu and Rishi! We are smitten! To see the rest of the details and wedding professional involved in this wedding and many, many others, be sure to visit our Real Weddings section!

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  1. Ritu & Rishi’s event was by far my favorite of the season…..it was alive with color, beauty and tradition. Their happiness and the close connection of family is obvious. What a day to remember! Shaadi Mubaarak, Ritu & Rishi!

  2. Thank you so very much. Even though my wedding is long over, I still love checking out wedding blogs and there is such a lack of diversity (not like I’ve shared my photos…I know…I know) in most “real weddings” that it can be a bit discouraging. Everytime I see a real wedding with folks of a different religion, a different nationality, a different age, union ceremonies and the like…I can’t tear myself away. Thanks for doing your part and sharing an amazing wedding story that’s inspiring not just for the color pallet of the bridesmaid’s dresses. What an awesome glimpse into yet another couple’s unique journey through the uniting of their families.

  3. Such a beautiful wedding, the color palette is gorgeous!!!!

  4. These pictures are stunning! What a beautiful wedding!

  5. Absolutely stunning wedding, full of beauty and love for family. The mehndi is to die for, it’s so delicate and feminine.

  6. I always thought the darkness of the mehndi symbolized how much your husband loves you? Maybe it’s different for each Indian culture. Beautiful pictures!

  7. simply “awesome”…..Ritu, you look stunning….great wedding!!! shiv, beena and sapna kalyan

  8. Wow – amazing wedding. Love the images and all of the great color.

  9. It is fun to the Indian traditions being enjoyed abroad and appreciated by others in the community! Awesome pictures.

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