Wedding Date on Aug 3, 2024

How did you two meet?: We are high school sweethearts from suburban Chicago who met on a high school band trip to Spain - somehow we had never run into each other until that trip and then fell hard and fast in the span of one week. What venue did you choose, and why?: We had a multicultural wedding and had the opportunity to find and experience two wonderful venues for our Indian and Western wedding days. When looking for venues, we wanted to find places that embodied the life we have come to love in the pacific northwest. We were looking for urban spaces that highlighted the beauty of both the city as well as the surrounding nature. Castaway Portland was our choice for the Indian wedding. The bones of the venue with the wooden ceilings, stunning windows, flood of plants, and views of classic brick buildings were everything we love about city life in the PNW. It almost felt as if we were able to invite all of our guests into our dream PNW home. The more unstructured and flexible nature of the venue allowed us to also let our imagination run wild in creating an immersive, playful, and colorful vibe for the Indian wedding. Amaterra Winery was the home to our Western wedding. We knew we wanted to have our wedding here the moment we pulled into the parking lot for the first time - we fell in love with the refined contemporary architecture that seamlessly fit into the natural PNW landscape. The fusion of black-tie elegance and natural beauty represented everything we wanted in a wedding. It definitely didn't hurt that the sweeping views of the hillside were accompanied by incredible food and wine from Amaterra. What were your favorite style details from the wedding, and why did you choose them?: For the Indian wedding, we really loved the juxtaposition of the industrial building with the bright/colorful themes that are traditionally found in Indian weddings. We wanted our mandap to be the centerpiece of the space with lots of colorful flowers, draping, and greenery. For the Western wedding, we wanted the theme to be timeless, classic, and modern. We chose to let the architecture of Amaterra speak for itself and accented the space with local PNW florals in classic whites with greenery, a black and white checkered dance floor, and simple signage. We also wanted some pops of blue and gold to bring in a summery and bright feel to our florals and tablescapes. What were each of your favorite moments from the day?: Vishnu: Thinking about our wedding weekend, the moments that feel special are the ones that feel like a representation of who we are and our story. There was the incredibly energetic baraat before the Indian ceremony where we paraded in with a Porsche and had all of our friends hype me up before the big event. There was being able to share our private vows together in the beautiful terraces of Amaterra taking in each other and the beauty that surrounded us. There was the meticulously curated music during the reception that is something we've bonded over as a couple. Emily: A few of my favorite moments from the Indian wedding was during the ceremony when we had to walk around a fire while tied together, when all of our loved ones came up to the mandap to shower us in flower petals to demonstrate their love, support, and blessings for us. Another favorite part was when our bridesmaids and groomsmen put on a bollywood style dance for us! It was truly so fun. For the Western Wedding, Vishnu and I’s private vows on the terrace at Amaterra was so magical. The weather was beautiful and we got to sit and have our moment together before the ceremony, it was very romantic.