We love us a neutral wedding color palette all day long, but once in a while we love the vibrancy and impact of color for a wedding.  Which is just one reason why we’re obsessed with Monica and Alok’s Waterford Castle wedding!  The mix of tradition with a modern chic sensibility made for a truly spectacular presentation. And with the picturesque island castle and Irish countryside serving as backdrop, together with the incredible floral talents of Lamber de Bie, you really couldn’t ask for more.  There to capture the day beautifully was  House of Talent Studio.  We know you’ll enjoy these gorgeous photos and fall in love with this fabulous vibrant Indian castle wedding as much as we have!

The wedding celebrations kicked off with the traditional pre-wedding Hindu traditions including the  haldi ceremony.  Tumeric paste is mixed with fragrant sandalwood, milk, and rose water and then applied to the bride and groom by their family.  The yellow color is believed to brighten the couple’s skin, warding off the “evil eye” and medicinal properties of the herbs aiding to help calm any pre-wedding nerves! We are obsessed with the gorgeous details of the mehendi.  This ritual is attended by all members of the bride’s family. The bride’s hands and feet are richly decorated in henna while the family and friends sing and dance around her, bestowing their well wishes and positive energy.

The couple also made time to relax and enjoy the the castle’s grounds together and with their guests, taking in the scenery and try activities like clay pigeon shooting.

Monica ended up wearing three gorgeous gowns for her wedding, each look carefully crafted and perfectly accessorized.  We love the bright red gown and embroidery detail, and Alok looks smart in his traditional attire.  Indian brides often wear their “something red” for good luck (instead of the “something blue”).  We love their “first look” shots as they take in the love and romance of the castle together!

One of the best parts of this wedding has to be the sangeet ceremony.  Here the family and friends all gather together in a very festive, colorful setting and sing and dance for the couple. It’s an amazing sight to see — full of color and love — and lovely to see the bride and groom honored in such a fun and meaningful way.

As the celebrations continued to build up to the ceremony, it was time for Monica’s next look.

She looked absolutely stunning in traditional Hindu dress.  Lamber pulled all the stops in the ceremony space, decorating the traditional mandap in a cascade of fragrant white blooms and greenery.  A collection of perfect white lanterns brought in a romantic mood to set the space perfectly. Together with his team, he nailed the look to create a truly stunning focal point.

One of the incredible visuals of a traditional Indian wedding includes the bride’s sari. This traditional dress is often brightly colored and richly decorated with gold embroidery which symbolizes spirituality and fertility.  Again, the bright color is for good luck.  Not to be outdone, the groom arrives on a white horse (known as the Baraat).  Lively music welcome the groom to the wedding space to the cheers and joy of his family and friends. The bride is often secretly watching her groom have his moment to shine before she makes her grand entrance. Alok stunned with his traditional attire and set the stage perfectly for Monica’s beautiful entrance. The couple take their place under the mandap, richly adorned with fresh flowers and greenery in romantic white and green tones expertly crafted by the uber-talented Lambert and his team. The mandap not only serves as focal point to the ceremony, but plays an extremely important part in the tradition: each pillar represents the couple’s parents whose love and support are making this wedding possible.

Even the castle’s falcon made an appearance for the ceremony!

Monica and Alok’s wedding did one expert thing that’s so important and effective in creating an unforgettable wedding: they kept the momentum building. The third part of their dream wedding day is incorporating the castle itself, creating a traditional American style celebration complete with gorgeous dress, unforgettable entrance, and spectacular fireworks show to close off the wedding celebrations. Each detail had a new color, a new texture, something different to look forward to that entranced all of the sense, from beginning to end;  you didn’t know what to expect next and that excitement built on itself to create that incredible momentum.

It’s wonderful to see how versatile one venue can be.  We’ve seen so many gorgeous weddings at Waterford, from a moody Peaky Blinders-inspired elopement to gorgeous vow renewal to classically Irish weddings — this is a great example of how you can take a venue, embrace it, and make it your own.

Congratulations Monica and Alok on a truly stunning destination wedding celebration in Ireland.  A little bit of Irish, a lot of tradition, a gorgeous setting full of color and life and love — this is what a wedding celebration is about.  We wish you both a long life of continued happiness.

For more information on the talented vendors that created this stunning wedding, contact us today!