Many couples want to honor their family and cultural traditions on their wedding day while simultaneously exhibiting their style and personality in a modern way. Our most recent styled photoshoot showcases just how a couple can bring meaningful cultural elements into a gorgeous modern wedding.

The models, Jessica and Sameer, met at a local Buffalo coffee shop. Jessica, a Buffalo native, and Sameer, who moved to the States from India for higher education, quickly hit it off. After 11.5 months of dating, they eloped in Las Vegas in December 2014. A year later, they hosted a reception in Buffalo for family and friends.

But with a non-conventional wedding, they were missing the elements, like cultural garb and colors, that would have come if they had hosted a larger, more traditional affair. So, this photoshoot was an opportunity to showcase as many traditional and culturally important items as possible.

There were so many deep-rooted cultural elements—from the Seven Sacred Steps, exchanging garlands to welcome each other into the other’s family, and the traditional pre-wedding Henna ceremony—that inspiration was everywhere. (Check out Upstate Indie Wedding’s post for more detailed information about the variety of cultural elements our team drew on.)

For our part, Graphic-Poetry really wanted to focus on the deep traditions that Hindu weddings have and their significance in the culture and to the couple. Liz, the owner and lead designer at Graphic-Poetry, was thrilled to be a part of it.

“It was particularly close to my heart since I have been a student of yogic theology and Ayurveda for so long. I have a deep respect for and feel a strong connection to this culture,” Liz said.

Some of the important elements in the design included the invitation for the traditional Henna ceremony. While this wouldn’t be a part of traditional Western weddings, this ceremony is an important piece of Hindu weddings. It is usually held the night before the wedding, and it is a way of wishing the bride good health and prosperity as she makes her journey into her marriage.

Also included in the stationery was a more detailed ceremony program. Of course, many couples have programs to guide their guests through the ceremony and to have as keepsakes for years to come. But with this Indian Fusion wedding, many of the guests may not have been familiar with the customs and traditions of an Indian ceremony. It was important to showcase the traditions and guide those unfamiliar with them in a beautiful, simple way.

The place cards are one of our favorite design elements from this shoot. With a vibrant mosaic background and a unique shape (who doesn’t love arched cards?), it felt like the most gorgeous blend of the traditional vibrant colors and shapes, with modern flair in the font and velvet ribbon accent. Believe it or not, this was a last-minute add on, but we couldn’t imagine the shoot without it now.

While this suite of cards wasn’t as extensive as a traditional wedding, it still included place cards, menus, ceremony programs, and, of course, the invitations. Can we talk about those invites for a minute? Henna-inspired swirls with unique, tiny details and the printed envelope interior—it makes us gush just thinking about it. In fact the Henna design on the invites was taken from the real Henna application on Jessica by Loti Henna, a fellow village of Hamburg boutique!

While this couple has been married for years, we were so happy to bring their customs to life and provide them with a gorgeous experience with Indian cultural flair and modern elements. Further proving that every couple’s wedding experience is entirely unique—and it’s possible to bring wedding inspo from nearly anywhere!

SHOOT OUT @upstateindieweddings

VENUE @marygoldmanor

PLANNING / FLORAL / DESIGN @bushelevents

SIGNAGE / INVITES @gpinvitations

DESSERTS @fairycakesbuffalo

VIDEO @filmwellstudios

ATTIRE @madebyanatomy

RENTALS @mccarthyevents @shared_treasures_rental

BEAUTY @salonelizabeth_buffalo

HENNA @lotihennastudio

PHOTO @nspstudiodotcom @lydia.maybee @jeffwelt_weddings @sarahawintle