Singaporebrides | Photography
January 2016
Jessica and Chand’s Vibrant Indian Wedding Celebration
Jessica and Chand celebrated their interracial union in a beautiful and colourful traditional Indian wedding.
Jessica, 30, exhibition designer and Chand, 31, interior designer connected with each other after a chance introduction by a mutual friend. Three years later, they decided to tie the knot on 9 May 2015 with not one, but two exquisite wedding celebrations that embraced and celebrated both their cultures and traditions. Feast your eyes on the burst of vibrant colours and meaningful intricacies during their traditional Indian wedding celebration, captured wonderfully by Jonathan from Bittersweet Photography.
What was your proposal like?
Chand: I proposed while we were on vacation in Krabi, Thailand. While Jessica was at the reception sorting out sightseeing arrangements, I was waiting for her in the room, down on one knee. When she entered and saw me down on one knee, she was so shocked and puzzled that she actually shut the door and opened it again just to see if she was dreaming! That was a funny moment.
Share your wedding planning journey with us.
Chand: It took us approximately eight months to plan two weddings in Singapore and Indonesia, where Jessica’s hometown was. We had a traditional Indian wedding at Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple along Serangoon Road, followed by an intimate dinner reception within the temple’s compound. A week later, we had our Chinese tea ceremony and a large dinner reception with Jessica’s family in Balikpapan. Prior to our celebrations, we had an intimate henna ceremony, where Jessica was adorned in henna while our families came together and celebrated our interracial union.
Although we had a tight timeline, we had plenty of help from both our families in coordinating both celebrations. They were extremely understanding and helped with the running of errands and meeting vendors on our behalf when we couldn’t be there.
Was there a wedding theme?
For our traditional Indian wedding ceremony, we used plenty of vibrant colors, particularly red and gold as they symbolise happiness, good fortune and prosperity. Meanwhile, our dinner reception in Balikpapan sported hues of gold, peach and mint green for a Spring-time look that brought everyone together.
What was your actual day like?
Both of our celebrations went smoothly. Jessica is very organised so she ensured that there was a schedule and appointed key roles to family members for the reception in Indonesia, while I made sure there was a schedule and checklist for our celebration in Singapore. We also included some buffer time in the schedule to make room for delays such as traffic or rain.
As for us, we felt really nervous at the thought of something wrong during the day and extremely excited to embark on a new chapter together. But wedding jitters aside, we felt wonderful.
Walk us through an Indian wedding and some of the rituals practiced during one.
An Indian wedding ceremony usually lasts about an hour and involves more than a handful of steps. For Jessica and I, we found the agni Mangal Phera ritual, where we walked seven rounds around a small enclosed fire, extremely significant. The seven rounds represented the promises we made to each other in our union: to be faithful, affectionate, respectful to one another and our families, supportive, fulfilling our responsibilities, standing by each other in difficult times and seeking God’s blessings for an everlasting marriage.
There isn’t an Indian wedding where the exchanging of Jaimala doesn’t take place. Jaimala refers to a garland made out of flowers and thread. The flowers symbolise happiness, excitement, aspiration, beauty while the thread that brings this flowers together is likened to a medium that secures all these emotions. Jessica and I found this ritual extremely significant too, as it represents the unification of two souls. Lastly, there is the applying of the red tikka and beaded necklace. Equivalent to the Western tradition of exchanging rings, the application of the red powder and the beaded necklace symbolises that she is a married woman, and we are now man and wife.
What did your family and friends have to say about your wedding?
Many of our guests were non-Indian and first-timers attending a traditional Indian wedding, so they were pretty excited to experience one. It was nice to see our non-Indian family and friends dress up in a Saree or Salwar and made an effort to be part of the feast of colours and festivities.
Share with us a memorable moment from your weddings.
I think the most special moment of the day had to be meeting Jessica at the hotel, where she was getting ready. I was really excited to see my wife-to-be. We followed the Chinese practice of having my back facing Jessica when I went to pick her up. Eventually, when I was allowed to turn to face her, I could not stop smiling when I saw her decked up like an Indian queen.
The moment we stepped out of our wedding car in the touristy Little India was also rather memorable. We felt like Bollywood actors when tourists and passers-by stopped to take photographs of us! But the best part of the day was seeing all the smiling faces of our families and friends as we celebrated our union.
The Venue: Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Serangoon Road
The Wedding Gown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Wedding Suit: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Hair and Makeup: Jessica’s mother
The Wedding Stylist/Decorator: KM Wedding Services and Deco
The Wedding Caterer: Riverwalk Tandoor Catering
The Photographer: Jonathan from Bittersweet Photography
Want to see your love story featured on SingaporeBrides too? Submit your wedding here!
All content from this article, including images, cannot be reproduced without credits or written permission from SingaporeBrides.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram for the latest article and promotion updates!