CREDITS: All images sourced from Caroline Lima Photography.
‘Fusion’ was the key word floating at Meredith Ragno and Eshaan Arora’s wedding. Their East-meets-West wedding had numerous elements of Meredith’s Italian roots as well as Eshaan’s Indian roots. But naturally, right from the list of occasions to the decor to the wedding trousseau to the rituals, everything was based on the middle ground of these two traditions. The couple gives us a glimpse of their India-meets-Italy-meets-Austin wedding where they celebrated their cherished bond of love amid a melting pot of cultures.
[Q] Tell us about your wedding celebration.
We planned our wedding weekend in Austin, Texas, where we’ve lived for the past three years. Neither of us are from Texas originally, so we wanted our wedding weekend to be an opportunity for our friends and family to experience Austin. Our wedding weekend was a three-day affair and consisted of a rehearsal dinner, Sangeet, Mehendi, the wedding ceremony, and reception followed by a goodbye jazz brunch.
[Q] How did you both go about planning your wedding?
Our vision was India-meets-Italy-meets Austin, with an ‘Italian disco jungle’-themed dance floor. Since we were planning an Indian fusion wedding, we knew we had an opportunity to plan an event full of bold and new experiences for all our guests. We wanted it to be vibrant without sticking with the typical trends and colour schemes associated with either culture.
Our colour theme for the wedding day was citrus shades with green and blue accents.The focal point of our ceremony was a Mandap covered in tropical greenery and citrus-coloured flowers. We pulled in India-inspired florals like strands of yellow and orange marigolds accented with pink roses. The fountain at the start of the aisle was decorated with greenery and garlands of marigolds.
[Q] How did you both decide upon your outfits? And, why Falguni Shane Peacock?
Meredith: I always knew I wanted something different than the traditional bridal red, and yellow is one of my favourite colours; I always feel confident, positive and fun when I wear it.
When I first discovered Falguni Shane Peacock, I was immediately drawn to the architectural patterns, nuanced colours, and unique details. After browsing their website, I was able to try on some styles at Studio East 6 in Chicago, and worked with their team and the Falguni Shane Peacock team to decide on the perfect yellow Lehenga. I loved the way the ivory embroidery, sheer sleeves, and pearl accents referenced a white Western bridal look — it was the perfect amount of fusion for me.
I wanted to keep the colour of my Lehenga a secret, so I definitely made it more difficult for Eshaan to pick his Sherwani! Once I had selected my outfit from Falguni Shane Peacock, we got to see a preview of their new men’s Sherwani collection, and Eshaan realised how “dope” they all were. I probably spent months searching for the perfect Lehenga but he picked his in about two days! (laughs).
[Q] Describe the moment when you saw yourself as a bride and a groom.
At our first look, we were also just excited to see each other and be together — we had spent so much time planning the wedding and wanted to enjoy as much of the day as possible side by side. I was so excited to reveal my outfit after keeping it a secret for months! Our outfits felt so fresh and regal — we even joked that we were king and queen for a day. We did most of our portraits before the ceremony, which gave us some relaxed time together during a very hectic day. We had a lot of fun with it, posing with our Baraat horse and in front of the incredible yellow umbrellas at the hotel pool. Our dog, Kygo, joined us for some photos and it was so sweet to see him and have a moment together as our little family. The hardest part was resisting hugs from Kygo to prevent him from jumping up on my skirt! (laughs).