East Meets South: A Multicultural Tent Wedding in Rochester, NY

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Emma & Rajiv

about the event

Emma and Rajiv wanted a wedding built around their union, their families and their Indian, Chinese and Filipino heritage, not traditions that didn't feel like them.

Their palette started with the bougainvillea outside their Pasadena home in California and Indian saffron: bougainvillea pink and monarch orange, softened with peach and marigold. Cobalt blue, pulled from Chinese Qinghua porcelain, appeared in just a few places for striking contrast, from the water glasses and china to the bar sign and seating chart.

Guests arrived to a cocktail hour adorned with marigold chains inspired by Indian malas, with calamansi margaritas and Asian-inspired bites in hand. A simple garland exchange marked their ceremony and ushered everyone from cocktail hour to dinner, where the menu celebrated their heritage with Filipino lechon, chana masala and chicken tikka.

Last but not least, a local ice cream cart rolled in, and a custom dance floor served as a colorful backdrop that kept the celebration going late into the night.

- Emma & Rajiv

From our first call, Desirée was excited about our ideas to create a multicultural reception and did not bat an eye when we told her we didn't plan on having a formal ceremony. We spoke to three other planners and no one else expressed the same amount of excitement and energy for our ideas… Since we knew that Desirée and her team understood our vision, preferences, and priorities, we trusted her 100% to give guidance or make decisions on our behalf. Often times during the planning process, someone would ask us a question about a wedding specific and we would say, 'We don't know, Desirée has it handled!' This felt like a huge gift.

"No one else expressed the same amount of excitement and energy for our ideas."

Block-printed napkins with cobalt dot glasses and kiwi birds holding each place card, a nod to New Zealand, where they were engaged.