To understand the depth of the relationship between Seema + Sanjin, you have to get a little bit of their backstory. S + S are both doctors who met at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans, LA. Seema is a Nola-born Pakistani girl and Sanjin immigrated as a child to the United States with his parents from war-torn Bosnia. For them, family and culture are everything, so that was their focus when planning their wedding at the Civic Theatre. With the help of Spanish Oak Events, they brought together an authentic Pakistani gown, a large venue space designed for dancing and mingling, Nola and Bollywood music, and an inviting color scheme for a magical multicultural wedding day. S shares more about their inspiration:
For us, our wedding day could only really be about us if we centered it around our friends and family. This may come across as fairly platitudinous, however, our relationship’s most memorable moments were heightened as they were surrounded by our loved ones –like falling in love on the parade route during Mardi Gras with our closest friends or Sunday Pakistani dinner at my parent’s (Seema’s) house–they made us the couple we are today.
Are you ready to look through the lens of Kevin Benoit and see it all in stunning detail? Let’s go!
Multicultural Wedding Attire
Seema’s favorite color is brown, so they chose earthy tones and warm fabrics for their decor scheme. This included Sanjin’s suit and brown paisley tie from Suitsupply.
Nothing short of a masterpiece, Seema’s Pakistani dress has us oohing and ahhing! She looks like a vision in head to toe embellishment and glam hair and makeup by Cat Vo. We had to have her tell us more!
My wedding dress was the most stressful part of the wedding. I wanted a traditional Pakistani pishwas, which are usually custom made by hand in Pakistan, however, I was in the middle of my fellowship training and unable to travel to Pakistan to look and do fittings. I ended up finding a designer online —Faiza Saqlain–and working with her through Whatsapp. We did a muted gold dress with a motif overlay of gold-silver filigree and embroidered tulips. The motif featured red, green, and blue sequins and stones. My dupatta was a more traditional, a red chiffon scarf with an emerald green inner lining. I did not see my dress for the first time until 3 weeks before the wedding!
Setting the Stage
S + S chose on-trend ceremony decor of dramatic dried palms. To see more ways you can incorporate this look into your own day, check out Trend Alert! Creative Ways to Use Dried Palms in Weddings.
Sanjin — Seeing Seema for the first time at our first look. She looked so happy.
Seema –Seeing Sanjin as I walked down the aisle to one of my favorite songs.
Processional: “Black Screen” by LCD Soundsystem
Recessional: “Shell Suite” by Chad Valley
First Dance: “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire
Multicultural Wedding Music and Dancing
It’s not a New Orleans wedding without a Second Line, and the Knockaz Brass Band did not disappoint! To celebrate their ties to New Orleans, S + S strutted their stuff down the streets of NOLA after the ceremony. When they returned to the reception, it was time to dance to some serious Bollywood music!
Shades of Taupe and Terra Cotta
In regard to our wedding venue and decor theme, I(Seema) told our wedding planner that my favorite color was brown and wanted our wedding to have an organic, muted palette with some interesting pops of color and texture. We chose dried flowers in terracotta pots as our centerpieces, and our lounge areas included mid-century modern furniture with funky rugs, chairs and side tables.
Fat Cat Flowers used tons of texture and dried elements to add interest to the table centerpieces. Element Event Rentals provided all tabletop rentals while Lovegood Rentals provided the furniture.
Are you a big fan of the dried floral look? See all of the amazing places you can find dried flowers below:
Who else loves seeing two people and two families come together in a multicultural wedding? We love seeing the authentic ways couples incorporate traditions and history. Congratulations Seema + Sanjin! The GWS team is wishing you both the very best!
photography: Kevin Benoit // venue name: The Civic Theatre, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA // event design: Spanish Oak Events // planning: Spanish Oak Events // florals: Fat Cat Flowers // wedding dress: Faiza Saqlain // hair stylist: Cat Vo // makeup artist: Cat Vo // groom attire: Suitsupply // catering: Black Pearl Catering // tabletop rentals: Element Event Rentals // furniture rentals: Lovegood Rentals // music: Everything Forever // second line band: Knockaz Brass Band // bride’s reception dress: Stine Goya