Credits – All images sourced from Tamanna Malhotra Mullen
Photography – Naman Verma
The radiant Tamanna Malhotra Mullen, a splendid #PeacockBride, offers us a glimpse into her Sangeet ceremony, where love-met-culture in a spectacular dance of traditions. From her thoughtful wedding planning to her exquisite ensemble choice, every aspect was a harmonious blend of Indian and Western influences. Tamanna’s journey is a tale of a wedding dream brought to life in the heart of Tuscany, Italy, where her Indian heritage, her husband Dan’s American roots, and the charming Italian location intertwined seamlessly. Her vision of a timeless, culture-rich celebration resonated beautifully through every detail, from her elegant Mehendi to the Bollywood-inspired Sangeet night in a medieval castle, and culminating in a heartwarming Baraat and Hindu Pheras. In this interview, Tamanna shares her love for tradition, her joyous Sangeet memories, and the magical moment when she became a real-life fairy-tale bride in Falguni Shane Peacock’s ethereal Lehenga.
Q) Tell us about your wedding celebration.
Initially, our plan was to host two wedding ceremonies – one in the U.S., and one in India. We looked at a few different venues around Boston and in Rajasthan in India. Few months into planning, COVID-19 cases were still rising, travel was being restricted, and US visas were harder than ever to obtain. It became evident to us that if we proceeded with having two weddings, they would feel extremely segmented as my family wouldn’t be able to travel to the US and vice versa. After months of research, negotiating and renegotiating contracts, pivoting to two different venues, we realized that all we really wanted was our closest friends and family to be present with us as we honoured both our cultures and traditions for our big day. We put together a 100-person guest list of our closest friends and family and decided to host a three-day combined Hindu-Catholic wedding in Tuscany, Italy (which happens to be halfway from both of our home countries).
In terms of aesthetics, our wedding was a chance for us to tell our stories and share our cultures with the people we loved the most. We tried to incorporate thoughtful, sentimental details that represented who we are as people as much as we could. From our save the dates which my mother hand-painted herself to the kind of wines we served our guests, we wanted every aspect of the wedding to feel intimate and personal. I’m not someone who follows off-the-moment trends, and for the wedding, I wanted everything to feel timeless, well thought-out, and intentional. The wedding festivities were split over a course of three days, and brought to life by our amazing vendor team that ranged from Italy to India.
Q) How did you go about planning your wedding?
I had a very specific vision for the wedding so I conceptualised each aspect of the wedding myself, from concept, to mood boards, to tablescapes and all the details in between. We had three different cultures at play, my Indian heritage, my husband, Dan’s, American heritage, and our Italian location. I really wanted this beautiful amalgamation and representation of all the cultures to come across through the colours we chose, type of food we served, traditions, and entertainment for our guests. This dream really came true throughout the three days—from our picnic Mehendi to the Bollywood Sangeet night at a castle, a Catholic ceremony at an Italian Duomo (church), and lastly the Baraat and Hindu Pheras on the third day.
Q) How did you decide upon your outfits?
I am a traditionalist at heart. I love the culture I come from and I wanted my outfits to represent that. I wanted every outfit I wore to be timeless, something I could look at for years to come and still feel the same emotions that I did the day I wore it.
After kicking off the celebrations with a Mehendi in the day, we had our Sangeet at night at a renovated medieval castle adjoining our wedding villa. I grew up as a dancer, so I think I’ve been anticipating and dreaming of my wedding Sangeet ever since I was a little girl. I wanted a joyous celebration, and a music-filled night that brought both of our families together. Dan’s family had never done a choreographed dance before so we started preparing for the dance performances five weeks ahead on Zoom call sessions with our friends and family across the world! There was so much anticipation and excitement for this event so I wanted to create a really intimate and warm setting. We went with a colour palette of neutral tones in ivories and muted Tuscan pinks accented with golds through lanterns, chandeliers, and flatware. We kept the natural beauty of the medieval Italian castle and only enhanced it with bistro lighting on the walls and lanterns with warm yellow light all around the floor. On each table, we had flower arrangements in white garden roses, eucalyptus, and dahlias along with fun facts about Dan and myself printed on the paper napkins. To complement the setting and vision I had for the Sangeet, I chose a muted metallic chrome appliqué detailed Lehenga from Falguni Shane Peacock that had traditional Indian motifs like elephants and a nod to the old Indian palaces in Rajasthan. I completed my look with simple diamond stud earrings and my mom’s three-layer diamond necklace. Dan wanted his Sangeet look to be minimalistic and modern so he went with a layered jacket set that almost felt like an Indian tuxedo. Our bridal party and families also matched the aesthetic by wearing ivory, metallic, and gold tones. The entire castle was gleaming with lights, a beautiful sight to walk into.
The dance performances were full of energy and emotion with a special dedicated performance to my uncle, who had hosted this beautiful wedding weekend, just like my father would have wanted. We ended the night with a champagne tower, a buffet of authentic Punjabi food, and a full-of-laughs shoe game of “who did first”.
Q) Why did you pick Falguni Shane Peacock? Describe the moment when you saw yourself dressed up for the do.
I have loved and admired Falguni Shane Peacock as a luxury couture designer for years. In my opinion, no one does East-meets-West as beautifully and intricately as Falguni Shane Peacock does. The chrome appliqué Lehenga that I wore had beautiful traditional Indian motifs that represented my love for India and my heritage. But what I loved even more, is the beautiful, muted base tone that accentuated the craftsmanship of the embroidery and let it shine. Sometimes, Indian outfits can be a bit overwhelming or overdone, but Falguni Shane Peacock find that perfect balance in every ensemble and brings together a quintessential look blending traditional and contemporary aesthetics.
Not only did I wear Falguni Shane Peacock for my Sangeet, but so did my mother, and my aunt. Matching in all-ivory tone Falguni Shane Peacock ensembles—with the two women who mean so much to me, with sequins and foil work embellishments, dancing and singing in an Italian countryside castle, my Sangeet truly felt like a real-life fairy-tale. A night I will never forget!