Inside: A DIY-Filled Fusion Wedding In Devon

The Story

I’m originally from the US, and Matt is from Wiltshire. We met in Budapest in 2019, while he was on a weekend trip, and checked into the hostel I had been living and working in for the month before (which was completely unplanned— I was actually meant to be in Switzerland!). We ended up swiping right on each other on Bumble the day after he arrived, and chased each other around Europe that spring. Our first three dates were in three different countries! We made things official in Portugal when he came to visit me, and then lockdown ended up moving us in together in England about six months later.

He proposed on a canoe in the Cotswolds, with his parents standing on the shore and mine on FaceTime watching. One of his best friends is a photographer, and he was hiding in the bushes to capture the moment! Afterwards, we celebrated with champagne and a lakeside picnic, and started planning our three-day Indian and British fusion wedding right away.

The Venue(s)

We decided to have our fusion wedding at Rockbeare Manor near Exeter, Devon. Matt went to university in Exeter, and I used to work in the area as a princess performer, so we both love that part of the Southwest. I was obsessed with the Mediterranean vibe of the manor and the open, airy feel of the ceremony room, and seeing it in person was just as magical. It was the first venue we visited, and we booked immediately.

With most of our budget allocated to the big wedding day, we decided to stick to smaller nearby venues for the remaining two days of traditional Indian celebrations we had planned. We held a mehendi and sangeet at Gittisham Village Hall, which made the perfect blank canvas to fill with DIY decorations, and had our intimate haldi, or turmeric ceremony, at Heron Farm Vineyard in a marquee the team kindly set up and surprised us with!

The Fashion

Three days of fusion wedding ceremonies also meant three days of bridal outfits! For the mehendi and sangeet, I chose a soft mint green lehenga from Mahari Collection in Canada.

Since I knew my haldi outfit wouldn’t survive the event, I decided to shop secondhand. I paired a Depop lace crop top with a pair of white dhoti trousers, and finished the look with an old yellow dupatta, or scarf.

My wedding day dress was a subtly blush, soft and floaty a-line by Justin Alexander. I actually went into my dress journey set on a Madi Lane, as I’d fallen in love with the Australian designer’s ethereal boho vibes, and checked every boutique in the area that stocked Madi Lane dresses. Nicola at Find A Dress Bridalwear saw I loved the lace appliqué look, and suggested I give the Justin Alexander dress a try. She knew before I did!

I also had a pink and gold outfit made by Mani Jassal in Canada for the reception, but it was sadly stuck in Switzerland in my lost luggage after my hen. Thankfully, Bina from Bollywood Borrowed saved the day by sending some last-second outfits in my size, and I ended up wearing a stunning navy blue and gold lehenga for the reception.

The Jewellery

My main goal in picking jewellery to wear over the wedding events was to find traditionally Indian pieces in soft, classic Western bridal colours rather than the typical bright tones. I also wanted to wear meaningful pieces inherited from both of my grandmothers when they passed, so it felt like they were a part of the day.

My final looks were a mix of vintage gold pieces from India, given by my grandmothers, custom pieces made in Birmingham, a set of bangles from Sokora Jewels, and a pair of simple crystal drop earrings.

The Bridal Party

As soon as we got engaged, the first thing I did was start building my bridesmaid proposal boxes. I filled each blush-coloured box with a custom robe, mini bottle of pink gin, box of Charbonnel et Walker truffles, Whittard hot chocolate, and a handwritten note.

Since my bridal party was spread across three different countries and made up of a variety of skin tones, heights, and genders, I decided to let them pick their own outfits for the big day. I sent a colour palette my florist and I had put together to the group chat, and let them know they could wear whatever made them feel most confident and comfortable!

Everyone in the bridal party got to meet in Mykonos, at our joint bachelor/bachelorette party a few days before the wedding. It was truly the best trip ever, and having all of mine and my husband’s best friends in one place for the first time was unreal.

Some of the bridesmaids also spent the night in Rockbeare Manor’s Dairy Cottage the night before, nostalgic sleepover-style with prosseco and pastries delivered by the venue. It was such a relief to already be onsite the night before!

The DIYS

As a full-time content creator and someone who spends all day scrolling on social media as part of my job, I had a very clear vision going into the planning process for our fusion wedding. So, I DIY’d all of our wedding decor and stationery for all three days of our fusion wedding– designing plantable wedding invitations asa nod to Matt’s conservation work, hand-sewing pillowcases with sari fabric, painting a street-food style cart setup for our mehendi and sangeet, building and styling a faux flower arch, and working with my husband, his dad, and his uncle to make our tablescape details.

One of my favourite DIYs (and one that our friends and family all still talk about today!) were the welcome bags we curated, assembled, and hand-delivered to each hotel and Airbnb the day before celebrations started. The bags included English classics like teacakes, custard creams, crisps from Cheddar Gorge, an English breakfast blend from Fortnum & Mason— and a newspaper I created with our wedding weekend’s itinerary, word search themed to our love story, and Matt’s favourite places to eat and drink nearby.

Food & Drinks

I have 23 food allergies, so food and drink was the aspect of wedding planning that I was most nervous for. Luckily, our suppliers for all three days had us covered, and created an allergen-free environment and bespoke dishes for each event. A major highlight was the dessert table from Blossom and Bee Bakehouse was both vegan and allergen-free, featuring all of our favourite flavours in a dreamy setup.

We served traditional Indian food at the mehendi and sangeet, which was catered by Mattancherry in Taunton. About six months before the wedding, they welcomed us to their restaurant for a tasting, which was one of our favourite days of prep. We will definitely be returning for an anniversary dinner!

We also celebrated the blend of both of our families and cultures through a custom cocktail menu with classic British and Indian flavours. Gatehouse Trailer Bar put together a dreamy selection, including a rose mojito, a mango lassi negroni, and an apple crumble martini.

The next day, Heron Farm served a selection of traditional English breakfast staples to our family after the haldi and sent us home with a bottle from the vineyard to open on our first anniversary, and on the final day, Rockbeare Manor completely tailored the three-course wedding breakfast around my allergies. We served a bruschetta starter, a chicken or ravioli main, and a date-free sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Evening food was a build-your-own gourmet Mac and cheese bar with a range of toppings.

The Music

Drew Patrick, my bridesman and one of my best friends, is a singer-songwriter, and he actually wrote us our very own first dance song, called Easier. In the months leading up to the big day, he looked at our vows and asked us a bunch of questions to build out the lyrics, and added a Bridgerton-style outro as a nod to a fellow cross-cultural relationship.

The song I walked down the aisle to was also composed just for us, by James Wong. It was a blend of the traditional bridal procession and the theme song of my favourite Bollywood movie, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai–perfectly fit for a fusion wedding. A few of my buas, or aunties, noticed, and there was not a dry eye in sight.

Matt and I also created a background playlist of violin and piano covers of some our favourite songs– also Bridgerton-style of course!

Beauty & Wellness

One of the main traditions we wanted to incorporate was the haldi ceremony, which is when family members cover the bride and groom in a turmeric paste to cleanse, purify, and brighten before the big day. My bua made a traditional paste with turmeric and rosewater to apply to our arms and legs, and I picked up a turmeric-based mask from Khiel’s for our faces. We were absolutely glowing after rinsing off!

My sister and sister-in-law were kind enough to do my hair and makeup on the first and third days, and since I knew I’d be covered head to toe in turmeric on day two, I did a skincare-focused version of my everyday look, sticking with BB cream, a bit of concealer, highlighter, and blush.

Honeymoon

Matt and I met while travelling, and both of us love to explore the world. We want to go someplace neither of us have ever been, and as two former backpackers, we also want a super-luxe experience. We haven’t booked anything just yet, but are currently deciding between a safari in Tanzania followed by Zanzibar, or a trip to Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador to see the Amazon and Galapagos Islands.

Advice

Even if you’re super-crafty, taking on too many DIYS and customising every single element of your can add a lot of extra stress to the wedding planning process. Start by picking your top three projects that are most meaningful to you as a couple (for us, that was our faux flower arch, sea glass table numbers, and our food cart setup) , and consider sourcing a supplier, finding a wedding planner, or adding extra little projects later in the planning process if time allows.
If you’re flying to your destination wedding with anything important, definitely don’t do what I did— put it ALL in your carry on, do not take any risks with your wedding outfits or your favourite makeup items!

For cross-cultural couples planning a fusion wedding, remember that your wedding is as unique as your relationship. Pick and choose your favourite elements to bring in, and don’t feel like you need to to follow the rules to a T.
And finally, remember to take deep breaths, let go, and enjoy the moments with your loved ones— they’re what matters most. Not everything will go a hundred percent to your Pinterest board plans, no matter how many times you check them over (I mean, a thunderstorm came in during our wedding day drinks!), but everything will work out exactly the way it was meant to.