The venue was decorated by Tripti, Richard and their close friends and family members. “Many of the items were either designed by Richard or crafted by me,” Tipti tells us. “We visited Covent Garden Flower Market in London to pick up the varieties needed to make the garlands and the ceremonial flowers for the Indian wedding. My aunt and uncle prepared these by hand the day before our Hindu ceremony. We ordered three buckets of freshly cut blooms from Kokutan that had been grown in their nursery choosing pale colours for the buttonholes and bouquets that looked simple and elegant.” The couple’s centrepieces were flowers arranged in a variety of vases. “My aunties worked hard at arranging them,” Tripti tells us. “We then reused them for the celebration on the second day. We aimed to minimise waste and to reduce the negative impact that weddings can have on the environment.” On the first day for the tables at their Indian wedding, the couple painted acrylic signs and added numbers in Bengali, designed by Richard. “This was a nod to my Bengali heritage,” Tripti tells us. “On the second day, we used the names of pubs and bars that have meant something to us both for our table names. We also added a little information about each one and how it related to us.” For their place names on the first day, which were designed by Richard, the names were written in Bengali to highlight the Bengali element of the wedding. “On the second day, all of the names were written by Richard’s aunt,” Tripti tells us. The couple had bee pins for their favours from Macmillan Cancer Support because 100% of the proceeds go to charity. “It was a way to show support for some of our friends and family members who have recently been going through their cancer battles,” they tell us. Tripti and Richard didn’t have a wedding cake on the first day. Instead, they arranged for a Mishti table where they served their favourite Indian sweets along with homemade sweet yoghurt in clay pots which is a Bengali delicacy. Tripti’s friend, Alexandra Wolley made the cake for their celebration on the second day. “This was a lemon and elderflower design decorated with freshly cut flowers which tasted delicious and looked beautiful,” Tripti tells us. “We had touching speeches given by the people who mean the most to us. Remote messages were sent from loved ones who couldn’t be there on the day.” - Tripti and Richard REAL WEDDINGS 31
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