1. Real Weddings

A Colorful, Multicultural Wedding at Mile High Station in Denver, Colorado

Samantha Fite (37 and works at Ruegsegger Simons Smith and Stern) and Rohan Kumar (36 and works at Charter Communications) celebrated their nuptials w

Samantha Fite (37 and works at Ruegsegger Simons Smith and Stern) and Rohan Kumar (36 and works at Charter Communications) celebrated their nuptials with not one but two wedding ceremonies, one Hindu and the other Western. A vibrant color palette inspired by traditional Indian weddings tied it all together. But the real vision came from Samantha’s stunning cushion-cut, untreated pink sapphire engagement ring. “Hindu brides traditionally wear red and gold, but I chose to match my lehenga to my engagement ring -- I love it that much,” Samantha says. The couple chose Mile High Station in Denver, Colorado, for their venue for its relaxed ambience and large space (they had 260 guests). Lale Floral Designs created all the lush floral arrangements that added an ethereal feel to the multicultural wedding. Although Samantha wanted to use the Texas state flower in honor of her Texan roots, bluebonnets don’t really last once they’re cut. Instead, Lale used delphiniums because they look similar, and Samantha was thrilled at the results. Danielle DeFiore from DeFiore Photography captured all the day's details. One of our favorite ways the Indian and Western traditions came together was in the classic invitation suite. “We used a symbol of Ganesha on our invitations to bring prosperity and happiness to our marriage and families,” Samantha says. “This is typical of Hindu wedding invitations, but our design was customized with the help of Maura at Paper Guppy.” After the two ceremonies (including a 30-minute break between them), the couple enjoyed a buffet-style dinner and a simple, gluten-free wedding cake decorated with blue ribbon. A tip from the bride: “Be yourself,” Samantha says. “I think too often brides want a perfect wedding day and try too hard to make the ceremony and reception a vision of perfection rather than a version of themselves. Our entire wedding day we felt like us, just in fancy clothing. Your guests are going to have fun regardless, so you should as well.”

Traditional Indian Henna Hand Tattoo
“Hindu brides traditionally wear red and gold, but I chose to match my lehenga to my engagement ring -- I love it that much,” Samantha says. Rohan designed her cushion-cut, untreated pink sapphire engagement ring himself. Samantha used to wear a pink ring every day and had mentioned that she wasn’t the diamond type, which is why Rohan picked the stunning ring and its rose gold setting.
“At the start, we exchanged flower garlands called Varmala,” Samantha says. “These are done to proclaim our acceptance of each other and symbolize our commitment to share each other’s happiness and burdens.” The flower garlands were very colorful to match the traditional, colorful Indian wedding color palette.
Traditional Indian-Inspired Invitations
Traditional Pink and Gold Lehenga Ceremony Attire
“One of the more significant parts is called the Vivah Homa [Fire Ceremony],” Samantha says. “The priest lights the sacred fire [Agni] to solemnize the marriage before the Lord Agni. Lord Agni is the symbol of knowledge, power and purity.”
Lush Blue and Red Floral Mandap Decor
A Traditional Indian Recessional in Colorado
The groom and groomsmen wore double-bloom boutonnieres to match the bridal bouquet. They included delphiniums, ranunculus and other seasonal foliage, and were finished with a blue satin-ribbon stem wrap.
“For the western ceremony, I started with my feet,” Samantha says. “I knew I wanted to wear cowboy boots. I’m a Texan, after all. I also knew I would keep my bangles on and have my bridal henna showing. I thought this meant I would wear a simple, flowing gown. Then I tried on the YolanCris. Because it was not ornate on top, the bangles and bridal henna really stood out. My boots ended up being hidden by the dress, but we showed them off during the reception.”
“The Texas state flower is the bluebonnet,” Samantha says. “We wanted so badly for that to be our centerpiece, but bluebonnets do not last once cut. Lale Floral did a great job using delphiniums, since they look similar. We bought all the materials, and my friend Kris put them together for us. He is an amazing designer -- they looked great.”
“Our first dance was to ‘I’m Coming Home’ by Robert Earl Keen,” Samantha says. “Rohan used to travel regularly for work and would listen to this song on his way home from the airport. It was performed by Natalie Seeboth, accompanied by Jason Wahlers on guitar."
“Our guests were troopers,” Samantha says. “We asked a lot of them by having two ceremonies before dinner.” The buffet-style dinner was followed by a simple, gluten-free wedding cake decorated with blue ribbon.
“We only had 30 minutes between the two ceremonies to change -- that’s not a lot of time to get hair and makeup done,” Samantha says of their back-to-back wedding ceremonies. “We decided to keep my makeup simple, so it would not distract from all the jewels and dazzle of the Hindu wedding clothes, and would also transfer well to my wedding gown.”