// YOUR FANTASY WEDDING
WITH THE RIGHT TEAM, A QUIRKY THEME CAN STILL BE TURNED INTO AN ELEGANT AFFAIR.
With the right team, a quirky theme can still be turned into a swanky affair.
Following a traditional ceremony in India, Kavita Pallod and Vibhav Sekhsarias switched gears for their reception. “We were both born and raised in the States and always had this idea of a more American wedding, so we wanted to incorporate those elements into our reception,” says Pallod. For this couple, that meant getting thematic.
“Vibhav is a huge Star Wars nerd, I love Harry Potter, and we love that about each other,” says Pallod. The pair turned to wedding planner Sumeet Bagai of Dream Shaadi (571-4771605; dreamshaadi.com) and opted for the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center (201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, 301-965-2300; gaylordnationalriverviewballroom.com). They were among the first to use the venue’s 16,000-square-foot RiverView Ballroom.
Together, they made sure the theme permeated all aspects of the event without overshadowing it. “That’s one thing we were all on the same page about,” says Bagai. Decorator and florist Priti Verma of L’Ambiance, Inc. (703-584-7039, myweddingdecorator .com) transformed the ballroom into an enchanted forest reminiscent of the Hogwarts campus, while a Millennium Falcon-shaped ice sculpture served as a drinks luge. “It looked really classy,” says Pallod. Finally, the Honeydukes dessert table, named for the wizards’ confectionery, boasted about 17 different sweets, from Harry Potterinspired chocolate frogs to Star Wars-themed cookies. “Even those who weren’t completely in tune with the theme picked up on it,” says Bagai. “That’s a pretty special thing to do with 600-plus people.”—C.C.