Kristina and Ahmad first met through mutual in Chicago, where they are from. Kristina’s family is Serbian and their religious views are Christian Orthodox. Ahmad’s family is half Indian and half Lebanese and religious views are Muslim. However the bride and groom are non-religious, but are spiritual instead. Now to hand over to Kristina.



The Proposal

Ahmad proposed on our annual winter break ski trip in Breckenridge Colorado. We both snowboard and on the last run of the day, he had me follow him through the trees. We ended up finding a trail of rose petals, which led to a picnic blanket and a pizza box. I opened the pizza box and it said “Will you marry me” on it! He got down on one knee and proposed with a ring and of course I said yes! We rode down to the lodge and celebrated with our friends.

The Venue

Since the mountains are a sacred place for us, we decided we had to get married on a mountain. We decided on Squaw Valley California. Our ceremony was up at High Camp. Each and every one of our guests had to take a tram to get to the top of the mountain for the ceremony. The views were incredible. We had white ceremony chairs. A few of the end chairs had mason jars with simple light pink flowers. We got married under a flower arch with beautiful rustic branches. We didn’t need much decor since the view was so breathtaking.

After the ceremony, everyone took the tram back down to ground level for the reception. The reception took place in a beautiful open room with rustic wood beams lining the ceiling. We had string lights, center pieces, wood branches, and moss. We wanted to bring the outdoors inside. The best part about this room was there was also an outdoor patio where people could step outside, relax by the fire pit, and still hear the music from inside.

The Dress

The dress was a thick white lace with an underlay of a beautiful blush pink. Sparkly nude heels and a drop pearl necklace, matching bracelet and peach and pink flower crown.

The Groom’s Outfit

Ahamed wore a dark blue fitted suit with brown shoes. His bow tie matched the brides pop of color, which was a light peach.

Groomsmen & Bridesmaids

We didn’t have any groomsmen and bridesmaids. We both have big families so to make it easier, we decided to just have a ring bearer and two flower girls. The ring bearer wore a suit and top hat and the flower girls wore white dresses.

Wedding Theme / Colors

A rustic mountain wedding. The colors were white, green and light peach.

Food and Catering

We used the food catering offered through the venue. They did a spectacular job. We had a baby frisbee salad with cranberries and a celery root and black truffle soup. We are total foodies, therefore for our entrees, we had a small portion of our three favorites: chicken, sea bass and lamb chop. For dessert we had warm pie served ala mode. For late night food, we had a taco truck pull up outside and serve tacos and horchata.

Entertainment

One of our favorite musicians Sun Rai played live music as a one man band for the first few songs. Afterwards, our two friends TJ & Mo dj played deep house music for the rest of the evening. The groom’s grandma even made an appearance on the turn tables.

Flowers

The flowers followed the color theme of white, green, and light peach. The florist did an amazing job.

The Ceremony

One of our dear friends married us at the top of the mountain in front of our closest family and friends. He made it a non-religious ceremony and customized the sermon for us as individuals, bringing up the proposal, our story, our love or one another and our families, our love for adventure before joining and announcing us as husband and wife.

Favorite Part of the Day

Our favorite part was the ceremony. There was so much emotion and appreciation. Being out there in nature, on the top of a mountain was very powerful and moving for us all.

Easiest Part of Wedding Planning

Besides the taste testing, the easiest part was the flowers. We gave a budget and a few pictures of what I liked and she truly took care of the rest. Also, our friends taking care of the music was so easy on us. They know what we like and what we wanted to hear, so there wasn’t much guidance needed there.

Hardest Part of the Wedding Planning

Picking the right vendors because you’re putting a lot of trust in them. Luckily, we now have amazing websites that review these vendors, which makes it a lot easier to choose.

Is it harder to plan a wedding when the couples are from different backgrounds?

Yes, there is a lot more to consider. You want to respect both families, but you need to keep in mind that ultimately the wedding should represent and reflect the couple and their way of life.

Advice to give to other multicultural couples

If you get stuck on accommodating certain family traditions, remember that you always have the option of creating a new one. This allows you to not only personalize your big day, but sets the precedent for the couple moving forward.

Wedding Suppliers

Photographer: Kay Kroshus

Makeup: Monika Nicolli

Flowers: Kelly Jo Smith – A Floral Affair

Decor: Angelina the Entertainer

Venue: The Village At Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe, California),

Music: Rai Thistlethwayte

Videography: Dax Victorino Films

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