From the Couple
Rohit and I had no idea what our wedding would look like until we arrived at McCormick Ranch and everything fell into place.
Every area of our venue was used so brilliantly -- from the haldi/mendhi to the Reception.
We knew we wanted most of our events to be outdoors and filled with natural light (for the morning events) and color. The grounds at McCormick are so beautiful, we wanted to utilize every bit of space to make each event a new and wonderful surprise for our guests to enjoy. We also loved how intimate yet inviting McCormick Ranch was, big enough that our guests can roam the grounds and enjoy the hotel but small enough that we felt like our guests wouldn’t have to walk all over the hotel to find our wedding spaces.
For the haldi/mehndi event, when we were shown the courtyard for the event, I fell in love. There was a beautiful, leafy green tree with a tree-hugger bench surrounding it that I envisioned would be the place where my guest mehndi would be. I envisioned yellow and orange marigold flowers dangling from the trees as my guests sat under the flowers and leaves. We wanted to be playful and fun, and wanted to incorporate those feelings into our event -- this is why we chose a swing decorated in red and orange marigold as we got out haldi done on us. We wanted to create an environment and space where our guests can walk around and dance and enjoy which is why we didn’t go for formal dining or seating, but in fact, got benches with colorful cushions and pillows to create an environment of togetherness also to bring pops of color. Even though the event was during the day, I loved the dangling string lights that led up to the swing up above, it tied the place together and reminded everyone that we were the focal point. There was also a balcony viewing from up above which added made the courtyard feel romantic and intimate.
The sangeet was the hardest event for us to envision. It was an outdoor event in the sunken red clay courtyard which was a beautiful location but so hard for us to design. I loved the idea of having our sangeet outdoors in the middle of a beautiful courtyard surrounded by red clay pillars and stairs with Moroccan tiles -- but I was very nervous about the weather changing as the sun went down.
The courtyard itself was beautiful with the architecture and the string lights above and low-lit lamps next to every pillar. We wanted to keep the decor at a minimum, only emphasizing the vibes by adding some Moroccan lamps as centerpieces and candles to create a more romantic feel. The only place we added additional decor and color was the backdrop for the dance floor. I wanted blues and greens as the backdrop to match the lights reflected from the blue glass Moroccan lamps and to match my deep bright blue lehenga. We made a conscious choice of keeping all the food on the sides by the pillars so that the courtyard acts as a focal point where our guests can watch the performances from anywhere on the sides as they get more food or alcohol. We placed heating lamps throughout the courtyard for warmth but also to bring in romantic lighting. We brought back the benches with the colorful cushions and the swing to add some playfulness.
On the wedding day, our last outdoor event, we wanted this event space to be grandeur -- but also practical. Rohit and I looked at so many venues to find the perfect wedding day space. We wanted something that would be out in the open with a beautiful backdrop but also something practical for the Bharat. The lawn where our ceremony took place had 2 big grand wooden doors opening up to the lawn which was perfect for Rohit’s entrance after the Bharat. The gates also exited out to the long driveway where the Bharat would take place so it was absolutely perfect. The lawn itself was beautiful. We wanted the ground to be minimalistic and wanted to add the 'wow' factor for the mandap. We envisioned florals all around the garden/lawn and so it was, as beautiful white flowers surrounded the entire lawn. There was a small archway on the side of the lawn from where you can see more flowers and vines in the back which is where I envisioned my entrance (bride’s entrance). Our mandap was all white, from pillars to the platform to flowers to the satin cover above the mandap. It brought out the flowers surrounding the lawn and made Rohit and I stick out in our burgundy and pink outfits. We also asked there to be combinations of red and burgundy draping on the pillars behind the mandap to make the environment feel more ceremonial and royal. We had tall white banisters with white flowers sitting atop them down the aisle to tie in with the white theme. We were going for an 'authentic, naturally beautiful, minimalistic, bright yet royal' type of mood
After wearing green for my mehndi, yellow for my haldi, royal blue for my sangeet, and burgundy/red for my wedding, I knew I wanted to wear a natural and neutral color for my reception -- I also wanted this to be reflected in our decor for the reception. Our color pallet was light pinks, creams, beige, and all shades of neutral. We made sure the lighting was also a romantic pink/beige and that our florals were also a nice clean neutral white. We had glass centerpieces and a white couple’s love bench on stage with candles and more flowers. We were going for dreamy. We wanted our reception to be warm, romantic, and dreamy.
