Winter Wedding at the Wilder Mansion

August 21, 2019

August 21, 2019

Jessica and Soumya incorporated some of the most thoughtful touches throughout their wedding, we are so excited to share!

Jessica grew up in Elmhurst and always went to the local library to read and study, almost every day! Years later the library unfortunately was closed. But the good news was they decided to transform the library into an event space! It’s like a dream come true; a place where a girl went her entire childhood is now the place she gets to marry the man of her dreams. It was meant to be!

Their wedding was multi-cultural, mixing American and Indian traditions. Jessica chose to wear a traditional white dress but during the ceremony she put her sari on while they took part in the Saptapadi, which in English means “Seven Steps”. We loved hearing the meaning behind the Saptapadi: the bride and groom take seven steps while repeating words from their father, all indicating their vows and future. At the seventh step they are married. So after the seven steps and an additional kiss with their American officiant, they were legally married!

After the cocktail hour, guests were greeted by a small lantern on their guest seats. Jessica and Soumya explained to all their guests the most adorable story behind the gift of the lanterns. For a long time while Soumya and Jessica were dating, they would work really long hours and be on an opposite schedule. Every night one of them would leave a lantern on before they left for the night so when the other would return home, they would feel the spirit of one another. They continued this every day for their relationship, even when their schedules starting matching up.

After dinner, guests were invited back downstairs to listen to Jessica’s dad’s band play a few songs before their family friend band played the rest of the night. Of course, the song they danced to was called “Leave The Light On”!