1. Real Weddings

A Cultural Wedding in Rochester, MI

Sonya and Eoin started dating during business school at Harvard. After graduating, each of them they moved to New York City. Two years later, both set

Sonya and Eoin started dating during business school at Harvard. After graduating, each of them they moved to New York City. Two years later, both sets of parents were coming to NYC (Sonya’s from Michigan and Eoin’s from Ireland) to meet. Eoin proposed right before they got there, so everyone could celebrate together. The Bride Sonya Thomas, 30, a consultant The Groom Eoin Ó hÓgáin, 30, also a consultant The Date August 15 Two months later, Sonya moved to India (and Eoin to Dubai!) for work, so they planned a Michigan wedding via the internet with lots of help from Sonya's mom and her friends. They mixed Indian, Irish, and American cultures and made sure to celebrate all three throughout the ceremony and reception. A handmade textile piece Sonya picked up in India several years before the wedding inspired the stationery design and the colors for the day: green, orange, and peach.

Sonya and Eoin worked with their stationer to turn a piece of textile Sonya had picked up in India years prior into an invitation design. The result: a gorgeous, colorful gatefold invitation.
Much of the couple’s ceremony was in Irish, one of Eoin’s childhood languages, but Sonya and Eoin incorporated English and Malayalam -- the language of the state of Kerala, where Sonya’s parents are from -- as well. A comprehensive program helped guests understand all the traditions, like the Irish blessing of St. Brigid and Malayalee Christian tying of a thali and blessing of a mandrakodi.
Pale green linens, gold chargers, and the hotel’s cream dinner plates exuded the elegance, while the various centerpieces on the tables added just the right amount of vibrant energy.
Even though Sonya and Eoin changed florists three weeks before the wedding, Sonya got exactly the look she wanted for her bouquet: a natural-looking mix of cymbidium orchids, freesia, and Italian ruscus.
Eoin didn’t want his groomsmen to wear flowers on their lapels, so he and Sonya chose simple boutonnieres of only hypericum berries. Though Eoin didn’t even want to wear a flower himself, Sonya convinced him to go with a low-key bloom: cream freesia with Italian ruscus to distinguish himself from the other guys.
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Atop the gold chargers, each place setting had a fig (as a nod to the wedding cake’s filling) and a menu card that featured the same design as the invitations.
Sonya’s bridesmaids wore chiffon saris to reflect Sonya’s culture in shades of light green, orange, and peach. She thought the girls would want to change after the ceremony, but they ended up loving the saris so much they wore them all night. They carried bouquets of orange dahlias, peach roses, and freesia.
The sugar branches that decorated Sonya and Eoin’s five-tiered, white wedding cake added texture, a touch of glitz, and an elegant look.