We will provide shuttles to and from the Four Seasons and the Marriott to the Caramel Room on Saturday, May 14th. Four Seasons Shuttle Times: 3:45 PM and 4:10 PM The Four Seasons shuttle will be most convenient for guests staying at the Four Seasons, HoteLumière, and Drury Inn. Guest staying at the Drury can take a shortcut through Lumière Place Casino using the entrance at 460 Convention Plaza. Marriott Shuttle Times: 3:30 PM and 4:15 PM The Marriott shuttle will be most convenient for guests staying at the Marriott or the Hyatt. Rideshare services like Lyft and Uber are also available. Please allow for additional time as there will be a convention in town and a Cardinals baseball game ending around the time of the baraat.
Yes! For the Sangeet, guests can use the Four Seasons' valet parking or the complimentary self-parking garage located off Carr Street. It is operated by Lumière Place Casino & Hotel, which is connected to the Four Seasons. For the wedding day events, the Caramel Room has complimentary self-parking for guests in a secured and gated lot.
For the Sangeet (Friday 5/13), Indian attire and bright colors encouraged. Cocktail attire welcome. All styles go - most women wear a salwar kameez, lehenga, or anarkali while most men wear kurta pajamas. That said, feel free to wear whatever style you like best. For the wedding day events (Saturday 5/14), the dress code is formal (women in cocktail dresses, jumpsuits, or long gowns and men in suits). For western weddings, it is customary for guests to wear any color except all white ensembles.
Yes! Kids are welcome at our events. If you would prefer to leave your kid(s) with a sitter and need help finding one, https://www.stlsitter.com/ is a local concierge service that can help you find a match.
One of the things we enjoy about being in a multi-cultural relationship is that there are no defaults. It pushes us to reflect on what we value from each of our cultures and experiences and be intentional about the future we want to build together. Our goal is for our wedding to be a blend of our own cultures while also incorporating elements of other cultures we've come to appreciate through our friends and family.
Sangeet, which literally translates to “music”, is an event held prior to the wedding and is filled with food, dance, music, and vibrant colors. Traditionally, close friends and relatives kick off the night with choreographed performances before the dance floor opens up to everyone for a night of partying.
A baraat is a celebratory wedding procession for the groom involving live music and dancing. While it does not hold religious significance, it is an important custom nonetheless. The groom is usually seated on a ceremonial horse (or an elephant, chariot, or vintage car) as the guests lead the way to the wedding ceremony while dancing.
As you might know, Julia's childhood was in the New Orleans area and her family has made an annual trip to celebrate Mardi Gras ever since. This led second lining to be a quintessential part of her family's most significant celebrations. For a wedding, the bride, groom, and wedding party take a position up front. Typically, they carry decorated umbrellas, while the other participants shake handkerchiefs or napkins as they dance in the walking parade. Everyone is invited to join in, and we hope that you do!
You will find components from a variety of Indian traditions in our wedding since that aligns with Yash's upbringing. Although it was common for Indians to marry within their communities, Yash's parents are actually from different parts of India - his mom from Bombay and his dad from the South. This introduced him to a diversity of traditions from the start since each of India's states and territories has a unique culture. Additionally, while Yash's childhood was in Bangalore, his family lived in an Indian expat community in Nigeria during his pre-teen and teen years. As a result, he went to school with kids from all over India and enjoyed the diversity of food and customs shared across his friends.
At this time, neither of us have plans to change our names. For those who are curious, the traditional thing to do in South Indian culture is for the wife to take the groom's first name (i.e., Julia Yash) whereas the traditional thing to do in Anglo-Saxon culture is for the wife to take the groom's last name (i.e., Julia Siddhartha). Although we are intrigued by more modern approaches such as hyphenating our names or merging our names together to create a new name (e.g., Scartha or Siddles), ultimately, we are excited to enter our marriage using the names with which we fell in love.
As you know, Yash and Julia met at ITW. This introduced them to the 80/20 principle, which states 80% of outcomes or benefits come from 20% of inputs and has implications on how you prioritize as a result. This could apply to anything from the business to your wardrobe. It can also apply to the vital few people in your life who have wound up bringing you the most joy and happiness.