A Mountaintop Sangeet and Celestial Reception Were Both Part of This Seven-Event Aspen Wedding
Balancing cohesion and distinction can be a tricky task when planning not one but seven wedding events. However, the beautiful backdrop of Aspen, Colorado, simplified the task for Suniti Mehta (32 and a lawyer) and Samuel (Sam) Philipsek (33 and a lawyer) who allowed the beauty of nature to inspire each component of their destination wedding. Guests were welcomed to the Rockies with a sangeet atop Aspen mountain where they sipped Aperol spritzes. For the garba, attendees entered the jewel-tone space through a greenery tunnel into a secret garden oasis. While epic on their own, each prewedding event was simply a sneak peek of the main event: a mountain-view ceremony with sunny yellow blooms followed by a tented starry-night-themed reception with innovative food and luxe velvet details.
Every event showcased a different color palette. Cheery peach and tangerine hues welcomed guests to the mehndi. Pastel purples and blues accompanied the mountaintop sangeet. Then, for the garba, Suniti and Sam went with rich jewel tones like emerald, teal and fuchsia to bring the secret garden theme to life. As for fashion, "I wore Indian clothes by Indian designers for all of the events. I wanted to have a different look for each event and make sure the dress matched the feel of the event as well as the natural setting,” says Suniti. Suniti notes that her “almost Grecian” gold lehenga was her favorite.
To introduce their celebration's aesthetic, “I wanted the invitation suite to reflect nature and the beauty of the Rockies but also my Indian culture,” says Suniti. The couple’s stationer brought in artistic motifs that nodded to Moghul arches and jaali screens.
“I wanted the ceremony to feel Indian, despite being in the middle of the Rockies,” says Suniti. A mandap with Moghul-style arches and yellow blooms did just that. “For the reception, our stationer translated the evening’s starry night theme into our escort card display by hanging star lanterns that guests could take home.” When guests got to their seats they were greeted by place cards that “had small fairy lights inside of them,” says Suniti. To complement the tented reception’s celestial theme, Suniti and Sam brought in linear, gold art deco accents. “Our design team created custom bars and a dance floor with those art deco architectural elements. They also found amazing antique mirrored tables and lamps that were a perfect fit,” says Suniti.
Expressing their gratitude to attendees by gifting everyone meaningful favors was a priority for Suniti and Sam. In addition to welcome bags that included “some local treats and nods to New York,” the couple also set up a bazaar-inspired gifting station at the garba. While at the favor station guests got to create their own piece of framed art with pressed flowers. "At the garba, we included traditional Indian gifts like jewelry, pencils and even Indian dolls that were a big hit with the adults and the kids," says Suniti.
