Mary Beth & Sameer's Double Ceremony

I just love it when couples with two different ethnic backgrounds get married at Keswick Vineyards.  It is such an experience to see wedding ceremonies of another culture.  For Mary Beth & Sameer, it was a combination of American and Indian traditions.  The day started with the Hindu ceremony.  MS Events did a beautiful job building a staged wrapped with fabric and garland with flowers by Verde Natural Florals.  Mary Beth and Sameer looked beautiful in their traditional Indian attire.  I find this ceremony so fascinating to watch with all the symbolism they use through out the ceremony.  It starts with a cloth separating the couple from seeing one another.  Once they have seen each other Sameer applies a red powder to Mary Beth's parting hair as a symbol of her married status.  Sameer then adorns her with a sacred black beaded necklace symbolizing his love for her.  A fire is then lit with prayers being offered.  They then walk around the fire 4 times to symbolize the four goals of human existence.  Towards the end, they both step on a stone and offer a prayer for their mutual love to be firm and steadfast like a stone.  Finally, they take seven steps together which represents the Hindu belief that they will remain lifelong friends.  Isn't that a beautiful ceremony???  After that ceremony, guests enjoyed some refreshments prepared by Harvest Moon Catering while the wedding party did a quick change for the American ceremony. Pastor Brian Purcell lead the American ceremony.  I love how Mary Beth & Sameer wrote love letters to each other that were placed in a box, along with a bottle of Keswick Vineyards wine, that is locked until their 1st anniversary.  Those letters will always remind them of the reasons why they love one another so much and why they chose to get married.  After that ceremony guests enjoyed a few more refreshments while pictures were taken.  I just love Photographer William Walker.  He really gets into his work.  He needed to show Mary Beth & Sameer a look he wanted for a photo so he quickly grabbed his wife who is also his second shooter, Jessica, to give a quick demo (see my photo below).  So glad I was able to capture that fun moment. Dinner was then served buffet style by Harvest Moon Catering.  Guests were then treated by one of those spectacular Virginia sunsets that are just amazing to witness.  How special was that?????  Once under the Sperry tent for the evening, DJ TD Layman kept the dance floor packed while guests danced the night away.  Mary Beth & Sameer's entire day was flawless under the direction of Barbara Lundgren and her Barb Wired team.

 None of this would be possible without the teamwork of the following vendors:  Harvest Moon Catering, Barb Wired Event Planning, DJ TD Layman of Sound Enforcement, Photographer William Walker and his wife Jessica, Verde Natural Florals, Favorite Cakes, MS Events, Pastor Brian Purcell, Hair & Make-up Artist Marci Corle with A More Beautiful You and UTS Buses.