Bright and colorful and absolutely brimming with joy, Susan and Kevin’s gorgeous October wedding was practically pulled right from the pages of a fairytale.

Susan Patel and Kevin Ratigan met one serendipitous night in Birmingham. Kevin happened to be out celebrating his birthday when he spotted Susan and asked her out on a date, counting on the fact that she wouldn’t have the heart to turn him down on his birthday. He was proven right, and after dating for three happy years, Kevin memorized a speech in Gujarati and asked Susan’s mother for her hand in marriage. Susan describes this respectful gesture as an “epic fail,” as Kevin was kept waiting for 10 minutes before he received his answer. Luckily, after a quick discussion between Susan’s mom and sister, that answer turned out to be “yes”!

Though the request for permission didn’t quite go according to plan, the proposal that would follow was an absolute dream. Susan and Kevin were in New York at Studio Cafe atop the Whitney Museum of American Art. Kevin insisted on walking to the rooftop edge and taking a photo of the city’s stunning skyline. That’s when he got down on one knee, pulled a box out of his pocket and asked Susan to be his wife.

Susan always knew that she wanted to honor her culture by following the rich traditions of an Indian wedding. “Growing up here in America, I always thought the American wedding was beautiful, but I knew I wanted to stay true to my culture and have a traditional Indian wedding. I also wanted to take Kevin’s ideas for what he wanted for our wedding day into consideration,” she says. Susan’s vision for the day involved the perfect balance of individual styles — Indian customs with nods to American culture, shabby chic with touches of glam — all with the feel of being enveloped in a lush, whimsical garden. She turned to Becky Baker at Becky’s Brides to help her pull together every stunning detail of her dream wedding weekend.

A romantic blush color palette inspired by Susan’s longtime love of pink served as the starting point for the overall look of the day. Abundant florals in soft shades of blush and cream with delicate greenery and pops of deep purple captured the garden feel Susan dreamed of. The wedding party, dressed in bright teal, perfectly complemented the bride and groom’s red, gold and cream attire, a signature Indian color palette, all combining to create the perfect day, rich in both tradition and joy.

After a busy year of thoughtful planning, the wedding weekend, packed full with all of the ceremonies and celebrations Susan had envisioned, finally arrived. Several religious ceremonies took place the day preceding the wedding, and Susan and Kevin elected to break common custom in this instance and have their Vidhi and Pithi ceremonies together. In the Mandya Mahurat and Griha Shanti portion of the Vidhi, the parents of the couple request blessings from Mother Earth and the nine planets. During the Pithi, a paste is made from sandalwood powder, turmeric powder and rosewater and applied to the exposed parts of the body, purifying and blessing the bride and groom. Then that evening, the Mehndi party, hosted under the terrace and among the twinkling lights at Aldridge Gardens, served as the final preparation for the big day. Family and friends came together to dine and celebrate the bride and groom while women were adorned with intricate henna art on their hands and feet.

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The day of the wedding before the ceremony began, Kevin rode in on a white horse for the music- and dance-filled baraat. “I like to call this the groom’s parade,” Susan says. “This is how the groom and his family arrive to the mandap, dancing and celebrating as the bride’s family welcomes him.”

Following the baraat, the families made their way upstairs to the ballroom for the beautiful ceremony, witnessed by more than 400 guests, where the couple participated in the traditional ceremony and vowed to take care of and support each other. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Kevin placed sindoor, a vermilion powder mixture, in the part of Susan’s hair and presented her with a mangal sutra, a black beaded necklace, both of which signify that she is now a married woman.

Following the ceremony, the bride and groom changed out of their traditional Indian attire for the reception and stole away for some rooftop photos, a nod to their New York engagement, while the ceremony area transitioned into a reception space during the cocktail hour. The ballroom at the Hyatt Regency transformed from a beautiful, elegant ceremony space to a romantic reception venue, both of which perfectly captured Susan’s enchanted garden vision.

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After they were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Ratigan at the reception, Susan and Kevin took the floor and shared their first dance as husband and wife to “Everything I Do” by Bryan Adams, a moment which was among Susan’s favorites of the day. “At that moment it was just me and him surrounded by the people that love and care about us,” Susan remembers. Tearjerking toasts, a delicious meal and, of course, plenty of cake followed. The happy couple then spent rest of the evening dancing the night away. After a night of celebration among loved ones, Susan and Kevin were showered with pink, cream and purple rose petals as they headed off to their own happily ever after.

We wish you every happiness, Susan and Kevin! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us!

RESOURCES

Wedding planning: Becky’s Brides

Photography: Sweet Julep Photography

Bride’s lengha: Anoki Ada from Shyamal & Bhumika

Bride’s reception gown: Image Boutique

Venue and American catering: Hyatt Wynfrey Hotel

Florals: KG Designs

Cake: Magic Muffins

Entertainment and lighting: Indaglow Productions

Horse: 3-H Stables

Linens and chairs: Decor to Adore

Rentals: Event Rentals Unlimited

Hair and makeup: Melissa Moore Bogardus

Invitation suite: XHD Invites