Modern & Memorable Hindu Wedding in Seattle

Shivani Mahapatro and Rahul Ghosh's dream wedding was nearly two years in the making and involved an incredible team of vendors and two trips to India for wedding shopping. This traditional 4-day multi-event Hindu wedding in Seattle prominently featured the couple's Odia and Bengali heritage. Around 500 family and friends from all over the world gathered together in the beautiful Pacific Northwest to celebrate Shivani and Rahul's journey of love - which was 10 years in the making, 6 of which were long distance.

The wedding festivities began on Thursday morning with the Haldi ceremony, a ritual blessing for the bride and groom to-be. After four hours of applying intricate bridal henna, a fun and colorful Moroccan-themed Mehendi party was held in the couple's backyard. The following evening, a Sangeet ceremony was held at the Fairmont Hotel in Downtown Seattle where their love story was told by a series of dances performed by family and friends and rings were exchanged rings as part of a formal engagement ceremony.

Wedding day festivities took place at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue and started with a first look prior to the ceremony in Bellevue Park, followed by the Baraat, a procession that traditionally announces the groom's arrival. Rahul entered in style on a horse-drawn carriage, while an entourage of his family and friends danced in the streets of downtown Bellevue to the beat of a Dhol, a traditional Indian drum. After the first few wedding rituals were completed, Shivani was carried into the Grand Ballroom on a palanquin with betel leaves covering her face with live sitar and tabla music in the background.

The lunch that followed featured creative food stations with dishes from many regions of India. Afterwards, guests enjoyed cocktail hour in the foyer, while the ballroom was transformed for an elegant fairy-tale themed reception. The couple kicked off the evening with a surprise entrance; curtains in the center stage fell and revealed the newlyweds in a life-size snow globe, where they performed a Bollywood-style First Dance. The reception featured speeches from family and friends, custom-engraved sweets, along with aerialists and a live painter. The couple danced the night away in the company of their loved ones. After a week filled with wedding festivities, Shivani and Rahul bid adieu to their family and friends with a farewell brunch on Sunday morning. A memorable week which will surely be forever cherished by all.