Guest Writer: Travis-Lee Moore, CPCE, The Functions Event Group In the months leading up to August 28th, City Club an I had the pleasure of working with a truly amazing couple – Amy Chappell and Manish Kotecha. They’ve known each other since they were three, worked at Dairy Queen together in high school and some years later Manish proposed using an Oreo Cookie Blizzard as the presentation vehicle for the ring. The blending of their Christian and Hindu family’s cultures and customs made for a brilliant demonstration of the beauty of interfaith proceedings and provided a wonderful colorful, eclectic palette of elements with which to design.
Friday was a whirlwind of deliveries to the Club and ensuring that the Hindu ceremony was set for the next day, the items for the turn of the room for the reception staged in an adjacent piece of the ballroom and pulling together all of the personal flowers. Saturday, game day, the Club’s set is finished. The Oak Room is set for the Christian ceremony making use of the gorgeous glass paneled screens that reside there.
The Hindu ceremony was a moving commitment ceremony including Jaimala - Exchange of Garlands, Vivah Havan - Lighting of the Sacred Fire, Mangal Phera - Circling the Sacred Fire to symbolize commitment to respect for each other, caring for each other, patience for each other, honesty and faithfulness to each other, building a happy and strong family together, traveling the journey of life together with harmony and love and remaining lifelong friends.
After the couple is showered with petals by their parents, guests adjourned to the Terrace Lounge for wine and champagne while the bridal party, after a few quick photos at the altar, rushes off to make the change from their traditional Hindu garb to beautiful Christian attire and the entire bridal party is transformed and back for the Christian ceremony in the Oak Room within forty five minutes.
While all of this is going on, the ballroom is being changed from ‘gorgeous Hindu ceremony’ to ‘amazing fusion supper club’ – no small task, but with the continued, never-ending energy they’d already brought to every other preparation, the team including four floral designers, two production assistants, M&M Staff, City Club Service and Culinary staffs, myself and Ricardo – the reset is completed with minutes to spare and with spectacular results. Amy and Manish spend a few minutes alone in the gorgeously appointed ballroom before guests are welcomed back into the Bollywood chic, supper club setting and are met with spicy specialty drinks and a great collection of passed hors d’oeuvres including Shots Of Mulligatawny and Spoons Of Shrimp Tikka On Mango Chutney. The bridal party is presented to the room followed by an amazing Bollywood dance troupe, Blue Flame, performing for the crowd and dinner is served by the bite. A series of specialty stations scattered throughout the room offer miniature entrees assembled by efficient culinarians who’s orchestrations are over seen by Chef Gilbert’s genius.
