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 ceremony to honor Anodika’s heritage. At the second ceremony, Anodika wore her mom’s original wedding sari, while Jerald rocked Indian attire to honor Anodika’s dad, who is Indian. “Seeing Anodika in her mom’s sari and the connection between them made me so happy,” Jerald says. Anodika and Jerald chose muted touches, like the minimal day-of paper with elegant calligraphy, for the sake of keeping the museum the main focus of the décor. “We wanted the venue to speak for itself,” Jerald says. Anodika carried a soft, neutral mix of roses, ranunculus and dahlias, but spiced things up with a pop of unexpected color: sprays of red astilbe. A group of traditional Sri Lankan dancers marked Anodika and Jerald’s entrance and exit from the evening’s cultural ceremony. For the Sri Lankan ceremony, Anodika complemented her mom’s wedding sari with a gold atha mudu walalla, a hand ornament with rings. Guests witnessed as Anodika and Jerald completed a set of traditional vows under the cover of a gold poruwa decorated with white paper flowers and sparkling lights. “We rarely get to have all of our favorite people in one place at the same time, so it was amazing to share the happiest moment of our lives with everyone watching,” Jerald says. Greenery took center stage at dinner, including covering a boxwood wall lit by string lights and an installation overhead. Wood cross-back chairs added a rustic note to the décor. The newlyweds sliced into a vanilla cake topped with roses. Just in case the cake didn’t cut it, guests grabbed candied pecans, chocolate chips and waffles for a sweet snack—and a Chipotle-inspired buffet provided late-night indulgence.