A Digbeth Wedding Combining Two Cultures To Make New Traditions.
Stunning mehndi on the bride’s hands.
Photography by Nick Rutter Photography
Karen & Christopher’s university romance took them from lecture hall to their own front door to planning a wedding in just 6 months! Their wedding was a celebration of Indian & Irish cultures, packed with beautiful nods to their family’s history in their music choices and wedding jewellery. A very modern Un-Wedding with their own spin on how to include tradition.
A celebration of us
“We've been together for 13 years before getting engaged. We had been saving for a house for many years and on the first night in the house we bought, Chris proposed. We wanted our wedding to be a real celebration of our cultures - it was so important our wedding reflected our values of an equal partnership – it’s very un-traditional but we got ready, arrived, walked down the aisle, and did our wedding speeches together!”
An image from Karen & Chris’s engagement shoot, sat outside The Custard Factory in Birmingham.
A wedding celebration combining culture and family.
Music is a great way to reflect a couple’s vibe and celebrate different cultures. Karen & Christopher beautifully and simply included 2 things that left a powerful impact on them and their guests.
Karen “We included Dhol Players (a Dhol is a traditional Indian drum) traditionally part of the Groom’s procession but we arrived together.
Chris: “Karen booked an Irish band as a surprise for me - they played songs my Grandma Teresa used to sing to me as a child – I have lyrics tattooed on my chest! The band learned ‘Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral’, especially for our day – we danced to it with my parents and uncle which was a beautiful moment”.
Dhol Drummers leading the bride and groom into their wedding ceremony.
Jewellery and heirlooms can also play a big part in a wedding and this couple added a sentimental touch and had precious items to include.
KAREN: “My earrings were my maternal Grandma's from her wedding that my Mom also wore at her wedding – they also featured on our wedding favours which were pictures of our grandparents on their wedding days – in the photos my Grandma is wearing the same earrings. The necklace I wore in the evening was a wedding present for my Mom from my paternal Grandma which they both wore at their weddings.
CHRISTOPHER: I wear a modern Irish Claddagh ring as my wedding band, my Grandad wore a Claddagh as his wedding band too.
Stunning and sentimental jewellery worn by the bride on her wedding day.
Strip away the patriarchy from wedding traditions.
This is a very Un-Wedding tradition! Karen & Christopher stripped traditions back and layered their own styles to create a wedding that still felt warm and full of love.
They included a very traditional Milni Ceremony, which happens between the two families before the marriage ceremony in Indian culture. They included their friends as they are like family to them, we think this is such a beautiful way to honour close friendships. They did their speeches together and had a Best Man and Best Woman giving speeches. Patriarchy who?
Bride and groom each doing a wedding speech to their guests.
The wedding planning and the budget.
Their budget was only a smidge over the UK average at £20,000 - family was very generous in paying for extra bits. They both felt pretty chilled about the details and trusted their vendors. Everyone they worked with from the celebrant, and the photographer to the venue made them feel at ease. Always so great to hear. You can see their vendor’s work in their wedding photos and a list of their vendors at the bottom of this interview.
A fun moment captured by the wedding photographer Nick Rutter.
The wedding style.
In keeping with their non-traditional style – the happy couple wore Doc Martens!
The bride’s white Doc Marten sandals.
THE GROOM: Wore a sage green suit from Moss Bros.
THE BRIDE: Wore a white Indo-Western Lehenga – traditionally in Red, from My Trousseau and a blouse change for the evening.
The bride’s stunning outfit on display the morning of their wedding.
Exquisite detail of the bride’s beautiful bangles and kaliras on her wrists.
EXTRA SPECIAL TOUCH
They made a donation to cancer research and Alzheimer's UK in their Grandparents memory.
The very special wedding favours.
FAVOURITE PART OF THE DAY
KAREN: “We stayed and said goodbye to all the guests at the end and had about 15 minutes alone at 1am in the empty venue and just talked about the day our highlights just in awe of what had taken place. It was a beautiful day which left us filled to the brim with love.”
Your wedding day can go by in such a blur! This moment was captured on the couples wedding day by their photographer Nick Rutter.
ADVICE FOR COUPLES
Do whatever feels right for you as a couple and don't stress the details!
Bride & groom sharing a moment, just the two of them, at the end of their wedding day. On Floodgate Street outside their wedding venue in Digbeth.
The wedding suppliers.
Karen & Christophers wedding style was brought to life with the help of the following amazing suppliers.
Dress My Trousseau
Photographer Nick Rutter
Bridal Henna Artist @bharathi_sanghani_mehndi
Dhol Drummers @thedholunit
Irish Band The Hurling Boys
Evening Band: @bluelionband
Celebrant - Holly Austin-Davies
Venue Dresser @theweddinghouse_droitwich