Deepti and Sneh's destination downtown St. Petersburg wedding was a weekend-long celebration filled with cultural tributes, colorful palettes, motifs for each event, and immersive guest experiences. Warm shades of saffron, copper, and persimmon appeared throughout the Indian and Christian ceremonies, followed by a neutral white and gold formal hotel ballroom reception.
“Because we had a number of events, we got to go with a few different design styles for each one. The haldi/mehndi was an outdoor brunch with contemporary Indian sangeet decor, and the Christian ceremony and dinner color palette were creams and burnt orange, so that made for a little bit of a boho vibe. The haldi/mehndi was a yellow and orange color scheme because that is traditionally how this event is designed, basically with a turmeric theme. All our guests were nice enough to wear those colors, and then Sneh and I were in white and pink, so it really looked beautiful,” the bride beamed. “The Hindu ceremony was inspired by the blue peacocks on my wedding outfit, with the bridal party in shades of teal/peacock blue, and the mandap had creams and pops of blue as well. The reception was a traditional black tie with lots of candles. We went for a classic look; the venue is a gorgeous place on its own, so there wasn't too much we needed to do to get the look we wanted.”
The Boston couple turned to the local experts at Coastal Coordinating to help guide the planning process for their 250-guest November celebration. As working professionals, they recognized the value of having a seasoned wedding planner who could take a lot of the tasks off of their plate while also keeping the process fun and enjoyable.
“We were looking for someone who could help be our eyes and ears on the ground in Florida in the time leading up to the wedding, given we were planning from the Northeast. We also wanted someone who was organized and fun to work with because we knew we'd spend a lot of time working with them leading up to the big weekend. Sneh and I both have crazy work schedules, so we also definitely needed someone who would be able to drive a lot of the elements of the planning. Coastal Coordinating checked all the boxes described!” Deepti raved. “They have such a vast, connected network down in Florida, and they are all incredibly professional and wonderful to work with. Katy, in particular, is honestly a magician with how much she juggles and still remembers every detail of her client's wedding planning.”
With both Christian and Indian ceremonies and multiple receptions planned for the weekend, Deepti sought a beauty team with experience in multicultural hair and makeup techniques. With years of expertise and a broad portfolio of gorgeous clients, Michele Renee The Studio came through with impeccable skills and time management as a wedding veteran.
“I wanted simple hair and makeup looks that went well with the style of my outfits. Michele Renee herself is absolutely amazing at what she does, and during the wedding, she was such an incredible person to have around me,” the bride gushed. “She really understood how I wanted to look, and she got it done so quickly, too, which was great for our crazy timelines.”
To make each event feel special and unique for their guests, the couple focused on immersive cultural experiences that also provided quality time with their loved ones.
“We had a ceremony where all our guests got to come and put a turmeric (haldi) paste on both of us for good luck before the wedding, which I think our guests really loved. They got to experience a piece of Indian culture, and we got to have a little moment with each of them which can be hard with such a big wedding,” the bride revealed.
Planning a wedding menu to accommodate an assortment of palettes, from Indian delicacies to crowd-pleasing favorites, was at a priority for the couple. Olympia Catering‘s wide range of menu selections and custom offerings created an ideal process for the couple to craft a menu that accommodated everyone, and the team's stellar service left a lasting impression.
“We needed caterers who could please a lot of different people in our lives. We had people coming from India but also a large group of our friends who wanted unique and fun food, so we wanted caterers who could appease everyone, which was not an easy task!” Deepti shared. “We really wanted a sit-down dinner for one of our events, and Olympia Catering was amazing. A seated meal for 250 people is no easy ask, but they executed it well. They also offered a meat, fish, vegetarian, and even a kid's meal, which was perfect for all the different dietary requirements of our large group.”
A few key moments that stood out most for the bride included the cultural nods in their ceremonies and the unique ways she and Sneh honored special family members. From the ceremony processional members to the music selections, each decision was carefully curated with their loved ones in mind.
“The events and ceremonies themselves were a combination of the traditions and religions that Sneh and I come from. We really wanted to capture the elements of how we both were raised and combine them in a way that was fun for our guests and true to us. We had both a Christian and Hindu ceremony for this reason,” Deepti reminisced. “The Christian ceremony had a choir and live musicians that are friends of his family and their church, so that was really special. We had a live band at the dinner after the ceremony because Sneh's dad is a musician, so he really wanted to have that element throughout the night. The Hindu ceremony was pretty traditional to north Indian customs (where my family is from), except that I had all the women of my extended family walk down the aisle before I did. I always thought it was so strange that only dads get to walk their daughters down the aisle! I was lucky enough to have two weddings, so he walked me down the aisle at the Christian wedding, and my mom walked me down the aisle at the Hindu wedding (after my grandma, aunts, and cousins all had their moment). It was really, really special to me.”
What were your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
I wanted simple hair and makeup looks that went well with the style of my outfits. Michele Renee herself is absolutely amazing at what she does, and during the wedding, she was such an incredible person to have around me. She really understood how I wanted to look, and she got it done so quickly, too, which was great for our crazy timelines.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We were looking for someone who could help be our eyes and ears on the ground in Florida in the time leading up to the wedding, given we were planning from the Northeast. We also wanted someone who was organized and fun to work with because we knew we'd spend a lot of time working with them leading up to the big weekend. Sneh and I both have crazy work schedules, so we also definitely needed someone who would be able to drive a lot of the elements of the planning.
Coastal Coordinating checked all the boxes described! They have such a vast, connected network down in Florida, and they are all incredibly professional and wonderful to work with. Katy, in particular, is honestly a magician with how much she juggles and still remembers every detail of her client's wedding planning.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Because we had a number of events, we got to go with a few different design styles for each one. The haldi/mehndi was an outdoor brunch with contemporary Indian sangeet decor, and the Christian ceremony and dinner color palette were creams and burnt orange, so that made for a little bit of a boho vibe. The Hindu ceremony was inspired by the blue peacocks on my wedding outfit, with the bridal party in shades of teal/peacock blue, and the mandap had creams and pops of blue as well. The reception was a traditional black tie with lots of candles. We went for a classic look; the venue is a gorgeous place on its own, so there wasn't too much we needed to do to get the look we wanted.
What were your colors?
The haldi/mehndi was a yellow and orange color scheme because that is traditionally how this event is designed, basically with a turmeric theme. All our guests were nice enough to wear those colors, and then Sneh and I were in white and pink, so it really looked beautiful.
What did you look for in a wedding caterer?
We needed caterers who could please a lot of different people in our lives. We had people coming from India but also a large group of our friends who wanted unique and fun food, so we wanted caterers who could appease everyone, which was not an easy task!
We really wanted a sit-down dinner for one of our events, and Olympia Catering was amazing. A seated meal for 250 people is no easy ask, but they executed it well. They also offered a meat, fish, vegetarian, and even a kid's meal, which was perfect for all the different dietary requirements of our large group.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We went on a safari in the Serengeti (Tanzania) for our honeymoon, followed by a few days in Zanzibar. We wanted to have a honeymoon we would remember forever, and we couldn't think of anything better than being out in the Serengeti with some incredible animals and landscapes. We both love animals, love being outside, and love a good adventure so it was the perfect trip. We also got to put our phones away and just be with each other, experiencing nature together after a crazy wedding weekend, so that was really special.
“Coastal Coordinating has such a vast, connected network down in Florida, and they are all incredibly professional and wonderful to work with. Katy, in particular, is honestly a magician with how much she juggles and still remembers every detail of her client's wedding planning. She is the reason all the events went as well as they did. I was not the most hands-on bride, but she pushed me and Sneh on all the decisions at the right time so that everything came together during the weekend.”
-The Bride
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Adriana at the Vinoy was so incredibly helpful. There are always things that go wrong during a wedding, but she truly made herself available to troubleshoot as much as possible during the weekend. She was my parents' go-to person to resolve anything happening at the hotel. Our photographer was awesome too. He and his crew are great to have around during all the events, and they captured some really sweet and funny moments in addition to the beautiful ones. Our band on Friday night was everyone's absolute favorite. I would recommend them to everyone looking for a live band for any event. They are wonderful people and were really thoughtful about every part of their role at our event. Our Indian caterer was absolutely spot on. Our guests were raving about the food for months after the wedding. We even needed last-minute breakfast options one morning, and Tabla whipped up an amazing South/North Indian spread for our guests. Lastly, Katy and the Coastal Coordinating crew were incredible. She is the reason all the events went as well as they did. I was not the most hands-on bride, but she pushed me and Sneh on all the decisions at the right time so that everything came together during the weekend.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
If you're having a big, multi-event wedding, take the week before the event off and give yourself time to get all the little details together. It will save a lot of stress on the weekend of.
