Despite living less than a block from one another in Chicago, Kelley and Kiran didn’t meet until they matched on Hinge. Both physicians, Kiran was in his first few months on the job and Kelley was working through her residency.
“The timing just worked out perfectly,” Kelley says.
So how did this Chicago-based couple wind up celebrating not one, but two, culturally inspired and beautifully dreamt up ceremonies here in Buffalo?
The answer, in part, lies in Kiran’s 716 area code.
“I grew up in Lewiston, and I’m always going to be a Buffalonian,” Kiran says.
But aside from Kiran’s roots, Buffalo offered the ideal venues to host the couple’s two celebrations and 200-plus guest list.
“I grew up in a Lutheran family and Kiran grew up with a Hindu upbringing,” Kelley says. “It seemed a little difficult to make it flow well in one ceremony, and it wouldn’t really do justice to either one.”
People are also reading…
The pair landed on the Buffalo Marriott at LECOM Harborcenter for their Indian ceremony, complete with bountiful, bright blooms showcasing hues of pinks, reds and oranges—Kelley’s favorite colors and, fittingly, a traditional palette at Indian wedding ceremonies.
“We were having our wedding in early fall, so I wanted to capture the transitioning colors,” Kelley says.
Day-of details
Prior to the big day, Kelley and Kiran provided guests information on where they could find Indian outfits for the first celebration.
“Almost everyone that came to the Indian ceremony wore Indian clothes, regardless of whether they had before, which is pretty cool,” says Kiran.
Brunch, catered by a local Indian restaurant, followed the first ceremony. Later, guests got a few hours to explore downtown Buffalo—another reason the pair felt drawn to the Harborcenter—before heading to the second ceremony at the Avanti Mansion.
Taking the design details they loved from their first ceremony, and repurposing them for their second, the couple created unity across both cultures. The florals that hung behind the Mandap, a traditional Indian altar, were reused on the arbor at the second ceremony. The same was done for the tablescapes.
“We wanted to have some continuity between the weddings and just make the whole day flow instead of feeling like two separate events,” Kelley says.
In another ode to the pair’s first ceremony, the wedding cake was delicately adorned with a henna design.
Tunes were spun by DJ Spooky Stephen, who went to grade school with Kiran.
Looking back on the day, there wasn’t a single thing Kiran or Kelley would have changed—except maybe that it went by so fast.
The dream team
Who helped the couple make it happen
Planning / Events by Lauren Marie
Venues / Marriott Harborcenter & Avanti Mansion
Hair & Makeup / Salon a Go Go
Florist / Williams Florist
Cake / Muscoreils
Linens / Tesoro Event Rentals
Lounge furniture / Revival Rentals
Band / Silver Arrow
DJ / DJ Spooky Stephen
