Irina and Ryan both lived in Canada when Ryan proposed, and both had family across the globe. Here’s how they chose their location.
“Given that we both live in Ottawa, and my family is all over the place (my sister in Minnesota and my parents in Beijing, China, and we’re from Bangladesh originally), we were wondering where we would have the wedding. We didn’t want to wait too long, and no matter where it was, my family would have to fly there. Ryan’s family mostly lives in Utah, so we decided that at least one side of the wedding could remain where they were, and so we picked Salt Lake City, Utah as the wedding venue.”
“It wasn’t an easy task trying to plan a wedding from so far away, but the internet makes things so doable these days! Ryan and I made mutual decisions on most things, which was really good, and I didn’t feel like I had to plan the whole thing alone, what with my family not living close to me.”
While many of you will be traveling to India to shop for your trousseau, some of you are placing your faith in your mothers or other relatives to shop for your wedding attire and jewelry. Irina did just that when trusting her parents to select the clothing and jewelry for her bridal wear and for the wedding gifts, much of it from Kolkata, India.
Our beautiful bride married her groom in an outdoor wedding ceremony at the Memorial House in Utah and Opie Foto was there to capture every detail!
We love this wedding’s DIY centerpieces created by a family member. They prove that you don’t need extravagant flower arrangements to make a statement.
We also love the idea of asking guests for their wishes or advice and the idea has become quite common at welcome tables. Our bride, Irina, used the same concept but made it more personal by creating a centerpiece around the idea.
"I really wanted beautiful photos of our wedding. I think we researched this aspect of the wedding the longest. We looked at several photographers’ websites, and came across Opie’s where the style seemed different from all the others we had seen. Ryan and I both really liked her work, and thought she did a fantastic job at the wedding. I think our pictures are among the best that I’ve seen at recent weddings, but of course, I could be biased.”
For the reception, the bride changed into a dress custom made in the Silk Street Market in Beijing, China. What we love is that she paired it with the tikka and dupatta from her ceremony attire. What a stunning combination!
“The wedding ceremony was perfect. I was holding my breath to hear every word that Ryan said, it was in a perfect location and my dream outdoor wedding. During the ceremony, I was thinking so much about Ryan and myself, that the world around us had disappeared and it was just us getting married. It was wonderful.
Many of our guests flew to Salt Lake City to be at the wedding, which we are incredibly thankful for. We had about 90 guests, and many were from different states in the US, while many were from Bangladesh, Canada, and China. It was a truly multi-national/multi-cultural wedding. My best friends from high school were also there, and it was really wonderful that they could be with us.
Relax and enjoy the wedding. It goes by very quickly. If at the end of the night, you’re married to your true love, you can consider it a success! Spend time talking to your friends and family, because they will say things that they will never tell you on any other occasion.”
Photography - Opie Foto
Venue - Memorial House
Catering – Utah Food Services
Cake – Wedding Cakes by Dawna
Entertainment – DJ Moazzem of Emkay International
Hair and Makeup – Janae at Lunatic Fringe
Florist – Kathy Swiss, Pleasant Grove
Centerpieces – Stephanie Long
Bride’s Saree – Tangail Kutir, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bride’s Dress – Silk Street Market, Beijing, China
Groom’s Sherwani – Orly in Kolkata, India
Groom’s Suit – Hugo Boss, Ottawa
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