We're so excited to get to share this whopper of a wedding with you today. It's a gorgeous fusion of cultures, mixing Indian and Scottish cultures, traditions and even attire. Vanita and Vishay's wedding at Lough Erne Resort involved a hindu ceremony full of rich colours and Indian traditions - ruby red saris, Bollywood-esque jewels, and intricate henna drawings, and ended with an outfit change and a bit of bonny Scotland. We're so excited to share Blackbox Photography's super documentary of the day - it's just beautiful!
Vanita was born and bred in Ireland, and Vishay Scotland, so as well as bringing the ultimate hindu wedding together, with its traditions and ceremonies, the two also wanted to make sure the other side of their culture and heritage was included in the day, so watch out for an outfit change later to something more familiar to a typical Irish or Scottish wedding...
Vanita was (and still is) finishing a PhD at Queens University in Belfast, and was interviewing subjects for her thesis on South Asian marriage in Britain. As luck would have it, one of those contacts was Vishay. It didn't take long to realise that their conversations were about more than just Vanita's thesis! "After a few months of talking online we decided we wanted to meet in person. We wanted to meet in a way so that we avoided any pressures or formalities put upon us. So we spontaneously booked flights to London and met up under the pretense of ‘meeting up with some friends!’ We clicked just as much in person and Vish asked me to be his girlfriend that same evening after a stroll through Covent Garden." Adorable!
The couple spent a long time dating long distance, with Vanita in Belfast and Vishay in Glasgow. Ready to live in the same place, they started talking about marriage and Vishay got to planning a romantic marriage proposal! "After a flight from Belfast to Glasgow, Vishay picked me up from the airport and told me we had to go and visit one of his friends who lived an hour away. I was cranky, cold and tired and complained the whole journey up, not realising that this story was a ruse until we pulled into Luss, at Loch Lomond. He took my hand and walked me across the dock and got down on one knee. The rest is all a bit of a blur apart from my obvious regret at being so grumpy- I quickly cheered up though!"
The couple settled on Lough Erne for the two celebrations and were thrilled that the venue was able to accommodate their unusual requests. "They allowed my dad, a restauranteur, to cater and bring in his own chefs for the day which was amazing as we wanted authentic Indian cuisine. They also helped us with setting up the mandap (the four poster ceremony stage) and had no problem with us having the traditional fire during the ceremony even though it was in their main hall (and quite possible a hazard)! You could tell that they were just as excited as us to be hosts and made a real event out of the day." And I'm not surprised - it's incredible!
In Hindu ceremonies, the groom's face is covered with a veil. "When the groom's procession reached the entrance, the ‘milni’ (the exchanging of garlands between male family members) takes place, as a symbol of welcoming each other into each other’s lives. i.e. the grandfather of the bride will exchange garlands with the grandfather of the groom and so on. After the garlands are exchanged, the duo’s attempt to lift each other as a way of breaking the ice... Some family members were so enthusiastic during this lifting game that their trousers split in the process!" Now that's a new one for us! Sounds like amazing fun.
As if two totally different wedding ceremonies wasn't enough of a twist for this wedding, add this to the mix: Vanita and Vishay hadn't seen each other for six weeks before the wedding! So unsurprisingly, the big look on the aisle was full of excitement and adrenalin. "We were both like giggling teenagers when we finally got a moment alone, catching up on each other’s news and all we missed. We were just so happy to be spending time together.
For their first Mandap, Lough Erne Resort did a great job! It looks amazing.
It all looks phenomenal. So beautiful and magical. After the ceremony, the couple were able to escape outside for some quiet moments alone to take it all in. So much to talk about, especially after not seeing each other for 6 weeks! Where else could be more peaceful than by the shores of Lough Erne...
In case you're wondering - finding such beautiful outfits doesn't come easy in Ireland, so all of the saris for the bridesmaids as well as the groom's and bride's outfits for the hindu ceremony were bought in India.
Can you imagine how nom nom nom the wedding feast was? Just a couple of pics to tease...
It's not every wedding we show you where both the bride and the groom get to have a costume change halfway through! Honouring the Irish-Scottish traditions, the couple changed into for the dancing, lucky Vanita getting two wedding dresses, and love how Vishay shows his true Scots by donning the skirt...
Huge thanks to Vishay and Vanita for sharing their amazing day with us all, and giving us such a beautiful introduction to what makes a Hindu wedding such a super event. We're hugely grateful too, to Blackbox Photography for sharing such gorgeous work with us.
The Wedding Details
- Photography: Blackbox Photography
- Venue: Lough Erne Golf Resort
- Catering: Kamal Mahal
- Wedding Dress: La Sposa Laurel dress from Loftbridal
- Bridesmaids dresses: Saris from India
- Shoes & Accessories: Rupali
- Flowers: Michele at Simply Elegant, Enniskillen
- Groomsmens suits: Custom made in India
- Cake: Sarah Jane’s Cakes
- Stationery: Occasion4U Asian Wedding Stationary
- Bride's Hair: Shirley’s Hair and Beauty
- Bridesmaids Hair & Makeup: The Works & Paula Gallagher
- Ceremony/Reception Music: Delsonic
