Annamarie and Amit

It’s stressful enough to plan a single wedding. What about two? Strange as it sounds, Annamarie and Amit’s double-ceremony-plus-reception day was an attempt to keep things simple.

“I knew I was going to have a Catholic wedding and [my husband] wanted to do a Hindu wedding,” Annamarie explained, thinking of guests at a distance. “We didn’t want to bring them back two times […] then we were like, just do it all in one big festive day.” This was already a slightly scaled-down version of a traditional Indian wedding, which typically lasts for three days.

Starting with coordinating the church and venue availability dates, Annamarie worked from there to plan a packed but special day starting at 8am with makeup and dress for one ceremony, a changeover in space and outfits, a second ceremony, and ending with an evening reception, all without benefit of a planner.

Most of the crowd lasted through both ceremonies and made it to the reception, where the couple, who joked until the day they were engaged that they were “just friends,” danced to the Marshmello and Anne-Marie jam “Friends.” Amit donned a marshmallow mask for the number for a not-so-inside joke that became an exceptional memory of a very big day.
Would they do it again? Probably not. But they’re glad they did it once. “We did it here, and we crushed with all the Columbus Love!”

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Food: Grand Event Center/ Tadka Indian restaurant/
Dos Hermanos Taco Truck
Apparel: David’s Bridal/Authentic Indian garments
Booze: Grand Event Center
Officiants: Hindi/Catholic priests
Standout Vendors: Overeats/B3 Decor
Budget: $75,000-100,000

The big day in six words:

Fusion. Family. Colorful. Culture. Fun. Long.

Who was someone who made your big day run smoothly?

Everyone! Arne Indian Boutique helping me and my family figure out and get dressed in Indian wear. The Grand Event Center Staff. Food was amazing—spicy but completely different and custom menus for our fusion wedding. (Two full meals!) B3 Decorating and Oberer’s Flowers. [They] transformed the space two times in one day to make it look and feel completely different, modern, elegant with Indian inspiration. Our DJ, Vikas, selected all the music. We danced all night! Pure Imagination Chocolates, handmade and customized chocolates with our monogram in our favorite flavors, with tiny silver elephant tied to the box to represent luck and love! My sisters. His boys. Everyone!

Any standout stories from that day, or something that you’d do over every time if given the chance?

Everything!
• From the not so normal rehearsal dinner—100 people at a local club house fed by Dos Hermanos food truck—to dancing in the streets of Grandview to getting dressed at the iconic Hotel LeVeque, all was perfect!
• The pictures the groom and I took in the most picturesque fall scene: the red and gold tree lined street.
• Handing out LED wristbands during the reception that pulsed with the music. Everyone had beautiful colors and it added to the beautiful decor, making it truly a party to remember.