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A Symbolic and Relaxed Wedding with a Four-Course Reception Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

By Cathleen Freedman | Photography by 

Andi Artigue Photography

After connecting online, Nikita Thomas and Rayhan Saiani met for their first date on Valentine’s Day in 2018. It was a magical night that began at Chelsea Market’s Los Tacos No. 1 and ended at the Standard Biergarten with ping pong.

Three years later, Nikita and Rayhan were enjoying a usual low-key evening stroll with their dog, Leo when Nikita asked if they could take a detour into Central Park. Rayhan obliged. Somehow, the loose engagement ring he had slid into his workout shorts—the velvet box was too bulky and would give away the surprise—did not fall out during the walk. While overlooking the lake and Loeb Boathouse, Nikita turned around and discovered Rayhan down on one knee. “It was so spontaneous and unexpected,” she recalls, “I loved that it was just the two of us, with our pup as the only witness.”

The couple envisioned a contemporary Indian wedding that was simple, casual, and, most importantly, a good time. Nikita, a dentist whose New York practice represented the Brooklyn Nets, turned herself into her own de facto wedding planner but enlisted Deborah Minarik as their month-of coordinator and Andi Artigue and her husband as their photographers.

Nikita knew her traditionally Christian family, especially her grandparents, would appreciate seeing her walk down the aisle in white. Both she and Rayhan adore fashion but value sustainability. “We couldn’t justify wearing something that cost so much money only for a few hours,” she notes. Rayhan easily decided on his beloved classic J.Crew tuxedo that he’s worn for years. But the search would take Nikita to places far beyond her wardrobe. After visiting 11 bridal boutiques in New York City, she ultimately landed “the one” from Rebecca Vallance’s website.

She took her gown to Dashnor Tailoring on the Upper East Side. “Dino is the sweetest man and used to run the tailoring division at Tom Ford,” Nikita shares. “He’s incredibly talented, so it was easy for him to make my dress fit like a glove.” She paired the dress with freshwater pearls from Completed Works, a responsibly sourced jewelry company with refined designs.

Indian Couture designer Seema Gujral designed and shipped the bride’s lehenga from India. It was nothing short of magical, taking four months to construct. She layered with a necklace set and earrings that were sourced by Anita Dongre, and Rashmi Tomar applied her glowing beauty look.

On August 5, 2022, guests gathered for a nondenominational, symbolic, and relaxed wedding ceremony. Nikita’s uncle and family patriarch, Mani, officiated. Despite this being the first wedding he ever conducted, he made the crowd laugh and cry before the couple even said “I do.”

At the reception, banquet-style tables were set. Sarah from Pomona Florals created beautiful ikebana-inspired tablescapes with flashes of color and fresh fruits. Nikita elaborates further, “I wanted something that our friends and family would stop and look at, or even better, think about it.” For dinner, guests were served a four-course meal. “Blue Hill at Stone Barns just blew us away with their menu,” she recalls. During cocktail hour, they even delivered polenta fries with tomato chutney as an homage to the couple’s Indian background.

“Dancing is a huge part of Indian culture,” Nikita confides. She laughs as she admits that guests began dancing as soon as the first course was through. She supposes that Blue Hill has never seen anything like it. “Most of the support staff were trying to coordinate their drops for each course, but guests were in their way, trying to get to the dance floor.” She adds. “In fact, I think our DJ had to ask guests to return to their seats so Blue Hill could continue with their dinner service.”

While most Indian weddings host the majority of dance performances on the first night of a wedding weekend, the couple combined several days’ worth of festivities into one. The first performance began after the Shag Horns finished their set. Nikita clarifies, “The dance sets were more similar to a flashmob than an official performance on a stage. It was more of us dancing in the middle of a giant dance circle. It was deliberately casual and somewhat unexpected; we all had so much fun with it.” Her family danced to “Stayin’ Alive,” and Rayhan’s parents’ friends grooved to popular Bollywood songs, and it finished with a finale from the couple’s friends from college. DJ Khan took over from there and mixed the couple’s favorite songs—old and new tunes, so there was something for everyone.

After the newlyweds cut the cake to the tune of “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim, the Shag Horns, main-stay performers at the Radegast Biergarten in Brooklyn, surprised guests with a rendition of “Tearin’ Up My Heart” by N*Sync that kept everyone on the dance floor. “It was so heartwarming,” Nikita dishes. “The energy in that room was contagious.”

To power through the hour-long journey back to their hotel on the Lower East Side, 145 donuts from DOUGH were distributed to guests for the bus ride. The newlyweds slipped out of the rooftop after-party to fall asleep with the sounds of their guests dancing and chatting abiding.