Indian Fusion Wedding in The Mountains

A few months after they started dating, Jessica (Jess) Merrell (28 and a government employee) and Kiran Sreenivas (31 and works in health care research) took a trip to Asheville. Jess got lost and Kiran was pulled over, but they still fell hard for the city—and each other. “That first trip was symbolic of why we work well together,” Kiran says. Years later, they shared the area with 112 loved ones at their relaxed, colorful wedding. The day incorporated Hindu traditions to honor Kiran’s Indian heritage, and a sundae bar with custom flavors like mango lassi and pistachio kulfi.
Jess wore a lace- and-tulle gown and her great-great-aunt’s bracelets,  while Kiran sported a royal blue sherwani (a traditional Indian jacket) for the ceremony, and then changed into a suit.
Watercolor invites echoed the Blue Ridge Mountains. “Since it was a destination wedding, we wanted them to convey why Asheville is so special to us,” Jess says.
Jess made wood ticket-style signs for the tables, which were named for concerts she and Kiran attended together. A friend illustrated the signature cocktail sign, featuring a mezcal mule and bourbon old-fashioned named for the couple’s pets. “In Hindu weddings, the bride and groom exchange flower garlands,” Kiran says. “We expanded  it to include our immediate families to symbolize that they are uniting as well.”
Jess carried dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, gomphrena and delphiniums.