This Couple Selected "Neon Peacock" as the Theme for Their Wedding at Top of the Town in Arlington, Virginia

When it comes to wedding themes, the sky is the limit. And Rayanne and Anish (who met online and bonded over a competitive love of Scrabble) truly did take both their wedding and their theme to new heights. The event, held at a penthouse venue known as Top of the Town in Arlington, Virginia, leaned into a creative "neon peacock" wedding theme with vibrant shades of teal and hot pink. The wedding creatively blended modern twists and ample personalization with traditional Indian elements to honor Anish's heritage. "Our wedding theme was 'neon peacock' because we love bright colors and wanted to pair them with a more traditional Indian motif," says Rayanne. "It was also a blend of our two favorite colors: hot pink for flowers, and teal for the peacock. Our fusion wedding combined a Hindu wedding ceremony with a nondenominational wedding reception. It was important that our family be present and so we wanted to have all the Hindu ceremonies in as a single weekend to minimize travel and time off work." 

For attire, Anish and Rayanne donned attire in shades of cream, teal and vibrant pink. A peacock feather and paisley broach affixed to Anish's turban thoughtfully nodded to the couple's theme. Meanwhile, ornate beading on Rayanne's lehenga depicted the iconic bird as well. "Getting married at the end of July in DC means the weather will be HOT," notes Rayanne. "We needed to have coordinating outfits that matched our theme and fit the weather. This obviously meant that hot pink matching sunglasses were the first item purchased! After searching for Indian bridal attire online and not finding accurate photos of the colors of the clothes, we engaged a local designer who allowed us to pick the exact color swatches for our raw silk and the embroidery thread that would embellish it." 

Many Indian weddings take place over multiple days, but Rayanne and Anish opted for a more succinct timeline. They chose to combine their mehndi and sangeet events with their Friday rehearsal dinner. Then, on Saturday, they got married "late afternoon starting with a baraat, the Hindu wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing the night away at the wedding reception," explains Rayanne. 

Prior to the wedding ceremony, the couple participated in a baraat processional with Anish atop a white horse while Rayanne danced alongside wedding guests and loved ones. Rayanne cites the baraat as her favorite part of the entire wedding. "Seeing Anish come prancing down the street on top of a white horse surrounded by Indian music and our friends and family dancing, was my favorite part," recalls Rayanne. "It was such a memorable sight, and my favorite picture is him on the horse with his nephew and the Washington Monument in the background. There is even a picture of me high up in the elevator looking down and awaiting when I will get to join the baraat." 

The prismatic avian-inspired color palette continued at the wedding reception. Guest tables were draped in teal linens while the gold-covered sweetheart table was flanked by two gold pedestals with faux peacock figurines sitting atop them. However, the couple made a conscious decision not to include cut flowers in the wedding decor. "We didn’t have bouquets, but flowers and flower garlands are central to Hindu wedding ceremonies. My mother-in-law is Jain a sect of Hinduism that believes so deeply in a principle of 'do no harm' to any living thing that harvesting flowers for use in a single day is frowned upon and so we chose silk flowers for our bride and groom varmala garlands, mandap, wedding table, and ceremony decorations," explains Rayanne. "We used hot pink and blue flowers on the mandap (alter platform) and for the table centerpieces. The silk flowers carried the pink and blue aesthetic from the wedding ceremony into the reception."

While the reception decor was visually stunning, the food served was equally memorable. "One of my favorite parts of the wedding was planning the food and drinks with our caterer IndAroma! I wanted both the Indian and Italian families to have something they were comfortable eating. To start, we had fusion appetizers of chicken tikka tacos and arrancini balls filled with spicy lentils," shares Rayanne. "Guests could sip signature cocktails named for our two cats Icie and Pastrami. On the buffet, in addition to traditional Indian dishes, we served chicken picatta. Finally, everything was finished off with wedding cake, chocolate torts and gulab jamun cheesecake." 

To nearlyweds in the throes of planning, Rayanne and Anish offer this advice: "Remember that at the end of the day, the ceremony is a celebration of your love as a couple. Everyone will have an opinion and you won’t only be negotiating with vendors, but also family. Create a list of non-negotiables and stick to it."