Traditional Inspirational Real Wedding stories

Candelabras and Roses Filled This Hindu Wedding at The Astorian in Houston, Texas

Rhuju and Vijay both have Indian roots, but their similarities end there. “Our families are from two different parts of India—Gujarat and Telangana—with different languages, food and traditions,” Rhuju says. “We tried our best to make everyone happy.” At their shortened Hindu ceremony, they playe...

One Couple's Elegant Summer Wedding at Zingerman's Cornman Farms in Dexter, Michigan

Mansi and Alex got creative when infusing their two cultures into one wedding day. “We honored our families with both a Western-style ceremony and an Indian ceremony,” Alex says. The couple switched things up by asking Mansi’s aunts to walk her down the aisle and offering guests American and Indi...

One Couple's Scottish-Persian Fusion Wedding in Dallas, Texas

Emilia, who is Iranian-American, and Calum, who is Scottish, tied the knot in Texas but their day was filled with a mix of Persian and Scottish influences. The couple originally said "I do" in the Scottish Borders in Scotland, but were only able to have five people in attendance because of COVID-...

Vibrant Red Hues Set Apart This Wedding at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York

Isha and Adam's vibrant red-hued wedding at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York, was equal parts traditional and glam, and all-around stunning. For the past year, the couple has been through "a roller coaster of uncertainty with COVID-19 and the possibility of moving our wedding date. I never re...

A Formal Private Residence Wedding in New Vernon, New Jersey, With Monogram Details

Taylor has two sisters who got married at their childhood home, so when she and Tyler got engaged, she could easily picture an elegant tented reception on her parents’ lawn. “We wanted to bring the outside in, with lots of greenery,” she says. What she did not imagine was a huge tree falling acro...

A Seven Magic Mountains Elopement in Las Vegas, Nevada, Packed With Cultural Details

Jessica (Jess) and SC celebrated their marriage with an intimate elopement in the desert outside Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple jokes that their elopement was really more of a "quasi elopement-meets-destination wedding."  Jess explains that the couple "just wanted to marry each other with no frill...

A Preppy Country Club Wedding in Pinehurst, North Carolina, With an Epic Patterned Dance Floor

After postponing their wedding three times due to COVID-19, Sumner and James were finally able to celebrate their wedding amongst the pine trees of North Carolina at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. Their preppy wedding day included an epic patterned dance floor, greenery-covered ...

Navy and Pink Wowed at This Wedding at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, California

Sima and Nikhil let Indian traditions guide their wedding at the Montalvo Arts Center. They kicked things off with a musical baraat processional and married under a mandap, but shortened their ceremony to a brief 45 minutes. Sima wore a jeweled lehenga in peach rather than the typical red (“It’s ...

This Couple Hiked to Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park for Their Outdoorsy Elopement

When it came time to tie the knot, Margaret and Chris wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life so they decided to elope in one of the most picturesque spots imaginable—Yosemite National Park. Hiking has always been a central part of the couple's relationship (they got engage...

The Sunny Atlantic Beach Club in New York Gave This Couple Dreamy Ocean Views for Their Wedding

Karen and Jason got engaged on a secluded beach in Maui—and for their wedding, the pair decided to bring a slice of Hawaii back to their families in New York. After the couple tied the knot on the sands of Atlantic Beach, they welcomed loved ones to a tropical party at the Sunny Atlantic Beach Cl...

A Classic, Intimate Wedding at Maggie Daley Park in Chicago, Illinois, Focused on Family

Sydney and Todd, who first met at a wedding themselves, tied the knot with an intimate, family-only wedding at the Cancer Survivors' Garden in Chicago's Maggie Daley Park. Although the couple got engaged at the height of the pandemic, "it actually created the opportunity for us to lean into an in...

Chinese and American Traditions Blended Together for This Backyard Wedding in Waverly, Pennsylvania

Michelle and John’s wedding day was dedicated to fusing their two cultures. “We wanted to blend Chinese and American themes together, just as we were blending our families together,” John says. The couple juxtaposed Chinese traditions—including the double happiness symbol on the menus, pig and ra...

Sri Lankan Traditions Filled This Wedding at Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio

Family was the focus of physicians Anodika and Jerald's wedding. With paying tribute to their roots being top of mind, the pair planned a day-long celebration starting with a Western-style wedding officiated by one of Jerald’s best friends during the day, followed by a traditional Sri Lankan cere...

Classic Blue-and-White Chinoiserie Inspired This Wedding at Knotting Hill Place in Little Elm, Texas

Brittany and Rich tied the knot with a classic-meets-luxury wedding at Knotting Hill Place in Little Elm, Texas. The couple filled the wedding celebration with a blue-and-white color palette inspired by traditional Chinoiserie pottery. "I was going for a modern glam romantic theme. My main colors...

Polish and Filipino Traditions Filled This Belle Isle Casino Wedding in Detroit, Michigan

Family traditions were the focus of Amanda and Andrew downtown nuptials, which kicked off with a Catholic ceremony at St. Francis D’Assisi. Ring bearers carried blessed arras (wedding coins) as a nod to the groom’s Filipino background, and the ceremonial altar cloths were sewn by his grandmother ...

A Romantic Pink-and-Red Color Palette Wowed at This Wedding in Greenwich, Connecticut

Despite the 100-degree temperatures and 100 percent humidity, Pamela and Brandon's wedding went according to plan. The couple returned to the site of their engagement, Brandon’s grandparent’s home in Greenwich, for their floral- filled celebration that included edible flowers in the food and drin...

A U.S. Naval Academy Wedding in Annapolis, Maryland, Filled With Flea Market Finds

Hilary and Christopher (Chris) had a traditional wedding at the 100-year-old chapel at the US Naval Academy, the groom’s alma mater. Chris’s classmates made a sword arch as the newlyweds kissed outside the US Naval Academy Chapel. Then they partied at a rustic farm, serving crab cakes, fall veget...

Lush White-and-Green Flowers Filled This Wedding at Eolia Mansion in Waterford, Connecticut

Tram and Johnson chose to host their garden-inspired green-and-white wedding at Eolia Mansion in Waterford, Connecticut, because that's where they "met and fell in love in our home state of Connecticut. There was no more meaningful place for us to get married. On a random chance, we toured Eolia ...

This Merrimon-Wynne House Wedding in North Carolina Had Nods to the Couple's Multicultural Roots

At first, Diana and Steve were focused on throwing an elegant Southern wedding befitting their venue, an 1876 mansion. “But as we continued to plan, things became more personal,” Diana says. They pair ended up celebrating the union of their two cultures— Diana is Native American and Southern, Ste...

This Couple's Wedding at Knotting Hill Place in Little Elm, Texas, Had a Glam Black-and-White Palette

Pharra and Roderick, both big Disney fans, celebrated their real-life fairy tale with a glam black-and-white wedding at Knotting Hill Place in Little Elm, Texas. In a movie-worthy storyline, the couple first met during their teen years, but went separate ways. However, fate brought them back toge...

This Wedding at the Lodge at the Rock in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Was Filled With Shades of Blue

For their wedding at Lodge at the Rock in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Taylor and Ahbi filled their celebration with a variety of serene blue shades that befit their natural surroundings. "Our wedding was truly a showcase of us," says Taylor. "We just wanted everyone to have a blast and enjoy some of ou...

Dogs Stole the Show at This Romantic Wedding at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California

Delia and Gordon's romantic wedding at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California, was filled with elegant details, a dreamy blush-and-ivory color palette, and an abundance of adorable puppies dressed in wedding-ready attire. For their intimate wedding, the couple kept the guest list small but lovingl...

This Burgundy-Hued Wedding in Newport Beach, California, Included a Trip to In-N-Out for Burgers

To celebrate their union, Sanndy and Marquis planned a wedding in Newport Beach, California, that was packed with fun details. To kick off the wedding day, the couple tied the knot surrounded by family and chose to include a unity candle in their religious ceremony, which Sanndy looks back on as ...