Tara and Jake

A South Indian Celebration of Family and Tradition in Vail, CO.

Opening

Tara and Jake’s wedding was one of those that will stick with you forever. From the beautiful location, to the intricate coming together of two cultural traditions, to the gorgeous decor and outfits, every detail had a purpose and added so much to the day.

We had a team of 5 to bring this beautiful weekend together. I was the lead planner, my husband acted as my assistant and the groom’s attendant, and Jacqulyn acted as the bride’s attendant, staying by her side at all times to ensure she had all her needs met. Sierra and her husband, Chris, also joined our team for content creation for Aspen Gold, but ended up being brought in to help with setup and logistics as well.

The wedding itself was a multicultural event, spanning multiple venues, that highlighted not only the coming together of two families, but two cultures and religions.

I was brought into the planning process about 3 months in advance when they hit some planning snags. I was trusted to step in and help bring all the details together and make the day happen, and this was such an honor to be entrusted with this task. This was such a fun adventure and unique planning challenge that I enjoyed every moment of!

The Couple

Tara and Jake each brought their own unique cultural traditions to their wedding. Tara incorporated her South Indian Tamil heritage into the Friday Ceremony, while Jake’s Syro-Malabar tradition was the influence of the Saturday ceremony. The full event culminated in an Indian-American fusion reception.

I had so much fun getting to know Tara and Jake over the 3 months of planning with them. Getting to see Tara’s creativity as she personally created all her signage, and to see Jake’s love for his family and friends as he brought every decision back to how it would affect the guests’ experience. When planning a wedding, you get to know people very quickly. I would describe Tara and Jake as kind, thoughtful, and selfless. Once the wedding weekend came and I got to meet all their friends and family, and those who have had influence over their lives, it all made sense. The entire group was so kind and thoughtful.

As a planner, I feel like I am always waiting for that one problem person who I have to treat with special care because they can be so easily upset, but I never found that person in this group of guests. Much to my delight!

The Setting

Tara and Jake incorporated their love of the mountains in their venue choice, having the whole weekend take place in Vail, CO. This was a special experience for their 200+ guests coming from outside of Colorado. Guest experience was at the heart of almost every decision they made.

Friday took place outside the Grand Hyatt Vail by the Gore Creek. The sound of rushing water complemented the Tamil Ceremony perfectly, with the reception that evening taking place partly in a tent opening up to a garden under the stars. The weather, of course, stayed perfect for them the whole day.

Saturday’s Syro-Malabar ceremony took place at The Chapel at Beaver Creek, again incorporating the natural beauty of the mountains and flowing water into their ceremony. As they exited the chapel to the sound of guests ringing bells after the ceremony, it became the backdrop for the most romantic first dance I have ever seen. No announcement, no special cues, just two people, in love, beginning their lives together by dancing in front of all their friends and family who shaped their lives to bring them to this point.

After they went and took photos at the top of the gondola with panoramic mountain views, they returned to have a high-energy, family-centered reception in the Cascade Ballroom at the Grand Hyatt Vail. This celebration can only be described as pure joy. The formalities had been finished and now they got to celebrate all that happened with those closest to them. From a custom dance floor to the striking backdrop and florals, every detail emphasized the importance of this grand event.

The Logistics

This weekend had more than its fair share of logistics. You don’t make a fairytale like this come to life without a lot of intricate logistical details! There were 22 vendors including 3 beauty vendors, 3 DJs/musicians, multiple caterers, various venues and locations and so much more!

I coordinated the transportation of the bridal party to and from the bride’s getting ready house, to and from the Grand Hyatt and the Chapel, along with guest transportation to and from the Chapel and Denver International Airport. Beyond just transportation, there was Friday decor, setup and catering, along with all the ceremony details and items needed for the Tamil ceremony. We also coordinated the logistics of moving all 200+ guests from the outdoor lawn to the tent and garden mid-ceremony, while coordinating Tara’s first of many outfit changes to ensure all her cultural elements were incorporated, not just in the ceremony itself, but in her wardrobe as well.

On Saturday, other than transportation to and from the chapel, we had all the setup and decor, live music, officiant, lunch for guests departing the chapel, bridal party transportation to the gondola, reception setup, grand entrance and all the reception logistics.

There were so many additional little details that I don’t have the space to go into, but all of this presented such a fun challenge for myself and my team.

The Weekend Itself

You’ve already read some of the highlights throughout the weekend, but let me give you a little more insight into the beauty of the events themselves.

Starting Thursday when my team and I arrived, we began with setting the welcome room. A place where any guests could go to collect snacks, water, headache medicine, and any other last-minute need you could think of. Again, always keeping guest experience in mind.

Friday, the couple had photos together and with their family prior to the Tamil ceremony on the lawn by the Gore Creek. The ceremony itself was narrated by friends and family so those attending unfamiliar with the Tamil traditions, could understand the depth of meaning of each ceremonial moment. I personally loved reading through the details in advance so I fully understood the purpose of each moment. This was an incredible experience for me! Tara had 3 outfits for this event, all of which had purpose and were so stunning, but that’s easy when you have such a stunning bride. 2 sarees and her evening lehenga.

Saturday morning, Jacqulyn was with Tara early in the morning to ensure all the bridesmaids were on time as they were having their hair and makeup done and the bride was able to relax and enjoy her morning preparation. She began the day in her stunning white wedding dress.

As the guests arrived at the chapel, they were greeted by a live violinist and a chai and coffee cart on the shaded chapel patio. Again, with the most beautiful weather to complement the rushing Beaver Creek. The Syro-Malabar ceremony inside the chapel incorporated a Mass as well to fully honor Jake’s family religion and culture.

Once the ceremony concluded, all the guests stepped outside to collect bells and line the chapel steps and congratulate the couple with ringing of the bells as they exited. Once the couple reached the base of the steps, they immediately entered into their first dance together as husband and wife. This moment, while coordinated by my team, was so organic and romantic and one of my favorite moments of the entire weekend!

After they had their family photos by the chapel, the bridal party made their way to the mountaintop for the most stunning photos! After this, Tara returned to her house she had for the weekend, near the Grand Hyatt, where she met up once more with Jacqulyn, who was there to make sure she was able to relax and reset as she had her hair and makeup reset and changed into her final gold lehenga for the reception.

The reception itself was a dream! With a stunning backdrop, bar facade and a customized dance floor wrap, the party felt completely their own, definitely not like ‘just another reception.’ The Grand Hyatt catered with carving stations throughout the ballroom foyer serving prime rib, salmon, chicken, a customized pasta station, and more. The setup was perfect to accommodate the large guest count and everyone had their meal within 30 minutes. Again, making sure guest experience was always a high priority.

After everyone ate, the festivities continued with personal, choreographed dance performances by Tara’s family, Jake’s family, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen! With multiple appearances by the bride and groom, who were amazing dancers themselves! This further highlighted the importance of their culture and family connection.

Once the dance floor opened up, it was filled for the remainder of the evening. Seeing how much fun everyone was having celebrating the newlyweds was such a pleasure to witness! It was never forced, never awkward, but just a full, fun party! It was so exciting that the fire department even came (thank you haze machine…Ha!) But nothing was able to disrupt this party. After the lights came up and the music was shut off, Tara and Jake made their way to their afterparty with their friends. They celebrated the whole day and into the next. Because, when you are this good of a match, and you have put in the effort to bring everyone together from so far away, it deserves to be celebrated into the night.

A Personal Note

Tara and Jake’s wedding weekend will stay with me personally for so long. Being brought in last-minute into a hectic and complex situation, and being able to hear from the bride that her stress levels went down immediately after hiring me, was such an honor. Again, being entrusted with such an event, especially after so much had already been an issue for them, was such an honor. This is the reason I love planning weddings. I loved working with Tara and Jake. From the nightly texts and conversations with Tara (I will miss these!), to the last-minute changes from Jake as he had more thoughts about his vision and the experience of his friends and family. Nothing was ever demanded, but requested with such kindness. I would have bent over backward to make their vision come to life!

Closing

There is such a stereotype in this industry that weddings are either luxurious and beautiful but stressful, or simple and disorganized but less stressful. My vision is to change the culture of the wedding industry, where weddings can be high-quality, peaceful and enjoyable. No more stressed-out brides, no more wishing it was over, no more looking back and saying, ‘I never want to do that again’. I hope every bride I work with thinks, ‘I could relive that day over and over again…’

Vendor Credits

Planning & Coordination: Aspen Gold Events

Baker: Cakes U Crave

Beauty: Sunshine Beauty and Bridal, Diary of an MUA, Akanksha Henna

Catering: The Hang Out Place, Little Bear Cafe, The Grand Hyatt, Vail

Ceremony: The Grand Hyatt, Vail, Beaver Creek Chapel

DJ/Band: Guru Entertainment, Bijay Shrestha & Team, Oncue Entertainment

Officiant: Father Mefin Francis

Photography/Videography: Dgass Photography and Videography

Reception: The Grand Hyatt, Vail

Magician: A Most Modern Magician

Rentals & Decor: Lively Productions, Modern Focus Photo Booths

Transportation: All In Transportation, Sunset Limo, Andy Zenor-Liftliner