Neha & Ira
Coming Together
Mandappah
Mandap + Chuppah
In Hinduism, wedding ceremonies are conducted under a Mandap. In Judaism, weddings occur under a Chuppah. Our combined canopy will blend those two traditions.
The Oath
Invite and Ring Engraving
אני לדודי ודודי לי (Hebrew) मैं प्रिय की, और प्रिय मेरे (Hindi) Both translate to, "I am my beloved’s; my beloved is mine"
The Lehnga and The Tux
Wedding Attires
Neha will be wearing a traditional Hindu wedding lehenga with her bridal party in traditional sarees. Ira and his groomsmen will be wearing yarmulkes (Yiddish) or kippahs (Hebrew), the traditional skullcap worn during Jewish festivals.
Dessert
To Cake or Not to Cake?
Though a wedding cake is traditional for American weddings, it is not something usually included in Hindu wedding celebrations. With that, we will have a cake, but it will be decorated with the heena design that Neha created for our invitations. We will also include Indian sweets (ladoos) for dessert as well.
THE STAR OF DAVID + OM
Many ways to G-d
The blending of our two cultures is symbolized in our heena inspired ornate design that Neha hand drew. It features the Star of David, a well-known symbol in Judaism, and the Hindu symbol of Om which is regarded as the sound of the universe.
Mangalsurta
A Holy Thread
A Mangalsutra is a necklace that the groom ties around the bride's neck in the Hindu ceremony called Mangalya Dharanam (Sanskrit for "Wearing the Auspicious"), which identifies her as a married woman. We customized it by adding the Star of David as a pendant to it.