This Week In Instagram Photos

{New watch and bracelet for my birthday from Aneesh, flowers from my family, and a sneak peek at an fun organizing project I am working on}

 For those of you not following on instagram I thought I would share a few photos I posted this past week.

After all the travel we have been doing lately, I am really excited to stay home this weekend and get a few things done around the house.  We are going to put up some artwork,  set up our new grill, and find some new patio furniture in preparation for my family visiting over Memorial Day weekend.  We also have a fun dinner planned for tomorrow. (more on that next week)

Have a great weekend! 

{Ariyana and me on our way to a wedding reception in Charlotte, NC}

{Friday afternoon treat-mango smoothies  and Essie nail polish in Bangle Jangle}

{A gift from my mom-her vintage gold necklace and earrings}

Wedding and Reception Details

This post from my sister's wedding and reception is one of my favorites I have done since I started STYLE'N two years ago. When I started this blog my goal was to share my own personal style and all things associated with life and style and this wedding was full of life, style, fashion, and so much more!  The entire week with family and friends consisted of so much love, laughter, and fun. I hope you have enjoyed the past few wedding posts (here, here, and here) as much as I have enjoyed putting them together. 

You may want to grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable because there are more photos here than I usually post. I had a tough time narrowing down the photos but each photo is truly unique and helps tell the story of this beautiful day. And I know I speak for Rachna and Vik when I say a big thank you to Sarah and her team at Whitmeyer Photography for the amazing job they did with all the photography. Just the other day I was telling my husband I want to get married again just so I could have Sarah and her team take our photos. 

The Wedding

layered necklaces

more layered necklaces

bangles

groom arriving on a horse and carriage

lovely bridesmaids

wedding outfit and shoes

one of my favorite moments (my mom and Rachna)

just married!

The Wedding Reception

helping my sister get ready for the wedding reception

the bride and groom making their way to cocktail hour and the reception

henna, French gel manicure, wedding bangles, gorgeous engagement/wedding rings, and a beautiful and delicate pearl ring handed down to my sister from my mom

side swept bun + pink flower

unexpected pop of pink + henna

reception decor

my beautiful mom

 cute idea for wedding cards/gifts

there was lots of spinning and dancing on the dance floor (my niece Sarina on the left and Ariyana on the right) 

me

Wedding Outfit Photos

The bride (my sister) Rachna, Ariyana, and me

Here's a few photos I was able to get immediately following the wedding ceremony. Doesn't my sister look absolutely stunning?

Well believe it or not we are off to another wedding this weekend so I am signing off until next week. Have a wonderful weekend! 

 Rachna and my mom 

My sister in law Hetal

Pre Wedding Ceremonies

photo courtesy of Whitmeyer Photography

Indian weddings are typically several days long and consist of lots eating, dancing, and fun with family and friends. There are also several pre wedding ceremonies that take place including the mehndi, vatna, and chuda ceremonies. Here's a few photos from these ceremonies.  

Mehndi

Mehndi signifies the strength of love in a marriage. The darker the mehndi, the stronger the love. 

Rachna's mehndi turned out beautiful (and dark!) and it took about 3 hours to do both her hands and feet. Glitter was placed on top of the henna to make the henna shine and look good in the photos. The rest of the wedding party also had the opportunity to get mehndi. 

My sister Rachna, brother Nishal, and sister in law Hetal 

Vatna Ceremony

The bride sits facing four lamps or diyas and it is considered to be auspicious for all four lamps to remain burning brightly so that the glow on the bride's face remains forever. Female cousins and friends apply vatna (a paste made of turmeric and mustard oil) on the body of the bride. The turmeric acts like a scrub making the bride's body beautiful. 

photo courtesy of Whitmeyer Photography

Aneesh, Rachna, and me 

Chuda/Kalira Ceremony

The ritual involves a havan that is conducted by a priest.  A set of bangles, touched and blessed by all those who are present is put on the bride by the eldest maternal uncle. Flowers are sprinkled on the bride and sweets are distributed to commemorate the beginning of all the rituals to follow. Once the chuda has been worn, all relatives, friends and cousins tie kaliras on the kada or bangle on the bride's wrists. These are essentially gold and silver plated traditional ornaments that hang from the wrist during the wedding. 

And this is just a small gift I got Rachna for her wedding.  I was hoping she would wear this beautiful vintage brooch bracelet I got from LCvintage  but as you can see both her arms were full of wedding bangles and there was no space left on her arms. But I am certain she can add some sparkle with this bracelet on her honeymoon. 

Welcome Dinner/Sangeet

I am back home after spending an incredible week with all our family and friends in North Carolina for my sister's wedding.  While I managed to take some photos I have to admit taking photos at the wedding and reception proved to be quite difficult. My focus and attention was making sure my sister was well taken care of and I wanted to spend quality time with all our friends and family.  It was such a fun and emotional week and it was really special to have family visiting from all over the world, including Canada, Europe, and Australia. I hope you will stay tuned as I share more photos from the wedding over the next couple of weeks. 

And a big congrats goes out to my sister Rachna and her new husband Vik. They are off to Tahiti today for their honeymoon. 

My sister (middle) wore a beautiful purple lengha she had custom made in India, I (left)wore a chiffon and embroidery dress I designed and had made in India. And my sister in law (right) is wearing a beautiful custom made lace sari. 

The lovely bride (to be) Rachna

My mom with Rachna

My sister in law Hetal