Sneha and Christian may live out west now, but nothing could keep them from celebrating their love with their HUGE families in Illinois! There was so much love, so much tradition and so much celebration that went into Sneha and Christians’ wedding. The two chose Hornbaker Gardens in Princeton Illinois to host their wedding day. The venue was the absolute perfect choice for their incredible day.

The Night Before

They started their wedding weekend with their Sangeet Party the night before the wedding at Sneha’s parents’ house.  Sneha’s family had Hennaz Art come for her Sangeet party. Surrounded by family, Sneha had her henna done while sharing laughs and stories with her closest friends and family.  They had a tent set up in the backyard for friends and family as they kicked off their wedding weekend.

Rather than having the customary 4-day Indian wedding celebration, they squeezed everything together into two days to combine Sneha’s Indian heritage with Christians Christian background.

Getting Ready

Sneha and Christian got ready separate and then saw each other for the first time at Hornbaker Gardens that morning before their wedding ceremony. Once they arrived at the venue we wandered around the GORGEOUS gardens taking some portraits of the two of them before their family began to arrive. Once their family arrived we spent a bit of time taking photos of them with their immediate families.

The Wedding Ceremony

The morning of their wedding, Sneha and Christian arrived at Hornbakers gardens a little before their ceremony so we could take some portraits of the two of them before their guests arrived. I love that these two decided to spend some time with one another prior to their ceremony.

Sneha and Christian combined their Hindu and Christian backgrounds creating one blended ceremony. Their family gathered at Hornbaker Gardens as they waited for their ceremony to begin.  Christian did a baraat, a groom’s procession on a horse into the ceremony with all of his family surrounding him.  Their ceremony and event space were both decorated beautifully by Vivek flowers and Flowers Plus located in Streater IL.  Since they combined two cultures, two religions, and two backgrounds, their wedding day was filled with a beautiful mix of love and tradition that was so beautiful to witness.

Both sides of Sneha and Christians’ families participated in the traditions for each culture. The blending of traditions into one day for these two was so special and so important.

Newly Wed Photos

Following Sneha and Christians’ ceremony, they changed into their reception attire and we went out to take some portraits of the two of them before the sunset. As their first time alone as newlyweds we took a walk to a new spot at Hornbaker Gardens to take some photos and give the two of them an opportunity to spend some time together before we went to the rest of the wedding’s festivities.

The Reception

Sneha and Christian opened their reception with a first dance infused with their own traditions and style, including an inflatable electric guitar and microphone as props as they headbanged while their family went wild.  Once the dance floor opened up the party never stopped, they continued to dance and celebrate literally ALL night.

To close out their wedding night they ended their reception with a sparkler exit. Their friends and family gathered around, passed out sparklers, and held them up as Sneha and Christian ran off to close their night!

Congratulations to Sneha and Christian! This wedding was something truly unique and special, the combination of cultures and traditions into one beautiful wedding weekend is something I feel so honored to have been a part of. Looking to start planning a wedding of your own? Check out my free wedding planning checklist to help get your planning started on the right foot.

Vendors

Florist: Flowers Plus

Flower Garlands: Vivek Flowers

Videographer: Jermain Horton

Live Singer: Jesus Ramos played Mariachi music during the cocktail hour

DJ: DJ Fiesta Pros DJ’d the rest of the wedding

Catering & Churros: Kama Bistro

HMU: Mehendi Neo

Wedding Dress: Krishna Fashion House provided the ceremony dress and Yoomna’s Boutique provided the reception dress

Jewelries: Sneha: MyRootsJewelry and Christian: RingsByLux

Groom’s Suit & shoes: Mens Warehouse provided the reception suit and Krishna Fashion House provided the ceremony outfit

Coordinator: Lindsay Funderberg was the day of planner at Hornbaker Gardens