An Indian-Italian Fusion Wedding Full of Vintage Charm on Lake Tahoe

Sweta and Benedict met when they worked at the same AdTech company back in 2017—and learned then that their paths had actually crossed a few times before then. “My desk was conveniently located near the office candy kitchen, and Benny would pass by several times a day,” Sweta says. “Eventually we mustered up the courage to speak to each other in 2019, and what started as an office romance turned into a lifetime together.”

In 2022, Benny set up a day where the couple’s close friends took Sweta to different spots that were important to them. She retraced their relationship’s baby steps—traveling to where they spent their first date and had their first kiss—until, finally, Sweta met Benny on a sailboat off the Brooklyn promenade. They sailed around New York City and Benedict proposed with a bouquet of 37 sunflowers (her favorite flower!)—a stalk for every month they had been together.

Sweta and Benny knew they wanted to carry their Indian and Italian cultures into their wedding day and create a celebration that authentically reflected them both. “We started with our values and asked ourselves what was most important to us, how we wanted to feel, and how we wanted our guests to experience the weekend,” Sweta says. They chose Lake Tahoe as their destination, where their 200 guests took catamaran sails, rode gondolas to the peak of the mountain, and stargazed through the night. After starting the weekend at The Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe for the mehndi and haldi, they moved to Zephyr Lodge for their sangeet before heading back to the Ritz for their ceremony and reception. They hired Wild Heart Events to help them pull off a sunset Haldi and welcome dinner, a Sangeet celebration with a mountain saloon vibe, and a wedding celebration full of family performances on September 16, 2023. Don’t miss the photos captured by Lukas Korynta and Mark Tuzman.

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The couple’s haldi and mehndi took place poolside at The Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe. “We wanted the atmosphere to feel light and airy, reflecting the playful nature of friends and family smearing turmeric on us!” Sweta says. She wore a custom saree created and designed by her stylist, Style by Susmita, in a fabric she chose; Benny wore a cream kurta set and a gray bundi with orange accents from a shop in Mumbai called Pour Lui. “This outfit won me over as soon as I saw it in Mumbai,” he says. “It embodies an elegant but fun approach to life that I can only strive for.”

The celebration’s florals featured citrusy tones of orange, yellow, and light pink. “Marigolds are customary to haldi décor, so our florist grew marigolds for our event!” the bride says. Cabanas with hanging origami strands, ratan cushions, and woven baskets with marigolds spilling out created a vibrant atmosphere. Pool towel carts were repurposed to hold favors including bangles, jhumkas (earrings), and beaded purses. The poolside cabanas were also set up with mehndi stations and pre-wedding henna for all attendees.

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Instead of taking on the haldi smearing alone, the couple made sure their guests were glowing in turmeric, too.

The next evening, Sweta and Benny hosted their “Sangeet in the Sierras.” “We wanted to honor the history of the Sierra Nevada region and have a rich, old-timey saloon ambience,” Sweta says. “We also weaved in elements of a sangeet—revelry, song and dance, and vibrancy.”

Guests go the full Tahoe experience by traveling to the Zephyr Lodge at the peak of Northstar Mountain via gondolas and open-air chairlifts.

For this event, Sweta chose a deep blue silk lehenga by Label Naibah that was covered in sequins from head to toe. “Being a dancer, I knew I didn’t want my outfit to hold me back, so I changed into a purple starry moon lehenga by Payal Singhal before performances began!” she says. A statement ponytail and jewel-toned earrings finished her look.

Benny wore a dark turquoise kurta and matching sherwani jacket. “My outfit was made to match the color of Sweta’s and complement her outfit as closely as possible,” he says.

The sangeet’s natural wood décor was contrasted with velvet textures, deep jewel tones, and pops of red and fuchsia pink. The couple’s planning team added vintage items throughout the space, including typewriters, compasses, candelabras, and sonographs. “My favorite DIY project of the wedding was the cocktails we created for the sangeet!” Sweta says. “Each drink was inspired by characters we read about from Western historical novels.”

As for the menu? The bride’s family’s business, Sukhadia Caterers, created nine food stations at this party, including chaat, pani poori, sandwiches, North Indian classics, Asian favorites, and more.

Sweta’s mom opened the dance floor with a solo performance before the rest of group joined in. “We had over seven performances and it was such a highlight to see everyone participate and perform for us even though they may not be the best dancers or know the music,” the bride says. “Benny’s side represented their Italian roots and danced to the Italian tarantella, complete with tambourines!”

The sangeet culminated in a stargazing session led by the best man, Paxton.

After going on a hike with her father on the morning of the wedding, Sweta got ready alongside her bridal party. She decided to lean into her heritage and wear a Gujarati designer: She selected an ivory organza Arpita Mehta lehenga with hand embroidery featuring patterns of pine trees and hints of green as a nod to the wedding’s location. She paired her lehenga with a raw silk blouse and sheer organza dupatta.

When she tried on the outfit for the first time, her mom literally gasped, and when she FaceTimed her sister, she got the final stamp of approval. “They’re very fashionable and have impeccable taste,” Sweta says. “I could just tell from the look on her face and everyone else in the shop, that it was the one.”

She accessorized with her late grandmother’s bangles and jewelry by Bombay based designer, Vinanti Manji. Her makeup artist and hairstylist, Style by Susmita, created a floral hair piece as the finishing touch. “I always knew I wanted to wear a bun on my wedding day,” Sweta says. “It was the quintessential Indian bride look that I had envisioned for a long time.”

Sweta shared a first look with all of her favorite women. Her maid of honor, her sister, Shaivi, wore a custom outfit by Susmita Patel with hand beaded embellishments in touches of pink paired with a blush pink scarf. “We wanted our closest people, our families and wedding party, to match us,” Sweta says. “They wore monochromatic ivory tones that complemented ours perfectly—and contrasted with the deep green foliage of the Tahoe forests.”

On the morning of the wedding, Susmita made floral jewelry out of seasonal blooms for the ladies of the wedding party.

When Benny’s wedding outfit arrived two weeks before the celebration, it was the wrong color. “We had to move fast—and Ronak Jain from Pour Lui and Susmita Patel saved the day,” he says. “We designed the outfit over WhatsApp, had it produced within a week, and it was taken over by a friend to the States the following day.”

The result was an ivory sherwani with intricate stitched detailing. For the ceremony, he carried a dagger that he found with his father-in-law during an adventure in Mumbai, along with a photo of his late father and a handkerchief that he had given him.

Sweta had two more first looks that morning—with Benedict and her father. Of the former, she says, “It was a chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of preparations and the excitement surrounding us, and simply spend a few precious minutes of quality time together,” Sweta says.

Their photographer joined them in a field beyond the woods with a view of the mountain to take a quiet moment together before they embarked on their first journey as a married couple.

Before the couple’s afternoon ceremony, they grabbed portraits with their wedding party. The groomsmen wore custom ivory Chanderi silk kurta pant sets with modern vests. “It was Benny’s wish to incorporate our late dog, Sherlock, into the wedding and remember him, so Susmita found a way to hand paint Sherlock’s photo on all of the groomsmen’s vests, making him an integral part of the wedding in the most important way!” says the bride.

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At the couple’s ceremony, guests were greeted by a welcome sign featuring the couple’s dogs. The aisle was lined with organic ivory and blush flowers and greenery. On each seat, attendees found a custom blanket with their name on it, a ceremony booklet explaining the meaning of each part of the Hindu ceremony, and a custom box featuring the couple’s late pups filled with Sakhadia mithai (Sweta’s favorite dessert).

The couple observed the 11 steps of a traditional Hindu ceremony—but made some modern twists to represent their values of partnership and equality. During the baraat, the groom arrived on horseback; then, the procession began with the entrance of the bridal party, flower girl, and ring bearer with live music on the sitar and bansuri (instruments native to India). “The flower girl and ring bearer were my cutest little niece and nephew Liam and Mila,” Sweta says. “They had matching ivory sherwanis and it was so sweet to have them be a part of the ceremony.”

Sweta made her bridal entrance alone. “This choice allowed me to blend the rich cultural heritage of my Indian roots with contemporary values that resonate with me—strength, independence, and choice,” she says. “It was a way to create a wedding experience that felt authentic to who I am.”

A nontraditional mandap with a floating canopy of flowers was tied between two trees.

Sweta and Benny participated in a few traditions, including exchanging garlands to show their mutual respect for each other, wrapping a hand-woven cord around their hands, and walking around a fire to symbolize their journey together. The duo wrote their own vows independently and shared them on the mandap. “Our planner joked she went through three boxes of tissues while passing them out!” Sweta says.

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Guests tossed flower petals as Sweta and Benny celebrated back down the aisle as “With You” by AP Dhillon sounded throughout the woods. “The music video for this song is about a couple on a trip to Italy, so it perfectly blended our cultural heritages,” Sweta says.

Sweta and Benny love growing their own herbs and vegetables, so they named each table at their reception after a vegetable they have in their garden. A custom market escort display held seed packets with guests’ table assignments. “They functioned as both escort cards and favors,” Sweta says. “Some of our guests have successfully grown the veggies this season!”

At the cocktail hour, the couple served Italian and Indian favorites, including gazpacho shooters, mini burrata salads, chili paneer, and crispy okra in a yogurt dip. They offered “his and hers” cocktails, too: Sweta chose a spicy cocktail with Fresno peppers, while Benny went with a gin and chamomile drink.

The couple’s reception took place inside the ballroom, where a white and tan checkered dance floor was the focal point. The centerpieces were a mix of high and low floral arrangements with seasonal local flowers in whites, tans, mossy greens, and pops of purples. The couple had a vision of an indoor enchanted forest; tons of candles were brought into the space to accomplish this. “Pin spot lighting really gave an elegant and dynamic feel to the ballroom,” Sweta says. Potted plants were added to the stage to create a unique backdrop.

Sweta and Benny shared their first dance to “So This is Love” by Sneha. “It was a rendition of the classic Disney song by an Indian-American artist, representing my dual upbringing,” the bride says. Sweta danced with her dad to “Here Comes the Sun” and Benny shared a spin with his mom to a medley. “It started slow and traditional. We were trying our best to Waltz to ‘Mamma’ by Andrea Bocelli, and then it got funky in the middle where we invited all our Italian friends and family to join us to dance to ‘Volare’ by Gypsy Kings, and finally, it ended with a surprise dance to a ’90s Bollywood song ‘Chura Ke Dil Mera,'” he says.

The bride swapped her original look for a Venchy Couture gown with floral appliqués; Benny changed into a tuxedo with black velvet trim that he designed with Sanjay Hingu from Pour Lui for the reception. He surprised his bride by singing “Hey Girl” by OAR with the band at the reception, so he needed to feel great in his look. “It gave me the confidence to sing in front of everyone when the time called,” he says.

Sweta loves poetry, so she hired Haikuists to share live haikus during cocktail hour, and to write custom poems for guests to take home at the reception.

The newlyweds served a family-style meal (complete with lots of pasta!). After the dinner service, they cut into a mint-hued wedding cake, which was decorated with white orchids and featured layers of Bailey’s double fudge chocolate with vanilla buttercream icing.

Later, Benny and Sweta surprised their guests with a three-song medley in three languages (Hindi, English, and Italian). Benny also did a surprise DJ set at the end of the evening and was joined by his groomsman and DJ partner, Jonathan, on stage.

The couple went on a spontaneous road trip after their wedding, stopping in Mount Shasta, Crater Lake, Bend, Willamette Valley, and Portland. To couples in the midst of the planning process, they recommend assigning tasks to your family and friends and giving them key roles during the wedding weekend. “It will help them feel involved, build excitement, and get things done,” Sweta says. “Remember, it truly takes a village, so why not lean on yours?”

To couples in the midst of the planning process, they recommend assigning tasks to your family and friends and giving them key roles during the wedding weekend. “It will help them feel involved, build excitement, and get things done,” Sweta says, “Remember, it truly takes a village, so why not lean on yours?”

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