A Celebration of Heritage

 

 

Theresa Nguyen and Chirag Patel September 28, 2013

Theresa and Chirag met while attending medical school at Thomas Jefferson University.    They share many interests such as gourmet food and adventurous travel.  When it came to planning their wedding they knew that not only their opinions would matter but also the opinions of their parents.    Coming from two very different cultures Theresa being Vietnamese and Chirag being Indian they know it would be no small task to hold a wedding that would please both families.  To accomplish this they chose to celebrate each culture by hosting multiple events that would highlight each culture.  On Thursday night and small Mehndi party was held for the immediate family and bridal party at China Motto a fusion restaurant 777 S. Broad St Philadelphia PA where vegetarian entrees were served to satisfy Chirag’s family and meat a fish entrees were served to satisfy Theresa’s family. 

On Friday evening the traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony was held at the Mariott Courtyard on 13^th and Juniper Streets in Philadelphia PA. This ceremony is conducted to introduce and welcome Chirag’s family to Theresa’s  family.  This ceremony was followed by a dinner which consisted of both Indian and Vietnamese stations. 

After dinner the Indian Pithy ceremony was conducted to bless the groom followed by the traditional Rass and Garba dances of celebration. 

 

 

Since Vietnamese people are primarily Catholic, on Saturday the morning started with mass which was held at St John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church 21 S.  South 13^th St in Phildelphia PA followed by lunch at the Mariott Courtyard 21 N. 13^th   in Philadelphia PA. 
After lunch the indian wedding ceremony was held. 





 

This ceremony started with the Bahraat a parade of family and friends led by the groom on horseback.  Upon arrival at the wedding site the bride’s family greets the groom’s family at the door and welcomes then into the wedding chamber. 

Following Bahraat the Indian wedding ceremony was held at the Mariott Courtyard on 13^th and Juniper Streets in Philadelphia PA. 

The wedding reception was held at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts 300 S Broad St Philadelphia PA.  Garces Catering group secured the services of Chef Silva from Tashan  777 s. Broad St Phildelphia PA to prepare a  cocktail hour with a mixture of Indian and Vietnamese stations and passed Hor’s D’Oeuvres.   For dinner the guest had a choice of filet, chicken or an Indian vegetarian trio. 

Both cultures were represented with entertainment.  Dragon dancers performed before dinner and Bollywood dancers performed after dinner. 



The couple  wore the traditional attire for each event.  Between Friday and Saturday this consisted of five different outfits.

Theresa and Chirag are to be commended for the respect that they showed  their families and there heritage.

 

Wedding Professionals who made this event possible

Elegant Events Wedding Designers

Lightyear Photo and Video Studio

John Kevin Gallagher Florist

DJ Ravi Jackson Entertainment

Philadelphia Suns Entertainment

Kimmel Center and Garces Catering

Marriott Court Yard

 

 

Don't Be Afraid to Talk Money

Your wedding is the most important celebration you will ever host and every detail must be perfect.  With perfection comes a cost.   Whether it’s the couple, the parents or a combination of both hosting the party everyone has a budget.    As with most projects there can be budget overruns.  You will meet the perfect photographer who is $1000 more than you budgeted for or the perfect venue that is $20/person more than you expected.  There will be times when you will have to go to your “plan B” but in many cases there are creative ways to work with the professionals of your choice without blowing your budget.  Here are some basic guidelines to follow. 

                Guest List

Keep in mind 50% of your total budget is the reception cost.   Decide the number of guest that will fit into your budget and divide this number by 3.  This is the number of guest each key party, bride’s parent, groom’s parents and couple, can invite.

Use your guest count wisely inviting people who mean the most to you and whom you are 90% sure will attend.  This will not only help you stay on budget it ensures your party is a success because the people attend really want to support you.

With the guest list and the budget in hand, ask the venue manager to design a service that will fit your criterion.  Never pick  apart the banquet menu,  given your requirements let the manager design a wedding reception.    You will be surprised how creative the sales manager can be. 

                Services

Once you have identified the service provider that works best for you once again ask them to design a service that fits within your budget.  No one likes being told how to  do their job.  They much more  appreciate the opportunity to be honest about whether they can do the job within your guidelines.

Remember the purpose for all of this hard work is to celebrate your marriage. This exercise is good practice for developing an attitude of honesty and integrity which are the keys to a long happy marriage.   Enjoy planning your wedding but never let it distract you from the preparation for marriage.

               

In The News

I was interviewed by KYW new radio on the subject of how bride's choose wedding gowns.  We discussed where they shop , what they buy and how important is the dress.  Here is the link to the text of the interview.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/07/18/fashion-tastes-economy-changing-the-look-of-area-brides/

Wedding Wire's Brides Choice Award 2011

Phila, PA January 26, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Elegant events  has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Consulting and Design

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Elegant Events stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Elegant Events for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Elegant Events  is among the very best Wedding Consultants  within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/elegant-events-philadelphia/e43a26521cc5ed0b.html
For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Tips for Hiring a Bridal Consultant

He asked, you said yes, now what.  Weddings are not dreams.  They are real celebrations of a new stage in life you are about to enter.  Certainly the most important event of your life should be celebrated with  elegance and style. 

Planning a wedding will require approximately 200 hours of your time.  If you are like most people you do not have this much extra time to spend and continue with life as you presently know it.  Additionally designing the aspects of your wedding and selecting the wedding professionals who can deliver the service you desire can be a mystery to those who do not do this everyday.  When asked the question, what do you envision some common answers are:

something simple yet elegant  

something classy

 something unique.   

The more adventurous bride will say “a blank space that I can make my own”.   

To save time, stress and money consider the services of a bridal consultant.   A bridal consultant is here to serve you, listen  to you very carefully, and guarantee  your plans will be executed exactly the way you envision.  Here are some guidelines to follow when hiring a bridal consultant

1. Make sure you know exactly what is included in the fee.   The fee you pay should be a flat rate based on the scope of your wedding.  Factors that go into assessing scope are the level of assistance you will require, the number of events you are planning and the number of people required to execute your day. Find out how often you will meet, if they will come to your service provider meetings, how much planning you will do on your own.  Think of things that you really would want to do on your own, if any.  Make sure both of your jobs are clearly discussed and understood.
2. Perhaps you don’t need help with every little element.  The consultant should be able to offer you different service options.  Make sure you understand the number of hours included in each option.  Any service other than full should have a cap on the number of hours.   Find out the cost of additional hours if the cap is exceeded.  If the service includes coverage on the wedding day, the fee should include the cost of the consultant as well as the assistants.

3. Make sure you feel comfortable with the consultant.  A consultant could have done hundreds of wedding at varying scopes from firehouse to a villa  on a private island in the South Pacific but if they cannot adapt to your   style and vision, you might be unhappy with the final outcome.  Assess how well the consultant can articulate your ideas and make suggestions that compliment your vision.
4. Ask questions regarding length of time in the business, number of weddings done each year, each weekend and each day.   You might also ask if wedding planning is their full time job or if it is something that they think is fun to do.  Many consultants are born from brides or mothers who enjoyed planning their own or their daughter’s wedding and now think this something fun to do.  Making a happy occasion happier is a great job but it is first and foremost a job and should be treated as such.

5. Confirm membership in professional organizations.  I highly recommend the Association of Bridal Consultants as a source for securing a consultant.  This is the only organization that assigns it’s members designations from Novice to Master bridal consultant and requires it’s members to complete continuing  educational  hours annually to maintain upper level designations of Professional, Accredited and Master bridal consultant.

6. Make sure you ask  for and check your consultant’s references.  Once again  the Association of Bridal Consultants does a great job of verifying the honesty and integrity of it’s membership and has an office of compliance dedicated to investigating complaints raised by brides.  

7. Most wedding consultants are well connected with other professionals in the wedding industry, and direct you to service providers that will do a great job, work within the budget you define and often offer you a discount because you are being referred by a consultant who they know will make there job easier.  Ensure the consultant is not getting a  referral fee from wedding professionals. ABC members agree to a code of ethics against this practice.  If you chose some of your own wedding professionals, make sure the consultant is willing   to work with anyone you select so that everything goes smoothly on the day.  

8. Ensure the consultant has a backup and contingency plan for the rare emergency  where  they are suddenly unable to make the wedding.  The consultant should be able to supply a staff member or a peer of equal caliber as themselves. 

Place a value on your time and stress level before you consider the cost of a consultant an added expense.  It is rare that you will experience an increase in your budget when you hire a bridal consultant.  In fact the opposite is true.  You will avoid budget overruns and get the most value for your wedding dollars when you invest in a bridal consultant. 

Here’s to a happy New Year and a happy New Life.