A Rustic Indian Wedding at Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, Panchavati Gazebo in Chicago, Illinois

Namrita Jain (26 and a pediatric resident) and John Odackal (27 and a medical student) met at University of Chicago. Getting to to know each other during a physics class and being members of the South Asian Student Association (SASA), the beginning of Namrita and John began. After that, they spent as much time together as possible before John moved to New York City to get his Masters degree in Education at NYU. Namrita moved to New York to begin her residency and experience the pleasures of New York with John after two years in a long distance relationship. Under the pretense of meeting his brother and sister, John took Namrita on the Long Island Sound to watch the sunset with a bottle of champagne. After the stars came out and everyone left the beach, John popped the question. Since Namrita's family was going to plan the majority of the wedding, the couple decided to have the wedding in Chicago. A two week intensive shopping spree in the crowded but beautifully adorned corners of Delhi and Jaipur inspired the color palette of fall season and earthy ethnic colors such as rust, eggplant purple, mehendi green, and mustard yellow. Their wedding ceremony was held at Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple, Panchavati Gazebo, while the reception was held at the Fountain Blue. Namrita and John chose to serve grapefruit margaritas, blueberry mojitos at the cocktail hour and provided a selection of North Indian vegetarian dishes to their guests for dinner. "The wedding was an intimate gathering, full of the people we love," says Namrita. "The mingling among cousins and friends on the dance floor, the personalized introductions to the bridal party, and attention to details made for a warm atmosphere reflecting our personalities as a couple and as individuals."