Manika & Richard

October 24, 2009

Westin Hotel

With family spread across the globe (hers in Charlotte; his in Italy) and coming from different religions (she’s Hindu; he’s Catholic), physicians Manika Kumar and Richard Veri opted to have not one, but three ceremonies. The couple first said I do in Washington, North Carolina, in a ceremony officiated by the chaplain from the hospital where they work. For the second, family and friends headed to Rome for a traditional wedding at Villa Malta, a cathedral with views of the Vatican. But for the third celebration in Charlotte, Manika’s Indian heritage was the focus in a traditional Hindu ceremony. This time the couple left the details to Manika’s parents and her wedding planner at Sangeeta Inc. The three-day celebration began at the Renaissance hotel with a Mehndi ceremony (where the women are decorated with henna) before a dinner of Indian cuisine and colorful dancing performances by family and friends.

For the next day’s wedding at the Westin Hotel, Hindu traditions again prevailed as the couple wore authentic Indian attire and walked around a fire seven times while saying their vows. For a festive vibe during dinner, the flower arrangements, linens, and lighting were given a vibrant orange theme. "Richard’s favorite color is orange and Indian weddings are always very bright!" says the bride, twenty-nine. The rest of the evening was equally vibrant with an Indian buffet-style dinner followed by DJ Dave pumping up the dance floor with pop and Indian songs — a colorful finale to the couple’s three-city celebration.